Page 68 of Fear No Evil

“You must come back now,” David urged. “Padre Josué is here. He wants to pray for your team.”

David hovered outside the door of thecasitain turmoil. On the one hand, he had just caught Madeleine and Jacques speaking in American English‍—again. On the other, they had then kissed so passionately that it was clear they loved each other. And now Padre Josué was praying for the team leader’s success as he was away securing the ransom money and facilitating the release of theircompadres. As the priest prayed, guilt consumed David.

Because of him, Gallo was set on tearing Jacques and Madeleine apart. He might even kill them, making David party to their murder!

Hearing the priest bestow a final blessing on the peacekeepers, David quickly distanced himself from thecasitadoor. As the priest emerged, he caught David’s anxious regard and paused.

“Will you walk a short distance with me, David?” He gestured toward the ascending path.

“Where are you headed?”

“All the way to the top of the mountain. Just walk with me for a while. I enjoy your company.”

David nodded, sending word to his underlings to keep an eye on their guests.

As he fell into step beside the priest, David waited for the older man to say something, but the missionary kept quiet. Perhaps climbing uphill required all of his energy. His breath flowed in and out as he plodded one step at a time. His walking stick thumped on the damp earth.

Unable to stand the silence anymore, David blurted, “Father, I have made a terrible mistake.”

“Oh?” Padre Josué halted and faced him. The humid heat had summoned droplets of sweat along his thick brown hairline. “What mistake was that?”

David glanced over his shoulder in the direction of thecasita. “The French couple. I consider them my friends. But they are more than they seem.”

The priest blinked but said nothing.

“I saw the woman, Madeleine, coming out of Mondo Gallo’s quarters one morning when he wasn’t there. I saw her out of her bungalow the other night when someone set off explosives in the forest.” David scuffed the ground with his toe. “I…I mentioned my suspicions to Gallo, and now I wish I had not. Later, Gallo ordered me to put a toxin in Madeleine’s drink so he could question her while I distracted her husband. I’m afraid he will tear them apart…or even kill them.”

The priest’s eyebrows, resembling long-legged caterpillars for how bushy they were, had lifted with alarm. “Son, you must listen to your conscience. I suggest you warn the couple while asking for their forgiveness. Once that is done, you are blameless, and it will be up to them to respond.”

David nodded, but dismay dragged his gaze back to his boot. The couple, who had always treated him well, would think badly of him. He would have to swallow his pride first.

A heavy hand settled on his shoulder. “If you find yourself needing help, I will be up at the summit through Sunday,perhaps even Monday if the weather is bad. You can find me there.”

“Gracias, Padre.”

“You’re welcome, David. Now, you’ve escorted me far enough. Go back and do what your heart tells you to.”

David nodded, tried to smile, and turned away. Rather than relieve him, the priest’s advice filled him with more turmoil than ever. He didn’t want Jacques and his wife to think badly of him. They would know at once that he had plotted with Gallo the other day to sicken Madeleine. It was lucky Jacques had rescued her from Gallo’s clutches before anything nasty happened.

Perhaps David was overreacting. After all, Gallo hadn’t shared any more plans to cause the couple physical harm. And Marquez would have to approve of Gallo’s actions anyway, and Marquez held no animosity for any of the peacekeepers. David might be fretting over nothing.

“Todo estará bien,”he murmured to himself as he hiked back to thecasita.Everything will be okay.

Lying in her hammock in the pitch-blackcasita,with rain drumming the tin roof and a cool, wet breeze blowing through the screened windows, Maggie replayed Jake’s words to her that afternoon. He’d asked to see her again‍—nothing serious. But his kiss belied his words, as it conveyed a desire for her that went way beyond a casual friendship. Would he have stopped if David hadn’t walked up on them?

Had the squad leader heard them speaking English, or had he only seen them kissing? For the rest of the day, she’d sensed his brooding gaze resting on her. What did it mean for Jake and her?

Surely, if Boris succeeded in arranging the agreed-upon terms, it wouldn’t matter what David thought. They might all be leavingEl Castilloany day now, which meant this mission with Jake would end shortly thereafter.

Loss rent her heart at the thought. Must it be the end, though? She dared to imagine what it would be like to see Jake again, as he’d suggested. Their meetings would be sporadic, at best. And once she was assigned overseas, next to impossible. She was crazy to even consider it.

Yet snuffing out the promise of that kiss feltwrong. If she never saw him again, she would be cheating herself of something truly splendid.

Wriggling onto her side, Maggie sought Jake’s silhouette in the hammock next to hers. She ached for him, sleeping this way, so close yet so far apart. How she missed the warmth of his body touching hers, the comforting feel of his chest beneath her cheek, the steady beat of his heart. Yearning filled her eyes with tears.

I love him. I’ll miss him.

It had taken her years to even look at another man. Yet if she kept Jake in her life, no matter how intermittently, she would only be happy when they were together and starkly lonely when they were apart.

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