Laughing Eyes: Bittersweet Familia (3) Read online

  Nothing

  No one.

  Had I imagined the sounds, the smell?

  Had the fear been all in my head?

  Doing my best to secure the broken door, I stole a glance at Luiza who was still sound asleep. I should never have left her alone.

  Kicking my shoes off, I climbed back into bed bringing the cover up to my chin. My body was still shaking from fright, my mind more alert than ever. In the darkness, I closed my eyes willing sleep to take me.

  Eventually a pseudo haze held me at ransom, the faint smell of men’s cologne lingering in my dreams.

  ***

  The next morning as the men loaded up the truck, I found Alec under the shelter stocktaking the medical box. His gaze barely met mine as he counted a half empty box of syringes.

  “What is it?” he asked, mid count.

  “Were you or the others out last night?”

  “Out where?”

  “By the beach. Did anyone go for a late walk?”

  Alec stopped counting and placed the syringes back in the box before his curious expression met mine. “No, we all went to bed straight after dinner. Why? What’s going on?”

  I shook my head confused by this revelation. I hadn’t been imagining it. The cologne was distinct, obvious!

  “I just, ah… I thought someone was out there that’s all, but I must be mistaken.”

  “You went to the beach? On your own?” Alec reprimanded. I knew I wasn’t allowed to. We were under such strict rules here that doing something reckless like that would endanger the whole group.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep.” I was sorry. I should have known better.

  He sighed heavily, his annoyance and concern a confusing mix. “Anna, with Eduardo missing we can’t tempt fate any more than we are by being here. So please be sensible. I can’t stay awake all night looking out for everyone.”

  I nodded, feeling the fool.

  As I walked back to my cabin to collect my bag, I stared ahead at the thicket of trees. In the daylight there was nothing ominous about them. But I knew better. Something or someone had been in there last night, watching us, waiting for the slightest taste of vulnerability.

  Danny

  Aiden and I waited fifty yards apart in the tree line, perfectly still, sniper rifles at the ready. We had been like this since pre-dawn, our eyes glued to the happenings of a small building stuck in the middle of nowhere. We knew we were at a target site. The larger than life symbol in black on the west wing wall that matched the engraving on the bullet shells found at site, told us so. This was a hub for El Leon workers. We also knew that it was too small to be the main factory.

  “What are you thinking?” Aiden’s voice came through the ear piece as we watched a man walk from the building, yawning and stretching before lighting a cigarette. He was large with a gut that hung from beneath his shirt, his underwear sitting higher than his slacks.

  “We play your favourite game, brother. It’s called watch and wait.”

  Taking action on this place wasn’t ideal. If El Leon knew we were on his tail, we could kiss goodbye any leads.

  By mid-morning there was movement all around, trucks running an endless route back and forth, dropping off boxes on arrival and disappearing with empty trays. We counted at least seven on route.

  “We follow them, it will take us straight to our hot spot,” I said, shifting weight off my dead arm.

  “We need in on one of those trucks,” Aiden replied, his way of thinking matching my own.

  “Pack it up, bro. We have a ride to catch.”

  “Wait!”

  Caught off guard by my friend’s tone, I fell flat again, my rifle ready. “Fuck me, is that who I think it is?”

  The last truck to arrive pulled to a stop, its driver rounding the cab to the passenger side door. With his gun pointed through the open window, we watched as Eduardo and Samuel set foot on the ground, their pale bloodied faces reflecting the stress of capture, both with their hands bound.

  “Game changer,” Aiden said quietly.

  By now more men had filtered out from the building, gathering around the two aid workers. There was a mix of anticipation and tension in the air as the taunting began.

  “Clearly we’re not leaving this place without spilling some blood and our lead has been shot to shit.” While I was worried for Eduardo and Samuel, my main fear was now for the rest of the aid workers and the repercussions that would follow after today.

  The man who had come out for a cigarette earlier broke his way through the loitering men positioning himself in front of the duo.

  With a Glock by his side, he mouthed an instruction. The captives, wisely cooperating, fell to their knees.

  “Cover me!” Aiden instructed. “They’re all yours. I’m going around their left to flank.”

  The group began to circle the aid workers blocking the cigarette man from view.

  Lining up my first target, I fired a clean shot into the neck of a man directly in front. Blood splattered on the men either side of him as he fell to his knees, then face down on the ground. There was a moment of confusion as there always is in a silent attack, but within seconds the fear set in as all the men yelled and scrambled out of the firing line.

  It didn’t matter.

  They weren’t quick enough.

  Soon enough eight of the twelve men were dead, the other four now crouching behind trucks and crates. They still had no idea where the attack was coming from, but that didn’t stop them from shooting at random targets, their rapid fire exploding through the valley gorge we were positioned in. The aid workers did the right thing and fell to the ground to avoid any stray bullets. Aiden would collect them when the others were dead. What I couldn’t see though was cigarette man.

  “Do you have a view of the four fuckers left?” I asked, through the ear piece.

  “All except one. I’m gonna shoot the side of the truck and send him your way.”

  “Got it.”

  Half a second passed before I heard the familiar sound of bullets piercing metal, followed by the shots of a desperate man trying to flee. Rounding the truck, he fired in Aiden’s direction, leaving him completely exposed on my end. Shooting him in the side of the knee, I watched as his body twisted with the sudden force, his gun firing into the sky. His sickening screams echoed, his agonized cries falling on the deaf ears of his remaining comrades.

  “You are a brutal man, Danny Peters!” I could detect the smile coming through Aiden’s voice.

  “Someone had to be the example.”

  From somewhere in the tree line, more shots rang out as another two men fell to their deaths.

  “And then there was one.”

  “And guess who that one is?” Aiden quipped, as he emerged from the left, his rifle now replaced by his Glock, pointed directly at our last target.

  Cigarette man rose to his feet, arms raised in surrender, his upper half now in my line of view. Aiden made his way across the clearing as I skirted the back.

  We closed in on him around the same time, his worried face flicking to me and back to Aiden, knowing he had nowhere to run.

  Using the tip of the Glock, I edged him to the middle of the clearing.

  “Move!” I demanded when he displayed some resistance.

  The grateful, if not mortified looking aid workers, scrambled to their feet as we passed them.

  “On your knees,” Aiden instructed in his quiet, yet authoritative tone.

  “Who the fuck are you?” The heavily accented man spat, clearly pissed by the morning’s events.

  “It’s irrelevant who we are,” I said, meeting his angry gaze. “We don’t even care who you are. What we do want to know is where we can find El Leon.”

  He laughed.

  Throwing his head back as if it was the funniest fucking thing he’d ever heard.

  Aiden and I glanced at each other, both sharing the same impatience.

  “You won’t ever find him.” Cigarette man announced
.

  “Oh? And why is that?”

  “Because not even I know where he is!”

  “But, you must know where these trucks are coming from.” Raising my Glock to his head, the man attempted to hide his fear.

  “We are all sworn to secrecy. Only the truck drivers know where the base is, and you have killed them all.”

  “Bullshit!” Aiden replied, unconvinced.

  “Not bullshit. We all stay here, the drivers stay there. The packages are delivered to them from yet another place and so on and so on.”

  Losing his last thread of patience, Aiden pushed the man’s chest with his foot sending him skidding back onto the dirt. He stood over the now terrified figure, his gun trained right between the eyes.

  “Last chance, asshole. Where the fuck is El Leon.”

  “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!” He was begging now, a stark contrast to his earlier attitude. Aiden had this way about him that seemed to achieve the desired effects on people. He wasn’t an angry man, but everyone always seemed to be shit scared of him.

  “Why did you take the aid workers hostage?” I asked. Surely he would know the answer to that.

  “Why don’t you ask them?” He nodded to the two men who swallowed hard lumps.

  Eduardo stepped forward. “They’re going back through the sites they’ve already destroyed looking for those who escaped.”

  Suddenly, a fierce grip took hold of my stomach.

  Anna!

  “They still want more recruits. We heard them coming and told the villagers to run and we stayed behind. The men knew that there should be some survivors otherwise we shouldn’t been there. So that’s how we ended up here.”

  I turned my attention back to cigarette man. “So it’s not good enough that he kills hundreds, he then goes back for more and takes the aid workers hostage?”

  “It’s not my problem!” He said with genuine disinterest. “My job is to move them from this country to the next. You are a lot like us, just blind to it. Our leaders both in white.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Aiden’s impatience had reached its limit.

  “You will figure it out. How easy it would be for you to just turn and walk away instead of thinking everything is your problem to solve.”

  “I happen to believe otherwise.” The bullet pierced the man’s chest killing him in a micro second, his last expression still worn on his face.

  We may not have found El Leon, but at least we stopped the next shipment hitting American soil. Our current and very real problem was the gangs travelling back through the sites indiscriminately killing the aid workers.

  I turned to meet Aiden who also shared my concerns. We were at least a day away from base. He was already on his SAT phone dialling Alec’s number. Holding it up to his ear, we waited. “It’s not connecting. We need to get out of the gorge.”

  Fuck!

  I could only hope and pray that we wouldn’t be too late!

  Anna

  Two days passed agonizingly slow. We were all on edge, still fearful that Danny and Aiden wouldn’t make a return. It had affected me more than I ever thought it would. In the short time we had spent together, I had never felt more of a woman. Danny was a gentleman through and through. I could see the intense level of affection in his gorgeous eyes. I could also see the desire he had to touch me. Sometimes he couldn’t help it. When the wind would blow strands of hair across my face, his fingers would brush them aside, the mere touch of his skin on mine inciting an undeniable current between us. I was greedy and wanted more. In any other time and place, there would be no stopping us. Reality was hard to stomach. My rules dictated that no relationships are to be formed in war-stricken environments and Danny knew better than to take his focus off his job. Emotions in a place like this only ended in disaster.

  There weren’t many survivors at this particular site, but the ones who needed medical assistance had lined up waiting to be seen, seemingly not bothered by my distant head.

  By early afternoon the quiet chatter amongst those at camp amped up. Behind me, as I was finishing wrapping a bandage around the head of a young boy, the excited banter got the better of me.

  They were a sight to behold.

  Both men were a force to be reckoned with. Strong broad shoulders, powerful physiques that could leave men feeling inadequate and women, wet between the legs. As good looking as Aiden was, my eyes were drawn to Danny. There was a charm about him, a disarming charisma I had noticed from the moment we met. He was a kind spirit with a warrior’s heart. A melting smile mixed with a passion for vengeance.

  With a strange flutter of my heart, I knew he would be the one to save us all.

  ***

  I was greeted by a megawatt smile and I’m sure mine was bigger in return. He headed straight for me and this time I simply didn’t care what the others thought. I stood, helping to close the space between us before wrapping my arms around his neck, holding him close. Danny didn’t hesitate, instead he pulled me in closer, his strong arms holding me tight against his body.

  “I’m so happy you’re back!” I mouthed against his neck. He had been away for two days, yet he still smelled amazing.

  “I might have to take off a lot more if this is my greeting.” I chuckled, loving how his humor made me feel.

  Letting him go, a flush of embarrassment took hold knowing that people were watching our interaction with curiosity. Aiden had continued walking to drop their bags, but it was movement behind Danny that startled me.

  There they were. Two faces we all dreaded never seeing again.

  “You’re ok!” I said, my happiness for their safe return causing Eduardo and Samuel to smile.

  “We are, thanks to these guys,” he nodded toward Aiden and Danny and I couldn’t help but feel an element of pride.

  “What happened? Where did you go?”

  For the next hour, all the aid workers plus our heroes sat in the communal area listening to the whole horrific story. While Eduardo seemed pleased to be back amongst us, Samuel appeared to be quite shaken by the whole event.

  “I need to talk you,” Danny whispered in my ear, as individual conversations broke out around us.

  I turned to meet his gaze and I immediately knew something was wrong. His hand fell to my lower back, as he guided me back over to the medical station out of ear shot from others.

  “What is it?” I asked, feeling apprehensive of the answer.

  “I told Eduardo to keep some things to himself.”

  “Like what?”

  “They were taken from site because they helped the survivors escape. El Leon’s men are still on the hunt revisiting old sites and getting those while they’re vulnerable.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Falling into the chair behind me, I absorbed the information.

  “Tomas! He escaped?” My gut was churning, the real threat of being sick making it worse.

  “I believe they all did. But this alone poses another problem. We need to get out of here, Anna. Stuck in the middle of the jungle like this leaves us vulnerable on all sides. They are taking prisoners. Aid workers are no longer safe.”

  I knew what he was saying had to be done, but that didn’t solve the biggest issue. “So we just leave these people? How do we stop them from being killed?”

  “They need to find somewhere safe to go, abandon all sites that have already been targeted. They will be refugees. I know it’s not ideal, but they can’t wait here to be slaughtered all over again. Perhaps it will just be for a short time, until we find El Leon. For now, we need to not be sitting ducks.”

  ***

  By five o’clock, the aid workers were packing up ready to head back to base. They didn’t need much convincing, the recent abduction already a motivator. As for the survivors, they too were more than happy to go into hiding for a short while having scheduled times to meet us over the next couple of weeks. For the few severe injuries, we left medical supplies and taught the more senior of
the group how to disinfect, change bandages and even to stitch up open wounds.

  It wasn’t until we were back at the camp that we took a moment to relax. The men packed the equipment away, knowing it would be a good few days before we were to meet the villagers on their first scheduled visit. My mind often wandered to Tomas, hoping and praying that he was ok.

  Danny and I took our normal walk down the beach just as the sun was setting. The sky was striped with sultry oranges and pinks, a warm glow covering our surroundings. We moved in companionable silence until we reached the rocks and he held his hand out to mine. Guiding me down, my feet landed on the cool sand, our hands still together. I loved the rush I felt whenever he touched me and now, as he drew small circles over my thumb with his, I felt my heart simultaneously warming and fluttering. Without saying a word, he led me to flattest rock and sat down, guiding me between his legs. We both sat facing the ocean, mesmerised by the rolling waves, Danny’s heart rhythmically beating against my back.

  “I missed you.” The words rolled off my tongue so naturally. I trusted him.

  His lips pressed against the back of my head in a gentle kiss I wished was for my lips, his protective arms wrapping around my body.

  “What are the odds?”

  “Odds of what?”

  “That is the heart of jungle warfare we found each other.”

  ***

  The next three days passed without incident. Aiden and Danny spent quite some time studying their well-worn map and calculating coordinates. Nothing could deter them and for that we were all grateful.

  Luiza started to perk up knowing that our month was closing in and soon we would be flying back home. Home to continue nursing as a career? I was still undecided on that topic, but Luiza was definitely keen for a new start. Her quota for horror stories well and truly overflowing.

  The other aid workers took some well-needed relaxation, even sharing a few laughs like old friends. It had been so long that we had all felt any kind of normal. It was a moment so fleeting, teasing us with a taste of what we all craved. None of us could have guessed that the next trip out would only add fuel to the already blazing fire.