CHAPTER 16: THE RIDGE AND THE STREAM

Xitllali

The mountain air outside was freezing. The fog was so thick that I could barely see five feet ahead of us. It covered the tall pine trees like a grey curtain.

Guillermo went first down the slippery slope.

The ground was steep and covered with wet mud, rotting leaves, and slippery pine needles. Every few steps, his boots dug into the earth to make places for me to step.

He kept his right arm raised to grab thick tree roots, while his left hand reached back to hold my waist and keep me steady.

Halfway down the slope, my boot slipped on a wet rock.

I let out a sharp gasp as my feet slipped out from under me. Before I could fall, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist, catching my full weight in a second.

I heard a quiet, painful sound escape his throat. Through the thick wool of his coat, I felt his shoulder muscles tighten as his wound hurt under the pressure.

"Guillermo," I whispered, my face close to his neck. I could smell the cold mountain rain and the sharp smell of blood from his shirt. "Your shoulder..."

"Watch your steps, Xitllali," he said quietly, his eyes moving through the foggy woods below us. "Don't look down."

We slid the last few feet down the slope and landed in the shadow of a deep valley. Cold mountain water rushed around our boots, soaking through my leather shoes and pants.

The freezing water made my teeth chatter, but Guillermo didn't stop. He quickly pulled me under the dark concrete bridge above us.

Heavy boots moved across the wet gravel road above us, and the loud sound of a nearby truck rumbled beneath the stone bridge.

"Check the trees," a rough voice called from the bridge above our heads. "Severo said El Crotalo wouldn't stay in one place. If he left the cabin, he's heading for the main road."

"Perez said he took out our scout with his bare hands," another man said, followed by the sound of a lighter clicking open. "A man who's already injured wouldn't risk taking a woman through these mountains in this fog."

Guillermo pressed his back against the cold concrete pillar behind me. He pulled me close against his chest, using his broad shoulders to hide me from the open riverbed.

He gently placed his right hand over my mouth and nose, his fingers warm against my cold skin as he kept my breathing quiet in the darkness.

A cigarette was thrown over the bridge railing. It fell through the fog and landed in the dark water just two feet from Guillermo's boot, making a small hissing sound.

I held my breath, my face pressed against his coat. 

Even with armed men standing fifteen feet above us, his heartbeat stayed slow and calm. His eyes looked into mine through the darkness, focused and alert.

We stayed completely still for about two long minutes until the footsteps above us moved back toward the truck and the engine drove away.

Slowly, he lowered his hand from my face.

"They're watching the main road," he whispered against my forehead, his voice barely louder than the sound of the stream. "We follow the water three hundred yards east to the old timber yard."

I nodded, my jaw stiff from the cold. "I'm right behind you."

We walked through the cold water, staying low under the hanging plants and rocks. My legs were numb from the cold, but I kept moving anyway. I had to.

Ten minutes later, the narrow valley opened up into a green area below the highway. Hidden inside an old wooden shed, almost covered by wild vines, was a dark silver SUV with tinted windows.

The driver's side door opened as soon as we came out of the trees.

Two men in dark rain jackets stepped into the mud. Both held short automatic rifles at their sides. Their eyes moved across the forest before settling on Guillermo.

"Boss," the first man whispered, stepping toward us quickly. "We saw the checkpoint at the bridge..."

The man suddenly stopped.

His eyes moved past Guillermo's shoulder and landed on me. His mouth fell open, and his face turned pale.

"Mrs... Mrs. Tzotzil-Vargas?" he stammered. "My God... it's really you."

Guillermo moved his large body to the side, instinctively blocking part of me from the man's view.

"Valdo, focus," he said coldly, his voice calm but firm. "How's everything back at the estate?"

Valdo swallowed and quickly straightened up. "Hector stayed back, Boss. Just like you ordered. He locked the gates, put security on high alert, and he's checking all the phone records and money transfers to find the person who leaked your route."

Guillermo nodded once. "Good. Did you bring the supplies?"

"Yes, Boss," he said, reaching into the back of the SUV. He pulled out a heavy waterproof bag and a dark medical kit. "Clean license plates, a small radio jammer that's already running, weapons, and the clothes you asked for."

Guillermo took the heavy bag with his uninjured arm and handed it to me.

"Get in the back seat, Xitllali," he said gently, his voice becoming calm and protective. "The windows are dark enough that no one can see inside. Change out of those wet clothes while I talk to Valdo."

I looked at the bag in my hands, then at Guillermo's tired face. Fresh blood had already soaked through his shirt around his shoulder.

"You need to fix that wound before we go anywhere, Guillermo," I said firmly, looking straight into his eyes. "I'm not sitting in that car until you let Valdo clean your shoulder."

A soft look appeared in his eyes before he nodded once.

"I'll take care of it," he whispered. "Please get warm first."

I nodded and opened the door, then climbed into the warm, dry back seat of the SUV and pulled the heavy door shut. The warmth inside the car slowly spread through me as I opened the bag.

Inside were a thick wool sweater, warm pants, heavy wool socks, and a dark rain jacket. Everything was brand new.

As I took off the wet, muddy clothes and pulled on the clean, warm clothes, I heard Guillermo's low voice through the slightly open front window.

"We aren't driving back to Jalisco, Valdo," he said, his voice firm and calm. "Severo's men expect us to run for the state border. We'll take the mountain pass south toward the private safehouse in the lower Chiapas valley."

"Boss?" Valdo asked, clearly surprised. "You want to stay in Chiapas while Severo's men are hunting us?"

"Severo brought about eight men to this valley," Guillermo said quietly. "They're spread out. We'll lock down the valley safehouse, take out his men one by one, and clear the area. My wife is not being dragged across Mexico while Severo's men are following us."

Sitting in the warm back seat of the SUV, pulling the soft sweater over my head, my heart beat fast against my ribs.

We weren't going back to his big estate in Guadalajara. He wasn't forcing me back to his fortress in Jalisco. He was keeping us right here in the highlands, close to a hidden safehouse while he dealt with the danger.

Once I was dressed, I looked through the dark window.

Outside in the rain, Guillermo leaned against the SUV while Valdo carefully cleaned the blood from his shoulder. He didn't flinch once as Valdo cleaned the wound and put on a fresh bandage. His hazel eyes stayed fixed on the rear window where I sat, watching me through the dark glass.