family runs this part of Chile.”
Matt snorted. “Didn’t look like it back at the hotel.”
Rodrigo stopped, and Jet could see his jaw muscles tighten. “You have no idea what you’re playing with here,” he warned, his tone menacing.
“Rodrigo,” Alejandro said, “they aren’t the enemy. She took out most of those gunmen. Don’t waste your energy. We’re still a long way from the mine.”
“I don’t like his attitude,” Rodrigo pressed.
“Save it for the Verdugos.”
Rodrigo resumed trudging along the dusty track, and the tension of the moment diffused. An hour later they came over a rise and took a break on the summit. Rodrigo shook a cigarette out of a nearly flat packet and lit it. Alejandro peered into the distance. “You see that road? Dirt, off to the left, cutting across that slope? I believe that leads to one of the mines I’m thinking of. It’s an old one that shut down operations, but a new company came in and began digging again. The price of silver has increased enough to make it viable.”
“It’s a long way off,” Rodrigo complained, inspecting his ruined shoes with a frown.
“Not that far. We should be able to make it before morning,” Alejandro said.
Jet stretched her arms over her head and shouldered her bag again. “I’m game. But I need to go freshen up. I’ll be back in a minute.”
When she returned, she was no longer carrying the bag. Her pockets were bulging, and she had an extra jacket for Hannah as well as one for herself, but nothing else. A duffel full of clothes would require far more energy to haul than it was worth, and she could always buy more clothes once they were off the mountain. “That’s better. Lead the way, Alejandro. The sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll know whether you can make a call and get help.”
Alejandro checked his watch. “It won’t be light for another five hours. We should be able to find one of the mines within two or three – this isn’t that big an area, and they’re all fairly close together. The only reason to cut a road into these hills is to access mines, so we get to that road and follow it, we’re home free.”
“What if it’s not one of the operational ones?” Rodrigo asked.
“Then we keep going till we find one that is.”
Rodrigo shook his head. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
They made it to the road in a little under an hour and took another break. Jet strode along the edge and peered at the surface before returning. “Tire tracks. Fresh, given that it rains a fair amount here. That’s positive. This is probably one of the working mines.”
Matt nodded. “Let’s hope so. Not that I don’t enjoy a nice evening constitutional, but I’m about ready to call it a night.”
“Shouldn’t be that far now,” Alejandro said. “Most of the mines are only a few kilometers off the main road.”
“With our luck this will be the exception,” Rodrigo said, probing his tender feet through his dress socks, his shoes by his side. “What a nightmare.”
“No point in whining. This is the least of our worries. We still need to deal with…with other matters. Tomorrow’s going to be another very long day,” Alejandro cautioned. “Come on. Might as well hit it. We can rest once we’re at the mine.”
The trek lasted another hour and a half, mostly uphill, and by the time they reached the mine grounds, everyone was beat. Alejandro and Rodrigo went to reconnoiter around the few temporary buildings near the mine opening while Jet attended to Hannah, who had awakened and needed to relieve herself. Matt gathered wood and leaves and created a fire pit from stones to stave off the worst of the chill from the icy wind coming off the Andean slopes. Once her motherly duties were done, Jet returned with Hannah and sat next to Matt, who was waiting for the brothers to return so he could borrow their lighter.
“We’re going to need some water soon. We’ve sweated a lot,” he said.
“When they get
Matt snorted. “Didn’t look like it back at the hotel.”
Rodrigo stopped, and Jet could see his jaw muscles tighten. “You have no idea what you’re playing with here,” he warned, his tone menacing.
“Rodrigo,” Alejandro said, “they aren’t the enemy. She took out most of those gunmen. Don’t waste your energy. We’re still a long way from the mine.”
“I don’t like his attitude,” Rodrigo pressed.
“Save it for the Verdugos.”
Rodrigo resumed trudging along the dusty track, and the tension of the moment diffused. An hour later they came over a rise and took a break on the summit. Rodrigo shook a cigarette out of a nearly flat packet and lit it. Alejandro peered into the distance. “You see that road? Dirt, off to the left, cutting across that slope? I believe that leads to one of the mines I’m thinking of. It’s an old one that shut down operations, but a new company came in and began digging again. The price of silver has increased enough to make it viable.”
“It’s a long way off,” Rodrigo complained, inspecting his ruined shoes with a frown.
“Not that far. We should be able to make it before morning,” Alejandro said.
Jet stretched her arms over her head and shouldered her bag again. “I’m game. But I need to go freshen up. I’ll be back in a minute.”
When she returned, she was no longer carrying the bag. Her pockets were bulging, and she had an extra jacket for Hannah as well as one for herself, but nothing else. A duffel full of clothes would require far more energy to haul than it was worth, and she could always buy more clothes once they were off the mountain. “That’s better. Lead the way, Alejandro. The sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll know whether you can make a call and get help.”
Alejandro checked his watch. “It won’t be light for another five hours. We should be able to find one of the mines within two or three – this isn’t that big an area, and they’re all fairly close together. The only reason to cut a road into these hills is to access mines, so we get to that road and follow it, we’re home free.”
“What if it’s not one of the operational ones?” Rodrigo asked.
“Then we keep going till we find one that is.”
Rodrigo shook his head. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
They made it to the road in a little under an hour and took another break. Jet strode along the edge and peered at the surface before returning. “Tire tracks. Fresh, given that it rains a fair amount here. That’s positive. This is probably one of the working mines.”
Matt nodded. “Let’s hope so. Not that I don’t enjoy a nice evening constitutional, but I’m about ready to call it a night.”
“Shouldn’t be that far now,” Alejandro said. “Most of the mines are only a few kilometers off the main road.”
“With our luck this will be the exception,” Rodrigo said, probing his tender feet through his dress socks, his shoes by his side. “What a nightmare.”
“No point in whining. This is the least of our worries. We still need to deal with…with other matters. Tomorrow’s going to be another very long day,” Alejandro cautioned. “Come on. Might as well hit it. We can rest once we’re at the mine.”
The trek lasted another hour and a half, mostly uphill, and by the time they reached the mine grounds, everyone was beat. Alejandro and Rodrigo went to reconnoiter around the few temporary buildings near the mine opening while Jet attended to Hannah, who had awakened and needed to relieve herself. Matt gathered wood and leaves and created a fire pit from stones to stave off the worst of the chill from the icy wind coming off the Andean slopes. Once her motherly duties were done, Jet returned with Hannah and sat next to Matt, who was waiting for the brothers to return so he could borrow their lighter.
“We’re going to need some water soon. We’ve sweated a lot,” he said.
“When they get
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