Page 62 of Colombian Chemistry

“What’s happening?” Irene asked as she climbed back up to sitting.

I saw the flashes of red peeking between the trees.

“That motherfucker!” I shouted as the men emerged with guns pointing at us. “I’ll fucking kill you, Antonio!”

“Marcus!” Irene shrieked.

“Trustworthy, my ass,” I grumbled as I jumped over the front seat. Hector didn’t realize what a high bounty Irene had on her head, and when he’d told Antonio who I was, he must have mentioned I’d be traveling with a blonde American woman. He’d gone and stuck a target straight on Irene’s back, and he hadn’t even known it. Antonio must have ties to the Jungle Kings, and apparently, his need for their money and protection was stronger than his need to stay on Hector’s good side.

I struggled to squeeze myself between the seat and the steering wheel. I didn’t have time to adjust either, instead wrenching my knees to my chest as I reached underneath the steering column, searching for the wires.

“Start the car! They’re almost here!” Irene bounced up and down in the seat behind me.

I glanced up and saw the armed men moving toward us. “No keys! Gotta hot-wire it.”

I finally found the wires and used my fingers to feel my way to the right ones.

“There!” I said as I got them and snapped them together.

The little car’s engine roared to life, and I whipped it into drive and stepped on the gas. Irene screamed as she tumbled backward in the seat. I knew they needed her alive, so they wouldn’t shoot, but that didn’t mean they were going to let me get out of here without any problems. Luckily the men on foot would have to get back to their vehicles and it would buy us time, but I knew soon they’d catch up to us.

We raced along the bumpy road, catching air with every bump. This little car wasn’t made for off-roading like my Jeep, and I worried every time we landed that the frame would snap, and we’d be stranded and ripe for the picking. But the car trudged on at a pace that surprised me.

The airstrip loomed on the horizon, and I saw one lone plane parked on the runway.

“When I hit the brakes, you’re going to jump out and run as fast as you can to that plane. That’s Knox. Just get in the plane and get the hell out of here!”

“But—”

“No buts, Irene! The cartel is gonna pop up in my rearview any second now. Promise me you won’t argue! Promise you’ll get on that plane and never look back!”

I heard the shaking in her voice as she said, “I promise.”

“Good. You need to live. I need you to live.”

And I did. I couldn’t imagine a world without her and her big brain in it. I may not get to be part of her life, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t watch her from afar and cheer her on. Watch her become a doctor that saves the world, keeping her safe from a distance. I needed to know there was light and goodness in the world... that Irene was still in it.

“Promise me you won’t get yourself killed after I leave,” she said after I launched us over another bump.

“Sweetcheeks, it’s gonna take a lot more than those douchebags to take me down.”

“And when you’re saving my father? Promise me you’ll do that? That you’ll both survive.”

I swerved the car around a huge hole, and it sent Irene tumbling to the other side. “I promise. I have a plan to save your dad, and it ends with me alive as well. Just tell Knox to meet me at noon in ten days in Cartagena at the Playa de Cartagena Hotel.”

Knox saw us barreling at him and drew a large assault rifle. I cranked the window down and stuck my head out. “It’s me, Knox! Don’t shoot! Start the fucking plane!”

He lowered his gun and tipped his head sideways.

I shoved my head back out the window and screamed at the top of my lungs. “START THE PLANE!”

This time he understood me, and he jumped and hurried toward the single-engine plane. His massive frame disappeared inside the door, and I watched the propeller start up.

“You get out, and you run!” I said to Irene. “And remember. Tell him the eighteenth. Noon. Playa de Cartagena Hotel.”

I got as close as I could without getting in the way of the plane’s takeoff, then slammed on the brakes. I whipped open my door and squeezed out before opening Irene’s door and pulling her out.

“Go!” I commanded.