Chapter 39

I watched as Ethan literally pulled the plug out of the socket to render the computer dead and then just looked at him. I turned and saw Lizbeth come out of her room, her laptop in her hands.

"Hey, Ethan the internet just dropped out"

Lizbeth came to a stop as she saw Ethan stood next to the computer with the lead in his hand.

"We have to get out of here. A trace will lead them here"

It's moments like this that everything became surreal, and we just seemed to stand still looking at each other before suddenly we all started to move. Yeah, we'd planned for this, but never expected to have to put those plans into practice. I ran through to my bedroom and grabbed a bag from the back of the closet, Ethan had called it a ready bag, because it would cut down on the time spent to pack it. My trainers and a hoodie were next to the couch so leaving the room I walked into the lounge area to find everyone ready to go. I knew that Ellie had the laptop so just assumed that she'd packed it into her bag. We'd decided that if Ellie had the laptop and I knew the passwords then it would be better to keep them apart. I pushed my feet into the trainers and headed for the door at the back watching as Ethan and Ellie started to drive away.

"Okay Steph?"

"Yeah. What about all the work we were doing?"

I'd spent hours researching as everyone else had.

"Ethan threw our laptops into the water tank over there"

By now we were walking quickly along a track that ran parallel to the beach. I swore as I realized that the piece of paper with the information that I'd found was probably back at the cabin but tried to tell myself that maybe I'd remember enough to continue my research when we met up at the new base. The plan was to split into two groups, thinking that four people together might be too obvious. Ellie and Ethan were taking the jeep and heading south down to San Pedro where they'd catch the ferry across to Belize City. In the meantime, Lizbeth and I were heading for Sandbar Beachfront Hostel, hoping they had an available room. Once there we'd book a trip to Altun Ha, a Mayan ruin, for in the morning and then manage to lose our guide and party on the way back through Belize City.

Well, that was the plan anyway. The idea of being on the trip was that hopefully anyone looking for us, wouldn't think to look for us amongst tourists. We were walking to the nearest resort, the Sapphire, and getting a water taxi down to San Pedro. The track was empty as we walked but it didn't stop us from constantly looking around, being aware of our surroundings.

Just before we reached the resort we headed for the beach and joined the throng of tourists enjoying the beach and water. It seemed strange walking past and through so many people as they laughed and talked. Children were playing in the water and on the sand, everywhere seemed so normal, but not to me. Every shout and scream had me turning and looking, every running person made me feel as though I should be running as well. Though I had no idea who I should be running from.

"The jetty's there and it looks as though we timed it just right"

I looked up to see the small boat heading toward us, toward the small wooden jetty. There were people already waiting, no doubt heading into town for an evening out. I felt nervous stood waiting in the queue, but it gave me a chance to look at the people travelling with us. No one looked out of place and as we started to board the boat, I did feel some of the worry fall away. There were several stops on route, but at last we reached the jetty where we needed to be before the main town and were soon stepping onto a sandy area.

There was no beach as such here, because there were so many boats moored up with small wooden jetties protruding into the water. The waterfront had a walking area that we followed, past bars and restaurants and places that rented out golf carts and bikes. Cutting up away from the water's edge I was so relieved to see the sign for the hostel we were looking for. I was even more relieved when we were offered a room for the night.

Lizbeth left me in the room to shower while she went to book our trip at the reception area. It wasn't exactly a deluxe room, small with two single beds and a small closet. It had that worn feel to it, a room well used, judging from how thin the sheets were and the faded color of the drapes. The shower didn't have very good pressure, but it served its purpose and did wash away the sand and sweat. I was back in the bedroom with a towel around me when Lizbeth returned, papers in her hand.

"Did you manage to get places for the morning?"

I asked, not wanting to spend more time here.

"Yes. We'll be picked up at 6 in the morning by golf cart to take us to the ferry"

We decided that an early night was needed and to be honest neither of us felt overly hungry, so we bought some small pizzas that the hostel sold and used the communal kitchen to heat them up. Neither of us were really in the frame of mind to chat, I was worried about Ethan and Ellie and if they'd managed to catch the ferry across to Belize City without any problems. We all had burn phones in our ready bags with each other's numbers programmed in, but they were only to be used in case of emergency.

Plugging the phone in to charge it I felt uneasy and for the first time in a while and I started to think about Ranger. I so wanted to call his number, to talk to him and draw some strength from that connection. I wasn't sure that he would even talk to me after what had happened, he might totally hate me for disappearing and not trying to get in touch with him. Even now I would have given anything for him to say, "I'm on my way" and swoop in like he had always done in the past. How that Colonel and Markovic had known where we were was something that still annoyed me but over the last few weeks that annoyance wasn't as strong against Ranger. In fact, I didn't think that he had betrayed me, that maybe it was someone else. The problem that I was having now was a feeling of guilt. I hadn't trusted him enough, which was weird really because I always had done in the past.

As I lay on the bed, I went through in my mind why that had changed, and realized that it was down to me. I'd changed. I'd done and planned things that I thought he wouldn't like. By not telling him because I was afraid of what he would think of me, it had been me who had destroyed any trust that he might have had in me. My heart was breaking little by little with what I'd done, and I was desperate to try and put it right. I missed him.

Sleep was fitful, the dreams constantly causing me to wake up. Dreams of when Ranger had been there to help me, even save me. The dreams had a way of changing though, and each time it was his face as I'd bailed from his car that had me waking up. I just hoped that Lizbeth was unaware of the state I was in, and that I hadn't disturbed her.

When 6am came we were sat in the reception area waiting for our transport to take us to the ferry. Lizbeth had braided my hair into two plaits that I then fastened up at the back of my head with long pins so that with a cap on no one would see my wild curls. With large dark sunglasses on I felt that I'd be able to blend in with any other women on the trip. Knee length shorts, a T-shirt and trainers completed the outfit matching a similar style to what Lizbeth was wearing.

The cart arrived a few minutes later and we were soon being whisked through the quiet streets. Daybreak was on the horizon in front of us casting an orange iridescence across the water which was like a mirror. It was a group of 25 that we were joining with the usual mix of tourists. Children who still looked to be tired from such an early wake up and teenagers who looked totally bored. Lizbeth and I found seats on the ferry on the deck but under the shade of the deck above us, I think both of us feeling a little nervous. A glance around at other passengers travelling across to the mainland, maybe for work, didn't look suspicious.

"We need to be really careful when we disembark, that could be where someone will be watching for us"

I knew that and for the last hour and a half of our journey my nerves were taking their toll on me.

"If there's someone who looks suspicious are we still going to continue with the trip?"

I thought through what Lizbeth asked and nodded my head.

"Yes. They wouldn't expect us to do that. They'll be looking for four people who will disappear into the city. Maybe if we stay close to that woman, the one with the three kids, it might look as though we're with her"

I looked over to the woman I meant. She looked to have her hands full trying to keep those kids in check, in fact one of them, a small girl was looking intently toward us. I smiled and gave her a finger wave, which had her small face light up. That had me coming up with an idea, so I stood up and walked over to the woman as she dragged a toddler onto her knee.

"You look as though you have your hands full. Would you like me to take a photo of you all?"

Okay, she looked at me as though she was trying to work out what I was up to but when the little girl and her brother sat next to their mother and started to chat to her it seemed that I'd won over some allies.

"Mama, Mama. Could we have a photo. Please"

"Are you sure, I mean I don't want to impose, but their father would love to have a photo of all four of us"

I took the camera from the woman and ended up taking several shots from different angles to have different scenes in the background. I sat next to her when I handed the camera back in order to get a way in with her.

"You have three beautiful children. My sister has four girls and I know how she can struggle to get a photo with the whole family in"

"You don't have kids then?"

I had to hold back my automatic response of "No way" and came up with an answer that I thought was suitable.

"No, maybe one day when I meet the right man, I'd love to have a family"

Wow, that felt weird saying that, because having said that I knew it might just be true. By then the little girl, who I put at maybe five or six clambered off the bench seat and onto my knee.

"What's your name?"

I asked knowing that she was beginning to trust me.

"Amy and that's my twin bother, Andy, but I'm the oldest"

Lizbeth had worked up the courage to come and sit with us, but I could tell that she was a little intimidated around children.

"My name's Michelle and this is Stacy, she isn't my sister but we're very good friends"

By now the boat was slowing down as it started the last few yards of the crossing and the shuddering from the deck told me it was moving slowly, almost sideways, before it bumped against the dock. Everyone was picking up their bags and starting to stand up ready to move toward the gangway that was pushed from the dock to connect to the boat. I placed Amy onto her feet and pulled my ready bag, well rucksack, onto my shoulders, surprised when Amy grabbed hold of my hand. Lizbeth was talking to the mother and had picked up her bag as the mother held the toddler on one hip and Andy's hand in hers.

A look at Lizbeth and we knew this was as good a cover as we were going to get. As I walked, I bent down to Amy's level encouraging her with where she was walking, but my eyes were constantly looking ahead of us, scanning the crowds stood around the pier and beyond. In the end I bent down and picked Amy up, her position blocking a full view of my face. I was feeling anxious, in fact I'd go so far as to say my spidey senses were going into overdrive. I couldn't see anyone that had me feeling like that and no way was I going to stop and start looking around.

I was so relieved when we climbed on board the coach, especially as the blinds were already pulled down against the sun that was now beating down with an intense heat. Amy had decided to be with her mother on the seat in front me allowing Lizbeth to sit next to me.

"Someone was there, watching out for us"

I whispered to Lizbeth not knowing if she'd seen anything.

"There were a lot of people there Steph, I never got a good look around"

"Me neither"

I replied with a sigh, but I felt that we'd managed to divert attention away from ourselves and was sure that whoever was watching the people that were leaving that boat, that they hadn't recognized us.

Our day, well it was interesting. A ride by speed boat down a river that actually had the teenagers raising their heads from their phones, especially when the driver had the water splashing over them. Lunch was a mixture of sandwiches and fruit with lots of water available while we sat on the grass by the bank of the river. Jodie, the mother, was rocking a sleeping toddler and the twins were being occupied by one of the guides. I actually felt relaxed as we packed up our things and headed toward the ruins.

The original site covered 1500 acres, but what we saw today was the central ceremonial precinct of two plazas surrounded by temples. The ruins were originally excavated in the 1960s and now looked squeaky clean following a conservation program. It seemed so strange to be standing on the immaculate lawn in the middle, looking at the temples. They weren't large structures, but in its day, Altun Ha had been a rich and important Maya trading and agricultural town. It seemed so strange that no one actually knew why the civilization had disappeared, of course there were lots of theories.

The largest and most important temple was the Temple of the Masonry Altars, also known as the Temple of the Sun God. The structure had been restored and took its name from altars on which copal was burned and beautifully carved jade pieces were smashed in sacrifice. I recognized this temple having seen it so many times before, since it was the one depicted on Belikin beer labels.

The atmosphere was peaceful as we wandered around, half listening to the guide as he told us some of the known history of the place. Even the children were quiet as they absorbed the gentle atmosphere surrounding us, but man, it was hot. Returning in the boat was a welcome relief as the water and wind cooled us down. I had to admit that I'd enjoyed the day but as we neared the area where the coach was waiting for us that sense of dread came back to me. I don't know why, there were only the same people that had been with us all day. Once back in the bus, in the same seats as before I rested my head back against the seat.

"You okay Steph?"

I considered that and decided to just tell Lizbeth how I was feeling, obviously she was a little concerned.

"Tired, hot and those sandwiches are sitting heavy in my stomach"

I didn't bother to open my eyes as I said that, glad that the only response was a small chuckle from Lizbeth and maybe something about too much sun. I may have dozed, I certainly wasn't taking any notice of where we were going.

"We're stopping Steph"

Okay, so now I needed to really wake up, we needed to lose ourselves from this group and the guides and continue with our plan to leave Belize City. I stretched my arms above my head and wiped my hand over my eyes before looking through the blinds. I wasn't sure of where we were, not recognizing the street we were stopped on. Then my attention was drawn to the front by a screeching sound, so looked to the front of the coach as one of the guides started to talk.

"We're going to drop you off here to give you the opportunity to walk down the street to the ferry, maybe do some shopping or have a quick drink. You have an hour before the ferry leaves, please don't be late, the ferry won't wait for you"

As we left the coach, we were on a walkway that ran alongside the water inlet where the ferry came to, and it seemed that the locals had cashed in on the idea of tourists walking along here. There were small cafes with tables and chairs outside and shops selling souvenirs, all of them claiming to be duty free.

"We need to head up to the bus station"

I agreed but had no idea where that was from here. I watched as Lizbeth pulled out a map of the area from the pocket of her rucksack and stood there looking at it.

"We need to turn right up there and then left onto North Front Street"

A look at my watch and I knew that we'd have to hurry, we only had forty minutes to reach the station before the bus left. I fastened the strap of my rucksack across my chest and started to follow Lizbeth as she headed up the street feeling that at least for now no one was watching us.

It took over 5 hours to travel from Belize to Flores in Guatemala, and that didn't include the hour spent at the border. For that we had to leave the bus with our belongings and literally walk through a checkpoint where our passports were scrutinized. It was an unnerving experience having soldiers with guns watching our every move. Not one of the soldiers that I saw looked very happy with their job, maybe it was because it was late or maybe it was just a shit job to have to do. Once we were through all of the checks, we walked over to another bus that was stood waiting for us to continue our journey to Flores.

You might be asking why Flores, Guatemala. I had as well when Lizbeth had suggested that place as somewhere safe where we could rendezvous. I have to say that she seemed to have done her homework before coming up with the idea. We weren't actually going to be staying on Flores but in a nearby place called Santa Elena. My thoughts were that Lizbeth just liked the name of the place and Ellie loved it. This was to be a two night stop over before we boarded another bus that would take us north, the idea being that being back in the States would be easier for us to lose ourselves.

It seemed that Flores was actually an island on the Lake Petén Itzá, linked by a causeway to the town of Santa , even to me, Flores wouldn't be an easy place to escape from if we were found.

We couldn't get off the bus until it had stopped at the bus station in Flores which meant that we would have to walk back across the causeway to find our hotel. It was really quiet as we walked down the narrow, cobbled streets with the quaint buildings on either side of us. There was the occasion hotel and restaurant, but it seemed that there didn't seem to be a central area where all of the action took place. It made me wonder what all the visitors did in the evening. The silence followed us as we crossed the causeway, well bridge really, with very few cars on the road. In fact, the loudest sound seemed to come from the dark water lapping against the stanchions underneath us. Lizbeth seemed to know where she was going, somehow another map in her hand, so I followed. I felt so tired even though I'd dozed on the bus and hot. Maybe I had caught too much sun visiting Altun Ha, because all I could think about was a shower and sleep.

The entrance to our hotel, the Hotel Quinta Maya, was nestled between a shop that looked to have white kitchen goods in the window and a bank. The street was busier with bikes parked outside and more people on the sidewalks. I was pretty sure there would be bars and restaurants around here.

The inside opened up as we walked in revealing a wooden reception desk and wooden beams across the ceiling. It felt like a cool space with a red tiled floor and ceiling fans turning slowly above us. As we waited for someone to appear I looked to the right and took a few steps to investigate what type of place we were staying in. I was looking out into an internal courtyard that had tables and chairs set out and above were balconies which I assumed belonged to the rooms.

I returned to reception just as Lizbeth took what looked to be an old fashioned key from a young woman behind the desk and was waiting for her to lead us to our room. It seemed the woman's job was done because she disappeared through a door behind the desk and Lizbeth held out the key for me to take.

"Here, our room key. Ethan just messaged, they're down the street at some bar. I'll go get them while you take the bags to the room"

I was left standing looking at Lizbeth's back as she walked back out through the front door. What the hell, surely, she didn't have to go rushing off so quickly, maybe I'd have liked the opportunity of a cold drink as well. Looking down at both rucksacks I knew that wasn't going to happen, no way was I carrying both rucksacks to find a bar when I had no idea where it was. At least the hotel had signs up with arrows pointing to where the rooms were. I was surprised that we had a ground floor room pleased that I wouldn't have to carry both bags up any stairs.

Once inside the room I locked the door behind me before taking a look around. It was a really nice space, larger than I expected with double doors that led out onto a private area with a table and two chairs. The theme was rustic with wooden furniture that looked solid and possibly old. I placed my bag on the nearest bed and dropped Lizbeth's next to the other before having a good look around. Switching on a light by a door I was looking inside a large bathroom that had a double shower enclosure, moaning at the idea of soaking away my aches. Maybe I felt better now that I was cooler, but I was sure that a shower would help steady how I was feeling. As I closed the bathroom door and turned to the bed with my rucksack on a movement caught my attention. I was pretty sure a shadow had moved across the double doors that led outside.

I was now hating the idea of being on the ground floor, realizing how insecure we would be with those doors. Seeing nothing else for several moments I was chastising myself for being so jumpy. I turned back to the bed and that was when I knew there was someone else in the room with me. He was stood there, so still and quiet, a smile on his face. It threw me, and it took me a few seconds for my survival instinct to kick in. I turned and started for the double doors surprised, no shocked when they opened in front of me. I now had two strange men in my room, each one blocking an exit. I looked to the bathroom to judge if I could get there and lock myself inside before the men realized what I was doing. At least Lizbeth would be here soon with the others.

I assessed my options and made my move toward the bathroom door but clearly the man in front of me was quicker than I expected, hell for such a big man he was almost a blur. I felt his hand around my arm, half lifting me and half dragging me back to the bed. For an awful moment I thought that I had two random men who were here to attack me, a lone woman in a strange place. That was until the other man picked up my rucksack and tossed the contents all over the bed. He was obviously looking for something and I decided to provide information on where any money was.

"If you're after money, it's in the zipped pocket inside"

He just smirked at me as he continued to search through it and then picked up Lizbeth's bag and did the same. He picked up our phones and dropped them on the floor before grinding them with his boot into the wooden boards. Then he turned to me, no longer smirking, giving an evil appearance to his face. Hell, I shuddered, he was muscled beneath the black trousers and shirt, and I was sure I'd seen the handle of a gun at his back. Of the two men he seemed older with a weather worn face surrounded by short cropped blonde hair. I tried to pull my arm away from the other one, but his grip tightened around me, digging into the flesh on my arm. I tried to swing at him with my other hand, but he just moved me away from him, holding me at arms length, meaning my swings didn't go anywhere near him. I was so focused on getting away from this younger man, his grin deepening with every kick or hit I tried to make. That was when I felt it, a sharp sting on my shoulder and moments later the face of the man holding me, the dark hair and eyes began to go blurred. They'd tranquilized me was the last thought that went through my head before my muscles refused to work. I fought against the drowsiness that started to engulf me but everything merged into an inky blackness.