“Sorry. I just ...” Luke adjusts his cap over his sweatycurls. “At my grandmother’s wake, everyone was really quiet, and that made it impossible to think about anything else.” He shrugs. “So I thought talking might distract you from ... Ryan.”
I am the world’s biggest asshole.
I push stringy strands of hair back from my face and exhale slowly. “I’m sorry. That’s very thoughtful.”
We continue down the trail. For several minutes, I hear nothing from him but the shuffle of his boots on the path. Luke is right. Silence is a lot less peaceful and a lot more awkward than I thought it’d be, so I clear my throat and press the reset button.
“Hey, Luke. What were you saying earlier about some kind of limbless amphibian?”
“Oh! A few years ago, they discovered a new species in Brazil that grows up to thirty-two inches long, and resembles—”
Luke’s voice cuts off so suddenly that I turn to make sure he hasn’t been eaten by something. His face is flushed the color of a cayenne pepper, and suddenly I truly am curious.
“Resembles what? Don’t leave me hanging.”
“It resembles ... um ... a certain male reproductive organ.”
“Oh.” I face forward and hike as if my feet are on fire, and I don’t slow until I hear rushing water. A minute later, we reach the cliff, and I catch my breath, just like I did the first time. The setting sun paints ripples of fire across the surface.
“Holy shit!” Luke breathes as he peeks carefully over the edge.
“Thatis where I lost my supplies.”
His eyes seem to take up half of his face. “You jumped?”
“From about two feet to your left.” I could have died. Ishouldhave died.
Luke scoots back from the edge, sweat beading on his forehead. “How did you avoid the boulders?”
“Ryan says God keeps a close eye on those without the mental capacity to take care of themselves. My survival seems to prove his point.” Thinking about my brother sends a fresh bolt of pain through my chest and I close my eyes, determined not to cry again.
This is the time for revenge.
“Let’s go. It’s getting dark.” I take two steps, but Luke doesn’t move.
“You’re fearless,” he whispers.
“I’m scared right now.” What if Genesis is already dead? What if we never make it out of the jungle?
What if my brother’s killers get away?
“Okay, but you use fear like a superpower. You harness it for good, or whatever.” His focus drops to the ground, and I can see that he wants to take the whole thing back. Not because he doesn’t mean it, but because he thinks it sounds stupid.
“You really think so?”
“You jumped off a cliff to help your brother. Stupid? Yes. But very brave.” Luke’s gaze holds mine with a boldconfidence I’ve rarely seen from him, and something flutters deep in my belly.
“You’re giving me way too much credit. Come on.”
As we continue down the path, I stare at the ground, hyperaware that every decision I make from this point on could take us in the wrong direction.
I’m no longer retracing my steps. This is where the jungle gets real.
GENESIS
“¡Vamos!” Silvana calls from up ahead, and I assume she’s talking to one of the hostages until I see that we’ve come to a small clearing centered around a semipermanent fire pit, where Julian has taken a seat.
“Queremos café y tenemos que hacer pis,” he insists, and I have to stifle a laugh.
