Laughing Eyes: Bittersweet Familia (3) (11 page)

Danny

We were running a terrifying risk driving through the jungle in the middle of the night with slim to none visibility. But we didn’t have a choice. The fact that our main target had been right outside our rooms running his blade along the hall while having killed the landlady, left us with no choice. Anna wasn’t safe. What he wanted with her, I had no idea. What connection they had remains a mystery.

“Where are we headed now?” she asked in a small voice. Beside her I could see Luiza trembling. Palm leaves slapped against the windscreen, while jagged tree branches scraped against the side panels. We jostled about as the tires dipped and mounted newly formed obstacles, but with each passing second we were getting further away. Aiden sat calmly on the other side, clutching his Glock on his knee.

“At the moment we are just getting as far away from there as possible. We will find a safe place for you two to stay and once day break comes, Aiden and I will track that fucker down. Right now, we are not safe. I don’t know how many men he had surrounding the property or even what his next move was going to be.”

“Wouldn’t they have killed us already if he had others watching? I mean, he has virtually just let us escape.”

“I don’t know what his game plan is. He knows the landscape better than we do and I’m not about to stick around and be taunted til daybreak. In the morning, it’s game on.”

***

Orange and pink hues were beginning to bleed into the lightening sky. The air was fresh, rain subsided. We traveled in the opposite direction to which we first came, sticking to the high grounds to avoid the local flooding, but driving further and further away from civilization. I pulled to a stop at the edge of a cliff that looked over the city of Costa Rica. The sun was rising on a new day, but how it was going to end was playing on my mind. Anna sat perched on the hood of the truck looking out at the view, a blanket thrown across her shoulders. Aiden and Luiza sat on a fallen log, their conversation distracting the poor girl from her troubles.

Leaning against the grill, I folded my arms and took in the sunset.

“When are you leaving?” Anna asked. There was sadness in her voice. She had been expecting it.

“Soon.”

With the glow of the sky caressing her features, she looked every bit the angel everyone saw her as. Her green eyes were simply magnificent in the light. They were tired, worry permanently etched in them, but still so beautiful.  “What about us?” she asked, softly.

“I’m dropping you two off at the airport. It’s no longer safe here for you. In fact it never was.”

There was a pause as she absorbed my words. Last night had been a rude awakening for her. Up until then, she hadn’t seen herself as the target. “Will I see you again?”

There was a slight edge to her tone. I didn’t know if it were because I was telling her what to do again or if she was genuinely interested in seeing me after this all ended. Turning, I faced her, my arms circling her waist. Even run down and exhausted with clothes worn for days, she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on.

“You think some psycho in the jungle is going to be enough to tear me away from you?” Her eyes immediately softened. A small smile twitching her lips. “Anna Bonita, I am sorry to have to break this to you, but as soon as my business is finished here, I will be taking you out on a real date, to woo your heart.”

She chuckled a delightful laugh. “Is that so?”

My hands circled her ass cheeks and I yanked her forward, a shriek escaping her fine lips.

“Yeah, that is so. In fact, you my dear, are going to suffer through a lifetime with me. I can feel it in my bones.”

I pulled her off the bonnet, her bubbly laugh infectious. With Anna’s legs wrapped around my waist, I kissed her passionately. She was receptive in every way, her breasts pressing against my chest, her tongue slowly dancing with mine.

“A lifetime, hey?” she asked, breathy.

“Just try escaping.”

***

I watched as Anna and Luiza huddled together on the fallen tree. They were smiling at each other after having shared a light laugh. It was a far cry from the scenario we had been faced with last night. The sad truth was, these girls had seen worse shit in the last few months that a slain landlady paled drastically in comparison.

“Bro, are you paying attention or what?” Aiden asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yeah. We head to the next supposed site and wait to intercept.” I turned to face him. “I think the plans have changed now. I really don’t think El Leon is going to bother with the next village. At least not for a while. After last night I wouldn’t be surprised if he changes his course of action. He knows we are after him and for some reason he has marked Anna as a target.”

“You trust her?”

“I have no reason not to.” I couldn’t begrudge him his thoughts. I too was guilty of questioning the connection, but now I believed every word she said.

“El Leon is an arms dealer and genocidal maniac, so what connection could he possibly have to Anna?”

“I don’t know, brother, but from what I can gather she is just in the dark and as unsuspecting as everyone else.” I turned around to face the view. The clouds had all cleared and the day was shaping up to be a beautiful one. In the distance, two miles off to the west of the city was a lone speck on the hillside. “He has eyes everywhere. Pass me the binoculars.”

“What is it?”

The small speck formed a fortress moulded to the cliff face. “Take a look.”

Aiden took the binoculars and followed my gaze.

“A mansion. So what?”

“What does Hector live in?” I could see it dawn on Aiden, as he looked from me back through the binoculars.

“A mansion.” He answered flatly. Hector was Aiden’s father. Not by blood. As a child, Aiden had lost his family to a brutal home invasion. Hector adopted the orphan child before he became a number to the state. What the innocent seven year old didn’t know was that his new father was Mexico’s leading drug cartel boss. As soon as he was of age, Aiden joined the marines where we both trained as scout snipers. I had only seen the mansion from photos, but it was one of the biggest I had ever seen. It was a long shot but by putting two and two together, it was worth the investigation.

“Remember what that man said to you?” Anna began as she walked over to us. “The one when you rescued Eduardo and Samuel.”

Taking the binoculars from Aiden, I looked through the lens straight at the big white house perched on the cliff.

“Our leaders both in white.” I looked to Anna who had fit the last piece of the puzzle. “Our President in the white house, El Leon in his white mansion.”

“There could be hundreds of mansions in this place and who is to say he even resides here?” I could understand Aiden’s doubt in my theory but it was the only one we had right now.

“I don’t know the answers, but I do feel it’s worth investigating. If we can get him where it hurts, we may just end up on the front foot.”

Anna

“You have no other flights available?”

“No,” was all the indifferent hostess could say to Danny. “Only one flight in the morning, every day. Next one at 9.15am tomorrow.”

The strain on his face was evident. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. His teeth bit down on his bottom lip in frustration before turning to me, his hands running affectionately up and down my arms.

“We can go back to where Luiza and I have been staying,” I said, trying to offer a solution.

“No.”

“Well we don’t know anyone to stay with?”

“Chances are he knows where you live.”

A chill ran down my spine. The thought alone made me feel sick to the core. Had it been him watching me all that time? When I could feel eyes following my every move, the strong cologne in the breeze, had I been wrong to blame it all on paranoia?

“There is a small hotel outside the airport.” Aiden offered.

“We could wait for you, until you finish your business and then all fly out together.” I added.

A small smile pulled Danny’s lips. “I can’t wait to get you out of this place, Anna Bonita.”

“I know,” I reassured. “Can you get back here before tomorrow’s flight?”

“I’m counting on it, but if I don’t make it back in time, don’t think the worst. We may just need extra time tracking the asshole down.” Danny looked to Aiden and something passed between them before turning back to me.

“Alright. We will book you in the hotel, but on one condition.”

“Yes, boss.” Danny’s lips twitched again by the slightest degree at my teasing, yet his eyes remained deadly serious.

“The only time you leave the room is when you come to catch your flight. Not for anything else, do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Go with Aiden and I will organize the flights. See you in a sec.” His knuckles grazed my cheek before he walked back to the counter. I watched as he spoke with the woman. When he finished with her he walked to a small cubicle where two police officers sat talking. They seemed friendly from the beginning and after a few moments they both stood. Shaking hands, they seemed engrossed in what was being discussed.

“Why is Danny talking with the police?” I asked Aiden.

“I’m not sure. Guessing it has something to do with his plan.”

A few more minutes passed before there was an exchange of cash, followed by another round of handshakes. Danny made his way over to me, pocketing his wallet.

“Anna Bonita, why do you look at me with such gorgeous, puppy dog eyes?” That was his attempt at distracting me, that much I knew.

“You’re not going to tell me what you were discussing in there, are you?”

His arm draped across my shoulders as he steered me through the airport exit.

“Of course, I would never keep anything from you. I simply requested a presence outside your hotel room while I’m gone just so that I can do what I do, without having to worry. That’s all.”

An involuntary shudder raked through my body. Danny noticed and stopped us both, a wall of heat warming our skin when the sliding doors opened in front.

“I don’t want you to worry, Anna. This isn’t ideal, but I simply cannot leave you without a guard. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you while I was gone. Not that I anticipate anything happening.” He added, quickly intercepting any dark fears.

“Can they be trusted?” I hated asking the question, but after the devastation I had seen, trust was not something that came easy.

“The police have suffered their own loss in recent times since this whole thing began. Not only are they out of resources, but off-duty officers have been targeted in their homes. They are just as much out for blood as the rest of the surviving victims.”

***

“We will be fine, stop stressing.” Danny ignored my attempt at reassurance. He was a man on a mission. Luiza and I sat on the end of the single beds as both men scanned the room.

Slightly more relaxed but not at ease, Danny strolled over and stood before me. His hands cupping my cheeks as I stared up at him.

“Babe, remember everything that I said back at the airport. Do not leave until your flight time. The officer will stay right outside the door and then escort you over in the morning?”

“Ok,” My response reflected the sadness I felt about Danny leaving. I knew he had a job to see through and it was surely something that needed to be done, but that didn’t make me any less happy that I may never see him again.

“I have to go.” His own voice deceived him.

“I know.”

Luiza turned and walked with Aiden to the door allowing us some privacy.

I stood so that my body pressed against Danny’s, my arms wrapping around his neck. “I will see you in the morning.” I knew I was asking too much. They had a lot of travelling to do and even then it wasn’t a guarantee that El Leon was where he should be.

Danny grinned at my persistence. “Anna Bonita, just know I won’t be far behind.”

He dropped his head until his lips touched mine. The tender sweetness of his kiss overwhelmed me with emotion. A hard lump formed in my throat as he deepened the kiss, his thumb catching a stray tear. I hardly knew this man, in fact in reality I had only just met him. But there was a very real feeling that we were destined to meet. That our fates were aligned that day. We just clicked, and it was beautiful.