Chapter 10: Panama Adventures (Part 2)

"What are you talking about?! Bettman's where?!" Jackson Trethewey sputtered. "How the hell did he find us? We were so careful, too!"

"It doesn't matter how he did it," Brandon tried to refocus the pursued couple. "It's how we get you two out of here and onto your boat that's important now. Tracy and Celeste have gone to see if they can find Blackwells. We'll have to stick together for a while longer until we can figure out a way to get past him. Son-of-a-bitch!"

There was a light tap on the hotel room door, and a glance through the peep-hole revealed four very familiar but worried faces. Brandon opened it and hurried them inside the room.

"Can we sneak these guys down the back stairs and out that way?" he considered as a possibility.

"It's armed," Joe supplied. "The second we open that door, the alarms are going to go crazy."

"So it's either trip the alarms or go through the lobby then. Personally, I'd be tempted to trip the alarms and hope like hell that the noise creates enough confusion to give us a couple of extra seconds. Bettman's probably going to expect you to head for the front of the building, so if you go to the canal side and along the back, that'll buy a couple more minutes. After that, I guess we run like hell for the pier.

"And if we make it that far?" Joe looked for more of Brandon's plan.

"Use our tender to get these two out to the Luv Boat, then scoot back as fast as you can. Once Jack and Belinda are underway, we'll worry about Bettman and see if we can lose him somehow. As soon as we do, you and Shannon are out of here, in case he gets some weird ideas."

"And what about you three? Are you ready to sail?" Joe's concern came out.

"Unfortunately, no. We're still waiting for that new spinnaker, and that might be a couple more days. But if we have to, we'll find another marina away from the canal and hide there."

"Brandon, we're not leaving here until you do," Joe told him. "If that bastard makes trouble for you, you'll need all the help you can get. Jack and Belinda need to get going, but we can wait. We don't have a particularly tight schedule, and making sure our friends are safe is more important than leaving at any specific time."

"How do we know he's not after you three?" Jackson added. "After what you told us back in Manzanillo Bay, you're as good a target as we are, and maybe even better. There's three of you, and only two of us."

"True, but by the same token, we also make a better decoy," Brandon's tactical strategy came out.

"What makes you think that?" Joe couldn't figure out.

"There's three of us and only one of him. We're a pretty good team, which means that we can play, 'divide and conquer'."

"Five can play that game as easily as three," Joe reminded him, "and probably more effectively, too."

"Whatever it takes to get these two out of here, we do it," Brandon was adamant. "But that damned Texan is becoming more trouble than he's worth, isn't he? Taking him out of the loop permanently is starting to have a real appeal for me."

"Brandon," Tracy's discomfort came out, "you promised. No violence. Remember that?"

"What I promised, Pip-squeak, was that I wouldn't reduce that asshole husband of yours to Jell-O. But anyone else that threatens my crew or our friends is fair game. We had that discussion, too."

His sister silently conceded the point, but it was obvious to anyone looking that she wasn't happy about it.

For the next five minutes, the three men worked on a viable strategy, then set out to put it into action. Jackson and Belinda headed for the stairwell farthest from the elevators, while Joe and Shannon took the one at the opposite end of the building. As soon as Celeste called the elevator to the third floor, the three groups got ready to move, and when the elevator doors slid open, Jackson and Belinda began their descent. Ten seconds later, Joe and Shannon followed their lead down the other stairwell. Brandon waited another fifteen seconds, then gave Celeste the go-ahead to hit the button that would take them to the lobby.

Somehow, their timing worked out perfectly, or at least close enough to have the desired effects. When Tretheweys tripped the alarm at one end of the building, there was a combined rush of staff and curious guests towards the sound's source. But ten seconds later, another alarm began to scream, sending people in two directions at once. In the ensuing confusion, it was easy for the girls to collide with their intended Texan victim, while Brandon "accidentally" made sure that Bettman ended up on the lobby floor. It took mere seconds for the bounty hunter to recover, but those critical seconds were all it took for Shannon to get to the front lobby door then start yelling hysterically, and those screams were echoed by other guests, none of whom had the faintest idea why everyone was in such a panic.

All that confusion was exactly what Brandon had been hoping for, and provided the cover needed for Joe to rendezvous with Jackson and Belinda, then lead the way through the hotel's landscaping shrubbery, finally arriving at the entrance to the pier where Winters' little inflatable waited. The two men had the Kodiak launched and ready to depart in short order, with the wailing of sirens from emergency vehicles only adding to the commotion behind them.

"Let's get the hell out of here before Slim clues in and goes after Tretheweys," Brandon strongly ordered his crew, and the three joined the throng of semi-panicked patrons as they pushed and shoved to get out of the lobby.

Joe and Jackson had managed to get underway, and the three headed for the Luv Boat in as circuitous a route as they could, trying to keep other boats between them and the view anyone on shore might have of their progress. Once at the Trethewey's yacht, Jackson and Belinda scrambled aboard. There were several short words of appreciation on Jackson's part, and the exchange of some written information. As soon as Joe shoved off, Jackson rushed to start and warm up the diesel auxiliary while Belinda concentrated on raising the anchor. By the time Joe was back at the pier, the Luv Boat had started to move into the channel, and he watched its progress wistfully.

"Gawd, I hope you get far enough to be out of reach before that bastard figures out what's happened," Blackwell muttered to himself.

Brandon had grabbed Celeste's hand and was leading her out of the lobby's confusion when they finally caught up to Shannon.

"Where's Joe?" he enquired of the middle aged woman.

"He should be back at the pier by now," she reported, "but I lost track of Bettman! Have you seen him?"

"He was laying face down on the lobby floor the last time I looked. After that, all I wanted to do was get the girls out. Let's see if we can find Joe."

"Where's Tracy?" Shannon alerted him.

"She's right... ", Brandon started to reply, but a glance in the direction where he expected to see his sister only revealed an overweight American female tourist wearing a bright-coloured, loose-fitting top, and a pair of shorts that had no business being on anyone that large. The sight almost revolted him, although his concerns were somewhere other than on the obese woman's wardrobe.

"Angel? Where's Tracy go?" his panicky tone demanded.

"She was right behind me a second ago. Shit, where is she?" Celeste's own fear rang out.

Shannon had been searching the crowds in hopes of spotting the missing woman, and when she did, the colour began to drain from her features.

"Over there," she pointed to the receding figure of Brandon 's sister being propelled away from the confusion by a large man that he immediately recognized as their adversary.

"Cocksucker!" Brandon cursed, then apologized for his rude remark.

"He probably is," Celeste tried to ease the strains they all felt. "What do we do now? We've got to get her back, and get rid of that asshole. Lover, this isn't what I had in mind for a relaxing vacation. God dammit!"

"Okay, let's stop panicking, and think," he tried to reorganize his thoughts. "Shannon, can you go and find Joe, then catch up with us? Have you got a cell phone, perchance?"

"It's upstairs in our room," she informed their erstwhile leader.

"Damn! Angel? How about you? Have you got one?"

"Same story, Lover. It's upstairs, and by the look of this place, going back for it is out of the question. Why?"

"Because Shannon and Joe could have tracked us down with that phone. You and I are going to follow that fat asshole, but I'd like to have Joe with us before I'll tackle him. I have a bad feeling that we're going to need to set up another diversion, and the more of us there is, the better."

"What's your number?" Shannon asked, the beginning of a strategy growing in her mind. Brandon rattled off the ten-digit phone number, and she began to repeat it softly to herself as a memorization aid.

"You two follow Bettman," she ordered. "I'll find something to track you down with, and we'll meet you as soon as we can. I have an idea, but it's going to take some feminine wiles to pull it off. Let me worry about that part. You keep track of Bettman and your sister. Go!"

Not used to taking orders from a woman, Brandon and Celeste nonetheless did as they'd been commanded. In the back of his mind, though, Brandon felt a disquieting unease, both over the current developments, and the potential results of tracking his sister. All it would take was one error, one false step, and their whole escape would fall apart like a tumbling house of cards. At this point, though, there weren't too many other options. They had to follow Tracy and her Texan escort, no matter what.

Shannon caught up to her husband just as he was reaching the top of the pier's gangway, and it took her less than a minute to fill him in on the current situation. Joe steered both of them into the middle of the hotel's confusion, then pleaded with one of the strangers to borrow a cell phone. As soon as he had it in his hand, they quickly disappeared back into the crowd, and he passed the device over to his wife, as she was the one that had Brandon's phone number committed to memory.

"See if you can track them," he told her once they were far enough from the crowd. "Maybe we can catch up to them before anything else goes wrong."

Shannon banged her finger on the keypad, then informed her husband that she had a signal, which she could only assume was Brandon's phone.

"It's all we've got. Where are they?" he enquired of her.

"Looks like they're moving pretty fast, heading east at the moment. They must be in a car by the look of it," and she showed him the screen in her palm.

"Christ, where the hell are they heading? Not the Tocumen airport. Gelabert International, maybe?" Joe tried to determine a destination.

"Maybe we should take a chance and call them?" his wife suggested, and Joe immediately began to enter the numbers that Shannon gave him. A soft and very scared female voice answered.

"Celeste, it's Joe. Can you talk?" he asked the other party.

"For a minute," she allowed. "Where are you?"

"Getting into a taxi just outside the hotel. Do you still have Bettman in your sights?"

"He's four or five cars ahead of us. Brandon thinks he might beheading for Gelabert International. Can you track us from that ... where'd you get a phone from?"

"Never mind that," Joe kept Celeste focused. "Shannon will have your position on-screen as soon as I hang up. Whatever you do, try to keep that signal broadcasting. As soon as we can, we'll catch up, then figure out what to do from there. I've got to go before we lose your beacon. Tell Brandon that we're on our way, and that Tretheweys managed to get to their boat. Jack was getting her underway the last time I saw them."

"Is there a number for that phone you have? Brandon wants to know."

"I'll have to go look for it. When I get one, I'll call you back. In the meantime, stay on Bettman's ass, okay?"

Ending the call, Joe went back to tracking their cohort's route, feeling even more frustrated when it became apparent that they were not stopping at the airport, but rather, continuing further east.

"Brandon, where the hell are you going?" he muttered to himself. "Shit, there aren't too many places beyond there that Bettman can go. Driver, stand on it! " he screamed at the taxi driver, who looked scared for his life, but would rather worry about that after this fare was over.

In between tracking Brandon and Celeste and looking for the phone's number, Joe's fingers flew over the key pad. When he finally located the number, he recited the ten digits to his wife, then called Celeste back, passing on the information to her as well.

"We're past the airport," Celeste reported to her caller, "and Brandon's wondering if Bettman might be heading for the U.S. embassy. If he's kidnapping people to send them back, he thinks that might be the place to do it from. It would keep him out of Panamanian jurisdiction, if nothing else.'

"It would also take balls, and a lot of cash to keep the staff quiet. Bettman doesn't strike me as having that many brains, but it's as good a theory as any, I guess. We're just coming up on Gelabert now, which means that we're only a couple of miles behind you. Let me get off this thing so I can track you," and once more they broke connection.

"Shit, he is heading for the embassy!" Brandon declared to his accomplice once Celeste had broken the connection. "Ironic that a place of diplomatic refuge would become a prison. Gawd, if I get my hands on that slimy son-of-a-bitch..."

"Let's worry about saving Tracy," Celeste reminded him of their initial objective. "Maybe we can get the embassy people to send him back for us. I don't know. All I know is that Tracy's in deep shit!'

"Yeah, you're right, Angel. I need to keep my mind on what we're doing. Thanks, Lover," he passed on his gratitude. "Was that Joe or Shannon?"

"Joe. He says that they're only a couple of miles behind us. Somehow, he got his hands on a phone that'll track us. I just hope he gets here before you take on that goddam Texan. And don't tell me what you're going to do to him. I don't think I want to know."

"There!" Brandon pointed a finger in the direction their adversary was heading. "He's pulling into the embassy parking lot. Now all we have to do is separate him from Tracy, then get the hell out of here. Joe, hurry up and get your ass over here. I'm going to need back-up."

The taxi came to a screeching halt, its route orchestrated by the angry passenger giving directions to the driver. And before the vehicle came to a complete stop, Brandon was out the door, yelling alternatively at Celeste to stay put and confronting their adversary.

"Let her go, Bettman!" he commanded.

"Not going to happen, pervert!" he was told. "She's the key to your little foray. You three are worth a lot of money to me, and there's no way I'm going to lose it. So unless you want to see her get hurt, just do as you're told. Get your other little slut out of that car, then come with me. If you don't, I'll start breaking bones."

Now with Tracy's arm pushed up her spine, Bettman steered her towards an unmarked door at the rear of the building. It was the sounds of Blackwell's taxi sliding to a stop that broke his concentrations for a minute.

"Sorry, fella, but the calvary's a little late," Bettman chortled, sprays of spittle leaving his mouth and landing on the back of Tracy's head. She tried to put on a brave front but was in danger of losing her resolve, and the pain in her arm became excruciating as it was shoved further up her back. Brandon could see the tears in her eyes and felt his own anger ramp up several notches.

"You fat fucker!" Brandon cursed the Texan in a voice meant just for their adversary. "Get your fucking hands off her! Or do you get your kicks from beating up defenceless women? You hurt one hair on her head and you'll answer to me! Assholes like you make me sick!"

Joe Blackwell was out of the taxi before it stopped moving, but Shannon had remained in the vehicle. Brandon was glad to see that. It meant there would be at least one vehicle available to get the six of them away from this place, even if it meant squeezing in tightly. But first, they had to get Tracy away from Bettman and back to safety.

"I've got an idea," Brandon quietly informed Celeste, "but I need you to keep his attention away from me. I'm going to try to get behind him, then rush him when he least expects it. You'll know what to do by following my lead."

Brandon kept glancing over his shoulder as he and Celeste slowly made their way to where the Texan held his sister. If he could get close enough, maybe he could overpower the fat man. But when Joe Blackwell began to rush their mutual enemy, it was the one break he needed. Brandon spun around and confronted the Texan in as close to a face-to-face standoff as he could.

"End of the line, fat boy!" he threatened in a low voice. "Let her go and you might live. Hurt her any more than you already have, and I'll rip every fucking limb off your body, one by fucking one!"

Bettman quickly understood that he was up against an angry man who had more strength than he could overcome. There was also the matter of another possible attacker that he hadn't managed to keep track of. Still using Tracy as a shield, he attempted to push her forward, suddenly blocked by the determined bulk of her brother. In retaliation, he shoved Tracy's arm even further up her back, and was rewarded with the horrified screams of pain she let out.

The sounds only lasted for a second or two, but that was all Brandon needed to take the three or four steps that put him right where he could land a strong jab on the Texan's face. Now dazed, the fat man stumbled in shock. It was exactly the diversion that the two men needed.

Joe rushed in to restrain their enemy long enough for Brandon to drill Bettman two or three more times, and a blow to the Texan's nose left the man reeling. He twisted around in an attempt to protect his face from further assaults despite Joe's restraint. Brandon took advantage of that defensive move to step up behind the man, pull his sister away from her attacker, then wrap an arm around the fat man's neck in a choke hold.

Trenton never heard the sound of footsteps behind him, nor felt the arm that snaked around his neck. By the time he realized his position, Brandon's other hand was pressed flat against his head. With a quick jerk, the two arms worked in harmony with each other, rewarded by the sickening sound of something snapping.

Trenton Bettman dropped instantly, consciousness leaving him in a matter of a split second. Releasing Tracy's straining arm as he fell, his mass propelled her forward into Celeste's arms. Reflexively, she caught her sister-in-law, holding her lover tightly as she kept Tracy from falling onto the coarse asphalt walkway.

"I've got you, Sweetie," Celeste reassured her sister-in-law, while giving Brandon an opportunity to concentrate on what had just happened.

Celeste took a moment or two to assess the extent of her sister-in-law's injuries, checking carefully for any signs of damaged joints or broken bones.

"Nothing's broken," she let Brandon know, "but that arm's going to be painful for a while. Maybe we should get her to a hospital?"

Brandon felt somewhat relieved at the news, and turned his attention to Joe and the assailant that they'd summarily dispatched.

"Is he... ?" Brandon wondered of Joe, who was crouched down beside the now prone body, checking for signs of life.

"He won't be collecting any more bounties for a while, if that's what you mean," Joe responded.

"Jeezuz, I didn't think it would come to this," Brandon expressed his concerns. "Let's get the hell out of here before the fan gets hit any harder than it already has."

"Aren't you going to let someone know about him?" Celeste tried to clear the fog of confusion from her head.

"I doubt anyone gives a shit, and I'm certainly not about to get our butts into any more shit than they already are. I suggest that we get back in the taxis and get the hell out of here while we still can."

"Doesn't that make us fugitives?" Tracy finally managed to get her voice to work again.

"If that asshole had his way, we would have been anyway. I think he had as much on us as he did on Jack and Belinda. We might be on the run for a while, but it'll be a long time before they can connect us to this. By then, we should be long gone. It's you, Joe, and Shannon that I'm worried about. If they get tied into this, they'll never be able to come to Panama again, and I want you looked at by a hospital. I'm going to suggest that we head down to the airport, then decide what to do next. But standing here flapping our gums is a sure-fire way to get our asses locked up if the police catch up with us."

"I'll be fine," Tracy tried to ease some of her brother's concerns. "My arm's sore as hell, but that's to be expected after what Bettman did. Let's just concentrate on getting back to the Gon Waki 2, and we'll worry about hospitals later."

"We've got witnesses to worry about," Joe reminded them. "How do we deal with the taxi drivers?"

Brandon headed back towards the waiting vehicles, then fanned four one-hundred dollar bills in front of the Spanish chauffeurs.

"You saw nothing, right?" he bribed the two, who stared transfixed at the sight of more money than they'd take in all week.

"Si, Senor," the first agreed, immediately joined by his compatriot's nodding head.

"Good. Can you take us back into town? There's another hundred each in it for you," and his further offer was met with glowing smiles of complicity.

"As soon as we get back, I'll settle up with the hotel and we can head out to the boats. If it wasn't for that damned spinnaker and Tracy's arm, I'd get the hell out of here right now. Maybe I should give Peter a call and see if he knows anything. But there's nothing to keep you two here, so why don't you set sail this afternoon before things get more complicated?" he suggested to Joe and Shannon.

"And you're going to hide where?" Joe demanded. "Listen, we're all up to our proverbial asses in alligators with this shit. I'd like to see this through, and if there's any questions that come up, we're better off as a united front than a fractured one. All we need to do is get our stories straight, but we're not leaving until you're ready to go. Any ideas where we should head for?"

"Not at the moment," Brandon informed him, "but staying where we are is asking for trouble. I'll make some enquires as soon as we get back, and we'll go from there. I'm just not too much in favour of you and Shannon sticking your butts out like this when you don't have to."

"As long as you three are still in Panama, we stay. Isn't that right, Honey?" Joe asked for his wife's confirmation, and immediately received her agreement in the form of a smile on her nodding head.

Piling into the two vehicles, the parties made their way back to the Country Inn, where Brandon settled up with the front desk before they headed back to the little pier. Only once they were all back on the Wanderlust did the five settle on a plausible story, should they be asked for one. By the time the sun set over the western horizon, they'd been over every point any of them could think of, then retold the story several times until all their versions coincided.

Only after they'd finished that conference did Tracy finally let her emotions of fear come out. She looked to her brother for support and was offered two arms for comfort. As soon as she felt the safety and security of his embrace, her tears began to flow, unchecked, as sobs wracked her body.

"Gawd, I really thought I was going to die!" she finally managed to get out. "But did you have to be that hard on him? He could have died as easily as blacking out."

"The opportunity to overcome an enemy presented itself, and I took it," Brandon let her know. "At the time, I couldn't see any other way. He was too big to just subdue, and my unarmed combat training just came out. It all boiled down to either him or you, and that was an easy one to decide. Maybe I went a little too far."

"Stop beating yourself over the head," Joe offered his own support. "You saved your sister's life, and that was what we set out to do. I'd still like see you three on your way when Shannon and I leave, and before things get too hairy. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"Not a chance," he was told. "Until that spinnaker gets here, we're staying. I mean, who knows? I might need you to help rescue us again, and if you're out to sea, where will we be then?"

"Brandon? I want to go home," Tracy quietly confessed.

"I know, Sis. Maybe we should just get plane tickets and fly out of here, and the hell with the boat. It can sit here and rust, for all I care."

"Fly? Fly where?" she questioned his idea. "You see that little sloop over there? The one with the name, 'Gon Waki 2', on its stern? That's home. That's where I want to be. Can we go?"

Pulling her closer, Brandon assured her that they'd head back to their ship as soon as he could get them there, emphasizing his point with a long kiss to the crown of her head.

"She's right," Celeste gave her own opinion. "The Gon Waki 2 is home, and I can't think of anywhere in the whole world I'd rather be right now. Can we go before it gets too dark? Please?"

"Looks like we're heading off," he remarked to Joe and Shannon. "Will you two be alright?"

"Sure, but breakfast will be waiting for you whenever you make it over to the Wanderlust. Let's say sometime just after nine?"

They agreed on the time and accepted the invitation gladly. As the women climbed down to the waiting tender, Brandon found himself overcome with emotion and gratitude for their new-found friends, starting with an offered hand to shake and ending in a strong embrace, first with Joe, then Shannon.

"It's been a long time since I had friends like you," Brandon confessed. "I'm proud to know you."

"Us too," Joe replied. "Now go home and get some rest. We still have to find somewhere to move these boats to in the morning, and I have no idea what's available. Let's leave it until breakfast."

Brandon felt his chest tighten, but refrained from another open show of emotion.

"You know, when we found out about Jackson and Belinda, I was a little shocked," Joe quietly expressed his inner feelings, "and when we learned about you and Tracy, I think I was almost disgusted. But after this last week? I'm going to have to rethink how I feel about it. You sure don't fit the stereotype, that's for sure."

"Are you thinking of your sister, Honey?" Shannon wondered of her husband.

"Elsie? No. She was a bitch when we were kids, and she hasn't changed a bit since I left home. You were the one I fell in love with, and I love you more now than I did then. No, actually, I was thinking of my cousins, Brad and Wendy. They were really close for years, but something happened between them, and they went their separate ways. I'm just wondering if they might have stayed together if it hadn't been for that taboo. I see Brandon and Tracy and how much they care about each other, and suddenly I start to question whether society's right or not, that's all. Sweetheart."

"This is where I bid you two a good night," Brandon excused himself, scrambling over the side and into their inflatable to make his point.

In less than five minutes, they were back at the Gon Waki 2, and he tied the tender to the port side, away from prying eyes onshore. To keep from attracting attention, they let themselves into the cabin with all the lights off, stumbling in the dark, but finally finding themselves curled up in each other's arms and under the cover of the oversized berth.

"You okay, Sis? You've had one hell of a day," he softly tried to calm Tracy.

"I am now, but I don't think I've ever been so scared in my whole life. Well, maybe when Darren got really drunk. Babe, I never want to have to go through that again. Ever."

"I know, Pip-squeak. I don't, either. Gawd, there were a few minutes there when I thought I was going to lose you. Shit, I remember telling that Texan that I'd rip his limbs off, and I was angry enough to do it, too."

"If you had," Celeste added, "I'd have helped, honest to God! These last couple of weeks haven't been too good for us, have they? First that storm, and now this? I don't suppose there's any way we could just forget about the spinnaker and get the hell out of here, is there?"

"We could, Angel," he let her know, "and if we have to, we will. I'll call Peter Johansson in the morning and find out if he has any information on when we can expect to see the one he ordered. If it's on its way, we'll wait, but if it isn't maybe I'll have him forward it to somewhere else where we can pick it up. One way or the other, though, it sounds like Joe and Shannon aren't leaving until we do. We'll have to keep that in mind."

"All I know is that I'm with two people," Tracy summed up, "that I love more than life itself. When we first talked about doing this trip, back in Chicago, I never thought we'd be going through stuff like this. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but we're a team. Celeste's had just as tough a time of it with her boyfriend as I did with Bettman. I have no idea how she managed to survive. It makes her that much more special to me for all she's done."