Chapter 5
"Well, well, hombres, what have we here?" grinned the still-naked Cuban, his bright light directly in young Danny's eyes. "A couple of little spectators, maybe?"
Danny tried to speak, to yell for help though he knew his father was too far away to do any good, but the words just wouldn't come out. His throat seemed to be blocked, and it hurt just to swallow. Janice was close by his side, her arm quivering in terror as her fingers clutched his hand.
"Speak up, my young friend! Tell us ... who are you and what in hell are you doing out here in the bushes in the middle of the night? Are you real? Or are you just something I'm dreaming, just a passing spirit in the night? Speak up, amigo!"
Danny gulped down his fear and tried again. "W ... we're lost, sir," he managed, "We got separated from our folks and wandered over here by accident. But we just got here, honest! And we won't say nothing about you being here ... we'll just go now and leave you alone!"
"Si, si, my friend, I'm certain you would do just that," sneered the tall Cuban agent, "But I am afraid my friends here do not trust you as I do. Right, amigos?"
Juan was getting dressed and Antonio had finally stuffed his thick flaccid cock back into his soiled pants; they both shook with laughter at their leader's little joke. "Maybe you should invite them in, Rafael," suggested Juan, his pants on now as he stepped toward the young American teenagers.
Janice could not bear for her brother to have to carry the load of this, so she started to explain, "P—Please, sir, we didn't mean to intrude — honest," she stammered nervously, her bottom lip twitching involuntarily as she spoke. Her heart nearly leaped from her chest as the husky man approached them. His hand reached out for her arm.
"No, no, leave me alone!" she cried as his hand tightened painfully on her flesh. Danny lunged forward blindly, out of sibling protectiveness, but one swift movement of Juan's strong arm caught the teenager by the shoulder and lifted him bodily as he cried out from both surprise and the sudden pain.
He half-pushed, half-tossed the two of them into the firelit area, close enough to the glowing coals now that he and the others could see the two youngster's faces.
Gringos, obviously," spat Rafael, dressing now next to the boat, "But what are you doing here? Are you alone?"
Danny answered instinctively, his mind running now on that hidden reserve that always surfaces in times like this, "Yes, we're alone!" he answered certainly. Just my sister and I. We were out in our little boat and it got dark so we stopped here. I was afraid to try to make it back at night," he explained assuredly.
"Make it back to where?" asked Rafael. He had pulled a long thin-bladed knife from his pants and was fingering it fondly, like it was a woman. Maria had made a move for her clothes as she sprawled still naked on the beach, silent now that she had reached the deepest bottomless pit of wanton humiliation at the hands of these men she thought were her comrades. She grabbed for her jeans and shirt and hastily covered herself, first brushing off the matted grains of sand that clung to every inch of her sweat-soaked body.
"Uh, to the keys," replied Danny, just remembering that that was the place his father talked about all the time. But he knew he'd have to do better than that, and though he wracked his brain for the name of some place close by enough to be believable, he just couldn't. The thoughts simply wouldn't come.
"And where is your boat?" inquired Rafael now, holding the knife so that the fire gleamed red on its shining blade.
"On the other side of the island. It's pretty far ... but we can make it back all right!" he added hopefully, though his hopes had long since faded that these people would let him and his sister just walk away. They had seen and heard too much — whatever it was these Latin Americans were up to, he and Janice had suddenly become part of their plans.
"Suppose you take us there, okay?" Rafael's request was nothing less than an order, and both the Danfield teenagers knew it was hopeless to try to resist. Or even to attempt an escape — the three men could easily outrun them, and they might even have guns hidden on the boat for all they knew.
"It's a long way, really," tried Danny one last time, "We can find it ourselves, and we'll be out of here before you know it, really!"
"Get moving!" Rafael growled at them through clenched, gold-capped teeth that sparkled in the light of the dying fire. He turned to his companions, "Antonio, stay here and keep an eye on Maria. She might get some silly ideas in her little brain if we don't watch her. Juan and I will be back soon ... Juan, get the carbine from the boat."
Danny gulped, trying to mask his fear. He was right! They did have guns!
"You two kids go first, and remember, one silly move and you might never grow up, so start walking and keep your mouths shut!"