Casas and the other bodyguards hustled them across the vast hall and toward the massive wooden front doors. Two more security men flanked the doors, Uzi submachineguns in their hands. It was only then that Jurado really registered that Casas had drawn his sidearm, and held it in his right hand, pointed up at the ceiling.
As the mayor and his wife neared the door, one of the men with submachineguns put a hand to his ear and spoke, listening for a moment before he nodded, and the two of them opened the doors and moved out onto the driveway in the mansion’s courtyard, where a pair of Mercedes G-Wagens waited for them, their engines already running. Two more security men stood nearby, also carrying Uzis, watching the streets beyond the gate. Casas was taking the threat seriously.
That was why Jurado had always trusted Casas. He wouldn’t have kept him on as chief of security otherwise.
Maria was whimpering a little as Jurado rushed her into the back seat of the rear G-Wagen. He wondered briefly if he should have married her, or just kept her as a mistress. She was stunning, and her physical charms were unmatched, but she wasn’t exactly the most blinding of intellects. He did care for her, but sometimes he wished she was more like Consuela. She had been nearly as tough as Casas.
She’d been a harridan, and he hadn’t been able to avoid a faint pang of relief when she’d died, but she’d been tough. He wouldn’t have needed to practically drag her to safety.
Or maybe he would have. She would have been leading the charge, berating the guards while she tried to grab a gun from one of them.
Jurado climbed into the vehicle and Casas shut the door before hurrying around to the front seat and getting in. The lead G-Wagen was already pulling out the gate and turning left, heading for the mountains.
Jurado patted Maria’s hand, and she seized his and hung on as if it were her only lifeline. But she calmed down. Then he reached into his pocket and cursed.
“I forgot my phone. Casas, give me yours.” He needed to start getting control of this situation. He needed information.
Casas had just handed the phone back to him when the lead vehicle slowed. At first, Jurado couldn’t see what was happening. He just saw the brake lights suddenly blaze red ahead of them as they neared the slums on the edge of the city.
“What…” He never got a chance to finish the question.
He didn’t see the RPG round in flight—the ambush was far too close for that. He just saw the armored Mercedes ahead suddenly disappear for a moment in a bright fireball. Their vehicle rocked from the concussion. When Jurado opened his eyes a moment later, the vehicle was burning fiercely.
“Get us out of here!” Casas was looking back over his shoulder as he yelled at the driver. Maria was screaming, and Jurado could only stare at the burning wreck, his mind momentarily frozen. He’d thought himself prepared for anything, given his country’s history, but this was far more immediate and personal than anything he’d really been ready for.
Casas got all the way around and finally got a good look out the back window, as Maria shrieked and clutched at her ears. He blanched and yelled at the driver to stop.
Jurado twisted around to look. It took him a moment to realize what had prompted his security chief to stop them.
Another man was standing in the middle of the street behind them, an RPG leveled at the vehicle. Half a dozen more came out of the tumbledown houses on either side. Most of them carried wicked-looking rifles. One held a much longer and heavier machinegun.
“Who are they?” Maria had stopped screaming, but was now staring at the men with guns, her eyes wide with terror.
“I don’t know.” Jurado was suddenly calm. In fact, he could see in the dim light that all of them were dressed the same. He had his suspicions, now that he had a better look at them. There had been rumors floating around the farms in the vicinity of San Tabal for months now. “Just stay calm. I think they want us alive. Otherwise, they would have blown this car up, too.”
He glanced at Casas, who was clearly struggling to maintain his own calm. Even with two Uzis in the front seat, they were no match for the gunmen outside. As soon as anyone pointed a weapon, that man with the rocket launcher would kill them all.
Casas kept staring at the gunmen as more of them came out of the shacks to their right. Jurado wondered that there weren’t any on the left. But after a moment, he realized that even if they tried to run for it, the gunmen would probably shoot them down before they even got all the way out of the car.
Finally, Casas met Jurado’s eyes. His expression was lost, helpless. They were trapped, and he knew it. He’d failed.
Jurado couldn’t accept that, though. There had to be a way out. He didn’t want to die. He desperately wanted to live. He could feel the panic bubbling up in his chest as the gunmen closed in on the vehicles. “Do something!”
But Casas just shook his head as he unloaded his Uzi and laid it on the floorboards.
