Marked in Mexico Read Online Free PDF

to throw herself into his arms for a good cry and she certainly wouldn’t go near Gilbert. She couldn’t risk triggering his memory and the thought of his embrace brought on feelings of nausea, not comfort.
    She took several deep breaths, hoping to get a grip on the fears filling her mind, determined to stay strong and keep a clear head. With her back to Gilbert, she tried to get as comfortable as possible. The kidnappers had given no indication of what they wanted, but Jessica doubted the situation would be resolved anytime soon, so settled in for what she figured would be a very long day.
    Thoughts of Amber played through her mind. Jessica was sure her best friend was beside herself with worry. By now Amber would have called Randy and told him everything. Randy would comfort her as he always did.
    No matter how bad the current situation was, she was at least thankful Amber had been spared. Amber and Randy had a promising future, unlike her and Phillip. Her friends were so good together. They complimented each other. Jessica only hoped the abduction could be resolved peacefully and wouldn’t cause them to postpone the wedding. She had almost dozed off thinking about Amber’s wedding when she was startled back to the present by Megan.
    “Shut up! Will you just shut up?” she wailed at Gilbert. “I don’t care who you are or why you’re here or how much money you have! I’m scared, I’m tired and I’m hungry. I have to go to the bathroom and I want to go home.”
    Gilbert was stunned by the outburst, but quit talking and for that Jessica was thankful. Megan fell back into silence. The young woman reached for Ashley, who had never stopped crying, and wrapped her arms around her while she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip. Jessica was touched by Megan’s compassionate display under the circumstances.
    The urge to comfort the girls tugged at Jessica, but she pushed the notion out of her head. She had no idea what she could possibly say to make the situation seem any less grim, so decided to say nothing at all.
    Slivers of light from a full moon filtered through the slats covering the window, leaving the dirty room in a dreary haze. Jessica stood and walked to the opening. She squinted her eyes, but could see nothing through the tiny openings. She rubbed her temples and was so focused on the aches in her body that she barely registered the sound of footsteps and the door opening.
    “Sit,” demanded the man standing in the doorway holding a rifle.
    Jessica nearly jumped out of her shoes, but quickly regained her composure and slid to the floor.
    “What do you want with us? I have money. Just let me make some calls and I can get you whatever you want,” Gilbert ranted as another man entered the room and set a pot of beans, jug of water and five plastic spoons in the middle of the floor.
    The man held up a partial roll of toilet paper and pointed to a bucket in the corner. He set the toilet paper down and backed out of the room without acknowledging Gilbert’s outburst. The door shut and locks clicked in place.
    Jack rose and stalked to the center of the room. He took the lid off the jug and smelled it. He poured a small amount of water into his cupped hand and tasted it. Satisfied, he lifted the jug to his lips and took a long drink. He then picked up a spoon and started eating the beans.
    “Not bad.” He looked over at Jessica and winked.
    She was again stunned by how cool he was behaving under pressure. Jessica stared at Jack, trying to read his thoughts and gauge his emotions, but was at a loss as to what was going through his mind. With a resigned shake of the head, she joined him at the bean pot, taking the spoon he offered in his outstretched hand and dug in.
    “I suppose there’s no point in dying of starvation or thirst until we find out what they want,” Jessica replied.
    “My thoughts exactly.”
    Soon the five hostages sat around a single pot greedily scooping up beans with plastic