CHAPTER 11

From a shaded balcony, a pair of eyes watched the women as they were led into the compound. His brows furrowed in disgust when he saw how they walked. A knock on the door got his attention. He went inside as his attendant opened the door.

“Senior Mac, the merchandise has arrived,” a guard said.

“I saw them. Get Carlos in here.”

“Yes, senor.”

Carlos entered, escorted by the guard. “Senior Mac. What do you think?”

“What the hell did you do to them?”

“Nothing, senor,” Carlos replied, stepping back.

“They look terrible! I can’t make money when my merchandise isn’t in top shape. It’s going to take at least a couple of weeks to get them back in shape. I don’t have that kind of time!” he emphasized.

He reached into the drawer and pulled out an envelope, taking out a sizeable stack of bills and counted them. Carlos held out a dirty hand, a smile on his face. The smile quickly disappeared. “That is only half!” he yelled. “I have to pay my men!”

“That is all you get. The other half is compensation for the condition of the women.”

“You said $5,000!”

“Only if you brought them to me in good condition,” he said. “Take it or leave it.”

Carlos snatched the money from his hand, swearing at him.

“Get him out of here!”

The guard waited till Carlos had stepped out. “The usual?”

Mac nodded. “Keep the money for yourself.” He stepped back out onto the balcony.

In the black market world, no one was better at supply and demand than Shano Mac. It didn’t make any difference what was needed, from drugs to the very lucrative business of white slavery; he could always be counted on to get it, the customers willing to pay the hefty prices he charged. A couple of weeks ago he had gotten a request from an official in a small Asian country for women to serve as “escorts” for visiting dignitaries. One of the primary duties of these “escorts” was to satisfy whatever whim a visiting dignitary desired. Shano Mac raised his brows at first when he was asked to supply 12 women for that purpose. It had taken him a month, but through various contacts, one of which was a sea cruise liner, he had secured the names and photos of twelve women. He smiled, especially when one of the names on the list came up. He had given the go ahead to have them brought to his compound, making sure they were not to know where they were or be told why they were being brought there.

He watched the women being led to a small house beside his. He turned his head, seeing his head guard escorting Carlos through the compound to the gate. A scream was heard through the compound. Shortly the guard came back, wiping his knife on his leg. Behind him came four more men, each doing the same thing. He smiled, then took a deep breath and called his attendant, Philippe.

CHAPTER 12

The women watched the guard escorting Carlos out of the compound. Just as they got past the gate, the women saw the guard pull a knife and slit Carlos' throat. Going through the man's clothes, the guard found the money and stuffed it in his pocket. He walked back in, the two men at the gate dragging the body into the bushes. They saw four more guards enter, each wiping his knife against his pant leg.

The women became nervous, wondering perhaps if they were next. They turned to see a gentleman dressed in white. "Please follow me," he said in stilted English. They followed the man to a building that was near the main house. He saw Felina had a gag over her mouth. He told the guard to remove it.

"I wouldn't that if I were you," Michael warned. "She'll do nothing but bitch about how she's being treated, as if she's the only one here."

The man looked at Felina. "We can't leave it on her," he said. "If the senorita would agree to keep her mouth shut, because if she doesn't, she could suffer the same fate as the unfortunate man who brought you here."

Felina thought to what she had seen and nodded. "But only for a little while," she thought to herself.

"Now, senoritas, my boss wishes you to relax and clean up. You will find everything you need in your rooms. The bath is just down the hallway. I will send women to help you."

"When do we meet your 'boss'?" Bethany asked.

"I will come for you when he is ready. I will send something for all of you to eat."

"Please! I'm starved!" Brenda groaned.

The man left. The girls went down the hallway to a room at the end. They saw a huge tub in the middle.

"Damn it's huge!"

Just then a group of women came in and went about undressing them. "Hey, watch it!" Summer protested.

The girls got in, all them sighing as the water felt cool. They lay back in the tub, letting the women wash them. "Man, this feels good," Suzanne said grinning. "I would love to have this everyday."

"So would I. To be pampered and petted," Victoria sighed.

"Come out of your dream world. We were kidnapped! Remember?"

"Why were we?" Dinah asked.

"Well, it sure wasn't for your looks," Felina snorted. "You could use a plastic surgeon." She began to laugh.

Tears came in Dinah's eyes. Michael went over and put her arm around Dinah. "Don't pay any attention to her. You are a beautiful woman in your own right."

"Thank you, Mikki." Dinah sniffed.

Michael looked at Felina with anger. "Why don't you shut your face for once? I swear, if you say one more cutting remark to anyone, I'll rearrange your face personally. Then you'll be the one to need the plastic surgeon."

Felina snorted and closed her eyes.

Chapter 13

The girls dressed, then shown to their cells. The cells were not very big, about 10' x 12'; just enough to fit two beds. The girls paired off. As it happened, Michael ended up with Felina.

"Why is it I always get you?" Michael shook her head.

"Don't speak to me!"

"Oh believe me, you needn't worry about that."

Felina lay on the bed, turning her back to Michael. About an hour later the cell door opened. "Come with me," the guard said. The women followed him to a giant room. In the center was a long wooden table.

"Something smells good!" Brenda said.

The table was loaded with meat, rice, tortillas, beans, and fruit, with wine to wash it down.

"Wonder what kind of meat they used?" Catrina asked, timidly pushing the meat around.

"Who cares? As long as it's edible!"

The girls dug in. Even Felina could not complain.

"I'm stuffed," Catrina groaned a half hour later.

"So am I," Mimi seconded. "It didn't taste bad, although it could have used a bit more salt."

"I'm really tired now," Summer yawned.

The girls were taken back to their cells. They lay on their cots, the mosquito netting draped over them as one by one they went to sleep. Clarice woke up a bit later. Looking at her roommate, she got up to look out the window. She saw the compound was laid out similar to an army camp. She could see the house in the middle, a fence surrounding it. On one side were the barracks. She estimated the camp was guarded by approximately 30 men.

"Not very many," she thought. "If only I could figure out how far we came."

She continued looking over the compound. There were no trucks around, but she did see 4 long buildings. "Wonder what's in them," she thought. She saw men coming out, each carrying two good size boxes. She saw them head in the direction of the river. "Yeah, makes sense." After an hour, she saw a man bolt the door, then go into the main house. She watched a few minutes more, then went back to bed.

CHAPTER 14

The girls were awaken the next morning by one of the guards. As they came out, Phillipe said to freshen up as the boss had requested their presence at breakfast. Twenty minutes later they were escorted to the house and shown to a dining room. The girls looked at the furnishings.

"Have to admit, he does have fairly good taste," Felina remarked to herself.

Dinah was admiring several pieces of pottery. "You like what you see, Dr. Robinson?"

They all turned at the voice. "How did you know my name?" she asked startled.

"I know all of your names and what you do." He looked at Felina. "Or what you don't do."

"Just who the hell are you?" she asked.

"Let's just say I am a supplier. Now, would you ladies care to join me in the dining room?"

They followed him. "Please sit," he motioned. "I wish to apologize for the way you were treated. I assure you it will not happen again. I trust you rested well."

The girls sat. On each of their plates were eggs benedict, topped with an expensive caviar, fruit, toast, and hot black coffee.

"I hope you enjoy your breakfast."

"How did you know who I was?" Dinah asked again.

"Let's say I have connections," he replied.

"You called yourself a supplier. What do you supply?" Summer asked.

"Whatever is demanded, I supply, no matter what it is. No questions asked."

Clarice's hair began to stand on end. "Just what are we here for?"

"You are what was demanded."

The girls stopped eating. Clarice had a funny feeling what he was going to say.

"I was asked to find 12 women who would be escorts for dignitaries, among other things."

"What do you mean, among other things?"

"Besides your duties as escorts, you would perform other duties," he answered. "One of them being to satisfy whatever whim your escort desired."

Felina spat out her food. "You mean perform sex with them?"

"Yes," he said matter of factly.

"You fuckin' bastard!" she hissed.

"As I said, I supply whatever is demanded, not matter what it is. Makes no difference. With a little touch up for some of you, I should be a very well off man."

"Somebody's going to know we're gone!" Brenda exclaimed.

"That's all been taken care of," he said.

"Do you know who I am?" Felina gritted.

"Oh yes, Felina Vander. Better known as 'the bitch' in quite a few circles. Let's see. Your father sent you to open a branch office. Am I correct?"

"When he finds out I didn't arrive, he'll do whatever it takes to find me."

Shano laughed. "If you only knew the truth," he thought to himself.

"Your pictures have already been sent to my customer. I should be hearing from him very soon. As soon as I do, arrangements for your new destination will be done. Now, I would suggest you enjoy the rest of your meal. " Shano went back to eating while the girls sat in a state of shock.

CHAPTER 15

Glen stood on the balcony of his hideaway. As he took a sip of coffee he wondered how much longer he would be able to do this. He hadn’t intended becoming a soldier of fortune, doing it at first to avenge the death of his family. In his ten years, he had acquired a small fortune, and through shrewd investments, made it grow so that now he could literally afford to live the rest of his life in comfort. It was fine to be able to afford just about anything he wanted, but what good was it with no one to share it with.

It was times like this he would think of his wife and children. He would give his entire fortune to have them with him. He remembered a conversation they had before she and the kids had left. She had always been somewhat of a serious person, not liking it when Glen would not take her seriously. As if she knew she was going to die, she told him one night that if anything ever happened to her, he was to marry again as she didn’t want him to be alone. He had laughed at the time, telling her nothing was going to happen. How prophetic her words had been. When the bulletin came over the screen telling of the explosion, he frantically drove to the airport, asking if any word had come in about the passengers. As the days passed, the list of names grew. Then he saw her and the children’s names among the dead. He had nearly lost his mind. For several months he would ask the government if they had made any progress in finding the terrorists.

His mind snapped back to the present. He shook his head. He had to get his mind on something else. The phone rang. No one knew his number but Mark. Something must be up. ‘Yeah,” he answered.

Mark could tell by the sound of his voice Glen must have been thinking about his family again. “Need to see you at the usual meeting place,” was all mark said and hung up.

Glen grabbed the keys and drove the jeep down the narrow path, which led to a river. Driving across, he went through the forest to the highway. Six hours later he pulled into a small, run-down bar on the outskirts of Memphis. He stood at the door till his eyes focused to the dim lighting. Looking around, he spotted Mark in the corner, getting a beer at the bar before sitting down.

“What’s going on?”

“Another job. We’re to go to the port in San Diego. I don’t know what the job is, but my contact said we’ll find out when we get there.”

Finishing their beer, they left for the airport, loading Mark’s gear in the back, which Glen always kept packed and ready. Four hours later they landed in San Diego. They picked up their bags and went outside. A car was waiting, a well-dressed man standing near. Putting their bags in the trunk, they got in and drove off. The driver turned around, “Good to see you guys again.”

“What’s the job?” Glen asked.

“You’ll find out when we get there. All I can say it might turn out to be your biggest job yet.”

Two hours later they stopped at an abandoned warehouse at a part of the port that was no longer being used. They got out, the driver leading them through a side door.

CHAPTER 16

A musty odor greeted them as they entered. It was dark except for what light came through the broken windows. They entered an office, three men already there. One of them was sitting, fidgeting with his had. Upon seeing Mark and Glen, he started to break out in a sweat. The other two men behind him were dressed in standard cut black suits. Glen deduced they had to be government agents.

“Gentlemen, these are the two men I told you about,” the driver said. “They’re the best and will get the job done.”

The first agent looked them over. “Gentlemen, I’m Agent Collins. My partner’s name is Williams.”

“I’m Glen Jacobs. This is my second, Mark Caloway. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, what is it you need?”

“This man here is the captain of a passenger liner and has a bit of a tale to tell.”

The man nervously turned his hat in his hands. “I had sailed a liner from here to Villa de Morte, Columbia. Aboard was an assortment of passengers.” He looked closely at Mark. “I think you were one of them, weren’t you?”

Mark remembered the man and nodded.

“There were twelve women on board, all from different parts of the country. Well, we landed in Villa de Morte, the women being told they would be going on a tour of the town, spending the night there, then attend a celebration. What the women didn’t know was everything was a ruse. While on board the boat, the purser and I met with a man who was very interested in them. We supplied him the information he requested on them – pictures, a bit of their background, etc. He told us to send a message saying the women were on their way.

It was agreed that the women would be kidnapped at the town festival. The next day they were to be transported to a place somewhere in the jungle. In the meantime, the town, the purser, and myself made it look like they had never been on the boat. It was arranged that their luggage be disposed of from the ship, the hotel in the town would see to it that no traces of them were ever there, and I was to get the list and dispose of it.

“Where were they taken?”

“I don’t know. I just know I was paid for my part.”

“One of the women is one of our agents who was working undercover,” Agent Collins said. “She was trying to investigate a suspected drug-running and white-slavery operation.”

“Do you have any suspects?” Glen asked.

‘One comes to mind – Shano Mac. He’s one of the best at supply and demand. Whatever someone wants, he can get it. We have the evidence on him, but we are not allowed to go in and arrest him nor will the Brazilian government arrest him, as Brazil has no extradition policy. Your job, gentlemen, is to get those women out of there. How you do it is up to you.”

Mark’s mind went back to the ship. “There are a couple of women that were on board I do remember. One of them is the one I told you about, the Vander woman. The other, let’s see if I remember,” Mark smiled a little as a woman with soft, brown hair came across his mind. “The other one I remember as Mikki. That’s it.”

“The captain here kept the ship’s list of passengers. Here it is.” Agent Collins handed it to Glen. “The one’s with check marks by them on the women who were kidnapped.”

Mark and Glen looked down the list. Mark’s brows shot up when he saw the last name. “I recognize that name!”

Glen looked. It was Michael McFee.

“We suspect they’ll be shipped out to whoever within the next month or so.”

“Just how do we find this guy’s place if we don’t know where to look? If my geography is correct, the Amazon jungle covers quite a bit of territory.”

“We don’t know either. It will be up to you to find his place.”

“With an operation like that, it probably will be heavily guarded, too.” Glen looked at Mark. “Well, want to do it?”

“As an added incentive, whatever you happen to come across you can consider yours.”

“That goes without saying.”

Mark nodded.

“We had better get the men together. There’s a lot of planning to get done.”

As they rode in the car, Glen thought this probably would be their biggest job to date. Twelve women to rescue, and one of them a pain in the ass.

CHAPTER 17

Glen told Mark to contact the men, saying to meet in the usual place in four days. He told the driver to take them to a small hotel in Los Angeles near Chinatown. After checking in, Mark left to start the chain of contact. Glen went to Chinatown to visit an old friend who owned a restaurant called the Ruby Dragon.

“The usual?” he asked.

Glen nodded. “They’ll be here in four days.”

When Glen got back, Mark was in the room. “Everything is set. Did you get a hold of the guys?”

Mark nodded. “I can’t wait to see the statement on their faces when they find out.”

“Well, they’ll just have to wait to find out till we get there.”

“How do we get in? And once in, where do we find this guy’s camp? No one in Villa de Morte is going to tell us.”

“We aren’t going to Columbia. I was thinking abouit calling on someone to help us.”

“Who?”

“Remember the general and his wife we rescued? A part of Peru borders on Brazil. I figure we’ll have to go through the mountains. I’m hoping he can tell us of a pass we can go through.”

The guys entered the restaurant through the back entrance. After they drank a few glasses of rice wine, the meal was served.

“Okay, Glen, what is it this time?”

“I can’t tell you now.” He looked at Rock. “Rock, think you can get us a jet to fly to Peru?”

Rock cocked his brow. “Shouldn’t be too much trouble. How big?”

“About a 40-passenger.”

“Why so big?”

“Just get it. We need to be on our way in a couple of days.”

The guys were going to question why all the secrecy, but knew better. When Glen said they were going, they were going.

Glen paced back and forth as they waited at an abandoned airstrip, their gear ready. He looked at his watch – 8:00 p.m.

“Glen, the jet’s here,” Mark said.

“It’s about time.”

The plane landed. Rock got off as Glen came out. “Well, there it is, just like you wanted – a 40-passenger jet, ready to go with a full tank.”

“Let’s get the gear on board. We have to be there tomorrow morning.”

“Where are we going?”

“Pucalipa, Peru.”

“Puca who?”

“Pucalipa, Peru.”

The gear was stowed aboard. The plane took off. Glen had given Rock the directions, then sat back in the sat. He had made the call the day before, asking the General for help. The General had told him that Pucalipa was the closest to Brazil; and because of its remote location, the best place to enter and leave.

CHAPTER 18

Pucalipa was a small town at the base of a small group of mountains on the eastern border of Peru. It was also close to the Jurva River, a tributary that flowed into the Amazon. Although it had no real landing strip, it did have a flat field to land in.

It was a long nine-hour flight from LA to Pucalipa. Rock landed the plane with little trouble. When it had stopped, Glen was the first to get off. The General was waiting for him by an old building that served as a hangar of sorts. They shook hands

“It is good to see you again, Senor Jacobs.”

“It is good to see you, too, General.”

“While your men unload, let’s go inside.”

The General led Glen and Mark inside. The room was warm despite a couple of fans that were running. He told them to sit. “Gentlemen, I take it you are on another job.”

“Yes, we are. I didn’t want to tell you on the phone. We’re here to rescue 12 women who were kidnapped about 2 weeks ago from Villa de Morte, Columbia. All we know is that they were taken to a compound in the jungle, where is the problem. The only other thing we know is they were kidnapped as part of a slavery ring and are going to be sent out to Asia. That’s it.”

“Do you have any idea who might have had them kidnapped?”

“We were informed that a guy by the name of Shano Mac set this up.”

The general raised his brows. “I have heard of him. He is a crafty one and very good at what he does. It is true that he has a compound deep in the jungle, but no one knows the exact location.”

“It is my guess that he would hide out close to the river, that way he could ship his stuff in and out without too much trouble.” Glen pointed to the Jurva River.

“It would seem logical. But, look, you also have the Purus. Then there is the Madeira. Any one of these flows into the Amazon.”

A knock on the door interrupted them. “Yes.”

A soldier came in. “Pardondeme, General. The raid on the warehouse was a success. We managed to arrest at least half of the suspects. One of them is anxious to make a deal. He says he works for a Shano Mac.”

“Bring him in.” The General looked at the Glen. “Fortune may be smiling on us today if this man tells us the truth.”

A small man was led into the office. Glen and Mark stood in the corner so the man did not see them. The man nervously rubbed his hands on his thighs.

“My guard tells me you work for a Shano Mac and you want to make a deal.”

“Si, Si,” the man answered. “I will tell where his camp is if you promise not to put me in the same cell as the rest of the men. If they find out, they will kill me.”

“How do I know you will be telling the truth?”

“I swear by the holy cross,” he replied, making the sign of the cross.

“Okay, show me where.”

The man looked at the map. “Everybody thinks he is here,” pointing at the area between the Jurva and Purus rivers. He is really here,” his finger pointing to the Madeira River.

“Are you sure?”

“Si, General. I tell the truth.”

The General nodded and called in the guard. “I will have the guard put you in another cell.”

The man turned, a look of relief on his face. What he didn’t see was the General give the guard the signal. The guard shut the door. Glen and Mark came out of the corner. They turned their heads when they heard a rustling noise. They had a hunch what happened but weren’t going to ask.

“He said the camp was closer to here. If one went by river it would take a week, given the flow of the current, or two weeks on foot, if one were to go through the mountains,” he pointed straight east. “I have a feeling you are going to go by foot. The jungle will be treacherous that way. The terrain is very dangerous. There are pockets of quicksand, backwater pools, some of which teem with piranha. Plus you have wild animals, snakes, poisonous spiders, and the dreaded fire ants. Of all the dangers there, the fire ants are the worst. No one knows when they will march. And when they are the march, they destroy everything in their path.”

Glen looked at the map. It was not going to be an easy trek. Having to bring back 12 women through there would even be worse. That was the chance he was going to have to take.

“Glen?” Mark woke him out of his stupor.

“General, I’m going to need a few things from you.”

“Ask.”

“I’m going to need clothes and good hiking shoes for the women to wear on the way back, plus whatever else Mark thinks is necessary.”

“I think we can handle that. I’ll call the guard in.”

The General called the guard in. “Take Senor Mark to the supply depot. Give him anything he needs.”

“Si, General.”

“You going to tell the men?”

Glen sighed. “Yeah.”

CHAPTER 19

Jeff spotted Mark and Glen coming out of the warehouse. “Hey, when are we going to find out what our job is?”

Glen hesitated a bit. “Okay guys. A week ago Mark and I went to San Diego to meet one of Mark’s contacts. We went to an abandoned warehouse. There we met 2 government agents and the captain of a cruise liner. It seems he helped 12 women get kidnapped for the purpose of being sold to a slavery ring. The women are being held at a compound in the jungle in Brazil. The government can’t get them out so they want us to do the job.”

The men were silent. “Do they know who did it?” One of them asked.

“A guy by the name of Shano Mac. We just found out that he is located by the Madeira River. It will take two weeks on foot to get in, and two weeks to get out, provided we go through the mountain pass.

“Yeah, but it’s going to take longer having to drag those women along.”

“True. The General said the terrain is very treacherous – pockets of quicksand, snakes, backwater which could have piranha, and we could run into fire ants. Mark’s gone to the depot to get extra supplies, mainly shoes and clothes for the women to wear on the trip back. I know this probably will be the biggest job we’ve had so far, and the most dangerous. I’ll understand if you want to back out.”

The men looked at each other. “We’ve never backed out before, so why should we now.” Besides, it will be a nice change of pace to have a pretty woman to look at rather than this group,” Bradshaw said wryly. The rest of the guys all razzed Bradshaw.

“Yeah, but will they be able to make it?”

“They have to. There’s no other choice.”

A couple of hours later, Mark was back, driving a one-ton troop carrier. “The extra stuff is in the back. I thought we could use the truck to drive through the pass and then stash it.”

“Okay guys, let’s get our packs rearranged.”

They spent the next four hours unpacking and repacking, then went into town to find a café to eat. “Better eat up while you can. We’ll be having to ration what food we take with us, eating whatever we find along the way.” Sean heaved a small sigh, knowing it would be up to him, as his training in the Green Berets had taught him how to eat whatever they could find.

When they got back to the warehouse, they found cots waiting for them. A note from the General was on one of them, wishing them all good luck and for all of them to return safely. The men turned in early as Glen wanted to get an early start.

At four a.m., the men were up, their stuff in the truck. Combing in, Christian did the driving with Glen sitting up front, telling him which way to go. Four hours later, after hiding the truck, they crossed the border into Brazil.

CHAPTER 20

The girls remained in a state of shock for a week after they were escorted back to their cells. Shano laughed at their silence, having never heard 12 silent women before. They were allowed to walk around the compound, and although their meals were of the best food, none of them ate much.

While they would walk, Clarice would hope to find a weak spot, but she sighed in exasperation. The wall was high and secure, guards always on patrol 24 hours a day.

During the second week, Catrina, Dina, and Ann were taken from their cells to a hut behind the warehouse. When they entered, a man and three women were waiting on them. Shano came in, informing the girls he had brought them in to give each of them a small makeover. After the man had messed with their hair, he gave orders on how each girl was to be done. The man fussed and ranted when something wasn’t done right. Two hours later the girls were allowed to look at themselves in the mirror. None of them could believe it was actually them.

Catrina was surprised to see how they had brought out her natural green eyes, her cheeks now a rosy shade. Dina was mesmerized. Her hair had been cut to accentuate her oval face, her blue eyes now stood out as they had applied a layer of mascara on her long lashes, and had outlined her full lips. “This can’t be me,” she thought. Ann didn’t need much, only having her hair trimmed and just a touch to highlight her natural looks.

“I wonder where the girls were taken,” Summer asked. “They’ve been gone a long time.”

“I hope they didn’t hurt them,” Brenda added.

The door opened. The rest of the girls were surprised. “Where did they take you?” Michael asked.

“They took us to a hut behind the warehouse. A man and three women were there. After the man looked us over, he told them what to do.”

The guard came in to tell them they were to freshen up as they would be dining that night at the house.

“What else is he going to tell us?” Suzanne wondered.

“Whatever it could be, it couldn’t be any worse than what he already told us,” Mimi replied.

A half hour later the girls were taken to the house and shown to the living room. Fellipe came in with a try of drinks, handing a glass to each of them. Shano came in, seeing not all of them were there. “Where is Miss Vander?”

“She said to tell you she wasn’t coming.”

Shano raised his brows. “Oh really?”

He turned to the guard. “Bring her here.”

Felina laid on her cot. She wasn’t about to sit at the same table with that low life. She heard the door jerked open, then her arm pulled roughly, jerking her to her feet.

“Senor Mac orders your presence at his table.”

“Tell him I’m not hungry!” She tried to get out of the guard’s grip, but he only tightened it more. Shoving her roughly from the cell, he gripped her upper arm and took her to a small building by the gate. Opening the door, he took a lantern and shined it in a corner. Felina gasped. In the corner was a body shackled to the wall, small rivulets of blood going down the back.

“Just a sample, senorita, of what happens when one doesn’t obey. Do you now wish to join your friends?”

Felina slowly nodded. The guard took her to the house, shoving her into the living room with the rest of the girls. She saw a drink being offered to her.

“I see Miss Vander has kindly changed her mind.”

Felina took the drink, her eyes clouded in anger as she sipped.

“Well, now that we are all here, shall we adjourn to the dining room?”

The girls left the room. Shano pulled Felina back inside. “Look, bitch, what you saw as only the tip. I could do a lot more to you than you could ever being to imagine.”

Felina wrested her arm away. She wanted to slap him but checked herself, willing to bide her time. She turned to leave. He pulled her back. “Oh, one more thing, just to set you thinking. I know more about you than you think. Remember that.” He let go of her. Felina left the room, wondering what he met.

CHAPTER 21

For a solid week the men worked in pairs, hacking a trail through the dense jungle. Palumbo and O’Haire had been hacking away for three hours, having taken over for Bradshaw and Farooq.

“Fuck, this is wearing me out!” O’Haire wiped the sweat from his forehead. “My eyes are stinging!” He stopped to rip a strip from his shirt and tied it around his head, then went back to hacking.

“At this rate, it will take us a month!” Palumbo gritted. “It’s going to take more than two at a time.”

“Matt, Jeff!” Glen ordered.

Four hours later they lucked up on a small clearing. The men stopped to rest. They took of their packs, sitting on the grass, leaning back against their packs. Some closed their eyes while the others took the time to slack their thirst and eat a power bar. “Am I glad for a break! This has to be the densest jungle we’ve ever traveled through!” Hunter let out a huge breath.

Glen was leaning against a tree, looking the map over. Before they had left the General’s office, they had plotted the shortest route possible. So far the trail had been everything the General said it was. Suddenly he heard a shot. Looking up he saw Christian had jumped up.

“Shit! I hate spiders!”

“That was no spider. That was a damn tarantula. From the looks of it, it looks to be as big as a plate,” Rock said.

“Some people eat those things,” O’Haire added.

Christian gave him a sick look.

“Yeah, they just throw ‘em in the fire and let ‘em cook. Then they take and eat ‘em.”

Christian felt his stomach come up. He ran off into the brush. After a few minutes he came back and sat down.

“That’s shit! Have you ever done that?” Farooq asked.

“Not yet. And I hope I don’t have to. I’d rather eat raw snake meat than that.”

“You’re sick,” Christian groaned, still pale.

Mark went over to Glen and sat. “If this is slow going now, I can imagine what it’ll be coming back.”

“So can I. I’m marking on the map what we find along the way. So far we’ve been lucky to have only the dense jungle to deal with. I just hope we don’t run up on any quicksand pools.”

They rested another ten minutes. Glen got up, saying it was time to move on. The men put on their packs and continued.

CHAPTER 22

Progress was slow as the men continued to make their way through the jungle. Glen kept making notations on the map. Along the way they stopped at a stream to fill their canteens. Matt put his in the water. Suddenly he yelled and pulled back, a deep gash on his hand. Edge came over and lookrd at it. He pulled out a small kit and took out a length of gauze and rubbing alcohol. After cleaning it, he poured the alcohol on it and then wrapped it. On a hunch he picked up a small stick and stuck it in the water. He felt it jerk and quickly pulled it out.

“Look here!” Holding the stick up.

“What’s that?” Bradshaw pointed then came up for a closer look.

“That is a piranha. One of the deadliest fish in the Amazon.” Edge looked at Matt. “You’re damn lucky they didn’t take your whole hand.” Edge threw the stick to the ground then stomped the fish till it resembled mush. “Those bastards hunt in packs. See those teeth. They can strip flesh in a matter of seconds.”

Matt shivered as he pictured himself being stripped by those teeth. He looked at his canteen, seeing holes in it.

“For little guys they sure have strong jaws! Matt stepped back from the stream.

“You okay, Matt?” Glen asked.

“I’ll be fine. Fortunately it was only a gash.” Still shivering at the thought of being stripped.

“This is one place we won’t be stopping.”

A few hours later, O’Haire noticed a bush loaded with gourd-shaped fruit. Picking one, he opened it. Just as he suspected, the inside was full of liquid. He took a sip and raised his brows. “Not bad tasting!”

“Hey guys! Come here!” He began taking them off the bush.

“What’s that?”

“I’m not sure, but if you ever need a quick drink, this will do the trick.”

He cut the tip from the stem end and handed it to Hunter, who looked skeptically at the gourd. Gingerly he put it to his lips. He took several gulps and wiped his mouth. “This isn’t bad.”

The rest of the guys each took one. Glen made a notation, seeing several bushes were around.

Part 2

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