“When it goes off, run for the beach, and make sure Maddie gets in one of those boats. If I’m late, do not let her wait for me.” I have to place detonators on the warheads in the beach tent. “Got it?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Great. Go!”
He takes off at a run, clutching the C-4 in his left hand, and I hurry back to camp. I can see Indiana looking for me through the trees.
I’m three steps from the clearing when Óscar’s hand wraps around my arm, and I jump, startled.
“Look who I found,” he shouts as he hauls me back into camp. “Trying to escape.”
MADDIE
Óscar drags Genesis back into camp, and my pulse spikes so hard that for a moment, I’m afraid I’ll pass out for real. My mind races. Is she still wearing the bomb? Did she find Luke? Have we lost our shot?
I stand, but Natalia pushes me back down on the folding chair and hands me a full-sugar soda, evidently the best they can do without juice or hard candy. “You said you needed sugar. So drink.”
“What did I say would happen if you tried to escape?” Silvana demands as Óscar hauls Genesis closer.
The can shakes in my hand, and this time I’m not faking.
“You can’t kill her.” Indiana steps between Silvana and Genesis. His voice sounds strained, but his words carry loud and clear. “You need her.”
“True.” Silvana frowns, mocking Genesis as she pretends to consider the situation.
Genesis tries to pull her arm free, but Óscar only tightens his grip. “Silvana—”
“¡Cállate!” Silvana snaps at her. “You and your cousin represent not one, but three different ransoms. But you . . .” She grabs Holden by one arm, and her words drip with gleeful malice. “You only represent yourself.”
She has no idea how right she is.
Silvana pulls Holden close and sneers in his face. “Your mami will pay whether you are dead or alive.”
“No!” Penelope cries.
“Whoa!” Holden turns on Genesis, eyes wide with fear. “This is her fault! I didn’t do a damn thing!”
Silvana nods to Álvaro, and he unsnaps a huge knife from his belt. My soda can hits the ground. My throat feels thick and swollen.
Penelope chokes back a sob but Genesis clenches her jaw shut.
Silvana throws Holden to the ground. He falls to his knees in the dirt, and Álvaro is on him in a second, his knife at Holden’s throat.
“Please, don’t do this.” My cousin’s voice is unsteady. “He hasn’t broken any of your rules.”
I’ve despised Holden since I caught him making out with another girl at Genesis’s quinceañera, but he doesn’t deserve to have his throat sliced open in the middle of the jungle.
“Yeah. This has nothing to do with me.” Holden’s voice shakes and his hands tremble.
Silvana shrugs. “Any last words?”
“Please,” Genesis begs, fighting Óscar’s grip, and her desperate plea makes my eyes water. “I’m the one you want to punish.”
Silvana’s eyes practically sparkle. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
2 HOURS EARLIER
GENESIS
“¡Espérate!” Sebastián shouts, and relief washes over me. Setting off bombs a thousand miles away is one thing, but he can’t distance himself from the murder of someone his own age, right in front of his face. 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. I want to pull Sebastián away from Indiana, but that’ll make this worse.
“What are you 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 me he has all the power.
Fine.
“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”
“I want you to choose.” He grins. “Which will you save? The old lover or the new?”
“Oh shit,” Domenica says, horrified.
Silvana laughs as 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.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Great. Go!”
He takes off at a run, clutching the C-4 in his left hand, and I hurry back to camp. I can see Indiana looking for me through the trees.
I’m three steps from the clearing when Óscar’s hand wraps around my arm, and I jump, startled.
“Look who I found,” he shouts as he hauls me back into camp. “Trying to escape.”
MADDIE
Óscar drags Genesis back into camp, and my pulse spikes so hard that for a moment, I’m afraid I’ll pass out for real. My mind races. Is she still wearing the bomb? Did she find Luke? Have we lost our shot?
I stand, but Natalia pushes me back down on the folding chair and hands me a full-sugar soda, evidently the best they can do without juice or hard candy. “You said you needed sugar. So drink.”
“What did I say would happen if you tried to escape?” Silvana demands as Óscar hauls Genesis closer.
The can shakes in my hand, and this time I’m not faking.
“You can’t kill her.” Indiana steps between Silvana and Genesis. His voice sounds strained, but his words carry loud and clear. “You need her.”
“True.” Silvana frowns, mocking Genesis as she pretends to consider the situation.
Genesis tries to pull her arm free, but Óscar only tightens his grip. “Silvana—”
“¡Cállate!” Silvana snaps at her. “You and your cousin represent not one, but three different ransoms. But you . . .” She grabs Holden by one arm, and her words drip with gleeful malice. “You only represent yourself.”
She has no idea how right she is.
Silvana pulls Holden close and sneers in his face. “Your mami will pay whether you are dead or alive.”
“No!” Penelope cries.
“Whoa!” Holden turns on Genesis, eyes wide with fear. “This is her fault! I didn’t do a damn thing!”
Silvana nods to Álvaro, and he unsnaps a huge knife from his belt. My soda can hits the ground. My throat feels thick and swollen.
Penelope chokes back a sob but Genesis clenches her jaw shut.
Silvana throws Holden to the ground. He falls to his knees in the dirt, and Álvaro is on him in a second, his knife at Holden’s throat.
“Please, don’t do this.” My cousin’s voice is unsteady. “He hasn’t broken any of your rules.”
I’ve despised Holden since I caught him making out with another girl at Genesis’s quinceañera, but he doesn’t deserve to have his throat sliced open in the middle of the jungle.
“Yeah. This has nothing to do with me.” Holden’s voice shakes and his hands tremble.
Silvana shrugs. “Any last words?”
“Please,” Genesis begs, fighting Óscar’s grip, and her desperate plea makes my eyes water. “I’m the one you want to punish.”
Silvana’s eyes practically sparkle. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
2 HOURS EARLIER
GENESIS
“¡Espérate!” Sebastián shouts, and relief washes over me. Setting off bombs a thousand miles away is one thing, but he can’t distance himself from the murder of someone his own age, right in front of his face. 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. I want to pull Sebastián away from Indiana, but that’ll make this worse.
“What are you 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 me he has all the power.
Fine.
“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”
“I want you to choose.” He grins. “Which will you save? The old lover or the new?”
“Oh shit,” Domenica says, horrified.
Silvana laughs as 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.”
