He would have paid for Ryan too.
I stand slowly, wiping my palms on my shorts, but that does no good. I’m covered from head to toe in grime.
“Silvana needs me, doesn’t she?” I make myself look away from his trigger finger and meet his gaze.
“She thinks you’re dead. She’ll be happy to see you breathing, no matter how banged up you get on the way.”
I swipe one hand across my nose, smearing snot and tears through the dirt on my face, punctuating my determination not to cry anymore. “I’m diabetic, and I’m on the verge of an insulin reaction from too little food and too much exercise.” I show him my insulin pump. “If you make me hike, my body will shut down and I’ll die. How pissed will Silvana be if you lose heranotherhostage?” I can hardly believe my nerve. But he’s not going to kill me, and I have nothing left to lose.
“I’ll worry about Silvana.” Moisés shifts his rifle into a one-handed grip and pulls a length of nylon cord from his belt loop. I recognize the cord—he cut it from one of the tents on his way to the clearing. “You turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
I can’t outrun him. Not without rest, food, and insulin. But I can’t give in either.
Heart pounding, I take a step back and trip over a lump of dirt, then fall into my brother’s grave. The impact slams my teeth together. Blood pours into my mouth from my bitten cheek.
Moisés swings his rifle onto his back, then hauls me up by one arm. “You spoiled Americans are all the same.” He throws me to the ground. My hands and knees hit the dirt, and I grunt from the impact.
“You think the rules don’t apply to you. You think there’s nothing that can’t be bought, but you’re about to learn—”
Moisés’s rant ends in anoofof pain, and his hands fall away. He lands on the ground next to me, his eyes closed. A fist-sized rock lies a foot from his head.
I scramble back on my hands and knees, eyes wide.
Luke stands ten feet away with his right arm pulled back, staring at the unconscious gunman. Ready to throw another rock.
GENESIS
“¿Tenemos tiempo para descansar?” Julian asks as he and Óscar haul a fallen tree out of the path.
“No!” Silvana shouts. “We keep moving!”
Domenica groans as she steps over a log. I shift my backpack from my left shoulder onto my right, and the relief is immediate. Being driven through the jungle at breakneck speed is more grueling than any workout I’ve ever had.
Despite her Olympic pedigree, even Pen looks wiped out.
At the front of our ragged procession, Sebastián and Silvana are arguing again. I move closer so I can hear.
“What are they saying?” Indiana asks as he falls into step with me, holding a packet of peanuts.
“Sebastián wants to know why she’s pushing us all so hard,” I whisper.
“Porque el envío se realizará en esta noche,” Silvana answers.
“Because the shipment will be in tonight,” I translate.
Indiana takes my hand and pours several nuts into my cupped palm. “What shipment?”
“I don’t know. They’re being very careful with thedetails, because they know some of us speak Spanish.” What Holden speaks is more the pig latin version. “Thanks,” I say, holding up the peanuts. Then I toss them into my mouth.
Sebastián breaks away from Silvana with a huff of disgust and takes up a position at the rear of the group.
This could be my chance. My friends are all here because of me, and when Silvana decides they’re too much trouble, she’ll kill them. Even if a couple of them are worth a fortune.
Unless I can convince Sebastián to let us go.
“I’ll be right back,” I whisper to Indiana. Then I drop back to walk next to Sebastián.
“What do you want?” His accent is thick, but his words are clear.
