He won’t let this happen.
“Wainwright is old news,” he says, and I frown, confused by his tactic.“Ella no se preocupa por él.”
Silvana turns to me, brows raised in mock surprise. “Then what is the new headline,princesa?”
“Him.” Sebastián shoves Indiana down in the dirt next to Holden.
“Sebastián, no!” I twist my arm to break Óscar’s grip and rush toward Indiana. “What are you doing?”
Óscar reaches for me again, but Sebastián waves him off. He presses his blade against Indiana’s neck, and I freeze.
Indiana closes his eyes.
“No! Please!” I don’t know what to do with my hands. Iwant to pull Sebastián away from Indiana, but that’ll make this worse.
“Whatareyou doing, Sebastián?” Silvana’s voice is a singsong taunt as she saunters closer for a better view.
“Genesis likes to call the shots,” Sebastián says. “So let’s let her call this one.” He turns to me, and his gaze is cold and hard. His grin is dark and cruel.
Penelope sobs. “Please don’t hurt Holden. Please. Please don’t hurt him. Please—” she cries, until Domenica pulls her into a hug.
Rog wears a grim frown at the edge of the clearing, and Maddie looks frozen, afraid to move. But several of the gunmen come forward for a better view, eager for the show.
I wonder if they’ve seen this one before.
My eyes water, and I blink away tears. Looking weak won’t help Indiana or Holden.
Think!
I’ve read Sebastián all wrong, and he wants me to know that. He wants me to know that he’s in control here. That he’s been manipulating me since before I even got on the plane—how else would he know how we got here?—and that he’s tired of pretending otherwise.
He wants to show mehehas all the power.
Fine.
“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”
“I want you tochoose.” He grins. “Which will you save? The old lover or the new?”
“Oh shit,” Domenica says, horrified.
Silvanalaughsas she paces in front of me. Studying my pain from all angles. “Who will it be,princesa?” She gestures to Holden, then to Indiana. “Which one will you save?”
“Gen!”Holden’s voice is strained. His eyes plead with me. “Do something!”
“And you?” She squats at eye level with Indiana, where she brushes a strand of brown hair from his forehead. “Are you going to plead for your life?”
Indiana turns his head carefully, slowly, in spite of the knife at his throat, until he can look right into her eyes. “If you want to kill me, just do it. Don’t put this on Genesis.”
“¡Éste es encantador!”Silvana laughs as she stands and turns to me. “I can see the attraction. So who will it be?”
Indiana won’t look at me. He doesn’t want to make this any harder for me. Even now, he is above the drama.
Holden pleads with me silently. We’re over, but I can’t pretend that he means nothing to me. I can’t watch while his neck is hacked open on the jungle floor.
“I can’t.” Tears blur my vision, and that’s almost a mercy, because I can’t stand this. I can’t pick. I can’t watch either of them die.
“You have ten seconds to decide, or we will kill them both.” Sebastián holds his wrist up to stare at his watch.
