Chapter 14: Chapter 14

She remarked, "You must have spent a lot of time out here in order to know the land so well," in the hopes of gaining insight into his history.

When I was twelve years old, I went to live with my grandmother. My grandfather was killed in Vietnam, and she did not remarry when he passed away. He looked at her in an oblique manner. My mother passed away from breast cancer, and after her passing, my father pushed himself wholeheartedly into his profession. One year later, he passed away while working covertly for the government.

“FBI?”

“Yes.”

If you followed in his footsteps, you must have felt a sense of pride for him. Even though they had a number of disagreements over the course of the past few years, she still looked up to her father as a role model. It appeared that Jerome had the same feelings towards his own father. She went on to say, "I decided to become a lawyer because of my dad." Naturally, I wound up deciding to take a different path with regard to my professional life. I have no doubt that you went through all of stuff in my file."

"I did," he said, giving no indication that he was uncomfortable with her personal information. It has to be uncomfortable for you to have your ex-partner continue working with him.

Anna gave a slight shrug. "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm an outsider." She tinkered with the paper wrapping that was encircling her granola bar. Even her own mother acted as if she had sinned against the family by doing this.

"Is it true that your sister is going to start working for them right away?"

"Don't you think my file contains a little bit of everything?" She did not wait for an answer before continuing. "I've tried to stop her, but she just won't listen to me. She dreams of becoming the defense attorney that no one can defeat, and having a paycheck that reflects her success. She turned the topic back to him and continued talking. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

He responded with a curt "No," as if she had asked him a question that was in poor taste. A possible indication that he had finished the conversation about himself.

Regardless of the outcome, all of the talk about the shadowy parts of his past, as well as her own background, brought to mind something that he had mentioned immediately before she went to sleep. "No matter how hard we try, things don't always come out the way we want them to,"

A sliver of darkness swept across his features. "This will," he murmured, his eyes meeting hers as he did so. The hint of menace that she had noticed in him on prior occasions suddenly flared up like a blazing flame. I passed up far too many opportunities to murder that man for us to be successful at this point. I will get you into that trial, and you are going to be the one to condemn him. I won’t let him go away.”

A big grin spread across Anna's face. Something in his final words, particularly his pledge that Pedro wouldn't leave, pricked at her nerve endings. What did you specifically mean by that? Was he implying that he would take his own life if Pedro failed to find him guilty?

A beeper went off on Jerome's watch just as she was about to respond, and he jumped to his feet before she could. "Time to go."

She rose up, relieved that there was a possibility of getting out of the cave, but not any less concerned about what he had said. "That has my full support."

As he had done so many times before in the forest, he issued the command, "Stay here." "I need to check the surface to make sure there aren't any uninvited guests." He did not wait for an answer before climbing the wall and began climbing. The warmth from before has completely dissipated. He was unemotional and logical, like a soldier with a purpose.

Jerome was prepared to take any action necessary to bring Pedro to justice, including turning his own hand to murder. She had a history of blurring the lines between good and wrong, which was a precarious position to maintain. A location that, if given the chance, would take your soul, and she came dangerously close to doing just that. Anna finally understood why Jerome gave her such a fright. He was in the same precarious position as she had been. She was frightened that he would drag her along with him as he walked it because he was doing it.

Half an hour after travelling through the totally dark night, , Anna discovered herself back in the bushes, this time with Jerome by her side. The rain had stopped, but the night sky was clear and moonless, indicating that there was more to come. The muggy night air was thick with an eerie calm that seemed heavy and foreboding.

Jerome drew her attention with an incline of his head to what seemed to be a little trailer park that was only a hill beyond the shelter of the woods.

She hushed, "Agent Jack is going to meet us there, isn't he?"

He indicated with his finger the lights that were bobbing and weaving down the ancient dirt road that led to the trailers. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm the fluttering in her tummy caused by her anxiety. He had the impression that something was off. She was able to tell by the rigidity in his body as well as the anxious vibe that he had been emitting ever since they emerged from the cave.

When he was speaking to her, he did not look at her. "Keep your head down, and let's get moving." After then, he was no longer there. Anna made a hasty retreat down the slope as she climbed ahead of him despite the fact that he had vanished beneath the waist-high grass. She bowed her head, imitating his position. Her thoughts wandered to the idea of there being more than one snake, but she pushed the concern out of her mind. It was necessary for her to keep pace with Jerome. She had to run in order to keep up with him because he moved so quickly. Then, abruptly, as if he had run into a barrier, he came to a standstill. Anna skidded to a halt and kneeled beside him as she coughed heavily and her chest heaved.

She stood still as she observed the lights in a nearby automobile turn off and the passenger door open, which extended an invitation for them to come inside. There was a refuge not more than a few feet away.

Anna reached out and grasped Jerome's arm as she asked him in a hushed voice whether or not this was their journey. He signaled to her with a little nod. Before she could bask in the thrill of being rescued to its fullest extent, he grabbed her hand and dragged her forward so that they could make a beeline for the car. After that, everything went to hell in a hand basket.

The sound of motorbike engines blaring the air broke the silence, and Anna knew without being informed that they were in peril and about to be found. Their trip was in such close proximity. Anna clung to the hope of finding cover, but to her horror, Jerome pulled her in the opposite direction, taking a diversion away from the surrounding safety that was only serving to torment her.

After a few moments, Jerome hid her totally from Agent Jack's line of sight by moving her behind a trailer. She murmured in an agitated tone, "Why aren't we with Jack?" as she watched Jerome bend down and pull a piece of underpinning from the trailer. "Why aren't we with Jack?"

They did not come across us on their own initiative. He beckoned for her to follow him into the shadowy area underneath the trailer. “Go.”

She would have argued, but the sounds of gunfire that filled the air, followed by the sound of a motorcycle engine getting closer, prevented her from doing so. She did not dither any longer and immediately made her way beneath the house with Jerome following close behind. She suppressed a yelp when she was hit in the face with cobwebs. When a motorcycle sped immediately by their spot, Jerome rapidly installed the siding, and he didn't miss a single second of opportunity to do so. As soon as Anna realized how close they'd been to being found, any anxiety she'd been feeling about what might be lurking in the shadows vanished.

Her mind raced just as frantically as her heart did in her chest, and her heart was pounding violently in her chest. They were going to be discovered sooner or later. What would become of them, exactly? What about the individuals who are staying here who have done nothing wrong? Was Jerome under the impression that Jack had intentionally brought the assailants to them? Certainly not. It was definitely him shooting his rifle at the other motorcyclists. It's possible that someone in the mobile home park called the authorities, but the location was so remote that it's unlikely. If we acted quickly enough, could we save them?

Jerome's face was just barely illuminated by the penlight that suddenly turned on. He beckoned for her to come closer. Jerome whispered to her, "This way," as he led her to the front end of the trailer, navigating the darkness as if it were sunshine.

Once more, the sound of a motorcycle was becoming closer...

no, two — there are two motorbikes. Jerome waited for them to go before he moved a piece of siding to the side in order to get a better view of what was going on beyond it. The action was repeated by Anna, who had moved forward. It's inconceivable that they were standing so close to a pickup truck.

"Bingo," he mumbled, casting a glance in her direction. "As soon as you notice that the door to the passenger compartment is open, begin rushing and do not stop until you have entered."

He didn't wait this time for a response, as is his custom. Already on the move, he made his way through the crack that initially appeared to be too narrow for him. She attempted to get her mind around all that was occurring, attempting to make it some nightmare, not her life. However, it was her life at stake.

She saw Jerome steal the truck while he was doing it. She put her fist to her chest and had the feeling that her heart was about to explode at any moment. When she saw that the car door was open, she let out a sigh of relief.

She took another breath before wriggling through the hole, and she did not allow herself any time to think about what may occur if this situation turned out to be unsuccessful.

After clearing the trailer, Anna moved closer to the vehicle on all fours. The sound of a motorcycle was heard once more, followed by the sound of a gunshot. Her chest began to tighten. She pushed herself forward while simultaneously digging her knees into the ground. At long last, we saw her approaching and climbing inside the truck. She yanked the door shut before ducking under the window, and it was a move that couldn't have come a second too soon.

A motorcycle raced by, but it came to a complete halt this time. It seemed like men were talking, and she could hear bits and pieces of their phrases. They planned to begin the search by walking around the area.

Jerome knelt down and worked on the wires that were located beneath the dashboard. He responded positively to the talk that they had overheard by saying, "Good." "We want them to be on foot so that we can have the upper hand and beat them," He indicated with the side of his chin. "The bag that's sitting on the seat in front of you contains a pistol. Get it out. You're going to require it in the future."

She did as he instructed, pulling out the heavy handgun that was guaranteed to discharge with a jolt that would shake her all the way to Mexico from where she was standing.

The engine of the truck started up with a scream. Yes! The thought of screaming filled Anna's head.

While making a sharp bend to the left, Jerome blasted the pedal, causing the tires on the truck to squeal as they came into contact with dirt and rock.

A motorcycle pulled up next to her window, and the rider brandished a gun in her direction. Her grip became even more firm on the rifle. Jerome cut in front of the rider, causing the motorcycle to crash. One threat gone. More to come.

As Anna pushed open the back window of the cab, she noticed that two motorcycles were following closely behind them. She took aim, and fired her gun at the tires of the closest motorcycle. She was successful in hitting her objective, but the weapon she was using delivered a surge of pain up her arm, through her shoulder, and into her chest after it misfired. But it was really necessary.

The rider careened across the landscape and ended up crashing just like the other rider had.

She mentally prepared herself to fire again, but she was relieved when the second pursuer retreated before she did so that she wouldn't have to. She relaxed into her chair and exhaled as she took a seat. "I believe that they have disappeared."

They are going to come back.

She cast a quick look in his direction. "I figured, but before I do that, allow me to bask in this short success."

He declared, "Those were Randy Menchaca's guys," in front of everyone. "I have no doubt that you have noticed his name in the file."

"Menchaca," she replied, preparing herself to concentrate. “Right. Along the border, he is responsible for Pedro's narcotics trafficking.