Page 11 of Healing Love
Standing, he stretched his broad back and glanced around. The other workers were starting to head back toward the hut for the midday break.
He had found the time to send a few cryptic messages through his secure phone but had spent the last three days in hard labor and getting the lay of the land. Most of the workers he was with were healthy, having come from other areas outside the earthquakelocation and, like his undercover story, were just looking for hourly labor that paid well.
They lived in wooden huts, cooked over a campfire, and worked from sunup to sundown. He had started out at a small independent farm, but with his size and ability to work long hours, it was not long before one of the cartel agents sent him to the hillside to work on the irrigation. If the plants were not watered, they would die, and the cartel was not about to take any more losses than they had to.
“Hey, Big Man,” one of the workers called over. “You ready to take a break? You show us up and the bosses will want us to do more.”
Cam smiled and lumbered over to the group that was sitting under a tree, water bottles and sandwiches as their lunch. In the couple of days, he had been there, he knew that these men were farmers, not cartel members—a great distinction because of Mexico’s need for marketable crops. With the legalization of marijuana in many areas, the Mexican farmers could no longer afford to grow it. But with the increase of heroin, growing poppy was profitable. They did not care what they grew or what happened to the crop after they were paid.
He also found them to be a source of information about the earthquake and the local hierarchy of the cartel.
“How’s your brother?” Cam asked one of the men.
“Haven’t heard from him lately but his wife said he was treated at one of the camps. Said they got some doctors and nurses that’ll patch ‘em up,” Andreasanswered. “I got a field that my family works but came here for the money when they needed some extra hands.”
“Who’s taking care of your crops?” another asked.
“Got some kids working my small farm. My oldest is ten—he’ll work it until I can get back.”
Hiding his disgust behind his chewing, Cam thought of the kids working in fields. He watched the men carefully to plan how best to get closer to the central compound where Miriam would be kept.Slow and steady,he thought.Rushing in too soon would do her no good.
“They got a lot of these camps with doctors and nurses?” Cam asked casually.
“Not many, I don’t think. I heard on the radio that Los Mochis had some and I know the workers went to clinics that were closer to the fields. The earthquake hurt mostly where there were buildings.” The man looked at the wooden hut behind them and chortled. “As you can see, our dwelling stood tall.”
The others laughed and Cam grinned along with them.
“I haven’t listened to a radio,” he continued. “Was there a lotta’ people hurt?”
“Oh, yeah,” one of the other men said as the others nodded. “Even the men who own these fields had a lot hurt. Some of their farmworkers or staff were in buildings that would have fallen down.”
The men continued to discuss what the earthquake felt like for several minutes. Cam nodded occasionally as though he had been there too, while his mindworked furiously at a plan for getting closer to the compound.
“Anyone ever come up here to check on things?” Cam asked.
“We should be getting a visitor in the next day or so,” the old farmer replied. “They come to check on us and see that things are moving forward. In fact, they should come soon to check on the pipes.”
“What happens when these pipes are working?” Cam asked. “Don’t want to be without work this winter.”
Nodding, another man agreed. “Yeah, I ain’t got no farm to get back to.”
Andreas said, “Don’t worry. You’ll be taken care of. They always need workers.” Glancing around at the sparse living conditions they had, he added, “But some jobs are better than others.” He landed his gaze back on Cam and said, “You, Big Man. You could be used for hauling or maybe even get a job driving one of the trucks.”
Not going to be around long enough for that,Cam thought,but I gotta find a way to get closer. Someone coming to check on us will be just the ticket.
Standing, the men headed back to the fields, the fall sun beating down on their backs once more.
That evening, Miriam and the other nurses were ready for dinner when a guard showed up, ordering them into vehicles once more.What now,she thought, fearchoking her. With a quick glance, she saw the others had the same look on their faces.
This time they were not blindfolded, but with the dark night closing around her, she had no concept of direction. After about ten minutes, she did notice that the vehicle had left the gravel, bumpy roads and now traveled on pavement. Trying to see through the illumination of the headlights, she finally saw a tall wall up ahead with a heavily guarded, ornate gate. As they stopped at the checkpoint, she blinked away as a strong lamp was shone inside the car before they were waved on through.
Within a few more minutes, they approached a brightly lit, massive home with more guards patrolling the area. The paved driveway circled around a fountain and led toward the front. Once out of the vehicle, Miriam and the others were herded up the front steps of the mansion. As the gold-colored doors swung open, the glare of the inside lights blinded her.
As her eyes adjusted, she tried to keep her expression schooled, but found it almost impossible. The inside of the home rivaled the most luxurious mansion seen in any tabloid of the stars’ multimillion dollar homes. Floors of marble in the three-story entranceway with another fountain in the middle led to dark teak floors extending to the room on the left that appeared to be a library.
To the right was another room, equally ostentatious, and the purpose she could not discern. There appeared to be a great many plants, tall palm trees in ornate pots, and to the side was a large cage. Hearing a growl, shejumped as she realized a black panther wearing a jeweled collar was now pacing in the cage.
“Jesus, how rich are these guys?” Sharon commented, her eyes looking around at the room.
