Gary was awakened by thumping on the deck overhead and shouts of excitement. He rolled over and discovered Chris was gone. The voices carried in through the overhead hatch.
"Oh My God, look at the size of him." Jerry's voice.
"What is it? Are we in danger?" Chris yelled.
That did it. Gary rolled out of bed and hurried through the cabin for the ladder. The three boys were gathered amidships staring with excitement at something close on the port side.
"Here it comes again," Miguel said.
Gary looked over the side just as a huge beast reached the surface and the boat rocked. It was a whale...a whale shark to be exact. The characteristic dorsal fin and the shape of the tail all said shark, but these were one of the gentlest sea creatures found in the deep.
This one had to be twenty feet long, a small one of the species, probably a youngster. But the water was shallow here and momma was probably not far off where the bottom dropped off to deeper water.
"What is it, Gary?" Chris asked, coming over to stand beside him.
"A whale shark. Not really a shark at all, just a big fish. This is actually a small one because they get to be fifty feet long as they grow older."
"A whale, so it is not dangerous?" Miguel asked.
"The immature ones might hurt the boat if they bump into us too hard, but I bet she's just curious."
The beast continued to swim near the boat and then wandered off towards the deep. It was exciting to see such a massive creature up close. It tended to put a man's existence in perspective. Out here the fish were the masters of the sea, humans merely visitors.
This was the fourth day of their little adventure along the Yucatan coastline. Gary was beginning to treasure Miguel. Not only was he an excellent tour guide ashore, he was a quick learner, mastering both the boat and Jerry.
Gary had always known that Jerry wanted a man to dominate him and he found serenity when someone else made the decisions. Miguel was confident enough to take charge of their shared lives, and did it with such a loving style and warmth. Maybe he had inherited some of that bravado from his father, but his assertiveness was just the thing Jerry needed.
They had sailed along the coast, stopping to anchor at night. In Progresso, they dodged several huge container ships and a cruise liner heading for the industrial docks. The majority of small boats there were of the fishing variety but Gary managed to find a spot at the municipal dock to overnight.
Progresso was a small town with Mayan ruins and a brisk tourist trade. They ate at a traditional restaurant, walked the streets until dark and sailed away the following morning. There wasn't much to interest the boys and Gary had seen it all before.
The wind favored them as they rounded the Peninsula and headed for the heart of the Yucatan. Campeche lay dead ahead. A real city, capital of a Mexican state, and home to a quarter of a million people, they would find lots of things to do there.
What made the place so impressive became apparent as they entered the slender bay. The Spanish conquerors had built huge impressive fortifications to protect the city from pirates and buccaneers. The mere mention of that bit of history had Chris hanging over the side with glee.
Gary found a slip at one of the docks belonging to a hotel. A few bills changed hands and they had a berth for the night and more if desired. There was much to see in this town and the boys wanted to see it all.
The European influence of the buildings and streets fascinated Gary. Chris couldn't wait to get a look at the cannon in the hill forts guarding the town. They managed to play tourist for the next twenty-four hours and then the rains came.
On what was supposed to be their last night in town they stayed aboard to relax, listening to the drumbeat on the deck overhead. Gary sat with Chris in his lap as Miguel and Jerry snuggled on the couch. Each of them was in their comfort zone, that place where bodies were in communion but not aggressively seeking attention.
And then the phone rang...it was Max.
"Gary...where are you buddy?" Max asked.
"Campeche...we had a wonderful time being tourists," Gary replied.
"Campeche...that might be safe enough," Max said. "Have you been keeping up with the forecasts?"
"Um...no actually, I've been out most of the day. Is that storm still causing you headaches?"
"No, that's gone...but what's coming will be much worse. Hurricane Gustav is about to nail Haiti. The track may bring it close to the Yucatan but then it's gonna seize the Gulf of Mexico and be a bear."
"Oh Lord, then we better stay put. Where's it headed?"
"Let's put it this way, New Orleans is already starting to make evacuation plans and they're pulling crews off the oil rigs in the morning. Worse still, there's another tropical storm named Hanna out in the Atlantic headed north, it might slam the east coast of Florida or go further north, it's too soon to tell."
"Damn, picked a hell of a time to go sailing, didn't I?"
"You guys just sit tight. This may all take several days to do whatever it's going to do. I'd wait a day or so before thinking about heading back to Cancun and keep an eye on that forecast. Africa is heating up, something big is brewing out there, I can feel it. Who knows what's ahead."
Max laughed. "Why couldn't you take up a simple hobby like model trains or something? No, don't answer that...I know why. And how is your crew these days?"
Gary smiled. "Tanned and beautiful as always. Um...someone wants to say hello before you ring off." And he handed the phone to Chris.
"Max...how are you?"
"Fine, sweetie...you having a good time?" Max asked.
"Wonderful. Um, Max...Gary said you were looking for my mom, did you find her...is she all right?"
"Yeah, we found her, sweetie. She went to a shelter during that storm we had and a friend of ours located her when she finally went home. I guess she felt pretty sick so my friend has placed her in a private hospital at the moment."
"Oh...that's good isn't it?" Chris asked.
"Yes...I won't lie to you Chris…it may have saved her life. They will keep her from drinking now, but her body has suffered a lot from the alcohol...you know that."
"Does...does she know about me?"
"We've told her you're living with another family now because of her condition and you'll be going to a private school this fall. I...I'm sorry, Chris...she doesn't seem at all worried about you."
Chris smiled. "No Max, that's a good thing...I don't want her worried, Gary takes care of me now. I want him to adopt me...we're gonna be partners like you and Shelby."
"Oh, Chris...that would be so wonderful. I'd be happy to have you in the family."
"I love you too, Max," Chris said, and handed the phone back.
"Max? I only got half of that," Gary said.
"He'll explain it. Sounds like you have it made. Be careful and come home safe...I want my family together."
"Yes, Max...we love you too."
And then the dial tone. Gary could almost see Max with tears in his eyes, the man was just an old softie at heart. Chris followed him to bed and got mildly passionate. Gary could still hear the words...Chris wanted to be his partner. Finally, they fell asleep as the rains came down harder.
Gary awoke fairly quickly as the boat began to slap up against the dock. They had fenders out but the wind was picking up. He was fairly certain the boys wouldn't remain asleep under these conditions but they did, Gary was left alone with his concerns.
He went out into the cabin, aware that Jerry and Miguel were asleep only inches away. But he booted up the laptop, signing in to the weather site. The storm Max had spoken of was moving towards the eastern states of Mexico and it was still just a tropical storm. They were getting the overflow from the disturbance here, brisk winds and tons of rain. They were stuck and Gary knew in the morning he would book them into the hotel.
The boys would be pleased to get off the water for a few days and they couldn't be blamed for that. Ocean conditions meant that things just naturally stayed damp, but with the added rain it was too much.
Come morning they ran up the street in the pouring rain, it was still ninety degrees and the damp felt oppressive. The hotel had cable television, a blessing. They could watch movies in English and Spanish, the latter Gary found just as amusing. There were card games, and several of them were mean games of strip poker. Miguel dragged Jerry into their room several times a day. At least they were getting what they needed.
The hurricane moved north into the Gulf of Mexico and barely missed New Orleans. Gary felt sorry for those people, but they had to be tenacious to live there. Now as the formation of another hurricane seemed imminent Gary made up his mind. One final look at the weather and he decided to make a run back to Puerto Juarez. The steady boiling masses of air coming off the African coast decided it, and who knew what would happen if they waited...so they would make a run for it.
Getting Miguel home safely was Gary's first concern, although if things had really started to go bad they could have made it back on the highways. But he had three boys to worry about and the Brass Balls was also an issue. They stowed their gear back aboard and left the mooring.
A few rain squalls met them on the trip north and east across the tip of the Yucatan, but the run was fast and clean. Gary pushed everyone, not even stopping for the night. The boys sensed the excitement and urgency so he came clean with them.
"We have a window of opportunity here, probably four days tops before the weather goes all to hell again. Getting us back into Puerto Juarez and safely moored to that dock is my main focus. We will become hard core sailors until then...are you with me?"
The boys all pulled together and Gary felt like he had a real hardy crew on the boat. The run back to the hotel was done in record time, he was very proud of them. And so like his fellow crewmates, Miguel was given a set of brass balls to wear. There were tears in his eyes as Gary hung that chain around his neck.
Ricardo had their rooms ready and Gary pointed the boys at the showers before collapsing with exhaustion. Miguel managed to call his father and said he would be home in the morning. They would all do nothing more than sleep tonight, tomorrow would come and there were choices to make.
They showered and dressed for breakfast, wondering if Jerry and Miguel would be joining them. But they went down to the restaurant and found Eduardo sitting at a table with the two boys already in attendance.
He stood upon arrival. "Gary...Chris, won't you join us," he asked. They sat down and the man let on that the boys had been telling him about the adventure of sailing the coast.
"But surely you are not considering sailing back to your home at the moment?" Eduardo asked.
"Not possible, the hurricane season is just too unstable to risk that at the moment," Gary replied. That caused both Jerry and Miguel to smile as he knew it would.
"Well then let me do the best I can to entertain you in your captivity," Eduardo said. "As Miguel will tell you, there is much to see and do in the area. You would also be most welcome at my home any time."
"Thank you, Eduardo...we would be very pleased to visit with you. I just hope we don't have to abandon the hotel in the face of any severe weather."
"Ricardo has plans for such an event and the city is prepared as well," He laughed. "But I was most curious. Miguel has this necklace...he says you will have to explain it to me."
Gary laughed and went on to explain the meaning behind the expression of courage…brass balls. Eduardo seemed to think it was a fine joke, but Gary told him that Miguel had earned them as a valuable member of the crew. The award was given to a young man who showed bravery and maturity when called upon to act.
Those words alone caused Miguel to swell with pride and Eduardo noticed the change in his son. "Yes, this is cause for great joy. A boy achieves manhood only once in life, he must now fight to keep it," Eduardo said.
Gary wasn't sure what sentiment was behind that statement, but he didn't want to delve any deeper. But true to his word, Eduardo arranged for them to spend three glorious days exploring the Yucatan and the Mayan culture. The weather was pleasant, but towards the end they began to have afternoon showers that turned into days of rain.
The storm surge off the African coast finally gave them a major hurricane, and this was a beauty. Ike was already a category three by the time is began its run at the Caribbean, centered directly at Cuba. Gary held his breath for a moment in worry. It could turn north and strike the Keys or keep on course for the Gulf.
The final option was it might veer south and strike right where they sat. Very soon Gary would have to decide if he should get the boat taken out of the water and lashed down onshore. Juarez was a big port with facilities that could handle that transition; it would all be in the timing.
He could not just sit by and watch the boat get battered to splinters against the dock. There was insurance for such a calamity, but he had a pleasant history with this boat, it would be a shame to lose it. By Tuesday morning he would have to decide, by Wednesday it would be too late.
But by Tuesday night the hurricane began to veer north and lay a course directly for a run down the length of Cuba. After that, the Gulf of Mexico was wide open, nothing could stop the devastation.
Wednesday morning came with a smattering of rain against the windows. Chris was snuggled up close, his face against Gary's chest. His breath ruffled the hair on Gary's chest and his boyish scent filled Gary's senses. No sight, no smell could ever be more satisfying.
They were stuck for the moment, waiting for nature's wrath to calm down before attempting any run back north. Jerry didn't seem to mind in the least with Miguel close at hand. Chris was all wrapped up in following Gary around.
The day before, they had gone to visit Eduardo and the rest of Miguel's family. It was Gary's first look at Miguel's home life, and the family was all there. Gary felt like they were on display but Chris and Jerry seemed comfortable enough. Maybe he was feeling out of place, or was there still some concern about Eduardo's business dealings?
It was a luncheon, nothing formal, just about twenty guests and...the foreigners. Miguel's mother seemed distant, but the siblings were all over Chris and Jerry wanting to know everything about the States. English seemed to be a second language around the house, and the family slipped in and out of it quite nicely.
As expected Eduardo began to pry around the edges of Gary's business dealings, he seemed to have a hunger for knowledge. Gary couldn't divulge anything confidential, and that composed about eighty percent of his work. But he let Eduardo know he worked with some important people and some of them were dangerous.
What Gary had done with Tommy and the others in service for their country was still classified, it always would be. But that was past, Eduardo was here and now. Gary asked the man what he thought was the biggest driving force behind the development here in the Yucatan, was it the central government?
They were alone in a corner of a grand sitting room, a place so immense a basketball game could have been played in there.
"You will trust me?" Eduardo asked. "It is drug money, the cartels. I have been approached many times for favors and this is why I may not wish to continue in politics. The central government is helpless, riddled with criminals who will do nothing."
"Do you fear for your life?" Gary asked.
"Not yet, but they are like a pack of hungry wolves circling in the darkness. I know these men and yet have no proof...even if I did, who would I tell? There have been killings, beheadings...such horrible details I cannot express to you." His face was drawn and pale, Gary knew he wasn't lying.
"So, sending Miguel away seems like a good idea, I understand. What about the rest of your family, are they safe?" Gary asked.
"As of this time these thugs seem too busy fighting one another, killing one another. I have security, it is enough for the moment, but I worry about the tomorrows...when it will certainly change," He replied. "But this is not your concern, I should not say more."
"Eduardo, I value my friends...your concerns are mine as well. If you feel pressured then please, ask and I will assist you," Gary said.
He gave a wan smile, a shallow imitation of happiness. "I thank you for the offer. I am sure in your business that you know many...um, strong people. The presence of a major force here would only escalate the crisis, I assure you. If necessary I have made plans to remove my family from any danger. But your concern is welcome, I can trust few here...I just don't know what side they are on."
Gary wandered the house after that conversation, idly watching the boys at play, examining the house but his thoughts kept returning to Eduardo's words. If the local politicians were choosing sides, which one was he on?
Jerry and Miguel were shooting a game of billiards while Chris played cards with Miguel's younger brother and sister. Eduardo had much to lose here and he knew it. Gary just hoped he would make the right decisions. A couple of lightly armed bodyguards would be useless if it hit the fan, they were both only too aware of the consequences.
By six o'clock the party seemed over and Miguel drove them back to the hotel. Gary planned to stay in with Chris tonight as the weather was turning damp again, while Jerry and Miguel were off to the coffee house and a gathering with his gay friends. And then came Wednesday morning with the patter of rain on the glass...Gary was spacing out with too many uncomfortable thoughts.
He finally took Chris to breakfast, but there was no sign of the other two. By noon Gary wanted to ask Jerry what he was planning to do today so he knocked on the door and got no response. He then unlocked it and discovered the bed hadn't been slept in…it must have been a wild night.
By three Gary was concerned and phoned Miguel's house. The boys hadn't been seen since last night but the mayor was unavailable. Call it intuition, but he knew something was not right. Fortunately, Chris was engaged in a film on television and Gary left him in the room. No sense in alarming the boy, not yet anyway.
He went looking for Ricardo and found him in the dining room, watching the staff set up for dinner.
"Ricardo, have you heard from Miguel today?" Gary asked.
"No, not yet...and I was going to ask him about working this evening. Where is he?"
"Both Miguel and my son are missing, I haven't heard from them all day."
Ricardo looked alarmed and pulled Gary towards his office where he shut the door. "Is Eduardo aware of this?" He asked.
"I don't know how to reach him, he's not at home, and I just called there."
Ricardo picked up his phone and dialed a number. It rang a long time before someone answered. It wasn't Eduardo by the reaction Gary saw. Ricardo asked to speak to Eduardo and they told him the mayor would have to call him back, he was in a meeting. Ricardo stressed it was of vital importance and then hung up.
"Something is happening, that was his bodyguard, not Eduardo," Ricardo said.
"I caught that," Gary said. "Do you have security here at the hotel?"
"Yes, I have four men, but two of them are off duty right now," He responded.
"Better call them in. You may need more help at some point."
"Gary...what do you know that I do not?"
"Eduardo is concerned, there have been pressures placed on him...I'm sure you know the people involved. Now I think they have taken his son for leverage... and my son as well."
"Oh God," Ricardo said. "Ignacio...it must be him."
"Ignacio...I don't know that name," Gary said.
"Ignacio Morales...he is...he is a very dangerous man. Drugs, prostitution...illegal gambling." Ricardo fell back in his chair and Gary could see his hands trembling. This Ignacio was bad news.
"You know him, is he capable of kidnapping? What could he gain from such a thing; won't the police know who to go after?" Gary asked.
"Police? He terrifies them, they run from his thugs. It is rumored he is behind the killings in Merida last month. He tortures and then kills, he buys politicians by the handful."
"And what would he gain from Eduardo...what is he after?"
Ricardo stared at him. Gary hadn't lost his temper, he wouldn't. Scaring this man would only make him clam up and good decisions were based on solid information, it was his job.
"Eduardo and his friends have been critical in blocking any move to legalize gambling in this state. If we give in then the country will be pressured to do the same, it is a national movement they are trying to force. Gambling will turn this state, and especially Cancun, into a Las Vegas. Prostitution, drugs...it will all come out in the open and they will control it."
"So…Ignacio is the local Mafia leader, the cartels will line up behind him and run this place, is that what you mean?" Gary asked.
Ricardo nodded and Gary felt a coldness creep down his spine. If Jerry had been caught up in this madness then he and Miguel were in grave danger. All this had been happening around them while they lazed about in the sun for the past week. These people had been planning to take Miguel all along...the easy way to force Eduardo into giving them control.
If Gary knew anything about this nasty business it was that the kidnap victims rarely survived. Eduardo would be forced out and the boys would stay hidden for months until it was too late to turn back the changes and stop the progress of the cartels.
Ricardo jumped as his phone rang and he snatched it off the base. He didn't say a word as someone else did all the talking. Then he looked up at Gary.
"Yes, he is here...yes," Ricardo said, and he handed over the phone.
"Gary...do you know what is happening?" Eduardo asked.
"Can you talk...are they listening?"
"No, they just left...they have our boys."
"How long did they give you, did they make a demand?" Gary asked.
"Three days, I must resign and allow my deputy to take over...he is one of them. I must or they...they will..." Gary heard him sob.
"Eduardo, you know them...give them what they want, tell them what they want to hear. I will make some arrangements. We will have to meet, I need information."
"You cannot stop them, Gary. Their leader, he is strong like a bull," Eduardo said.
"I am going to cut the head off the fucking bull, Eduardo, and eliminate the need to harm our boys...I promise you that. Ignacio has no place he can hide, I will find him and he dies."
Eduardo gasped when Gary said the name. "You know him?"
"No, but I know men like him, and they're all dead now...give me forty-eight hours. I will get back to you. Pack up your office, pretend you are leaving and keep an eye on that deputy of yours. Just don't be standing too close to him this weekend, its not gonna be pretty."
Gary heard another sob, Eduardo was losing it. But then he cleared his throat. "I will do anything...thank you, Gary...I..."
"Yes, Eduardo...we both have much to lose. I need two days, and then we plan together, okay?"
"Yes, my friend...yes," He replied.
Gary hung up Ricardo's phone and saw the look of awe on his face. "You...you can do this?" He asked.
Gary nodded. "I'll need a few rooms, maybe four or five. You know nothing, understand? I don't want you involved. Will you go sit with Chris for a few minutes? I have to make a few phone calls."
"Yes...I will watch the boy for you," Ricardo said and he left the office.
Gary felt cold as ice, his usual reaction to stress. But when he felt like this someone usually died shortly afterwards. It was only a process, he didn't like killing, but he was good at it...damn good. He picked up his phone and dialed overseas.
"Hello, Max? I need Tommy here...and all the boys he can muster," Gary said.