Page 14 of Tango

The struggle that played out in my head now was how they would accept me back. I wondered how the guys thought about me after all these years. Was I thought about in a quiet moment then forgotten? What of my sweet Olivia? I’d loved being Uncle Paul for baby Olivia, but now I’d just be a stranger. I knew she’d been too young when I left to have any memory of me now, and that was a whole different kind of hurt. I thought of my best friend, my brother. But it was too overpowering to think of John either. I pushed it all away.

“Just keep moving.” Collins’ voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I tuned in to my surroundings again. “Don’t give them a reason to watch us. Just keep one hand on the wheel, look relaxed. They’ll watch the little movements you do.” He seemed to be coaching the driver.

Fuck me, is this the driver’s first time crossing the friggin’ border?

“So many fuckin’ criminals, and all in one spot,” the guy next to him muttered. “Man, we’re seriously outnumbered.” He leaned forward, and I caught a glimpse outside the window as a border patrol agent walked by.

“If you called this in,” the driver nearly whispered, “why is BP watching us?”

“It’s their job. Relax.” Collins’ voice oozed confidence. “If they didn’t give us a good once-over, the Cartel would catch it.”

“Be sure to stay all the way over to the left,” Collins instructed the driver. “If not, we’ll have to get out and do this shit all over again. Okay, now all the way over to the right.”

“Here’s my SENTRI pass.” The seat above me flexed as the agent in the back seat leaned forward and must have handed Collins his fast pass. “It’s only a,” I heard his finger tap on his phone screen, “six-and-a-half-minute wait.”

Thank fuck.

Slowly, the car crawled forward, and every moment was painful. I was sure the driver was going to shake right out of his skin.

“Fuck,” the agent in the back seat cursed, “just roll your window down and buy something, anything.”

“I’ll take two.” Collin tried not to sound too annoyed. “Just give me both. Gracias.” I heard plastic rattle, and something was tossed in the back after the window rolled up.

“Shit,” I couldn’t tell who spoke, “we’ve got eyes, there and there.”

It killed me I couldn’t see. I already had allowed my head to slip back to Rosarito, and I was stressed over what mayhem might be happening back there, and now this added on top of things had my nerves completely on edge.

“That guy’s got his phone out!” The driver’s voice was high.

“He’s just calling something in.” Collins was calm, unlike the driver. “Just show our passes, passports, and permits. Answer the questions like we practiced.”

“Good evening,” the border patrol agent said loud and clear. “How long were you in Mexico?”

“Seven days.”

Seven days? What the hell was the FBI doing in Mexico for that long?

“Purpose of the stay?”

“Trip with some old friends.” There was a pause.

“Anything, fruits, nuts, cash amounts I should know about inside the vehicle?”

Shit. That wasn’t a standard question for an agent, not worded like that.

“No, sir.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind pulling over there, so we can be sure of that.”

“Sure.” The driver slowly veered off to the right and came to a stop.

“Stay silent,” the back seat agent muttered and tapped lightly on the floor. “I can feel them watching us.”

“Unlock your doors,” a border agent ordered, and the sound echoed in my ears. Nothing was right about what was happening. If they truly had called it in to CBP, we should have been waved through after they showed their documents.

The trunk lid went up, and I prepared myself for a fight. I had no idea where it would land me, but I wasn’t going to be put into the hands of any authority on this side of the border. Things were moved around, and voices could be heard outside. Dogs barked, and the smell of exhaust filled the air.

Sunlight broke through the seams of the carpet above me, and I knew they were close to discovering the hiding place. My heart pounded in my chest, sweat broke out all over, and I forced myself not to adjust my position and give myself away.

---