Chapter X

Hector was relieved when he finally heard the front door open. He hadn't been able to sleep so he'd come to wait downstairs in the living room. He stood when Ramon entered, followed by Jack and he could see by the smile on his brother's face that things had gone well for him. Of course, Jack was alive so they must have. He grinned back and they embraced in silence, then Hector walked over to where Jack stood quietly. He looked into the face that was as blank as always and simply held out his hand. Jack took it solemnly and that broke the seriousness of the moment, they both grinned and then Hector laughed out loud.

'I'm very glad you made the right choice Jack. I think we're going to do well working together.'

There it was again, this feeling of fitting in. He tried to ignore it but it wouldn't go away, so in the end he just left it alone. Ramon was pouring drinks and soon they stood together, all three of them, whiskey in hand. They raised their glasses in a toast and knocked the drinks back, all in silence. Then Ramon clapped him on the shoulder.

'The night is almost over, you must be tired. I need you to work tomorrow though. And there is something that must be done afterwards.' He said something to Hector in Portuguese, something that made the man nod in agreement. Jack only really understood the word 'village,' and wondered what that was about. But obviously he wasn't supposed to know yet. Ramon walked over to a cabinet, opened it and pulled out a large bag of what seemed to be small white crystals.

'Take a seat Jack. I need you alert today.' He did as he was told and Ramon sat down, emptying some of the crystals onto the smooth dark surface. He proceeded to crush them up and then cut them into lines, six in all. 'Have you ever taken anything except heroin?' Jack shook his head and Ramon smiled. 'Well, this isn't as strong but I think you'll like it anyway. And there's no danger of addiction.' He rolled up a hundred dollar bill, leaned over the table and proceeded to inhale sharply, one line into each nostril. Jack watched as he sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose, sniffing heavily. Then he grinned and passed the rolled up note over to him. 'Go on.'

He took it without question and copied what Ramon's actions. The powder felt strange as it hit the top of his nose and he did what the other man had done, sniffed heavily. The sensation made his eyes water a bit and he felt like he might sneeze, but he resisted and held it back. There was a tingling feeling that wasn't unpleasant and after a minute, he could feel the remains of the powder sliding down his throat in a sticky ball. He swallowed a few times to help it down and then he was clear…and a delicious feeling started to well up inside him. It was like an enormous swell of well-being that came from his centre and spread through his whole body and he couldn't stop the grin that broke across his face. His brain went into overdrive and he couldn't seem to slow it down, but that was OK, because he didn't want to. It was great and he couldn't wipe the smile for even a second. Hector had pulled the bill from his hand and taken his share, he leant back on the sofa beside him and closed his eyes, while Ramon poured more drinks.

'What was that?'

'Methamphetamine. We just call it ice. You like it?'

Jack paused a second while he examined how he felt. 'It's great. Really great.' It was too, he felt light and happy and wide awake. The work of the day, followed by the raid on the plane and the long hours talking to Ramon had made him tired but now, now he felt like he could go all day, no problem. 'It's not as powerful a rush as heroin but I can think better with it…'

He stopped himself talking because he suddenly felt like he could talk for hours. His brain skidded around from one topic to the next and he found himself grabbing thoughts, dissecting them in seconds and then moving on to something else and repeating the process. He looked over at Hector who was smiling quietly to himself and suddenly felt close to him, like they were really friends. But he was careful to not let it show, his speeding brain told him instantly that he had to be careful here.

Ramon pushed the bottle of whiskey towards him. 'Help yourself Jack. You won't feel like eating until it wears off but drinking will calm you down some.' It was like he knew what was going on inside his head, and that scared him for a moment but then he moved onto other thoughts. He was in no danger of revealing something he shouldn't and the two of them were relaxed right now so he should just chill and go with it for a while. Ramon and Hector started joking around about past events, seemingly happy to let him hear some things about their history and show off their close relationship. He poured another drink and sipped at it while he listened to them. The atmosphere was friendly and he leant back into the sofa and enjoyed the happiness while it lasted.

It should have been a long day but it wasn't. Work seemed easy and fun, he joked around with the guys as he ran them through some hand-to-hand combat moves. Ramon stopped by for a while and laughed himself silly at the sight of bodies flying everywhere while Jack stood in the centre of the carnage with a smile on his face. The men took it all in good humour though, they were learning things and respected Jack enough to not let his superior technique hurt their pride.

They finished about five in the afternoon. Ramon had gone back to whatever it was he did during the day and Hector had come down instead. He stopped them all as they were leaving the barn they were working in and told everyone to go and change into black clothes and meet by the trucks. Suddenly, the jovial atmosphere was gone and the men looked at each other uneasily. Jack was confused by their reactions and stopped Charlie on their way back to the bunkhouse.

'What's this about?'

'I don't know for sure. I've just heard a few rumours. And if they're right….' He stopped talking and shrugged, but didn't say anymore.

'If they're right…what?'

'Then I can't tell you about it. I'm assuming it'll be for your benefit – rumour has it you're moving up.' There was an edge in the younger man's voice that was hard to ignore. Jack stopped him and made him look at him.

'What's going on Charlie? Tell me. You sound pissed off.'

The guy stared at him with his wide blue eyes and Jack was struck once again by how young he looked. And unaffected by all the things he had to do. He'd stopped being such a pain in the butt recently, or maybe Jack had just got used to him always hanging around him. Or maybe it was the drugs, but right then, he felt bad that Charlie seemed mad at him.

'I'm not pissed Jack. It's just…well, OK, maybe I am a little. I've been here a year and I don't think I've even been considered for a promotion. You've been here five weeks and already you're spending nights drinking with them at the house. I know you're ex-military but so am I. OK, so I wasn't an officer but…' He stopped and sighed. 'Look, its nothing. Just having a frustrating day that's all. And I really can't tell you what this is about. If it's what I think it is, then I'll get in trouble if I talk to you about it.'

He made to walk on but Jack stopped him again with a hand to his arm. 'Hey look – if they're thinking of promoting me, I'll need good people to work with. I'll make sure your name is mentioned, OK?' And don't be jealous Charlie, for Chris' sakes. You don't want to be owned by Ramon the way I am now. Shit, he hasn't asked me to do anything yet but I know he's going to and I'm not looking forward to what it might be…

Charlie smiled and seemed relieved. 'Yeah, thanks man. That'd be good. I'd better go change.' And he jogged on, leaving Jack standing there with a strange feeling of apprehension. He started to wonder about the man as he started to walk – why was he so eager to progress? Money was an easy answer but still, he had to be doing alright for himself. Could he really be that anxious to get closer to Ramon? Didn't he worry about the things he might have to do?

He shrugged it off. He had his own shit to worry about. He got into his room and changed into black jeans and a black shirt, then went and joined the rest of the guys outside. They were quiet and didn't make eye contact with him. His uneasy feeling grew. He didn't really have time to worry about it though, because Ramon and Hector appeared suddenly and told them to get into the Jeeps. Jack was about to climb into one when he heard Ramon call his name.

'Jack, you're riding with me.' He nodded and turned. His glance happened to fall on Charlie as he moved and he was surprised at the look of anger on his face. He frowned a question at him but was ignored. It bothered him again but there was nothing he could do for now, so he just walked over to Ramon who stood next to the same Mercedes he'd seen at the farmhouse in Mexico. Someone must have driven it down for him.

'Get in Jack.' He hopped into the passenger side. Ramon slid behind the wheel and pulled away, driving slowly. He didn't seem to be in any hurry. 'You seemed to be enjoying yourself today.'

'Yeah, we had some fun. They learn better that way.'

'Yes, maybe. Just remember what I said about what it takes to move on Jack. Don't get too attached to them. Depending on how long it takes, you wont be working with them forever.' There was a firmness to his tone that Jack took note of and he reminded himself that he shouldn't do anything to piss this man off. Still, he couldn't help asking where they were going. Ramon smiled slightly. 'We're going to visit one of the villages that works for me. There's something that needs to be done.'

He didn't say anything else and Jack didn't try and break the silence that fell. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Maybe it was the way that Ramon stayed so quiet and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. It was like he couldn't keep them still. But that was the only sign that anything was going on in his head, his body language was relaxed and there was no emotion on his face. Once again, Jack couldn't work out what he was thinking. And it bothered him that everybody obviously knew what was going on except him.

It was hot in the car, Ramon didn't switch the A/C on. Sweat started to form on his forehead and his shirt clung to his back against the leather seats. They were passing fields of crops and there were people walking along the sides of the road, obviously headed home for the day. They were all peasants and they looked poor. Jack watched them as they passed – many of them stood aside as the convoy of cars drove quietly by. They seemed respectful, as though this were a funeral procession.

Ramon caught him staring at them and smiled softly. 'Maybe one day they'll stand aside when you drive down the road Jack.'

Fuck...they respect him that much? 'Do they work for you?'

'Yes, all of them. They look after the crop. I don't keep enough men on the ranch to do all the manual work. The men you've been working with do some of the labour, I make them, because it reminds them not to get above themselves. You haven't yet been introduced to my real security team yet.'

Jack looked out of the window and contemplated that. He'd thought that the man he worked with were all they had for security. Finding out there were more of them intrigued him – why hadn't he seen them yet? He glanced in the side view mirror as they passed another group of workers that were standing on the verge – and was shocked to see that one old lady was crossing herself. Oh shit. It's not respect…its fear…

Maybe it was the speed still in his system, but Jack found his senses rising to an even more heightened level. He was aware of every vibration in the car as it bumped along the uneven road, every sound from an animal outside, every rustle of the trees. And every breath that Ramon took seemed to blow a chill directly over his skin, making goose bumps form, despite the heat. The silence grew loud, as it always seemed to when they were alone now and Jack tried to ignore it. But he couldn't ignore the tension that was forming a knot in the pit of his stomach, it was causing his blood to pulse through him at a rate that he wasn't comfortable with.

'You're nervous.'

He tried to lie. 'No. Just curious as to what we're doing.' Ramon smirked and they both knew the truth.

'You'll see. Just remember what we talked about last night and you'll be fine.'

Silence fell again and Jack stared out of the window. He didn't want to show his face to this man at the moment. Whatever this was, he had the feeling he wanted it over with as soon as possible.

He stood next to Ramon and watched in silence as the men spread out down the single street and burst into every small house. There were shouts from inside and screams of surprise and fear – every man carried an AK-47 and weren't afraid of brandishing them about. No shots had been fired yet, but it seemed to be only a matter of time. And he still didn't know what they were doing there.

Hector was walking along the dirt road, yelling orders and instructions. Whole families were being pulled out of their houses, children were crying in fear and they sounded impossibly loud in the otherwise still evening air. Ramon lit a cigar as he watched calmly and he nodded as Hector approached.

'Take all the old ones and keep them together at this end of the street. Then gather everyone else down there.' He pointed to the other end – the village only consisted of about twenty houses and there were about a hundred people, including the children, standing in the road. Jack could see almost every man standing there, holding their wives and trying to reassure their kids that everything was OK. He could see they were scared.

Javier and Pietro were leading five other men that were pointing guns at everyone over the age of sixty, or thereabouts. They were pulling them away from their families and forcing them to walk away from them – Jack could see old women crying and men staring at the ground as they walked. They seemed almost resigned to something.

'Ramon, what's goi…' He was silenced by a raised hand.

'Just wait Jack. You'll see.'

He didn't want to wait. He was seriously edgy now but there was nothing he could do, so he concentrated on keeping still and making sure his face was blank. Sweat was trickling down his back and his palms were wet - but as he stood there, a feeling of calm came over him. It was the same calm he got before a mission or a fight – when his mind closed everything out because it knew it had to accept the inevitable. He was in Ramon's hands here, there was nothing he could do to change that. So he calmed himself and just let the scene play out.

After a while, everything was quiet. It was eerie. With this many people around, there should be noise – but you could have heard a pin drop as Ramon gestured to Jack to follow him and they started down the road. All eyes were on them, he could feel it but they made no difference now. It was almost like walking underwater, the quiet blanketed all thought and seemed to muffle reality. Jack almost felt like he was floating outside his own body – it reminded him of heroin in a way. This isn't real…

Ramon stopped in front of the group of terrified people. He surveyed them slowly, with quiet eyes that roamed over every face, every child, every woman holding a baby. None of them met his gaze.

'I need five men.' His voice wasn't raised but it carried easily over the group. 'There's a job to be done tonight. You'll each get ten thousand pesos for your time.'

They were looking at him now and fear seemed to be receding a little. Jack could see the relief starting to spread through them and he wondered why he didn't feel relieved.

'Every interested man step forward.'

No one moved for a moment but then a man kissed his wife on the cheek and moved to the front. That sparked more movement and soon every man stood there. The people were poor, they all needed the money.

'Jack, choose five. Any five, they're all fine.'

Choose five? I don't like this… He had to do as he was told. Every man he looked at seemed to be begging him to pick them. He chose the ones that looked the poorest and the most underfed, the ones that looked like the needed the money most. They looked thankful and moved to one side. And then suddenly, there was a disturbance at the other end of the street. An old woman started screaming and yelling something but her voice was feeble and Jack couldn't make out the words. Ramon swung round and yelled,

'Javier! Shut her up and bring her down here.' There were slapping sounds and the woman stopped yelling, her crying could still be heard though. Jack listened with a kind of dull detachment as she was dragged towards them, tears easily visible on her face. One of the chosen five men shifted uneasily and whispered to no one in particular,

'That's my mother.'

Ramon heard him and looked round at him, a leer appearing on his face. 'And do you know why she's yelling?' The man shook his head. He was only about twenty five. 'Good. And now – do you have a family?' The man nodded. His fear had returned and he seemed confused. He pointed to where a young woman stood with a baby and there was a young boy of about five holding her other hand. Ramon grinned and walked over. He let his eyes slide up and down the woman's body but he made no move to touch her. Instead, he squatted down to the boy.

'He's very good looking. What's his name?'

'Ramiro.'

'Ramiro.' Ramon repeated the name and the little boy looked at him with big brown eyes. He smiled at the kid and then stood up slowly. Jack had a sudden feeling of horror, and he didn't know why – until Ramon reached out and grabbed the boy, pulling him from his mother's grasp so quickly that she didn't have time to resist him. She cried out in surprise though and he looked back at her…and something in his face made her shut up instantly, although her eyes went wide in terror.

But he didn't do anything, he just carried the boy with him over to Jack and handed him a roll of money. 'Give her ten thousand pesos. And the wives of the other four.' Then he walked off a little way, seemingly joking around with the little boy. Jack walked over to each of the five women that stepped forward and handed the money over in silence. None of them looked him in the eyes, except for Ramiro's mother, who silently pleaded with him to help. He stared back and then turned away. He couldn't react. His mind wasn't capable of it at the moment. All he could hear were Ramon's words in the car…just remember what we talked about last night and you'll be fine…he had the horrible feeling that all of this was somehow for his benefit.

Ramon wandered back, a grin on his face. He seemed completely relaxed and even enjoying himself. Hector leant against one of the houses, chewing on a toothpick with his hands in his pockets. He too, seemed unconcerned. Javier stood next to him, holding onto the old woman who was staring at the ground. Her lips were moving rapidly – she was praying.

'You five, come over here. Jack, you as well.'

They obeyed in silence and the five men stood next to each other almost unconsciously. Immediately, Charlie and Pablo stepped forward to keep them in place, their weapons at the ready. Jack noted it all calmly. He was only aware of the way his flesh felt cold but his blood felt hot.

'Jack, ask them what their names are. We should know who we're working with.' He didn't bother to try and keep the mocking amusement out of his voice.

'¿Cuál es su nombre, senor?'

'Jesus.'

'¿Y el tuyo?'

'Jose.'

'Elias…..

Andreo…..

Feo.'

Ramon laughed. 'Good. You remember those names Jack? You remember who they belong to?' He nodded. He knew now he wouldn't forget them.

Not ever.

Ramon tweaked the little boy's nose and he giggled. Then he looked straight into Jack's blue eyes and smirked. Jack stared back impassively but his flesh was creeping and he felt a little sick. He knew Ramon knew it. He wasn't surprised when the man reached into the waistband of his trousers and pulled his gun loose. He handed it over to Jack without removing his eyes from his.

Jack took it and turned to the men, swallowing hard as he did so. His arms felt like lead. His mind screamed at him in horror but he didn't hesitate as he raised the gun almost robotically. He aimed for the chest of the first man, Jesus, barely aware of the screaming coming from the wives and families behind him as they realised what was happening. He heard the money crackle in their hands.

And then he was stopped. Ramon had walked over and laid a hand on his arm, almost possessively. He leant in and whispered. 'In the face Jack.' And he laughed, quietly, softly, a gentle chuckle that assaulted his eardrums and reverberated down to his very core.

He nodded. Aimed the gun higher and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered onto his face and he didn't hear the screams. The other four men were white and shaking, rooted to the spot. He moved on, raised the gun. Ramon went with him, grinning all the time. Shot again. Moved on. Pulled the trigger. And again. And again.

Everything was quiet. His hand dropped to his side as he stared ahead blankly. Ramon was laughing again, oh so quietly. He couldn't look down at the mutilated remains of the five men but their names ran through his head, over and over. He blindly made the gun safe, took a quiet breath and turned to Ramon. His eyes were cold as he stared into the glittering blackness in front of him and he held the gun out without saying a word. Ramon took it and tossed it to Hector, then walked over to the old woman that had fallen to the dirt.

'You've seen us here before I take it. That's why you screamed out.'

The woman looked up from the ground. 'You took my first husband from me thirty years ago Senor. And now you've taken my son…' She started crying again and her eyes swung round to Jack. 'Why did you have to pick him? Why him?'

He could do nothing but look back at her. There was nothing he could say. Ramon tutted softly. 'You shouldn't talk that way to one of my people. It's very rude. Perhaps we should send your grandson to be with his father, hmmm? To teach you manners?'

Ramiro's mother heard the words and started pleading loudly, her voice thick with tears for her husband and now desperation for her son. Jack shut his eyes for a second to try and block her out. He was numb. This isn't happening…not the boy Ramon, please not the boy…

'I will let you choose. Yourself or little Ramiro. You see, I don't like people to be rude señora.' He jerked his head at Hector, who immediately handed the gun back to Jack. He took it, fighting the way his insides seemed to be trying to crawl out of his skin. Please not the boy, anything but that…

The woman was crying again and Hector kicked her. 'My brother asked you a question. Answer him!'

She looked up and eventually whispered 'Me.' Ramon looked at Jack, who again didn't hesitate. He just raised the gun and fired quickly. Anything to get this over with. Anything…

The blood was running down the road from the first five corpses and Ramon stepped over it casually as he walked back to the group of people. He handed Ramiro back to his mother, who snatched him desperately, trying to juggle him with the baby she still held. It was bawling loudly and Jack couldn't understand why he hadn't noticed that before. All of a sudden, sound returned to the world, as though the baby had woken him up somehow. He could hear the crying of the people, the hushed silence from the other end of the village, he could hear his own blood roaring in his ears and the way his heart was hammering in his chest…for a minute, he had to fight to stay standing. And all he could think was…ten thousand pesos. That's not even five bucks. Is that all these people are worth to you…!

He wanted to throw up but knew he couldn't. Ramon might kill him if he did. There could be no weakness. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets so no one could see that they were shaking. Hector was talking to his brother, no one was paying him any attention. The men all seemed to be afraid to look at him.

Except Charlie. He came over and his face was worried. 'You OK man?'

Am I OK? What the fuck!

'Yeah, I'm OK.'

Charlie tried to read him but there was nothing there to read. 'Jack?'

'What?'

'You're one cold sonofabitch.' And then he walked away, with a look of disgust on his face. Jack was too numb to even be angry. He looked up as Ramon walked towards him and more than anything, he wanted to grab this man by the throat and choke him until his face turned black. Instead, he just waited to be told what to do next.

'Come on. We're going back. The men will finish up here.'

'Finish up?'

He got another smirk for that. 'Yes Jack, finish up.' He saw that he still wasn't getting it, so he pointed over to where Pietro was dragging one of the women inside a house while her children cried alone on the road. 'There are some perks for them you know.' He clapped him on the shoulder and then gripped it to make him start walking. Jack wasn't sure his legs would work, but they did to his surprise.

'You did well.'

They got into the car and he was grateful to be able to sit down t last. 'I thought you said there was no need to make me kill for you. You said you knew I'd do it.' He knew he sounded like he was whining but he needed to understand what the point of that was.

Ramon drove faster now that they didn't have the convoy behind them. 'Yes, I knew you'd do it. But I told you, you have to do what I say. And the men need to know that you can do it. They wont like it if you're promoted without going through what everyone else has to, even if it's just for show.'

'So you do that quite often?' He wanted to talk so that he didn't have to listen to his own thoughts.

'No, not too often. Just for men that have potential. And there are endless villages and endless people that work for me. It does our reputation good to instill a little fear every now and again. I wouldn't want them all to decide they can stop working you know.' He laughed. Jack sank back into the seat, suddenly grateful that it was a hot night. He still had goose bumps under his shirt and his legs felt like rubber.

They arrived back at the ranch. Jack got out of the car and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He couldn't think about what he'd just done. Not yet. In all his years as a federal agent or as an army officer, he'd never once walked up to a person and shot them in the face for absolutely no reason. He couldn't believe what he'd done, his mind couldn't work round it. He wanted to go and sleep, and try and pretend that it hadn't happened, just for a few hours. He'd deal with it in the morning.

Ramon had other ideas. He walked up beside him and laid a hand on his back, just below the base of his neck. 'Come into the house. There's something else I need you to do for me…'

His mind recoiled. What else could there be? But he followed dumbly. It wasn't as though he had a choice. He was steered into the living room, pushed into a chair and a glass of whiskey was handed to him. He stopped himself from throwing it all back at once, which was what he wanted to do, but it would have appeared weak. So he sipped it coolly and focused on nothing. He refused to let his mind think about anything at all. It was the only way he could cope for now.

Ramon was doing something behind him. He could feel his eyes on the back of his neck, he knew they were there by the way his skin prickled and the air grew heavy again. He ignored it.

Then there was a low voice in his ear. 'Give me your arm Jack.' He could feel hot breath on his ear. Oh shit…

He raised his arm and Ramon's fingers were warm as he grasped it and slowly rolled up the sleeve. He didn't move, just listened to the soft rustle of cotton as it was slowly tucked in on itself, exposing more of his flesh. He felt the cold tightness of the tourniquet go round his bicep and allowed it to happen. Hell, it might help.

'Pump your fist.'

He did. He didn't dare look round. He didn't like the way the voice sounded, it was altogether too soft and amused. He did suck in a big lungful of air when the needle penetrated his vein though, he'd forgotten how potent the first hit could be. And then the world went fuzzy and he felt Ramon's warm hands pull the needle out and untie the band. Then a finger reached down and gently rubbed away a small spot of blood that had formed on his skin, causing the hair on his arm to rise.

'They'll be back in a while and there will be a party. You just stay there until they come.'

He closed his eyes and rested his head back, welcoming the peace he'd found. The last thing he heard was Ramon's soft chuckle in his ear, lulling him to sleep.