I glance over my shoulder, and the movement throws me off balance. Maddie grabs my arm before I can fall, then she’s in the lead, clutching the cell phone in one hand.
Footsteps pound behind us. Silvana huffs, as if each step drives more air from her lungs. But her pace is steady. She’s strong and fast.
She’s almost caught us.
“There it is!” Maddie points at a break in the jungle trail, and ahead, I see moonlight gleaming on dark water.
The beach. The boats.
We’re almost free.
“Ow!” Maddie stumbles, then hops two steps, trying to grab her ankle without stopping. “I can’t—”
“Yes you can!” I take her arm and haul her forward. “We’re going to make it.”
Maddie pulls me to a stop. I start to yell for her to go, but then I recognize the look in her eyes. Valencia stubbornness shines, even in the dark. “Wearegoing to make it, but I can’t run, so you have to get Silvana off the path. Take this.” She slaps the phone into my palm. “Draw her into the jungle and press send as soon as you have a signal.”
“I’m not going to leave—”
“Go!” she whispers fiercely as Silvana rounds the curve behind us. Then she ducks into the brush to hide, to the left of the path.
I make sure Silvana can see that I have the phone, then I take off into the jungle, to the right. I run with everything I have left, thrashing through the foliage to keep Silvana on my trail. Branches slap my face and tear at my clothes. Dirt gives way to sand beneath my feet, and I stumble, fighting to stay upright.
At the edge of the water, I see Luke run to Maddie and carry her into the boat. I hear music, and in the distance, I can see a cruise ship lit up like a party on all three levels. Help isright there. All we have to do is get to it.
There’s a closer, smaller boat running dark in the water.Headed north. My dad’s cargo ship. It has to be.
The phone has one percent power and two signal bars. I press redial.
The cruise ship explodes.
MADDIE
The night lights up like midday for a split second. An instant later, the boom echoes.
Then the shock wave hits us. The boat rocks violently. Luke and I fly into the dashboard, still clutching each other. He slams his shoulder against the steering wheel.
Indiana is thrown past us, into the windshield. He hits his head on the glass and crashes to the floor at my feet, eyes closed.
“No!” I kneel next to him, gripping the seat for balance as the boat rocks. I put one hand on Indiana’s chest. It rises. He’s still breathing. “Where are Penelope and Rog and Domenica?”
Luke points to the east, and I see the other speedboat barreling forward, parallel to the coast. Rocketing over wave after choppy wave.
They got away.
My cousin runs from the jungle onto the beach in a pool of torchlight. “Maddie—”
Silvana bursts from the brush and rams her from behind. Genesis hits the sand face-first. Silvana pounces.
“Go!” Genesis yells as she struggles to throw Silvana off.
Luke pulls himself up into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.
“No!” I shout, but I can hardly hear my own voice.
“Go!” Genesis shouts again.
Silvana swings the pistol at her head. My cousin collapses on the sand.
