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“We don’t know where we’re headed,” she said directly to the camera. “Umberto and his men are officially on the run from unknown sources who have been shooting at us for more than an hour.” The video cut to a small square window behind Lacey, revealing two pickup trucks and a hummer with men dressed in black, hanging out the windows. They were the source of the gunfire. Lacey turned back to Umberto. “Who do you believe these men to be Mr. Garcia?”
“My enemies,” he said plainly. “They are practically in uniform, but where is the insignia? Local or national law enforcement? Who knows? My guess is the current so-called leader of our great country.”
“They would do that?” Lacey’s question was asked simply and with the appropriate amount of shock for American viewers.
Umberto nodded. “Absolutely. I would not be the first opposition leader to disappear or die under suspicious circumstances.”
Lacey swallowed visibly as the sound of the gunshots grew louder and nodded. “And that doesn’t worry you?”
“Of course it does. I have a wife and children who care for me. I have employees who rely on me to feed their families. But even if I am dead today, tomorrow someone else will take up the fight.”
The distinct sound of bullets hitting the metal van sounded followed by Lacey’s terrified scream. Carlton’s arm reached out to grab Lacey and shove her to the ground. Seconds later, the screen went black, and gunshots sounded for a few seconds more.
“Wow.” Despite her fear, Lacey powered through the interview. I was so damn proud of her. So happy for her.
“She’s crazy, completely crazy, and it’s all your fault Levi.”
“You’re kidding?” I asked in a shocked tone that shouldn’t be so shocked at all by his words. “She’s done it, GG. The one thing she wanted to do most in her career, and she didn’t falter, she thrived. She got the information she needed, she told the story, and thanks to her news site we know that. Something you have refused her for a long time.”
“She’s in danger.”
“Sure, and if she hates me when she gets back, I’ll deal with that. But you? She could have done this on and off over the years, but the story would have been over by the time she returned to Carson Creek to put it in the newspaper. She’s damn good at what she does and you’re holding her back, and if you don’t get your head out of your ass, you’re going to lose her forever.” I reached out for Mickey. “Come on kiddo, let’s get out of here.”
And if they didn’t find a way to safety, I might lose her before I got a chance to tell her how much she means to me.
“Grandpa, how do you get your head in your ass?”
I laughed. “It’s just a saying Mickey. It means you’re not thinking straight.”
“You mean like forgetting Miss Pippa?”
Yeah. Just like that. I stopped and turned to find Pippa with her arms folded as she stared at me and Mickey halfway down the stairs. “Yeah, kiddo, something like that.”
Chapter 25
Lacey
“It’s a good thing you told me to wear hiking boots,” I joked to Carlton as the sun hit its peak on day four. Four long days in one of the national forests of Venezuela and I was exhausted and scared as hell. I didn’t sleep much at night or during the day, every snapped twig and flap of a bird’s wing made me jump out of my skin. The one thing that doesn’t suck is Umberto’s cabin which is the most luxurious cabin I’ve ever seen. There’s indoor plumbing, so I got to drink filtered water every day, which more than made up for rationing food among five adults. There were three beds which weren’t cots and I happily slept head to foot with Carlton who I couldn’t stop thanking for saving my life.
Carlton laughed at my hiking boots comment and raised his camera. “I just hope that this incident hasn’t soured you on this type of journalism.” His dark eyes were sincere as he waited for my answer.
I smacked at my left bicep that now sported four bug bites and looked around at the beautiful scenery. The Aristides Rojas was breathtaking, and the B-roll footage Carlton had captured so far was perfect for a nature documentary. So far, we had walked the forest on each side of the building, never straying far enough that we couldn’t see the cabin.
“Are you kidding me? Despite, or maybe in spite, of the gunshots and hiding out in the forest, I’ve never been so scared and excited at the same time in my life. Imagine that your ideas are so revolutionary that the government wants to take your life.” I knew it happened, of course I knew that. You don’t make it to your mid-forties by being childishly naïve, but it was still unbelievable. I held my hand up when the camera turned my way. “Don’t record me,” I chided him because I hadn’t showered since the morning we left the hotel, my hair was a mess and my clothes were filthy. I wasn’t a vain woman, but I did have standards.
