Tequila Road

Tequila Road a Novel by Pat Dismukes

TEQUILA ROAD

By

Pat Dismukes

A stranger appears in Paradise, crosses the threshold of a mother and daughter's  simple lives, sending each on an odyssey that challenges their physical endurance and the timbre of the human soul. Beware the thin veil that separates hell from paradise!

Inspired by the real danger and tropical splendor of the Mexican Riviera.

Tequila Road uncoils like a boa constrictor.

 

CHAPTER 1

Tragedy in Dubai, Poppy’s Return to Mexico

      

Puerto Vallarta International Airport

12:40 AM

Puerto Vallarta had not experienced a violent, tropical storm like this one since 2002 when the ocean surged into hotel lobbies on the Malecon.

The Gulfstream 550G made a third failed attempt to land, as a fierce crosswind hammered the aircraft. Nose up, its silver skin sequined in dancing rain, it climbed out of the turbulence and banked around the sheer face of the Sierra Madre Mountains. The lone passenger sat in the opulent cabin staring out into the black abyss, seeing not dangerous weather, but the sudden, dark turn of her life.

Just as the tower prepared to abort the landing a break in weather brought the plane down safely, taxing away from the terminal to the far corner of the tarmac where the black Hummer waited. From her window Poppy recognized the tall, thin man, silhouetted in the wet glare of the high beams. He stood erect under a black umbrella that threatened to collapse in the gusting wind. Parked to his left, in the shadow of a windowless hangar, was a silver SUV.

The aircraft door swung open to the sultry perfume of the tropics startling Poppy’s sleeping memories, the ones left behind a decade earlier when a life of splendor whispered her name. But this wasn’t the hour for looking back. She must pay close attention to what waited in the driving rain. Rising to leave, she felt the stabbing effects of the tragedy which had brought her here from the other side of the world.

The flight crew awkwardly assembled for their passenger’s departure. In a few minutes they would refuel and depart. Scattered thoughts played in the recesses of Poppy’s mind as she walked to the front of the cabin; the countless trips shared, circling the globe, sampling food, drink and exotic cultures. More than employees the crew had become friends. Their lives, like hers, had been consumed by one man’s power, money, and daring adventures.

       A haggard Captain Dougherty stood next to Evan, his co-pilot. At the open door was Michelle, the flight attendant. “I just want to say that John was, well ... that,” The captain’s stammer trailed off into a whisper. “If there’s anything I can do…”