Then Luke freezes, and suddenly seemsveryaware that he’s lying half on top of me, his left knee between my thighs. His chest pressed against mine.
“I’m s-sorry ...” he stammers, lifting himself. “I didn’t mean to—”
I pull him down, his hesitancy melting until our lips meet.
My eyes close and we both relax into the kiss. For a few minutes, there is no jungle. There are no kidnappers and no hostages. There are no spiders, snakes, or caimans. There is no grief, and no pain.
For a few minutes, there is only Luke and me, and the sweet, shared taste of marshmallow.
17 HOURS EARLIER
GENESIS
“Gin!” Domenica says as she lays her cards on my straw mat. I’ve lost four games in a row, and no one will play poker with me anymore because I won all of Domenica’s breath mints and all of Rog’s rolling papers. Which are no good without anything to roll.
Hiking through the jungle sucked, but boredom is its own special kind of hell.
Álvaro cranks up the radio his group is listening to at the next campfire.
“Thanks for joining us. It’s eleven a.m. here in Miami ...” Neda’s voice rings out loud and clear.
I look up as Holden finally stops trying to suck Penelope’s soul out through her mouth.
“This morning, we have confirmation that a small group of the missing hikers were actually out of camp on a sightseeing tour during the kidnapping. They made it out of the jungle overnight and have reported their fellow hikers missing. Among those Americans still unaccounted for are ahusband and wife from Texas, four young backpackers from San Diego, and a high school dropout from Indiana. You can hear more about that on just about any news channel. Seriously, they’re playing it over and over,” Neda continues. “But whatwehave for you today on South Florida’s Power 85 FM is an exclusive interview with the parent of one of the Miami Six, the local teens and my personal friends who were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint yesterday from a Colombian army bunkhouse. Stay tuned ...”
Neda has found her calling, and after all the years she’s spent pining for a career in modeling, I’m surprised that it’s radio.
Thinking about Neda makes me miss my dad. I don’t care if he’s nagging me to try that disgusting protein powder his trainer got him hooked on or trying to talk me into going to his alma mater. I just want to hear his voice.
When the show comes back on the air, Neda teases the exclusive interview, then shares several short, funny stories about the Miami Six, no doubt intended to cement her personal connection to the crisis. She tells the world how Penelope can do a back tuck on a four-inch wide balance beam, but won’t walk over a street grate because she’s afraid it’ll collapse and dump her into the sewer. How Holden handed out gourmet muffins to the poor, without mentioning that his community service was court-ordered.
“And Genesis ...” Neda’s voice breaks with emotion, and my eyes water. “Genesis is my best friend, and if it weren’t for her, I’d still be out there like everyone else, onlycrippled by my recent injury. She’s the one who arranged for me to be airlifted out of the jungle, and ...” Her voice cracks again, and the DJ suggests another break.
But I can’t stop thinking about what she said.Nicois the one who got Neda out of the jungle. I just paid for her ride. Like my father, I threw money at the problem, even when the problem was one of my best friends.
Indiana takes my hand and intertwines his fingers with mine.
Neda comes back on the air, and I hold my breath as she introduces Amanda Goh. Penelope looks close to tears, and I let go of Indiana’s hand to go comfort her. But then Holden puts his arm around her, and I remember that she chose him over our friendship.
“Pleasegive our daughter back to us,” Mrs. Goh begs over the radio, her voice half choked with tears. “We’ve raised just over a million dollars.” Probably donated by people who remember watching Penelope Goh take Olympic silver on the uneven bars. She’s an American hero, and her fans will do anything to bring her home.
Penelope presses the heels of her hands to her eyes to hold back tears. She’s been doing that since she failed to place in her very first gymnastics meet, when she was six.
“One million for the little acrobat!” Silvana stands near the fire pit closest to the headquarters tent, her arms raised in victory.
Wait. I practically offered to write Sebastián a blank check, and she’s ready to celebrate over a mere million?
“We’ll send it wherever you want,” Mrs. Goh adds. “However you want it. Just please call. Please tell us how to get Penelope back.”
“What?”Silvana spins around with a look so furious I catch my breath.
The radio goes to another commercial break, but no one’s listening anymore because Silvana is on the warpath.
She marches across the clearing, and men move out of her way. “Why doesn’t she know where to send the money, Sebastián?” Silvana demands. “Why haven’t you called in the ransoms?”
MADDIE
Luke holds a branch out of the path for me, but won’t make eye contact. He hasn’t looked directly at me or said a word since we packed up after lunch.
