Page 87 of No Questions Asked

“Agreed.” He wound a strand of my hair around his finger. “Just take care of my wife, okay?”

“I promise.” I kissed him for a long time before I went to tell the chief I was ready to leave.

We made good time walking to the village. Either I was in better shape or I’d somehow become adept at walking among the roots and branches. I was also getting better at spotting snakes, making sure to give them a wide berth, my supposed mystical skill with them notwithstanding. The other villagers who’d stayed behind greeted us with great excitement when we burst into the village. There were lots of hugs, cheers and happy chattering as the group reunited.

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do or where to go, so I took a seat on a log near the fire, while the chief gave a dramatic speech, apparently updating everyone on the events of the past twenty-four hours. Several times he pointed at me, but I had no idea what he was saying.

While he was doing that, the eldest of the chief’s wives directed several women and girls to gather firewood for a separate fire. She stacked the wood carefully, as if she were building something. A few minutes later, one of the young girls arrived with a burning stick and added it to the timber. The girls quickly got on their hands and knees and began blowing and adding more tinder.

I was unsure what purpose an additional fire served, but I didn’t interfere. After a few minutes, the fire roared and the women pulled grape-size objects from the small pouches on their belts and began placing them at the edge of the fire. I moved a little closer so I could see what they were.

Little black stones.

I studied them, wondering what was going on. The men were talking among themselves until finally the chief’s eldest wife stepped forward, getting everyone’s attention and making the tribe fall silent. After a moment, the chief stepped forward to face his eldest wife. For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes before the chief held out his arm to her, wrist up. Using a leaf she had double or triple folded, she picked up the hot stone from the edge of the fire and pressed it firmly against the inside of his wrist.

Holy cow!

The women were marking their men as equals. And why shouldn’t they? They were amazing women and fierce warriors. The chief murmured something to his wife and she pulled the stone off, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. I wondered how the chief felt about all this female empowerment, but when he glanced my way, his eyes twinkled with pride.

Well,thatwas a big relief.

The ritual was repeated by woman after woman with her mate until all the taken men had been marked. TheAmazonaslegend had become a reality in this village. Maybe that’s why they had invited me back—they wanted me to see it firsthand.

Soon afterward, a feast was prepared. We ate, drank and celebrated the victory over the drug runners. I received a few small gifts—necklaces, bracelets, belts, tiny purses, and even my underwear back. I was used to going without undies at this point, so I insisted the little girl who had taken them, keep them. It seemed clear the village was wishing me a farewell.

Eventually, I lay down to take a quick nap. I set an alarm on my watch for one fifty-five, hoping all was well with Slash and the others back at the compound.

I fell asleep holding the satellite phone and dreaming of helicopters.

Chapter Fifty-One

Lexi

“A-muh-suh-ne?”

I blinked a couple of times and quickly sat up. Quiver Girl knelt next to me pointing at my watch. It beeped incessantly. Gah! Somehow, I’d slept through the alarm for ten freaking minutes.

Crap!

I turned on the phone, furious at myself. I might have missed their call and had no plan for a callback. I wanted to call to check on things, but if they were in the middle of an operation, a ringing phone would not be something they’d want to hear. That meant I had to wait for them to call me.

I left the phone on and rubbed my eyes. I was pretty sure I could have slept for another sixteen hours. I found the gourd of water sitting next to me and took a big gulp. It helped invigorate me slightly. When the phone rang, it caused me to startle. I spilled a bit of the water before I quickly set the gourd aside and answered the phone.

“Vicente?”

“Cara, is that you?”

“Slash?” A rush of relief swept through me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. We’re all fine. It’s over for now and no one else got hurt. Are you safe?”

“I’m safe and, wow, that’s great news.” I closed my eyes, thankful nothing bad had happened to anyone else. “So the agents arrived on time? DidElEsqueletoever show?”

“Let me answer your questions in order. Yes, Vicente and the narcotics agents arrived not long after you left. Unfortunately, we didn’t getEl Esqueleto—he was a no-show.But the nine men you rounded up—including the biologist and close personal friend ofEl Esqueleto, Jasiel Galíndez—were a real coup for the narcotics team. They’re one step closer to gettingEl Esqueleto, and are quite thankful for your work.”

“Our work,” I corrected him. “What about the files we uploaded?”

“Found and retrieved by the NSA. They’ll be distributing them via appropriate channels to the Brazilian government shortly. We’ve had no one else show so far, but the agents will wait until nightfall. But even without nabbingEl Esqueleto,this is a crushing blow to his cartel.”

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