Free Marked in Mexico by Kim McMahill

seconds to find cover before the shrapnel begins to fly.”
    Jessica stared down at the grenade she held in her hand. She was afraid to move or even close her fingers around it. She looked at Megan and could see the same look of fear and confusion in her eyes.
    “Stay here. Give me an hour and if I’m not back, go that way as fast as you can.” He handed Jessica the wad of cash and the watch he had taken off one of the kidnappers and pointed in the direction he wanted them to head.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m taking the drugs back. If I’m lucky, the van will still be gone and the two men will still be locked up. I’ll just replace the pack back where you found it and return here as quickly as I can. Hopefully they won’t even know it was missing and decide not to look for us.”
    “But what if the van is there and all three are free, armed and looking for us and this valuable pack?” Jessica stuttered, while her eyes darted between Jack and the grenade she held out in front of her.
    “I’ll just put it someplace where they’ll find it and try to get out without being caught. When they see the drugs are all accounted for, but the grenades aren’t, maybe they’ll decide it isn’t worth coming after us.”
    Jessica didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but the thought of packing around a small fortune in cocaine wasn’t a very appealing idea either. She glanced over at Megan and saw she was still holding the grenade in front of her with her eyes fixed on it.
    “Those won’t blow unless the pin is removed. Just put them in your pocket or somewhere safe and keep out of sight and stay alert. Don’t wait more than sixty minutes. That should be plenty of time for me to return the drugs and get back here. If I’m caught, they’ll come looking for you two, so don’t sit here and make it easy for them.” Jack stuffed the baggies back into the pack.
    Jessica placed the grenade in the pocket of her loose-fitting shorts. The feel of the item against her leg made her shiver despite it being so hot sweat drenched her sleeveless top, forming down-turned arcs under each armpit and a dark v-shape between her breasts.
    “If you need the rifle, make the shots count. You only have two bullets.” Jack pointed to the gun leaning against a nearby tree.
    Jessica watched as he shouldered the pack and disappeared into the trees. She wanted to stop him and convince him she should go since she’s the one who found the pack, but her feet refused to move. She heard what Jack said about the pin, but still pictured taking a step and being blown to bits.
    She glanced down at the watch she had put on her wrist. “It’s almost seven. If Jack’s not back by eight o’clock, we leave.”
    Megan walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They walked, linked together, to a tree, sat, ate a tortilla and drank some water. As the two women huddled in the darkness, Jessica closed her eyes and said a little prayer for Jack.

Chapter Eleven
     
    When Jack reached the house, he saw the van had returned and a new black SUV was parked next to the building. He wasn’t at all surprised by the sight of the expensive vehicle. By what the pack contained, he knew this was no poor-boy operation.
    The men had never mentioned why their brother was in a Texas prison, but the pack gave Jack a pretty good idea. Though he’d hoped their captors were just a small disorganized band of drug dealers, the additional high-dollar vehicle made him nervous.
    Light glowed inside the small house, allowing him to see the men standing around the kitchen table. The group had now grown to five and their loud and angry voices cut through the night like a knife.
    Jack watched the activity until his breathing returned to normal after his nearly thirty-minute jungle run. Edging to within ten feet of the van, he scanned the area looking for any lookouts, but saw no one. He inched forward just as the door opened and two men came outside. Jack