I cross into Malaguay from Peru this time, in a US Marine helicopter that stays low to the ground. The sun, just rising over the mountaintops, hides behind a shield of milky night fog. When we fly along a canyon, we drop even farther, the river below almost close enough to touch.

One of the doors is slightly cracked. A crisp whoosh of wind mixes with the rhythmic humming of the rotating blades, drowning out the hammering of my heart against my ribcage. Adrenaline overpowers the anxiousness that has been crawling up and down my scalp ever since I left my parents' home. I have no idea what to expect since Devon conveniently disappeared to be with his own family over the holidays, leaving Daniel as the only one to brief me. Needless to say, he was less than forthcoming, smirking that the next phase of the mission was a "need to know" operation with me pretty much not needing to know anything.

For a moment, my eyes lock with Brody's. He cradles his hand around the soft fluff on Luca's head. At three months old, Naiara's son is absolutely adorable, though it pains me to look at him since he resembles Miguel so much. The same eyes and twisted lips when he's about to cry. He is exactly how I'd picture our son if I hadn't miscarried. With a sigh, I tear my gaze away from the baby sling strapped to Brody's chest.

Keep it together, Stacy.

It's not working, even when I suck in a deep breath. This consistent dull pain that has squeezed my heart from the moment I first laid eyes on him is not going to go away that easily.

And he is a good baby, at least compared to Katie, who fusses a lot. Most times, he is asleep, only waking for short intervals to demand food and a clean diaper. When we first picked him up from his foster mom on a military base in Texas, a young nurse cared for him with Brody taking over once we boarded the helicopter.

"We touch down in five," Daniel shouts over the engine noise.

I nod and grab the handle of my backpack. "Where are we going?"

"Resistance headquarters."

I gaze out at the cliffs darting by the window. We are now in the middle of a huge mountain range. Varela would kill for the exact location of the rebel camp, but even if I was truly on his side, I'd be unable to retrace our flight route. The mountains all look the same to me and no villages or other landmarks could guide me.

We drop down almost vertically into a chasm; for a second, I fear that the helicopter blades will scrape the sharp edges of the rocks. When the chopper sets down roughly, Luca wakes with a startle. A few small whimpers roll over his lips, but Brody settles him back down with some soothing "shhs."

"What?" He shrugs. "I have a couple of baby brothers and a few small cousins I had to take care of when I was still in high school. It's not a big deal."

"I think it's cute. You're gonna be a really good father one day." That is, if he ever manages to stay in a relationship with his constant secret missions.

Daniel slides the door of the helicopter fully open and jumps outside. I follow him. We have landed right on the edge of a forest in a small clearing just big enough for the helicopter and the two Jeeps that are parked a few yards away. But for a small path leading into the forest, the plateau is surrounded by tall mountains that soar into the sky like fat fingers, bending almost completely together at the top. It looks like we landed in the palm of a giant hand that's about to close into a fist.

A man leans on the side of one of the Jeeps; as we approach, he opens his arms in welcome and pulls Daniel into this one-arm-hug thingy that men sometimes do when they are really close.

"Daniel, mano. Welcome back to Malaguay." He and Brody fist punch. "Yo, bro, what's up?" His gaze lands on me. "And Stacy Degray. It's an honor to meet you."

He extends his hand and I reluctantly take it. His shake is firm, his hazel eyes piercing into me. Pure curiosity oozes from his gaze. He has an easy smile, though the sudden familiarity surrounding us is a bit rattling. I'm certain we've never met before, but it feels as if I've known him for ages.

"Degray, this is Coronel Mateo A—"

Daniel's introduction is cut short by a swoop of Mateo's hand. "Mateo is fine." Luca is inspected next. "He's out cold. What did you give him, man?"

"Chloral hydrate."

I gasp. "You've been sedating him?"

"Of course." Daniel smirks. "I hope you didn't think Brody has some superpowers to keep a brat that age in check. Kid would probably be bawling his eyes out if we didn't keep him chilled. The ear pressure alone in a chopper is enough to drive him nuts."

This trip must be so hard and wearying on Luca and even though I generally don't approve of medicating a small child, it's probably for the best.

Mateo scans the sky. "We should go. No need to risk military exposure by staying out in the open too long."

We climb into the Jeep. The back has two rows of seats facing each other. Daniel and Mateo take the bench with their backs to the driver and Brody squeezes into the seat next to me, casually wrapping his arm around my backrest. I arch my brow since this is hardly appropriate—after all, we're just friends—and he withdraws his arm with a low chuckle.

Mateo has watched the exchange with a stupid grin. He turns around to the driver and hits the side of the car. "Vamonos."

The Jeep heads into the forest and picks up speed quickly. When I'm almost tossed into Brody, I clutch the cool metal of the roll bar. The bumps in the road make me sick to my stomach.

"Do you think the plan will fly?" Daniel asks Mateo.

Puckering his lips, he shakes his head. "Not with her looking like this."

I frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mateo leans forward. "You see, honey, Tomás is not someone who is fooled easily, and neither is Varela. If we exchange you with that shiny, glossy hair and the impeccable skin, they won't buy that we've kept you in captivity for ten months."

"I don't understand." I glance at Daniel; he's staring into the forest with a blank expression. All this doesn't make any sense. Devon never mentioned an exchange.

"Oh, don't worry, you will." Mateo wraps his hands around my wrists like handcuffs. "Do it now, Brody."

The sting on the side of my neck is hardly noticeable. Instinctively, I try to pull away, but Mateo only tightens his grip.

"Focus on my eyes."

His face blurs as the flow of blood grows louder in my ears. "What did you give me?" My words are slurred and barely audible over the bee swarm moving into my head. My tongue has multiplied in size and prevents me from breathing. I gasp for air, my arms battling against my restraints, but my strength is sucked out of me with every raspy breath. By the time my head falls forward, the rapidly spinning forest swallows me up.

~~~~

I awake with a killer headache and a burning throat, afraid to open my eyes when the light that presses against my closed eyelids threatens to blow up my brain. My stomach is tight; if I move, I will probably hurl. I prick my ears to determine if I'm alone. Other than a steady flow of dripping water, I'm shrouded in silence.

Dampness has found its way into my clothes, freezing me to the bone. From the musty smell that hangs in the air, I suspect I'm somewhere underground, although I can't be sure unless I open my eyes. Curling my fingers to fists, I prepare myself for the impending pain when something sharp cuts into my wrists.

I'm tied up.

A key turning in a lock causes my body to still. The door squeaks on its hinges and words bounce off the walls. I recognize Daniel and Mateo, plus a hoarse voice that sends chills down my spine. He would make a perfect casting choice for a nasty phone stalker.

"How long do you think we should keep her?" Daniel asks.

"Give her a few weeks with little food and no bathroom, and she'll look the part," the scary guy croaks. Warm fingers come to rest on the side of my neck. "Her pulse is steady, so she should be waking up soon. Who wants to brief her?"

Daniel snorts. "This is Devon O'Farrell's baby, so let him deal with her. He'll be here by the end of the week. I can't handle her tantrums."

"You can't just keep her in the dark for that long," Mateo says. "She has the right to know what's going on."

"Okay, then let Brody do it. They're friends."

Mateo chuckles. "After he knocked her out, I'm sure he lost that title. I'll do it."

"Suit yourself, Araya." Daniel's words almost make me gulp. "Just remember to keep the information to a minimum."

A door squeals and slams just moments later. I still feel the presence of a person in the room and continue to lie perfectly still.

"They're gone, so you can open your eyes, Stacy." Mateo pokes me in the ribs. "Come on, I know you're awake."

"What gave me away?" I mumble through tight lips.

"Your breath hitched when you heard my name."

Man, he is good. I finally force my eyelids open, just to close them again with a hiss when the bright light bites my eyes. My next attempt is more of a squint. Nausea competes with the spinning room. "Can I have some water?"

"Sure, once we're done." He pops open the button holding the hunting knife in place that is strapped on his belt. When he cuts my restraints, the blade is cold against my skin

Pulling myself up into a vertical position, I groan and rub my aching temples. Slowly, the rest of the room regains its focus. "How are you related to Tomás?"

"He's my brother."

His brother? I hide my shock with a sharp breath that also helps with the nausea. "But you're on totally different sides in this war."

"Yep, it happens." For a beat, a shadow crosses his face.

When he doesn't show any inclination to elaborate further, I take the pressing silence as an opportunity to take in my surroundings. My cell is about six-by-six feet with my hard cot taking up a third of the space. There's no toilet, only a hole in the floor in one corner that emits a foul stench. A small, constant dribble of water from the ceiling feeds into it and is likely the only reason why the air in the small space is breathable. The bright fluorescent light emphasizes the nakedness of the bare stone walls. With no window or other connection to the outside world, the whole place looks as if it has been carved into the mountain.

My focus returns to Mateo. "So what's the plan?"

"You'll be exchanged for one of our high-ranking officers who was recently captured by Varela's troops. We leaked that you've been in captivity together with Naiara since the night of the last overthrow attempt. She died during childbirth, so we offered you in her place, together with the child. Simple really. All you have to do is produce a few tears and whine about how much you suffered. We'll make you look the part." He smiles with a certain amount of pride. Undoubtedly, this idea is his concoction.

I have to agree that his plan sounds significantly better than Devon's. He just wanted me to show up on Santino's doorsteps with his son in my arms, claiming I escaped from captivity. "Do you think that Santino will buy this?"

"Santino is not the problem. He's loyal to family and wants his son. Who you need to convince is my brother. Varela trusts him explicitly to handle these types of issues and Tomás reads people like a book. The slightest inconsistency will set him off, so you have to be very careful when you're around him."

Sudden fear hits me like a bulldozer. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? Even with Daniel's training, there's no way I'll ever be able to fool Tomás. The few times I've tried to hide anything from him, he saw right through me.

"Hey, don't worry, it'll be fine." Mateo loosens my fingers that have twisted together. "Do you know how people beat lie-detector tests?"

I shake my head, unable to mutter a word under my rising tears.

"They convince themselves that their lies are true." He regards me with that same type of patience I've seen on Tomás's face during weapons training. "Take the next few weeks as an opportunity to do the same. Play out the different scenarios they gave you as part of your cover and make yourself believe they actually happened. That's the only way to trick him."

"What if I can't pull it off?" I lower my gaze, deep down knowing the answer.

"I guarantee you, if Tomás doesn't believe you, he'll kill you without the slightest hesitation. There won't be second chances or questions asked."

His words send a chill through my body. "Even if he likes me?"

"Especially if he likes you." He forces my chin up. "Stacy, if you ever feel he's truly falling for you, ask Devon to pull you out. A woman Tomás loves is a threat to him and he will eliminate that threat without a second thought."

The sudden tension in the air weighs hard on my chest. I'm barely able to breathe. "How do you know that?"

"Because I was the one who made him that way."

~~~~

© Sal Mason 2016

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