CA 46.5 Operation Second Honeymoon (3 page)

A rustic and decaying wooden cabinet lined one wall of the kitchen. The open shelves were bare save for dust. The walls were the same cracked and crumbling adobe as all the others. She hesitated in her search, her fingers tracing over the same spot twice, then three times. There was a crack but it was far wider than most of the others. She followed the path of the wider crack. Less than two feet across the top then the narrow divide diverted downward for maybe four feet to the floor. After listening for any sound and checking the open portals that served as windows, Victoria lit the screen of her cell phone to study the anomaly with the aid of its faint light. There was little difference between the cracks, but the pattern—once she scrutinized it at length—appeared to be deliberate. No hinges or handles were visible.

Exasperation tugged at Victoria's brow as she allowed the screen to go black. She tried to dig her fingers into the crack enough to pry at the wall it dissected. The section inside the perimeter of the crack shifted but didn't open. Then she pushed. The wall moved inward. She pushed it as far as it would go then crouched down to peer inside. A touch to the cell phone's screen awakened it once more. There was no floor beyond the oddly jagged door. She leaned forward and looked down. Narrow, steep stairs led downward into the darkness.

Carefully, Victoria eased onto the top stone tread. After inspecting the back of the makeshift door she found rusty hinges and a handle of sorts. With a deep breath for determination, she closed the doorlike section of wall. She sat and scooted downward, one dusty stone step at a time. The walls around the area were stone. A secret cellar? Maybe. It might very well have been necessary to conceal supplies during raids when the monastery had been occupied. Sheer survival in this remote area likely prompted the need for a hiding place.

As she reached the final step, the dank smell filtered through her intent focus, pressing around her like a thick, sickening compress. Leaning forward she touched the floor of the room or cellar. Dirt.

A soft whimper echoed in her skull as if someone had screamed in her ear. Victoria froze.

Her hand a little unsteady, she held up the phone and nudged the screen to life with her thumb. "Who's there?”

Across the ruins of wooden barrels and decomposing boxes, a woman stared back at Victoria. Next to the woman, a small child snuggled closer in fear.

Startled, Victoria peered around the cluttered space. If the woman had any other companions they were hidden beneath the rubble. "Are you hurt?” The woman said nothing. Victoria picked her way through the mess. As she neared, the woman's breath caught as if she'd only just realized she and her child were no longer alone.

Victoria eased into a crouch. "Are you all right?"

The woman and child appeared to be Hispanic. Victoria was a little rusty but she managed to repeat the question fairly accurately in Spanish. The woman searched Victoria's face as if attempting to identify a possible threat. The light from the screen faded.

"Help me." The words were soft, weary and in English.

Victoria touched the screen, reviving the light. "Are you hurt?" She'd noticed no bruises or blood. That the woman had chosen to hide down here with her son suggested that she might be running from someone.

Taking Victoria's free hand in her trembling one, the woman pressed Victoria's palm to her belly. "The baby is coming."

Dear God.
The woman's protruding belly was hard with a contraction. The child beside her, a little boy, made a distressed sound. Since the mother had spoken in English, Victoria assumed she possessed a fair command of the language. "Soon?"

"Soon," she confirmed.

Victoria didn't need the light to know this was no place for the event to occur. Then again, given the gunmen outside, this might very well be the only safe place under the circumstances. Whatever their attackers wanted, the result would not be good for anyone trapped inside.

"Water," the woman pleaded, "please. My Emilio is thirsty."

Victoria's heart ached for the child. There was bottled water in the Jeep. Outside. She patted the woman's hand reassuringly. "I'll get water for him." It was dark outside. Victoria could reach the Jeep. As long as Lucas knew to cover her. She needed to brief Lucas, get Salvadore down here, grab the water from the Jeep and then get back down here to prepare for the birth. Victoria swallowed back a rush of fear.
Simple.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, her voice frail with pain.

"I'm sorry.” She should have identified herself at the outset. "My name is Victoria. My husband and I are here to see what we can do to help with the new hospital."

A low moan rose from the woman. She grabbed Victoria's hand and squeezed hard. Emilio wailed in fear.

"I heard stories about the hospital," she said, breathless from the contraction. "We have no doctor in my village. I walked here... I didn't know the work had not even begun."

Victoria felt her desperation. So many were without health care in these remote areas. How this poor woman must have felt when she walked all this way only to find a crumbling ruin.

"What's your name?" Victoria gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

"Lavina."

"I'm going for water and help, Lavina. I'll be back soon."

Victoria went through the steps in her head again—she would need Lucas's help. Move Salvadore to safety. Get the water. And bring a child into this world.

All the while praying the enemy outside the walls stayed
outside
the walls.

Chapter Five

Lucas didn't dare relax. Since he'd taken one man down, the enemy had been quiet. At least one was still out there. It was possible the remaining gunman could have cut and run, but Lucas felt confident he would have heard the engine of a vehicle if one had been started.

Though his full attention remained on the wall and courtyard surrounding their safety zone, a part of him was with Victoria. Had she found a place to hide? Her safety was his top priority. He'd sent a text to Sloan but the communication had failed. Cell service in the area just wasn't reliable. The Jeep was parked inside the gate, the keys likely still in the ignition, but an escape attempt was out of the question without knowing how many assailants were out there. Though it would take only one lying in wait to lose this battle.

Movement on the steps below his position pulled his attention and his aim to the opening that led into the tower. He tightened his jaw and his hold on the weapon. His gaze narrowed. A form rose from the darkness.

Victoria.

Lucas relaxed, instantly lowering his weapon. His heart thumped with equal measures relief and anxiety. If Victoria had risked leaving Salvadore and coming here, something had changed. "How is he?"

"He's conscious and talking," she said softly as she crouched down next to Lucas. "The pain is bad but he's holding up."

Lucas wished he could protect her from this. Victoria Colby-Camp had suffered far too much in her life already. She deserved peace and happiness. "How about you?" He scanned the wall and courtyard. "You holding up okay?" If only he could comfort her. He reached out and touched her cheek.

She leaned into his touch, sending that sweet, familiar warmth through him. "I'm an old hat at this." She sighed. "I would, however, prefer to be armed."

"I only have the one gun, I'm afraid. Any luck finding a place to lay low until this is under control?" He made it sound like a simple operation, but the truth was they were in serious trouble here. All the enemy had to do was wait them out. The chances of someone who might be able to lend assistance or spook the thugs coming to this remote location were zero to none. Odds of getting any sort of communication out were equally thin. They were on their own. His gut twisted with regret.

"There's a hidden cellar," Victoria explained. "It's camouflaged enough to work better than anything I expected to find."

Lucas felt a
but
coming. "But..he prompted.

"But," she allowed, "there are complications."

Despite the unnamed complications she already had a plan. He knew her too well to believe otherwise.

"A woman, Lavina, was already hiding there. She has her three-maybe-four-year-old son with her."

"Hiding here?" Lucas surveyed the perimeter once more. "Why here?"

"That's the sticky part."

The burden on his shoulders gained a couple of tons.

"She lives in a remote village and she'd heard rumors of the new hospital coming." Victoria sighed. Not a good sign. "She walked all the way here looking for medical attention. She didn't know the hospital was only in the planning stages."

"She's ill?" If she needed immediate medical attention, like Salvadore, time had just become an even greater issue.

"She's pregnant, Lucas. I don't know how long ago her labor started, but there isn't much time."

"What do you need me to do?" A new rush of adrenaline wired his muscles for action.

"There's bottled water and a first aid kit in the Jeep. I need them."

Lucas was relatively certain that a first aid kit wouldn't provide much support for birthing a child or patching up a bullet wound. The water would be good. But Victoria going after it was bad. Very bad. "It's a big risk."

"It is. But it's one I need to take. You can't leave your station. You can cover me."

He handed her the weapon. "You hold down the fort, I'll make the supply run."

Victoria pushed the weapon back at him. "You're the marksman. Between the two of us, these people's best hope for survival lies with you. I'll get the supplies."

If she thought arguing with him was going to do any good, she was wasting her time. He wasn't going to let her walk into the sights of an armed assailant. He took her hand and closed her fingers around the butt of the weapon. "Watch the wall. One already attempted to come over. And the gate."

"Lucas," she started to argue.

He hushed her debate with a kiss. As he reluctantly pulled away, he reminded her, "Cover me."

Lucas moved down the steps before she could toss out another reason he shouldn't go. In the main room he paused to check on Salvadore. "We're moving you to a hiding place shortly. You hanging in there?"

"Mr. Camp," Salvadore said, the hint of a smile on his lips contradicted by the faintness of his voice, "as I told your wife, please do not concern yourself with me. Take care of her and the others."

Lucas patted him on the shoulder. "Don't waste your breath, my friend."

No matter the graveness of the circumstances, Lucas had to smile. Victoria would never walk away from anyone in need. He flattened against the wall next to the massive doors that led from the courtyard to the main entry room of the monastery. This wasn't the only way out, but the back exit would leave him in the open far longer. The Jeep was maybe twelve yards from the front entrance, but anyone approaching the gate would have a clear shot. Lucas took another moment to weigh the risk then he moved.

Staying low and close to the wall, he ran quickly to the Jeep. The wind had settled. A quick pause to scan the courtyard, then the interior of the Jeep. Clear. The Jeep didn't have doors, which was handy. No worries about interior lights or creaks. He grabbed the first aid kit from the floorboard, then the two bottles of water they had purchased for the trip. They had been so enthralled with the landscape that neither of them had bothered with opening the water.

Tucking the goods under one arm, he moved away from the Jeep. Keeping an eye on the gate, he headed back to the front entrance of the monastery.

The distinct sound of compacting sand and dirt bristled his senses.

Lucas's fingers tightened around a bottle of water, the only available weapon, as he prepared to spin around.

A gunshot fragmented the night.

Chapter Six

The man crumpled to the ground.

Victoria fired two more shots at the second man as he blasted off rounds from the gate. The bastard ducked for cover.

Lucas fell to the ground. Victoria's heart stumbled as an instant passed with him not moving. He rolled then scrambled through the open doorway, escaping into the cover offered by the monastery.

Victoria's hands shook as she ordered her grip on the weapon to loosen. A ragged breath rushed past her lips. Lucas was inside. He was safe.. .unless he'd been hit by the man firing from the gate.

Fear twisted in her chest. She couldn't risk leaving her post. She couldn't call out to her husband.

Pounding footfalls on the narrow stairs leading up to the bell tower jerked her attention to the right.

"Are you all right?"

Lucas.
Thank God. Victoria dropped the weapon. She hadn't meant to, but her fingers would no longer hold the cold steel. Her arms went around her husband. He held her tightly to his chest.

She roved her hands over his body, drew back slightly. "You're not hit?"

He shook his head. "You made sure of that."

Victoria collapsed into his strong arms, the tears she couldn't hold back flowing like a hot, salty river against the cold harsh reality of their situation. They were supposed to be enjoying this vacation escape. How much longer could they continue to fight this battle of good versus evil? Not just this one, but the ones that appeared to find them on a regular basis?

He held her close, whispering soothing words that only opened the emotional floodgate wider. She could not lose him.

She would not lose him.

Victoria stepped from his embrace and squared her shoulders. "We're both going down there and we're staying put. If they want us, they're going to have to come in after us."

"You're right."

Surprised, she managed a decent breath. "Let's get Salvadore to safety and take it from there." Depending on how long this standoff lasted, they could very well have a baby to deliver, as well.

Victoria served as lookout as Lucas helped Salvadore down to the long-forgotten cellar. Lavina moaned softly with the building contractions. It wouldn't be long now.

Once Salvadore was settled, Lucas worked to secure the door as best he could with the available decomposing junk. Using the faint light from her cell as little as possible, Victoria cleared a place for making Lavina more comfortable. Her water had broken so time was short. Victoria found an old cotton tarp folded on a sagging shelf. The inside of the tarp would be less dusty than the outside, so she turned the best side up and spread the tarp over the clearing she'd arranged, then she helped Lavina to move there. Lucas offered his jacket for a pillow. Lavina and her son shared one bottle of water while Victoria helped Salvadore to a few sips from the other bottle.