Chapter 2

Denial

We followed Valentina until we came across two men fighting. Valentina went forward and shoved them both apart.

"You with him bitch!?"

That made me angry and I tightened the hold on my gun.

"No."

"Then why don't you mind your own fucking business."

"We have bigger problems to worry about. Have you not looked around pendejo?"

Cuchillo laughed.

"Okay boss. Whatever you say beautiful."

"Alright that's enough!" I snapped at him.

They both looked at me in confusion.

"She your girlfriend or something?"

"Hell no!" she said.

"Then what's your problem dipshit?"

I didn't have an answer.

"Basta!" she said.

He looked back at her.

"So what? Safety in numbers?"

"More or less." she told him.

"Then maybe we should get that guy hanging in the tree."

He pointed to the east and she started walking in that direction.

Why did I act like that? Why did I get so upset?

I growled to myself and kept going.

Valentina's POV

So he did have feelings.

"Help me! Fuck!"

I saw the man in the tree. He was very skinny and didn't look all that strong.

"Hello?! I'm stuck in a tree!"

"Man why don't you shut the fuck up!" Stans said.

"Oh thank god. Get me down from here."

"Stop moving! You're breaking the branch." I said.

"Do you have anything to cut yourself down with?" he asked.

"What? No! Why would I…just get me down."

I was getting annoyed to I took out a python and shot the branch a few times. They all looked at me and I shrugged.

"It was taking too long."

The man flailed around in the water for a bit before realizing he could stand up.

"Who the fuck are you?" Stans asked.

"I'm a doctor. Edwin. Look can someone please just tell me…what the fuck is going on?"

I held out my hand and helped him out of the water.

"You alright?" I asked.

He didn't really answer, he just sort of laughed. We kept walking but after a while I had a strange feeling. I stopped and turned around. Stans was staring at my ass.

"Your ass is awesome."

"I'm seventeen pendejo! What're you? Forty?"

He glared at me and I smirked.

"If the tough guy wasn't giving me the death glare-"

"You still wouldn't do anything."

He growled at me and I bit back a smile.

"Look."

I looked at Mombasa and then followed his gaze. There was an Asian man standing not too far away from us. He was wearing a fine suit but he had no shoes. Three of his fingers were missing and he was just standing there.

"Goddamn who the hell is this guy?" Stans asked.

I looked up at the arch the man was staring at.

"What the hell is that?"

"My thoughts exactly." I said quietly.

I moved closer to the man and looked at him. He looked at me and I nodded.

"I'm Valentina." I said.

He slowly nodded.

"Hanzo." he whispered.

No one else heard him, but I nodded. It was then I saw what was at the base of the arch.

"Santa Maria…."

There were bones and human remains.

"Who would do something so vile?" I wondered aloud.

"Whoever they are, they take trophies." I looked at Mombasa. "In my culture, the warrior with the most trophies, commands the most respect."

"Whatever." Stans said.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"It's a test. To see how we do under pressure." Nikolai said.

"No."

I turned and looked at them.

"If it were a test, we would all be military. Complete strangers like that pendejo over there." they looked at Royce. "This is something else."

"Maybe it's ransom. Back in Tijuana, we kidnap you, put you in an oil drum. If the ransom's not paid….we light you on fire."

Edwin's face was priceless.

"I've heard stories about these experiments they run on cons. They stick drugs in your food. Then the fuckers just sit back and watch what happens." Stans said.

"No it's not drugs." I looked at Edwin. "If it was a psychotropic compound we'd be feeling the side effects. Loss of motor skills, blurry vision…and if it were a behavioral experiment then there'd be a point."

We were all silent for a few minutes.

"What if we are dead?" Mombasa asked.

I looked around.

"I was gonna be executed in two days." Stans said.

"And I was in combat." Nikolai added.

"So was I." Mombasa said.

I took a deep breath.

"I was meeting with two of my father's enemies. Both very dangerous men."

"This is hell." Cuchillo said.

I looked down and Hanzo put his hand on my shoulder.

"Last I checked, you didn't need a parachute to get there."

I slowly looked at Royce. He was still avoiding my gaze.

Cobarde!

"It doesn't matter where we are, or why. The question is how do we get out?"

He started walking.

"Where're you going?"

"To high ground."

"We need to stay together."

He slowly turned and looked at me.

"Then you should follow me."

He kept walking and I growled.

"Voy a empujarlo delante de un autobús." (I'm going to push him in front of a bus.) I hissed.

I didn't see any other option so I followed him.

Royce's POV

I looked at Valentina and she finally noticed.

"You have a staring problem?"

"Do you know Esperanza Martinez?"

"You mean Esperanza Driscoll? Yeah I knew her."

"No. Martinez."

"I know. She changed her name when she found out she was pregnant."

My heart nearly stopped.

"S-She was pregnant?"

"Yeah, she had a little girl last I heard. I don't know what her name is. But her name is Esperanza Driscoll now. Why? Does that mean something to you?"

"It's none of your business."

She shrugged and turned away.

Valentina's POV

I couldn't believe he still hadn't figured it out.

"Does he really not see it? I mean, I don't know either of them and I can see it." Edwin said.

They were whispering but I still heard.

"It's called denial dipshit."

I sighed and shook my head sadly. Hanzo looked at me and I forced a smile. I knew he didn't buy it though.