Haunted by Jeanne C. Stein Page A

away. All the while, Rójan cursed me, threatening what his father could do to me, to my family. Threats I knew he could make good.
    “It didn’t matter. I punched him until he had no fight left. I took his belt, and used mine to bind his hands and feet to a tree. Then I slapped his face to arouse him. I showed him my knife. I told him what he had done to my son cost Antonio his life. I told him he would never rape anyone again. He merely laughed.”
    Ramon’s voice turns cold. “Until I stabbed him. I stabbed him and watched as the life slowly ebbed from his body. Then I left him to die.”
    His eyes grow hard. “But it wasn’t enough. I wanted him humiliated in death the way he humiliated my son in life. I thought when they found him like this, tied to a tree and stuck like the pig he was, he would be denied the noble death that befitted the son of an important government minister.”
    I find myself asking softly, “Someone found out that it was you that killed him? Is that why your family is in danger?”
    “Sí.” He wipes at his eyes again. “A few days later, I saw an article in the local paper. The police found the body of a young girl in a garbage dump. I recognized the photo. It was the girl who had been with Rójan. She was killed to silence her. With no witness to challenge the facts of Rójan’s death, he was given a hero’s funeral. It was said he died in a plane crash.” Ramon spits at the ground. “He was called a hero.
    “The girl must have told someone that Rójan had raped her. She may have even recognized me since I was often in town. I knew it was only a matter of time before the minister would seek his own revenge. I moved my family. But there is a price on their heads. I have to do something to save them. Get them out of the country.” He stares intently at Max. “I am willing to help your government if they will protect my family.”
    Max exhales sharply, as if he’d been holding his breath during Ramon’s story. The first physical reaction he’s exhibited to Ramon’s story. “We’ll do what we can.”
    Culebra looks at me. But there’s no question in his gaze. He knows my answer.
    Shit. “I’m in.”
    How could I not be? My attacker is dead. The men who attacked Trish are either dead or in jail. What happened to Ramon’s son had nothing to do with drugs and everything to do with human degradation. “Ramon, I am sorry for the loss of your son.”
    For the first time, Ramon’s eyes are not full of uncertainty and disdain when they meet mine, but a glimmer of hope. He turns to the door. “Consigue el plano listo para ir.”
    He walks outside to ready the plane for takeoff. I turn to Culebra. I picked up something in his thoughts while Ramon was relating his story that makes me peer into his eyes.
    “You lost someone in the same way?”
    He smiles, a sad, slow tilting of the lips. “Every village has its bullies like Rójan. When I was twelve, my sister was attacked. She didn’t survive.”
    There’s more, I can tell by the way he’s protecting his thoughts, not letting me read them. He doesn’t give me a chance to ask about it, either, but with a pat on my arm leaves to join Ramon and the pilot.
    Max is as quiet as I, lost in his thoughts the way I’m lost in mine. Culebra’s insistence that we help Ramon makes sense now. We—Culebra, Ramon and I—share a terrible, common experience. We’ve all seen loved ones hurt by another’s hand.
    Max draws my attention with a wave of his hand, as if hit with a sudden thought.
    “You’d better call Stephen before we take off,” he says, pointing to his watch. “It’s already late. Let him know—” He falters.
    I sigh. “Yeah. Let him know what?” But I know Max is right. I dig my cell out of my pocket and ring Stephen. He picks up right away.
    “Anna? Where are you? I’ve been worried.”
    “Sorry, Stephen. The job is going to take longer than I expected. I’m going out of town. I wish I could tell you how long,