Marked in Mexico (25 page)

They all nodded understanding and watched the agent relax back into the seat facing them. A slow smile crept back over his lips.

“I think we’re done here. Would you like to add anything before we close the subject for good?” the agent asked Jack.

“Apparently you’d be wise to get these two on the company softball team.” Jack squeezed Jessica’s arm.

The agent shook his head and laughed. He had heard positive things about the Senator’s daughter and now he believed every word. She had grit and was loyal. It was moments like this that made his job worthwhile.

Every few hours, they would pull over to the side of the road and switch drivers and then continue on. Nothing else was mentioned about what had transpired after the abduction and Jessica knew it was over and would soon be buried. She glanced at each of her friends and was so thankful they had survived, but the sadness over Ashley and Gilbert’s deaths made the moment bittersweet.

Megan, as usual, slept like a baby. Jessica couldn’t clear her mind enough to sleep as she thought about her father, Phillip, the case she had been working on and losing Jack. She reached over and squeezed his hand. He laced his fingers through hers and he leaned over and whispered into her ear.

“Is that it?”

Jessica nodded. “They’ll take my story and spin it for the right angle and field the media. You and Megan will probably be coached on what to say and given a contact to handle anything that comes at you, but usually these things die down pretty quick unless news is slow or unless my father’s campaign staff decides they need to keep the story in the forefront to detract from any unfavorable issues.”

“I don’t need coaching or any big shot contact. I’m not talking to any reporters. I’m very capable of keeping a secret, which I’m sure those suits already know.”

By the time they reached Cancún, another day had begun. When they pulled up in front of the hotel Jessica saw Dave, Zach, Amber and Randy waiting, hopeful expressions on their faces. She spotted a tearful man with two young tall blonde women, who she assumed were Megan’s father and sisters. She scanned the crowd, but saw no sign of her own father. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised.

The vehicles came to a stop and were immediately surrounded by the familiar crowd. As they emerged from the vehicle, Megan took off running and threw her arms around her father. The two blondes joined in and the family became an impenetrable ring of joyous sobs.

Jessica braced herself as Amber rushed toward her and hugged her so tight that she wasn’t sure she could breathe. Dave and Zach lifted Jack off his feet as they each hugged him and then proceeded to slap him on the back and punch him on the arm. When Amber released her, she was passed from Randy to Dave to Zach. Amber reached for Jack and took his hands and kissed his cheek.

“Your friends promised me you would bring her back safely,” she said as tears streaked down her face.

“It took teamwork to stay alive and thank goodness she’s tougher than she looks,” he said. “Remind me to tell you about the cast iron pot sometime.”

Amber stepped back and eyed Jessica’s bandages suspiciously. “Actually she looks pretty tough to me right now and smells even tougher.”

“Where’s my father?” Jessica cut in.

“He couldn’t make it until later this evening. He had a press conference that should be over by now to announce your rescue and then he and Phillip are flying down to escort you home.”

“What do you mean he couldn’t make it?”

“You know how these things go. It’s been a media circus ever since you were abducted and his campaign staff has been in overdrive drumming up sympathy. Your father’s approval rating has jumped thirty percent with his constituents since the story hit.”

Jessica wanted to cry. Yes, she knew how it went, but she thought this time it might be different. She wished for once that her personal life could be separate from her father’s professional ambitions. Despite her disappointment at not having her father waiting, she was at least thankful she didn’t have to face Phillip yet. She wasn’t sure what she would say to him, but the charade was over. She would no longer pretend to care about him or give him or her father any illusions they might have a future together.

As Jack watched Jessica bite back the tears, all he could think about was taking a swing at this Phillip guy. He couldn’t imagine any man in his right mind who wouldn’t have come after her or at least camped out in Mexico until she was safe and he didn’t have a very positive image of the great senator at the moment either.

Jessica was thankful when Megan interrupted with her family in tow. She introduced her father and two sisters. All three hugged Jessica and Jack and thanked them for bringing Megan back to them.

“She’s a real fighter. Make sure she gets to a doctor as soon as possible. I believe she had malaria and she received a three-day treatment of chloroquine, but she needs to be checked out. There are drugs they can give her to flush out any stubborn parasites,” Jack stated.

“He risked his life to get me the medicine.” Megan’s eyes began to fill with tears again and she grabbed a hold of Jack.

When she quit crying and released Jack, she hugged Jessica and cried some more.

“We’re leaving right away. Dad’s already got the tickets. I hate to leave you, but I can’t wait to get out of here. I can promise you when we land in the United States, I’m going to get down on my hands and knees and kiss the runway.”

As Jack exchanged phone numbers and addresses with Megan’s father, Jessica pulled her to the side.

“Where’s your devoted stepmother?”

 
“When I went missing, she apparently couldn’t contain her joy and Dad gave her the boot.”

“I love justice. Take care of yourself and keep in touch.”

“You know I will. We’re bound for life and I love you like a sister.” Megan hugged her one last time and walked out of her life.

“Let’s get these two cleaned up. They deserve a lot of margaritas and I’m sure they’ll have some amazing stories to tell.” Amber grabbed Jessica’s hand, dragging her toward the lobby of the hotel.

Jessica’s mind was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her father wasn’t in the group waiting for them. She had prepared herself for the possibility of him doing exactly as he had, but it still hurt and she was so numb emotionally that she didn’t resist as Amber pulled her away from the crowd and Jack.

After a long hot shower, Jessica felt human again. She looked in the mirror as she struggled to work all the rats out of her hair and knew it would be a long time until all the physical scars healed. Some of the images in her mind would never go away. She thought about Jack and everything he had been through in his life. He had managed to go on, so she was sure she would too.

She dug through her suitcases that Amber had kept for her in her absence. By the time she was dressed in one of her own flowery tops and her favorite shorts, she felt her spirits brighten. She had survived the jungle and she would soon be returning to an uncertain future, but one she was determined to control.

The two best friends walked down to the cantina arm-in-arm. Jessica scanned the crowd and spotted the four men at a table in the corner. She and Amber took the seats between Jack and Randy, instantly handed drinks.

Jessica took a long luxurious sip of the icy margarita as she stared at Randy. A wide grin spread across her lips. Randy had always studied hard, worked even harder and seldom enjoyed any reckless fun. He had always been such a stuffed shirt, but he seemed different. She couldn’t resist the urge to ask.

“So what happened, Randy? I’ve never known you to sit around in a muscle shirt and surfer shorts drinking margaritas when you could be buying and selling stocks.”

He laughed and toasted his glass to Dave and Zach.

“Apparently they’re buddies now.” Amber rolled her eyes.

“You reminded me of what’s important and you know I love you like a sister,” he said to Jessica. “When Amber called and told me what happened, I was on the next plane down here. I knew she wouldn’t leave Mexico without you and I couldn’t let her go through this alone. And when I arrived and saw these two comforting her, I was sure glad I high-tailed it down here.”

“And we’re sure thankful you got here as quick as you did,” Zach added. “I’m not certain how many more wedding plans I could politely listen to without stuffing your fiancé into a closet.”

Jessica looked around at the group and was touched by the relief she saw on all their faces and the bond they had forged throughout the crisis. Phillip had always been so nasty about Randy, finding his fidelity to Amber amusing rather than admirable, but it was Randy who cared enough to put his life on hold and be there for her and Amber.

“And, you two have never left?”

“Heck no,” Zach laughed. “Any excuse to stay put in Mexico. It’s the off season, so we have nothing better to do anyway. Of course, when we get back we’re putting together a climbing trip for Randy he’ll never forget. He doesn’t know what he’s been missing holed up in a Wall Street office rather than hanging by a thin rope off a cliff.”

“See what I mean?” Amber said. “It’s been like this non-stop when they weren’t harassing the authorities about rescuing their buddy.”

“Have my father or Phillip been here at all?”

Amber reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, sweetie. You know how busy your father is.”

Jessica shook her head in disbelief. She didn’t care if she ever saw Phillip again, but she ached to be held by her father.

“Your father will be here soon.” Jack placed a hand on her knee.

She looked over at him and felt soothed. “You’re right. Dave, pass the chips and salsa and get us some menus. I’m starving for some real food. I could live the rest of my life without eating another jungle rat.”

For the next several hours they ate, drank, and laughed about all the stupid things Dave and Zach had convinced Randy to try since being thrust together by circumstance. It calmed her to hear about jet skiing, wind surfing and parasailing crashes and she was finally able to relax. Jessica was thankful they didn’t ask about what had happened. It was all too fresh and she wasn’t sure she could talk about it yet.

“So, does anyone have a problem with me guiding the climbing trip for Randy?” Jack asked. “I’ve been getting a little bored with the climbing school and want to get back out on the technical routes and do some overnight trips.”

“He’s back,” Zach and Dave chimed in unison as they gave each other a high-five and toasted Jack.

Randy and Amber looked on at the celebration with confusion. Jessica leaned over, kissed Jack on the cheek and smiled. The guys then quickly slipped into planning mode, discussing routes, dates and equipment.

Jessica sat back and sipped her margarita. She hoped Jack’s decision meant that he had finally forgiven himself for Elaine’s death and he might find some peace and happiness in his life. He deserved it and she wanted it even more for him than for herself.

“Has anyone checked my cabin?” Jack asked.

“Greg’s been watching the lodge. I call it that, because the place is such a sprawling monster I sometimes get lost trying to walk from the kitchen to the bathroom,” Dave replied.

“Oh great,” Jack said, ignoring Dave’s remark about the size of his home. “I’ll probably be straining bikini parts out of the hot tub for months.”

Jessica was warmed by the conversation. She loved seeing Jack smile and when he talked about his cabin she could tell it was a place that meant a great deal to him. She had a desire to see it, but didn’t know if she would ever have the opportunity. They were close friends now, maybe even more if they were honest with each other. But she feared he would only see her as one more trauma from his past that he would try to put behind him. For now, she was content to listen and wonder.

After two margaritas, Jessica was so relaxed that she nearly fell out of her seat when she heard her father’s booming voice. “There’s my Bluebell!”

Jessica jumped out of her chair and raced to her father. He enveloped her in his big embrace and rocked her back and forth. She swore she wasn’t going to cry, but she couldn’t help herself. When she quit shaking, he took her by the shoulders and eased her back. He ran his big hands down the sides of her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

“You’re safe now. This place is crawling with Secret Service and your daddy’s here. I was so worried about my baby girl. I think you aged me ten years. You know I love you more than anything in the world.”