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Guy Bianchi
Pulhapanzak Falls Parking Lot
Honduras
Guy’s world was crumbling around him. Frank and Michael both pointed guns in their direction. Juan, Jose and Guy outnumbered them but hadn’t had time to draw their own weapons. On top of it, no one was keeping an eye out for Gray.
The tension mounted as everyone stared at one another but didn’t speak. Guy looked around him for an escape, but there was none. They all stood out in the open. There wasn’t even a tree he could hide behind if bullets started flying.
“Where is he? Where is my son?” Michael asked. His gun pointed directly at Guy’s chest, never wavering in its true aim. Frank kept his gun trained on the other two men. Moving it between the two of them. Michael trusted Frank to take down anyone who posed a threat, even if their relationship was strained right now. Frank and Michael would work out their differences later. A thirty-year relationship didn’t just crumble from one deception. Frank being here now to find Gray already showed their unity to one another.
Guy put his hands up to show he intended no harm. “I don’t know. Honestly.” Guy kept his eyes on Michael, resisting the urge to look toward the falls and Gray’s possible hiding place.
“When people use the word ‘honestly’, it’s usually a red flag they are lying through their teeth. I’ll ask one more time. Where is my son?” Michael emphasized each word slowly.
“I. Don’t. Know. He escaped. We’ve been looking for him,” Guy said, using his right hand to include Juan and Jose.
A small smile tugged on Michael’s lips. Pride that Gray was able to escape rushing through him. Gray was a son worthy of a father’s love. He was strong, smart and capable.
“Tell us everything. How, where, when? Every small detail. What you have been doing to find him. Everything.” Michael needed every detail to formulate a plan in finding him.
Guy told him everything. Every detail. There was no reason to hold back, they’d be dead shortly. Juan had called in el jefe. Any minute now, the drug cartel would arrive and the power would shift in his favor. He may take a beating for his screw-up bringing Gray to the meeting, but el jefe wouldn’t kill him. Their operation worked too smoothly to end the relationship, and el jefe would lose time and money trying to establish a new route into the US.
“I have one question,” Guy held up his finger. His arms were starting to shake at holding his hands in the air for so long. He slowly lowered them so Michael wouldn’t think he was attempting anything. With them at his sides, they were closer to the gun resting in the small of his back.
“Go ahead.”
“How did you find me here?” The question had been troubling Guy since they’d arrived. If they’d stopped at the hostel to ask any questions, his staff would’ve called him with a warning. Not that they would’ve told a stranger his whereabouts anyway. The staff was well-paid by Honduran standards to help keep him safe. Their loyalty was true.
“GPS from your car.” Michael felt no need to keep the information to himself. Guy would be dead soon enough. “We tracked the rental vehicle Regan was using, too. It was easy enough to find another car, leaving the same airport and heading in the same direction, only hours earlier. I do love technology. It makes everything so easy these days. Right now, Regan’s tucked away at your hostel, safe and sound.”
“She’s quite an inventive girl. I didn’t expect her to track us. You, I’d hoped for. Her, a surprise,” Guy said.
“It was easy enough for her. Gray left her clues to follow,” Michael said. Guy couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Clues?” Guy asked.
Michael laughed. The two other men looked at each other in confusion. Michael didn’t know if they spoke English, but it didn’t matter.
“You should’ve paid more attention to him. He flashed his passport to the camera in the hotel so we knew you would be traveling internationally. Nice try with the fake ticket purchases, but we tapped into the local airports security system. Facial recognition software found you easily enough. Imagine our surprise, when we found a locale written under the toilet paper dispenser in the men’s room. Once Regan told us Gray was leaving clues, it was almost too easy.”
Guy had misjudged Gray. Guy assumed Gray to be weak since he’d left behind the mob life for a simpler one. The thought never crossed Guy’s mind that Gray would be so creative in leaving a trail, so he hadn’t been paying close enough attention.
A little slice of fear entered Guy for the first time. Bringing Gray to the exchange was a mistake. A big mistake. Not only had he escaped but he knew intimate details about the drug cartel. Guy hadn’t worried before because he hadn’t realized how perceptive Gray actually was. Guy would have to dance around to stay on el jefe’s good side. Their system was actually in serious jeopardy with Gray missing. Guy didn’t know if Gray had already gotten word out about his activities or if he was still in the cave. Jose said he never saw him leave, although no one had been watching for the last twenty minutes or so. Guy could be long gone by now. Sweat ran down Guy’s spine as the fear mounted. Everything truly was out of control now.
“You’re going to die for this.” Juan spoke in English for the benefit of their captors but the message was really for Guy.
Neither Frank nor Michael hesitated, both pulling the triggers at the same time. Juan and Jose dropped on either side of Guy. Now both guns were pointed at him.
Guy smiled at the sound of roaring engines. El jefe was coming. Perfect timing, Guy thought. Guy hadn’t underestimated Michael’s need to play with his victim before killing them. It was legendary in certain circles of Las Vegas. Even after thirty years, his need to show his power and superiority was still there.
No matter what happened to Guy, Michael would be dead soon. El jefe never left witnesses. Guy would take joy in watching him die.