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Gray Thomas
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Gray flushed the airplane toilet and then washed his hands. He took extra time to clean his wound. The pain level had increased during the flight and it worried him. Gray pulled the bandage away from the stab wound to inspect it. Red, angry skin surrounded the butterfly bandages. An infection was already setting in.
Gray cleaned it, added more ointment, and then covered the wound with fresh gauze. He taped it into place and said a prayer for quick healing. The wound would slow him down if it got any worse.
Gray held onto his bag as he walked back to his seat. Guy paused in counting the stacks of money on the table while his eyes followed Gray’s every move. Gray sat back down and fastened his belt but left it loose enough to not put any added pressure on the injury. As soon as he was settled, Guy went back to sorting the money into plain white envelopes. When he was finished, he tucked them into his coat pocket.
Gray leaned his head against the window and watched the ground come closer and closer as the plane landed. The sound of the tires hitting the runway sent nerves running through his body. His time to act was coming closer as he was feeling weaker and weaker. His body screamed for rest but his mind refused to give in. The pilot’s voice came over the speaker announcing their destination. Gray stayed in his seat while the plane taxied to a private hangar. He looked out the window to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
“I will have a gun on me when we deplane. Do not try anything. I will not be afraid to shoot you,” Guy said.
“What about customs? You’ll have a gun while our passports are checked?” Gray asked.
“Yes. The agents don’t care. They know me and will tell me if you try to get a message to them.” Guy pointed at Gray. “This is your only warning.”
“Where are you taking me? To your hostel?” Gray asked. He debated on trying to leave Regan another bathroom message but felt that probably wouldn’t work twice.
If she even found the first one, Gray thought.
“Eventually. We have a stop to make first.”
Gray hadn’t expected Guy to actually answer the question. Only one thing could explain his openness. Guy never intended for Gray to live long enough to care about the answers.
Or he’s lying, Gray thought. Either way, it didn’t leave much for Gray to work with. Send Regan into the lion’s den of a man out for revenge or leave her nothing to follow next? Gray only had one choice. He had to find a way to leave another clue for her. Who knew the extent of the damage Regan would do if left to her own devices. At least with the clues, Gray had an idea of where she would eventually be so he could find her.
But why am I still alive? Gray wondered. He put himself on high alert until he could make his escape. It would take all of his strength to overpower Guy if his time ran out before he had his opportunity.
Gray put it out of his mind as he stood. Gray grunted from the pain when he lifted his backpack onto his shoulder. He used his left hand to add pressure to the wound to ease his discomfort while he walked. For whatever reason it helped.
Gray followed Guy into the terminal and toward customs, keeping his eye out for any way to leave a bread crumb for Regan. The airport was almost empty this time of night so they were able to walk right up to an open desk. Guy handed over his passport while Gray stood right behind him watching. The agent opened the flap and palmed the folded money lying inside. He stamped the page and held his hand out for Gray’s passport while he made small talk with Guy.
“It’s good to see you again, Señor. Did you have a good trip?” the agent asked in Spanish.
“The same. Our luggage is being unloaded now,” Guy replied. His Spanish wasn’t accented, and with his tan skin, Gray could see how Guy blended in with the locals all these years.
The agent flipped through Gray’s passport slowly. He read every stamp showing the places Gray had been.
“You are quite the traveler, Mr. uh, Thomas. What brings you to Honduras? Business or pleasure?” The man’s Spanish was spoken quickly but Gray understood him.
Guy mistook Gray’s hesitation in answering as Gray not understanding the language. Guy spoke up and answered before Gray could think of a response. “Pleasure. This is my cousin from the States. He’ll be staying with me and helping me with this and that.”
Gray looked at Guy out of the corner of his eye before smiling at the agent. What was that about? Gray thought.
“Perdón,” the agent switched to English. “I didn’t realize you needed English, sir. I just assumed with your travels Spanish was familiar to you.” The agent quickly stamped the page and handed the passport to Guy. Gray reached for it, but Guy got to it first and slipped it in his pocket.
Another hurdle. Gray was stuck in the country until he could get to an American embassy for a new one if he couldn’t swipe his back from Guy. Luck would be on his side if they stayed in Tegucigalpa. The embassy was located here. If they continued farther into the country, it could pose a problem for Gray. Plus, Guy seemed to be anticipating every move Gray was going to make.
“Gracias. Until we meet again. You will call me if we have any other visitors from the States come through?” Guy asked. The man nodded, and Guy moved away from the desk. Gray followed. Gray memorized the layout. The terminal for private jets was much smaller than the commercial terminal.
Guy stopped at another desk just inside the main doors. While he conversed with the woman, Gray looked around for a way to leave a clue. At this point, any clue would do, no matter how small. He could only hope that Regan would find it.
Gray nudged Guy. “I need to use the restroom.”
“You just went on the plane. You’ll be fine.” Guy turned back to the woman. Based on their conversation, she was in charge of making sure his vehicle was packed and ready to go. She informed Guy it would still be a few minutes although the workers were moving as quickly as they could. Guy grunted his disapproval but handed her a plain white envelope. Gray guessed it was loaded with cash paying for the woman’s silence and to look the other way at whatever Guy’s cargo was. Whatever business Guy had running here, it was a well-oiled machine.
A stand of brochures on the desk caught Gray’s attention. He flipped through the bright, shiny flyers, finally landed on one he could use. A full-color image showed people laughing and raising their beers toward the camera. Young and old graced the photo. G and G Brewing and Hostel spelled out in large letters across the top of the pamphlet. Guy’s hostel.
Gray let his arm drop to his side, keeping the flyer out of view of Guy. He let go and it fell to the floor. Gray casually used his toe to move the pamphlet until it stuck under the desk. He stepped on the remaining edges sticking out to keep it hidden from Guy.
It was weak but it was all he had to work with. Hopefully, Regan would notice the paper on the floor. But now he had to stay with Guy until they reached the hostel, otherwise Regan would be walking into danger without him there. If Gray escaped, what would Guy do to Regan? Would he hurt her? Would he hold her hostage? Or, would he just kill her?
The hostel was located in the middle of the jungle, if memory served him. The remoteness of the location would offer many places to hide a body. One that would most likely never be found. The thought of going there with Guy made Gray nervous, but his choices were limited. He couldn’t try to escape here at the airport with so many of Guy’s ‘employees’ watching their every move.
“Your vehicle is ready, sir,” the woman said in Spanish. Gray was fluent but kept up the pretense that he couldn’t understand anything said. Maybe it would come in useful. He needed to stay alert and focused for what was to come. It was to Gray’s benefit that most everyone spoke English at Guy’s hostel since Guy didn’t know Gray understood Spanish now.
Gray followed Guy out of the building. A black SUV was idling at the curb. The vehicle was obnoxious and stuck out in this country where most people drove older, smaller cars or work trucks.
“You’re driving,” Guy said.
Gray got in the driver’s seat and felt around for the seat adjuster. His knees were jammed into the dashboard. Gray found the knob, and the seat slowly started to move back. His knees felt instant relief.
Guy entered the vehicle on the passenger side rear and latched his seat belt. Guy pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and aimed it at Gray’s head. Gray’s heart sped up and sweat beaded his forehead.
“Don’t try anything. You take a wrong turn, I shoot you. You try and wreck the car, I shoot you. I’ll live through the crash, but you won’t.”
Gray nodded his head in understanding. He dropped the gear shift into drive and awaited Guy’s instructions. The headlights cut through the night. The sky was pitch black but would be lightening soon with the sunrise.
“Take the CA-5 until I tell you to turn off.”
Gray breathed a sigh of relief as he followed Guy’s instructions. The CA-5 was the direct route to Guy’s hostel. If Regan found his clue, she would be headed straight for him.