Lex talionis
Chapter 19. Desertion


With Sofia's help, Adriana was removing Darío from the driver's seat. They put him in the middle while Sofia sat in the passenger's with Carlos on her lap. After a couple of attempts with the wires Darío had used, Adriana was able to restart the engine.

Jubal was still catching his breath; he pulled back a bit and looked at Isobel, whose cough was finally subsiding, though her lungs were failing to take in enough air. Without pausing to think whether it was appropriate, Jubal ran his thumb across her cheek with an affectionate brush, while his eyes roamed over her face, making sure she was all right. It all made Isobel shiver, and not just because she was so cold.

Then he noticed that Adriana had maneuvered until she managed to get the wheel out of the ditch and was heading down the road. Jubal knocked twice on the rear window of the cab.

"Hey! Where are we going!?"

Adriana had to twist herself to open it while driving.

"To the nearest hospital, in Montemorelos. It's only twenty kilometers away."

"How is Darío?" Isobel asked worriedly, her voice hoarse from coughing.

She seemed disoriented; her eyes were not quite focused. Jubal did not know how to answer her. Darío had completely lost consciousness, and Jubal feared something even worse. Sofia was trying to make him react, without any success.

"He's breathing, but his pulse is very weak," Adriana replied in an anguished voice. "The sooner we get there, the better. Hang on and hold on to Isobel," she said to Jubal, speeding up as fast as she could.

Jubal gripped the edge of the pickup with one arm and laid Isobel against his chest to hold her with the other. The contact of his body brought some warmth back to her. She clung to him as best she could.

·~·~·

The sun had already set behind the mountains and the afternoon was suddenly darkened due to the dark clouds, plunging the place into a gloomy night.

Dodging vehicles and flagrantly disregarding the speed limit, first of the regional highway and then of the freeway, Adriana covered those twelve miles to reach Montemorelos in only ten minutes. All along the way she kept trying to wake up Darío, her gaze deeply dismayed.

Once in Montemorelos, she just ran all the traffic lights on the avenue leading to the hospital. They pulled into the driveway of the ER, screeching their tires. Opening the door almost before coming to a complete stop, Adriana got out, leaving the car running, and ran for help.

Between Jubal, Sofía and the paramedics, they put Darío on a stretcher. As they got him inside, shivering due to the cool breeze that was blowing, Isobel tried to get out of the pickup but her strength failed her. Jubal came anxiously and helped her down, holding her by the waist. He took her to the ER gates with some effort, because he was not feeling very strong either.

They were about to enter when they heard Adriana tell Sofía:

"[Get in. We're leaving]"

"[What?]" gasped Isobel, whirling around.

Sofia stayed where she was, not knowing what to do.

"[No. You can't go]," Isobel said, pulling away from Jubal, which severely worsened the cold that seeped into her bones. Her legs trembled but she braced herself to stand in Adriana's way.

"[We have to go, I'm sorry]," the other woman replied, trying to dodge her. "[Sofia, get in.]"

"No! I need you! Sofia, please don't go! I need-]" A cough made it difficult for Isobel to speak; she struggled against it, her lungs making strange whistling sounds that made Jubal look at her in alarm. "[I need you to talk to Vargas. You must tell him that you are both alive, please,]" she begged.

"No way! -Adriana switched to English, her voice becoming high-pitched with anxiety. "Vargas will chase them to the end of the world to get them back. You don't understand. This is the only chance my sister and nephew have of not getting involved with the Durango cartel again."

But the damage had already been done. Sofia looked at both of them stupefied. "Adriana... [how could you...?]," she said almost out of breath "[You told me that Antonio knew that Carlos and I were hiding, safe...]".

"[No, Sofía, Vargas believes-]" Isobel tried, but Adriana pulled out her gun and pointed it in Isobel's face.

Isobel raised her hands and took a step back, as she tried to control another coughing fit. She was having a hard time breathing. Jubal, on the other hand, drew and pointed his gun at Adriana immediately.

"NO! We're leaving right now!" Adriana exclaimed, pointing alternately at the two of them, to keep them at bay. "Juárez can still catch up with us. I have to get them on a plane, right now!"

"Put the gun down or I'll shoot you," Jubal threatened with a grimace of pain. Blood was soaking his shirt sleeve. He seemed on the verge of fainting but his voice was so deep and steady, his eyes so implacable, that it was meridian that he was deadly serious.

The people around them walked away in alarm. Several shouted for the police to be called.

"Enough, both of you! Put down your weapons. Now," commanded Isobel with irresistible authority. The two obeyed almost without noticing; they stopped aiming. "Adriana," she said, looking into her eyes. "Vargas will go after my team, hunt them down until kill them all. You know that."

Meanwhile, Sofía looked devastated and horrified at the same time. Carlos wept silently.

Adriana's face twisted in anguish. Two tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm going to fix it. I swear to you. I will fix it."

Jubal swore at her. Isobel glanced at him sideways. Her heart contracted. Nothing Adriana could do will bring Rina back to life.

"But now we have to go. Before Juárez finds them and kills them in a horrible way. I have to get them to safety." More of a plea than a statement. I'm sorry." She met Isobel's eyes, then Jubal's. "So sorry."

Letting out a deep exhalation, he relaxed his stance and stepped back a little. Isobel felt her whole body lose tension. Adriana tucked the pistol into her waistband and climbed into the pickup. Sofia hesitated for a moment but got in as well. She seemed increasingly furious, though.

Police sirens were approaching.

Just before leaving, Adriana turned to Isobel. "I'll come back. I will come back and fix it. I promise."

With a quick acceleration, they sped away. Isobel watched devastated as her last hope to save her team, to save Jubal, drove away down the street.

Putting away his gun, as if that were the only thing keeping him on his feet, he staggered. Isobel slipped his arm over her shoulders and they both went into the ER, about to collapse.

~.~.~.~