We finish our shopping and head back to the house so I can get started with my Spanish classes. I find myself hoping this job will wrap up quickly so that Cash and I can go back home. I already miss the states and, even more than that, I miss Cash.
I just want to get through the day and be one day closer to being back with the man who was crazy enough to drug me and take me back to his home, crazy enough to save me from my self-destructive ways.
Chapter Twelve
Johnnie
I toss and turn after a full day of studying. I feel like my brain has been stretched to its maximum capacity. Though I am fluent in Spanish, apparently I’m not consistent in the sense of always conjugating verbs correctly. Spanish on paper and Spanish in the streets are two different things.
I kick off the covers that are wrapped around my legs and sit with my head in my hands on the edge of the bed. The night air blows through the open window. The sheer curtain sways with a gentle wind and it’s as if the cool breeze is inviting me to go outside.
Though I know Cash will have a fit if he finds out I’m going for an evening stroll, I still give into the temptation and get up, throwing on my jeans and t-shirt from earlier. I grab a baseball cap this time and tuck in my hair, pulling it low over my face. If people think that I’m a guy, they will be less likely to harass me.
I don’t bother going out the front door; I just climb through the window that originally beckoned me. I don’t want to take a chance that I’ll wake anyone.
I let my mind wander as I make my way through the quiet streets. I have been watching the inhabitants of the doctor’s home but as of yet, I haven’t been able to uncover any illegal activity. They operate like any normal family. I haven’t even observed any patients coming to the house for appointments. I am beginning to wonder if there’s any validity to Cash’s information. Then again, I can’t imagine him following through on a mission as big as a black market baby ring without having checked all the facts first.
I look up to find myself in unknown territory. I had allowed myself to get distracted daydreaming and now I’ve veered off course. This is not good. I have no idea where I am or how to get back to the doctor’s home. I can see a man making his way towards me and it’s obvious he’s been drinking. I move over to allow him room to pass by me but he doesn’t and, instead, starts to harass me for money.
“You American?” he drawls as he leers at me. He completely catches me off guard when he rips the ball cap from my head and his fist rips through the air. It connects solidly with my jaw and knocks me out. The last thing I remember is being caught in his arms right before black overtakes my vision. I fucked up. I’ve done the worst thing I could possibly do; I have underestimated the enemy.
Chapter Thirteen
Cash
I jolt awake as soon as I hear it—the beep that informs me my partner and lover is out of the restricted area I keyed into her tracking device. I tagged her shoulder for just this reason; it lets me know if she attempts to run from me or is taken by the enemy. God help her if either one has happened.
I jump from the bed and throw on a shirt to go with the jeans I fell asleep wearing. The holstered gun, that I had yet to wear up to this point, will be worn and used tonight if I find out she has been harmed in any way. I grab my phone and dial a longtime friend who is a Colombian official stationed here in Guatemala. Ricardo Ramirez will know what’s going on long before I do. He is priceless when it comes to Intel. He doesn’t answer so, out of courtesy, I leave him a message to let him know that I’m in his territory and give him some details about the black market baby ring. If the shit hits the fan, I’m sure he’ll know all about it soon enough anyway.
Rage courses through my veins as I think about her being subjected to some underworld drug lord, or worse yet, a human trafficker. If I allowed her to be sold to someone online, I run the risk of never seeing her again and losing the one woman I have ever loved. I have no intentions of allowing that to happen. I will kill someone before I ever lose her.
Johnnie
My whole face hurts as I open my eyes, trying to adjust to the dim lighting in a place that looks much like a cell. I jerk at the chain that holds me to the concrete wall as I try to touch the spot that’s throbbing on my jawline. I don’t think my head could hurt any worse and I don’t remember much. I don’t think I was subjected to chloroform or roofies but, apparently, getting knocked out by a full-grown man’s fist has the same result.
A moan coming from the corner of the room grabs my attention and makes me take a closer look at my surroundings. A very pregnant woman, in obvious distress, lies in the corner and is moving around as if the pain of labor has taken over her body. It hits me; whoever is in charge of this black market baby operation is probably the one who abducted me.