Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,10

the cops grilled Wade about “la güera.”

Meanwhile, the spider crept along the tiles near the corner of the shower, making it increasingly difficult for Hope to avoid it. It was totally irrational, especially after everything she’d been through. The thing was a minute fraction of her size, but she couldn’t shake her sense of revulsion. Or the urge to knock it off the wall and crush it with her shoe. But what if she missed and it crawled up her leg? Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine and stopped her from doing anything stupid.

In the main room, the voices got louder. Then she heard a series of thumps, a crash, and Hector cursing up a storm.

And then everything went quiet. Was Wade okay? How about Hector? Not knowing the answers gnawed on her nerves, and she barely resisted the urge to peek around the curtain.

Moments later, the bathroom door swung open and Wade said, “It’s safe. You can come out now.”

She let out a breath of relief. Eager to put space between her and the spider, Hope whipped back the curtain, stepped out of the stall, and hightailed it out of the bathroom.

It looked as though a tornado had ripped through the main room. The chair and table were knocked over, the television smashed, while both of the cots were overturned, the thin mattress pads a foot or two away. The cops were sprawled out on the floor, alive but unconscious. Wade stood by the window, his hands on his hips, seeming rather pleased with himself.

Hector, on the other hand, looked as if he might throw up. “Was that really necessary?”

“They wanted to go into the bathroom,” Wade replied, a hint of irritation in his voice. “I didn’t see you springing forward with a better idea to stop them.”

“Great. That’s just fucking great.” Hector’s hands gestured wildly as he spoke, while the vein on his temple looked ready to burst. “Mexican prisons suck, you know that, right? Do you have any idea how much time you could serve for two counts of battery against a law enforcement officer?”

“No, and we’re not hanging around to find out.” Wade crossed the room, unzipped one of the backpacks, pulled out a thick, silver roll of duct tape, and tossed it to Hope. “Tie them up, and be quick about it; we’re leaving in five.”

“But it’ll be dark in a few hours.” That didn’t give them a whole lot of time before they’d have to stop for the night.

“What’s your point?” He smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.”

“Of course not.” That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Under normal conditions, she wasn’t afraid of the dark, but she had been scared to death out there all alone, especially at night when she couldn’t see more than a foot or two in front of her face. Not that she’d ever admit that to him. He’d probably laugh at her.

“Then we need to move.” Wade crossed to one of the mattress pads, unzipped it, and pulled out a shotgun. He clipped a black nylon strap to the gun and slung it over his shoulder. “You don’t want to be around when these guys wake up.”

Well, he had a point there. Spending time in a Mexican prison sounded almost as bad as going back to the compound. She crouched beside one of the policemen, checked his vitals to make sure he wasn’t more than unconscious, and then bound his wrists and ankles with the tape. For good measure, she placed a strip over his mouth to prevent him from calling for help.

“If you want,” Hector said, “I can run to the store for supplies while you two finish up here.”

“Good idea.” Wade looked to Hope. “How many days did it take you to get here from the compound?”

“About five, but we might be able to make it in four now that I know the way.”

Wade shifted his gaze back to Hector. “Let’s go with ten days’ rations for three people, water purification tablets, and sunscreen. Oh, and insect repellent. Maybe some ponchos in case it rains.”

“I’ll see what they have. Think we need more ammo?”

“No, we should have enough. Any more would just weigh us down. We can restock after we bring her to the consulate.”

Well, at least that meant he intended to keep his end of the bargain. Then again, he might have just said that for her benefit. Either way, she didn’t have much