Which was the reason they had to escape.
And they had a plan. Tomorrow night the commandant was planning a celebration, a party in honor of the three-year anniversary of the formation of Los Proscritos. Any excuse to get drunk and whore was good enough for men like these.
According to what Pia had heard while she’d been standing around the fire boiling laundry, there would be feasting and drinking.Big-time.The commandant was even bringing in “fresh women” to entertain the men. The soldiers were excited, the sentries already growing less watchful, more relaxed as the big event grew near.
It would be the perfect time to escape.
Michael dug his shovel into the soil and tossed the heavy load of dirt over his shoulder. The sun beat down, but at least the temperature this high in the mountains was cool.
It was late afternoon when he looked up to see one of the rebels, a burly, flat-faced soldier in a dark green uniform, Captain Alvarez, who worked closely with the commandant. Alvarez motioned for him to stop work and join him.
Tossing his shovel aside, Michael followed the man off the hill, down into the camp. It had rained earlier, but the sun was shining as the day moved toward an end. Alvarez led him to the tent he and Pia were sharing and motioned him inside. As he ducked beneath the flap, the burly soldier followed him in.
Michael was surprised to find Pia waiting. Even more surprised to find the commandant sitting in a carved high-back chair upholstered in purple velvet that had been brought in and set up like a throne. Next to it, an upended barrel served as a table.
Benito Velasquez rose elegantly to his feet. “Mr. Winston. Good of you to join us. Would you care for a refreshment, something cool to drink?” A cut-crystal water pitcher and a crystal decanter sat on a silver tray next to three crystal tumblers. For a soldier, Velasquez lived the high life.
“No, thank you,” he said, though he could use a glass of water after his hours in the sun. He didn’t trust Velasquez.
He looked over at Pia in her yellow embroidered skirt and white peasant blouse. She had unbraided her hair and spread it around her shoulders. His pulse kicked up when he noticed the pallor of her face. When her eyes met his, he could read the fear in them.
If Velasquez has touched her—
The commandant smiled. It was a wolf’s smile, cold and calculating, the smile of a predator. A few feet away, Captain Alvarez stood guard next to the entrance.
“I have a special favor to ask of you,” Velasquez said. “You see, when I agreed to entertain you here in the camp as my guest, I made a promise that I would leave you unharmed. As a man of honor, that promise must extend to your woman. As you know, I have kept my word.”
Michael said nothing. A tremor ran through Pia’s small frame.
“I am an extremely virile man, Mr. Winston, a man of great and varied appetites. Aside from enjoying the pleasures of a woman’s body, I also enjoy watching another man enjoy that same pleasure.”
Michael’s stomach twisted.
“The favor I am asking is a small one, and you will both be rewarded. Clean clothes, larger portions of food and drink.”
Michael swallowed past the dryness in his throat. “And in return?”
“I watch the two of you together, there on your sleeping mats. It would give me great pleasure to watch, and it would give you pleasure, as well.”
Pia made a soft sound of distress. Michael wanted to rip Velasquez’s head off his shoulders and stuff it down his throat.One more day, he told himself. One more day and they would be gone.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your generous offer, Commandant Velasquez. The lady and I prefer our lovemaking to remain private, a personal affair just between the two of us. You understand.”
Velasquez’s smile went from wolfish to cruel, almost demonic. He was enjoying himself, relishing every moment.
“Perhaps I did not explain myself well enough. You will take the woman there on the mat, use her for your pleasure. The two of you will engage in intercourse, and I will watch.”
Michael looked at Pia, whose eyes filled with tears. They brimmed over and trickled down her cheeks. The burly captain drew a pistol from his holster and pressed the barrel against Michael’s head.
“If you do not do as I say,” Velasquez continued, seated once more on his throne, “I will order Captain Alvarez to pull the trigger. After you are dead, he will take your place on the mat, and I will watch him fornicate with your woman.”
The bile rose at the back of Michael’s throat. His hands balled into shaking fists. Black rage like nothing he had ever known descended on him. The cold steel barrel of the pistol pressed into his temple and yet he felt no fear, only the nearly uncontrollable urge to kill Benito Velasquez with his bare hands.
Pia stepped in front of him, blocking any move he might have made. She set her small hands on his chest, and he could feel them trembling. His whole body vibrated with the need to commit murder.
“Michael...” She swallowed. “Please, Michael. I don’t...don’t want anyone to touch me but you.”
He looked into her tear-ravaged face. “Pia...” The word felt torn from his throat. Alvarez stepped back, the gun just out of Michael’s reach, but his aim didn’t waver.
