Castoffs

Chapter 5

...

It was Sofia's idea to bury Gilberto in the goat shed. It was open on one side, which made it easy to drag him in there. The goats stayed on the far side of the corral but watched their every move. By the time they had Gilberto in the ground he was exhausted. Sofia reasoned that eventually the animals would tamp down the grave site, making it impossible to find. That might have panned out if their luck had held. When the goats began bleating, they realized they weren't alone. He dropped his head as she angrily threw the shovel into the corner, as much afraid as he was that Gilberto was about to be resurrected.

"Sofia! Ven aquí!"

Four men on horseback rode out of the night, all of them armed, their automatic weapons slung across their backs. It was too dark to make out any of their features. Two wore straw cowboy hats, and one a trucker hat. They all wore jeans and tee shirts. Other than that, they were anonymous. He didn't think they had spotted him, and Sofia motioned for him to stay out of sight as she picked up her rifle and walked out to greet them. As much as he wanted to walk out with her, doing so could cost her life. Julio's too. But he still felt cowardly for staying hidden.

"Hola, Ernesto," she called out.

"¿Dónde está Gilberto?" The man demanded as he slid out of the saddle.

"Gilberto? No lo sé. ¿Venía aquí?" She asked, pretending she had not seen him.

Through a crack in the side wall, he could see that the others had dismounted. A couple headed for the house while Sofia continued to talk to Ernesto. She was nervous, clenching and unclenching her hands, especially when the men started to go inside.

"¡No te metas en mi casa!" She shouted and moved to stop them.

Ernesto grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "¿Por qué, Sofía? ¿Qué estás escondiendo?"

"Nada. Es mi casa, Ernesto. No la tuya," she said and pushed him away.

Even though he was obviously angry she refused to let his men in her house, and questioned if she was hiding something, Ernesto laughed and called the men back. She had been afraid they would find Julio and he admired her for standing up to the man. Breathing a sigh of relief, he slowly relaxed, glad they had hidden Gilberto's dirt bike in a gully behind the house. Sofia continued to talk to the man. He asked her if she had seen a white man in the area, but she shook her head no and held up the rifle and told him she knew how to defend herself.

Once again, he heard himself called Max Gentry, and he felt a stirring in his mind. The name was there, not because he had heard Gilberto use it, but because it was a part of him. Maybe his name wasn't Martin, yet that seemed as real as the name Max.

He continued to observe through the crack in the shed wall, anxious for them to leave. They finally congregated around an old well, where Sofia was pulling something up. The men started laughing when she handed them a stoneware jug. One man even doffed his hat to her. It had to be tequila or some kind of moonshine, although he hadn't seen a still anywhere. The men were talking loudly now, and Ernesto slapped her on the butt before climbing back up on his horse. He warned her once again to watch out for Max Gentry and then they disappeared into the night. Sofia waited quite a while before walking slowly toward the house. He waited a little longer, listening intently before joining her inside.

"They will camp at a small cabin in the valley south of here," she said as she poured herself a shot of tequila. "The mezcal will keep them there all night."

"Then what?" He asked. "I need to get off this island and away from you and Julio. Men will keep coming, and if they find me here or even suspect I've been here, it puts you both in danger. And I can't live with that."

"Es verdad," she acknowledged. "They are looking for you. Do you know why? Maybe you did work for him, and you just don't remember. Maybe you betrayed him, and he wants revenge."

"No. I don't think so. I think I'm an undercover cop, or federal agent of some kind," he replied as he eased himself down at the small kitchen table. "It's the only reason I can think of that would cause Mata to search for me. And what's funny is…his name sounds familiar, but even though I must have met him, I can't remember much of anything about him…what he looks like or what he does exactly."

"I know what he does. He is a drug dealer who kidnaps young girls," she replied. "Some from their villages and some he buys from the coyotes taking them and their families to the border. Some he forces to work in his drug factory…and some…he sells."

"You mean human trafficking?"

"Él es el diablo," she whispered. "He is a cruel man who likes little girls. He uses them and then throws them away like garbage."

"Little girls? How old are they?"

"Twelve to sixteen," she said with tears in her eyes. "Some older, some younger. It is the young ones he sells."

Something deep inside shifted. His memory stirred, bringing into focus a terrible time in his life when he had been in similar circumstances that had got someone he cared about killed. He had gone up against a human trafficker before and had almost lost his life. The memory was strong and the anger he felt then filled him once again.

"How many girls are we talking about?" He asked in a whisper.

"There are twenty-three at the factory now," she said.

"How did you get mixed up with these people…with Mata?"

"I came here with my second husband," she replied quietly. "Javier was not a bad man, but not a good man either. A fool. He thought only of money and Mata had plenty of that. He began working for him three years ago, but he didn't tell me he was a drug dealer until we got to this island last year. We had no money, no home, and…no children. He said working for Mata was his big chance. I was stupid to stay, but when the young girls started arriving, I wanted to help them survive…so I stayed."

"What happened to Javier?"

"He tried to help one of the girls escape," she replied. "She reminded him of his sister. It was the only good thing he'd ever done, and they shot him for it. Her too."

"There has to be a way out…a way off this island," he said. "For us and for those girls."

"There are boats, but there are too many guards," she said. "They watch everybody…all the time."

"How many guards?"

She took a moment and counted on her fingers before looking up at him. "Nine…eight now that Gilberto is dead."

"Minus the four who were just here and out looking for me," he said with a small smile. "And thanks to your mezcal…they're now drunk as skunks."

"Skunks? No lo sé," she said. "Skunks drink mezcal?"

"They do tonight," he grinned.

The front door suddenly crashed inward. Ernesto charged in with a younger man right behind him. Martin dove for the rifle that Sofia had laid on the kitchen counter, but he wasn't fast enough. Ernesto slammed the butt of an AR-15 into his back, and he collapsed to the floor. Sofia screamed as the other man grabbed her.

"Morirás por esto, Sofia," Ernesto shouted.

"No! Don't kill her. Please," Martin choked out as he stumbled to his feet. "I didn't give her a choice, man."

"I don't believe you, puto," the man replied and picked up Sofia's rifle, tossing it out of reach.

"Good to know English is your second language," Martin said as he held onto the counter to steady himself. "Listen, man. I lied to her about who I am. She's innocent."

"Mami?" Julio called out.

Everyone turned to look at the little boy as he walked into the living room holding his blanket in front of him. His eyes were big and frightened. Sofia pulled away from the other man who seemed frozen in place. Even Ernesto was shocked by the boy's sudden appearance.

"Mata's gonna kill you for this, Sofia," Ernesto growled. "You steal the boy…you hide this Fed…"

"He doesn't have to know any of this, man," Martin said. "Take me to Mata. I'm the one he's looking for. Leave Sofia and the boy. He'll probably give you a great big reward, man. Maybe a gold star or a big shiny car."

Ernesto backhanded him, sending him crashing against the wall. "Shut your mouth, puto. You gonna wish you was dead real soon. Sofia and that niño gotta learn. Mata don't like traitors or their trash. He gonna thank me for cleaning this shit up."

As Ernesto moved toward her, Sofia began backing up, pulling the boy up into her arms. Tears streaked her face as Julio began to cry. Martin spit out a glob of blood and charged the man before he could reach them, taking him to the floor. Ernesto was strong and angry. He fought him as hard as he could but was no match for the man's brute strength. It was over quickly. Ernesto stood over him as he struggled to get up, kicking the air from his lungs and sending shards of bright pain through his body.

"Don't do this, man," he begged as the man swung his rifle toward Sofia and the boy.

A single shot exploded, loud and shocking. Ernesto fell sideways, landing halfway out the open front door, blood seeping into the dirt outside. Martin looked up at the man who had fired as he slowly lowered a pistol. Sofia pulled Julio close, staring at the man in disbelief.

"Ramon? Por qué?"

"Julio es mi hijo," he said.

"Dios mío. No lo sabía."

"Did I understand that right? Julio's your kid?" Martin asked as the man gave him a hand getting up.

"Si. It is why I came back here with Ernesto," he said as he helped him over to the couch. "I hoped Sofia would tell me what happened to Julio."

"I didn't know he was your son, Ramon," Sofia said. "Angelina never told me."

"No one knew except me and her. I loved her. I came to the factory to find her. I worked for Mata to be close to Angelina and my son, and to protect them and find a way to get them both out," he said. "I wasn't there when she tried to run on her own. I thought Julio was dead too…until now."

"Papa?" Julio whimpered, reaching out for him.

The tough looking young man was tentative, hesitant to hold his arms out. Sofia smiled and moved closer, giving Ramon no choice but to take the boy. Julio wrapped his arms around his father's neck and the man broke. Tears filled his eyes as he clung to the little boy, whispering to him so softly Martin could barely hear the words. Sofia looked over at him, and he saw fear in her eyes. She loved Julio, and now she was on uncertain ground. They all were.

"Did you ever find a way off the island?" Martin asked.

"Si, si, but after Angelina was killed and my son gone…I didn't care anymore," he replied.

"Now you have Julio to care about," he said.

"And all the other girls," Sofia said. "You know what happens to them, Ramon. We have to help them escape. Martin too. Mata will torture him and then kill him. We cannot let that happen. Por favor, Ramon. Help us get away…for Julio."

"She's right, man," Martin said. "This is no place for a little kid. You know that. I need to free those girls. Help me."

"But you do not look good, hombre. I am not sure you are strong enough to do this," he said as he set Julio down.

Martin realized the man had no reason to help him. He could just shoot him and be done with it. Or turn him over to Mata for a reward. It would be the easy way out for the three of them. He could see the same question in the man's eyes. Ramon was weighing his options and he slowly let out his breath as he waited for the man's decision. He could think of nothing to say. He ran his hand down over his face and closed his eyes. He searched his mind for something to hold onto and the dark-haired woman with odd eyes seemed to float just out of reach. In his earlier dream she had seemed ethereal, ghostlike, someone from his past. But the image he was seeing now was a woman full of fury, powerful and determined. She was calling out for someone, but the name wasn't Martin or Max Gentry. She was yelling "Deeks". His eyes shot open, and his hands tightened into fists. He could barely breathe as a flood of memories almost overwhelmed him.

"Sofia…I remember," he choked out, his eyes blurry with tears. "I remember my name… it's Marty Deeks. I am a federal agent. I work out of LA for NCIS. Not quite sure what that is, but it sounds federal. I was undercover with another man…whose name I can't remember right now…but we were trying to bring down Mata's operation."

"I'm happy for you, Martin…Marty," she said with a smile.

"The man Mata is after is called Max Gentry," Ramon said. "An American came to the factory yesterday and talked to Osorio about him. Is that you?"

"Yeah…I think that's the name I was using," Deeks said. "Wait…what American? What's his name?"

"Stokes."

"I don't know him…or I can't remember him if I do," Deeks said. "What did he say?"

Ramon shrugged. "No lo sé. I could not hear what they were saying, but some of the men said he was angry that Max Gentry hadn't been found. Osorio was angry too. He is dangerous when he's angry."

"Are they still at the factory?" Deeks asked.

"No. The American left. Osorio stayed for a while, then ordered us to come here," Ramon said. "He has never trusted Sofia. He doesn't like women who talk back."

"Is he still there?" Sofia asked, looking nervous.

"No. Mata came in his yacht to pick him up for a meeting on the mainland," he replied.

"Do you know what the meeting is about?" Deeks asked.

"No lo sé."

The man seemed more and more reluctant to answer his questions, so he decided not to push so hard. The main goal was to get off this island and make contact with people who knew who he was. His memories were still fragmented, and although he had remembered a couple of names, the rest was a blank. How had he ended up on that helicopter…handcuffed? And why was he alone without backup? Something had gone terribly wrong, he just couldn't remember what.

"Sorry about all the questions, man. But there's one more I need to ask," Deeks said softly. "Are you willing to help me, or are you going to shoot me?"

"That is a very big question. Muy impotente, si?" Ramon said with a slight smile.

"Ramon. Do not joke like that," Sofia said angrily. "He saved my life, and the life of your son."

"¿Cuándo? ¿Cómo?"

"Gilberto came here today. He was choking Julio. He said he was going to break his neck," she told him. "Martin shot him."

The man looked over at him with an unreadable expression. Deeks wasn't sure the man believed her, and Sofia sensed that.

"Ramon…Gilberto is the man who killed Angelina," she said. "He strangled her to death. And he made Julio watch."

Ramon closed his eyes, his jaw clinching tightly as he took in the monstrous description of his wife's death and the terrorizing of his little boy. He knelt in front of Julio and pulled him close, whispering words only the boy could hear. Picking him up, he turned to Deeks with raw rage in his eyes.

"Mis gracias no son suficientes, amigo mío," he said. "But thank you. I will answer your questions and I will help you kill whoever tries to stop us from getting off this island."

"Gracias, amigo," Deeks said with a relieved smile.

"You will need to be strong, so you must rest," he said. "I will bury Ernesto and bring up the horses. You can ride, si?"

"I don't remember," Deeks grinned.

…

Ferris looked chastened when Kensi walked out of the break room. She had taken the time to compose herself, pushing aside her fear so she could function as Deeks' partner. She was focused and determined. Sam and Callen looked formidable and pissed. She could tell Ferris had met his match and had surrendered. He retreated as soon as she approached them.

"Any news?" She asked.

"We discovered Ferris had been holding out on us," Sam said. "This is way bigger than drugs or illegal weapons."

"It might have started out that way, but the task force went on high alert when they found intel that suggested Mata has gotten his hands on some sort of biological weapon," Callen added. "They didn't know exactly what or how much."

"That's why they needed to run an undercover operation," Sam said. "To discover what he has and who he was selling it to…"

"I thought they'd found a connection to a neo-Nazi group," Kensi said.

"Ferris is sticking to that intel, but I'm not so sure it's good intel," Callen said. "If one or both men betrayed Deeks, then who's to say the intel about the neo-Nazi group involved isn't a false flag…to throw us off track as to where this stuff is really going and who the end user might be."

"They have to be afraid it's coming here," Kensi said.

"We have to assume that's true," Sam said. "But why would a federal agent with commendations like David Stokes sell out his own country? Especially if he knew it involved biological weapons that could kill hundreds or maybe thousands of Americans."

"Whoever is buying this stuff might not be targeting the general population," Callen said. "It might be a hate group targeting a specific group of people they don't think belong here."

"Homegrown terrorists with an agenda," she added.

"If Stokes is as smart as his record says he is, he has to know that biological weapons are messy," Sam said. "They don't always go exactly where you want them to go, depending on how it's dispensed."

"If it's released into the water or through the air, it won't just target the people they hate, it will kill indiscriminately," Kensi said.

They became silent at the enormity of the danger.

"If Deeks is alive, he'll do his job and take out the threat," Sam said.

"The problem is, we don't know what shape he's in," Callen said. "That was one hell of a helo crash."

"We don't even know if he's alive," Kensi said in barely a whisper, surprising them.

"Kens…"

"We have to consider it's a possibility, Callen," she said. "But if he is alive…"

"He'll know what he has to do," Sam said.

"We go with the belief that he survived," Callen said. "And we get our asses to that island as soon as possible."

…

…