Page 55 of Fear No Evil

He put his mouth to her ear, scarcely speaking loudly enough for her to hear. “The soldiers who brought the beans the other night. They’re from the Venezuelan National Army.”

The unpleasant news slid like a thorn beneath her skin. That wasn’t unexpected, but neither was the news good.

“You worked at their weapons depot in Maiquetía, Lena. If one of them sees you, there’s a chance you could be recognized.”

It touched her that he fretted on her behalf. “Come on, what are the odds of that? I’m not worried. So tell me how you freed the girls?”

“The Nats have a cache of weapons. We detonated two of their grenades, and the girls ran during the aftermath.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him more tightly. Her hankering for another of his magical kisses would go unfulfilled as Charles hushed them from the next cubicle over.

Battling the yearning inside her, she rested her head on Jake’s chest and willed herself to fall back asleep.It’s better this way. Soon enough, she and Jake would return to their separate lives. It would be tough enough to let him go without adding a layer of intimacy to the many ways in which they were already united.

CHAPTER 11

At the cry of a masked mountain tanager, David jerked awake. Lifting his head off the pile of sandbags, he watched the iridescent blue bird sail across the open camp.

What a night! Since being roused first by Gallo’s mischief, David had scarcely slept. He’d worried about the welfare of his friends. Later, he had panicked at the sound of explosions. His first guess was the JUNGLA were attacking, prompting him to relieve Chucho of the .50-caliber machine gun. After all, with Gallo away, David was the one in charge of the entire camp’s defense.

When Ixta and Maife had come running out of the pitch-black forest, it had seemed like a miracle. They’d rushed up to him, complaining of Gallo’s behavior and declaring their intent to vanish at first light. David couldn’t blame them. Themondohad treated them like trafficked women, not the freedom fighters they were.

As they retired to their hammocks until dawn, David stayed awake, alarmed by the furtive sounds emerging from the forest. Was the JUNGLA surrounding the camp, preparing to attack? He had stared into the darkness until his eyeballs ached,clutching the machine gun and praying to God he wouldn’t be forced to murder anyone.

But the sounds abated, and the JUNGLA never attacked.

The sky was the color of beaten tin when Ixta and Maife emerged from the lean-to carrying just their packs. They needed to flee before Gallo could stop them. They would go to Medellín, they told him, to look for work. Sorrow tugged at David as they crossed toward the trail that would convey them to La Esmerelda. He would miss their friendship and their angelic voices.

He dozed after that, exhausted by his vigilance. If not for the cry of the masked mountain tanager, he would still be sleeping, making him a target for Gallo, who just then, stalked into view. Perhaps it was his whistle and not the bird’s call that had awakened David.

This morning, Gallo’s hair resembled a rooster’s comb more than ever. The taut look on his face warned David to tread with caution.

Gallo marched up to the sandbags to question him. “Did anyone leave this camp last night‍—anyone in your squad or even you, yourself?”

David kept his face impassive. “No, Mondo.”Only Ixtabel and Maife, whom you took against their will.

Gallo’s eyes narrowed as if sensing David’s reproach. “What about our guests from the UN? Did you see any of them out of bed last night?”

David hesitated as the Frenchwoman, Madeleine, came to mind.

“You did. Who was it?” Suspicion thinned Gallo’s lips.

“Well, the French couple got up to relieve themselves.” David hadn’t fully believed Madeleine’s story. Perhaps that was why he mentioned it now‍—that and to keep Gallo from asking whether Maife and Ixtabel were here.

“Where did you see them?”

David pointed to the area beside the bungalow. “I only saw the woman. She was waiting for her husband there.”

“You say you only saw the woman?”

“Yes.” He had neither seen nor heard the man, even though Madeleine had answered his summons, as she walked away. Another thought occurred to him. “I saw her leave your quarters the other morning.” The instant he said the words, he wished he hadn’t.

“What?” Gallo’s dark eyes flared with affront. “Why would she have been in my quarters in the first place?”

“She was looking for themedicamentoswe took from them because the other woman had a fever. She said she would ask you for the medicine when you got back.”

David never saw Gallo’s hand coming until his fist cuffed the side of his face, leaving his ear ringing. “¡Estúpido!You didn’t think to tell me this before? That woman and her husband could be spies. Someone set off two grenades last night near the Venezuelans’ camp.” Gallo thrust two fingers in front of his face. “Who do you think that might be?”

“The JUNGLA?”

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