“No, we have to get a detonator. For the warheads. We’re going to blow them up once we’re on the water.”
“But I’m supposed to—”
“Stand guard.”
I turn and run around the corner of the tent, dodging men racing toward the beach path with supply boxes. I duck through the tent flap, and Luke reluctantly takes up a position at the entrance, facing the chaos. Rifle at the ready.
The inside of the tent is dark, and I fumble around for several seconds before Luke pulls open the tent flap. “Hurry!” he shouts.
For a second, the firelight from outside illuminates the inside of the tent.
It’s empty.
The C-4 triggers are gone.
GENESIS
“Put it down,” Óscar shouts, and I turn to see Holden aiming a pistol at him and Natalia. Óscar’s rifle hangs at his back, temporarily out of reach. “Get out of our way,” Holden growls. Penelope stands next to him, eyes wide and terrified.
“G . . .” Indiana is suddenly at my side. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I wrap my arms around him. He has a black eye and bloody knuckles, but he’s okay too.
“Put the gun down,” Óscar repeats, and I let Indiana go.
“Holden . . .” I take several slow steps toward him, and Indiana mirrors my careful approach.
“Stay back, Gen,” Holden orders. His hand is steady, but his voice is not. “You had it coming.”
“I know.” His eyes are glassy. “Holden, give me the gun. Shooting people isn’t like shooting big game.”
“I’m not going to—” He glances at me and Indiana, and Óscar swings the rifle up.
“Holden!” Penelope shouts.
Holden turns back to Óscar and his hand twitches. The gun fires.
I fall backward. My ears ring. The gunshot echoes in my head and I can’t hear anything else.
The gun falls from my hand.
A man lies on the floor next to my mother. His eyes are open. Blood swells from his chest.
I don’t realize I’m screaming until my hearing comes back.
Óscar hits the ground on his back. The rifle lands across his stomach. He blinks once. Twice. Then his gaze loses focus.
Penelope screams.
“No!” Natalia collapses at Óscar’s side, clutching her bloody shoulder.
Holden stares at them. He’s breathing too fast. His eyes are wild and shiny, but they hold no guilt. No comprehension. Nothing.
“Holden!” Penelope reaches for him, and he turns on her. Still holding the gun. Something has cracked, deep inside him.
Indiana steps in front of Penelope. “Put the gun down. Slowly.”
Holden blinks. Then he runs into the jungle, straight into the flames.
0.5 HOURS EARLIER
MADDIE
“There are no triggers!” “What?” Luke shouts. He’s still a little deaf from the blast.
“The C-4!” I shout. “It’s all gone, and so are the rest of the cell phones!”
“Madalena,” Silvana calls, and I look up to see her rifle aimed right at us, a psychotic smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “I see you got your strength back.”
“Put the gun down, or I’ll shoot you,” Luke says, returning her aim.
Silvana laughs. “Put your gun down, or I shoot Maddie.”
“She’s bluffing,” I tell him. “She needs Genesis and me alive to make my uncle cooperate.”
“Oh, niña, he met our demands three hours ago,” Silvana says. “The bombs are being loaded onto his ship right now. So tell your boyfriend to put down the gun before I blow pieces of you all over the jungle. Sebastián may still want you alive, but I have no use for you.”
Gunfire explodes. Silvana whirls around from the impact, and blood blooms from her right arm. Her rifle clatters to the ground. Genesis stands behind her, still holding a pistol, Indiana at her side.
Stunned, I stare at them, my ears ringing worse than ever. Then I pick up the rifle and aim it at Silvana’s head. “For Ryan,” I whisper as I position my finger on the trigger and my hand on the grip, just like Luke showed me.
Genesis lifts the rifle from my grip. “She’s not worth it,” she shouts. “Trust me.” Then she slams the stock of the rifle into Silvana’s forehead.
Silvana’s skin splits open over her left brow. Her eyes close, and her head falls to the side.
“Get her to the boats,” Genesis shouts at Luke.
Luke grabs my arm, but I pull free.
“No!” I shout. “I’m not leaving until I find Julian.”
GENESIS
“Maddie, go with him!” I push her toward Luke. “Indiana and I will grab another detonator and be right behind you.” “The warheads are gone,” my cousin says. “So is the C-4. They’re loading it on your dad’s ship right now.”
“What? No!” My ears are ringing.
Luke runs one hand through his curls. “Silvana said he complied hours ago.”
“Damn it!” I can’t think. I turn to Indiana. “How could he comply?”
“How could he not?” Indiana pulls me into a hug. “He’s your dad.”
I turn back to the base camp, and find Rog escorting Penelope and Domenica toward the beach with a rifle slung across his chest. “He left me.” Pen’s face is stained with tears, and her eyes are puffy. “He just . . . left me.”
“We need to get out of here before the rest of the terrorists get here,” Rog says as they pass us.
“There are more?”
“There are always more.”
“There are two boats on the beach,” I tell him. “Get everyone on them. We’ll be right there.” Even if they’ve finished loading the bombs, the boat might still be within range.
I have to find a cell phone.
“Okay.” I push hair back from my forehead and force myself to focus. “Go get the boats ready,” I whisper to Luke. “We’ll talk Maddie out of killing Julian and find a phone. Then we’ll be right behind you.”
“One of the boats is still in the tent on the beach,” he says. “It’ll take several of us to drag it into the water.”
“But I’m supposed to—”
“Stand guard.”
I turn and run around the corner of the tent, dodging men racing toward the beach path with supply boxes. I duck through the tent flap, and Luke reluctantly takes up a position at the entrance, facing the chaos. Rifle at the ready.
The inside of the tent is dark, and I fumble around for several seconds before Luke pulls open the tent flap. “Hurry!” he shouts.
For a second, the firelight from outside illuminates the inside of the tent.
It’s empty.
The C-4 triggers are gone.
GENESIS
“Put it down,” Óscar shouts, and I turn to see Holden aiming a pistol at him and Natalia. Óscar’s rifle hangs at his back, temporarily out of reach. “Get out of our way,” Holden growls. Penelope stands next to him, eyes wide and terrified.
“G . . .” Indiana is suddenly at my side. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I wrap my arms around him. He has a black eye and bloody knuckles, but he’s okay too.
“Put the gun down,” Óscar repeats, and I let Indiana go.
“Holden . . .” I take several slow steps toward him, and Indiana mirrors my careful approach.
“Stay back, Gen,” Holden orders. His hand is steady, but his voice is not. “You had it coming.”
“I know.” His eyes are glassy. “Holden, give me the gun. Shooting people isn’t like shooting big game.”
“I’m not going to—” He glances at me and Indiana, and Óscar swings the rifle up.
“Holden!” Penelope shouts.
Holden turns back to Óscar and his hand twitches. The gun fires.
I fall backward. My ears ring. The gunshot echoes in my head and I can’t hear anything else.
The gun falls from my hand.
A man lies on the floor next to my mother. His eyes are open. Blood swells from his chest.
I don’t realize I’m screaming until my hearing comes back.
Óscar hits the ground on his back. The rifle lands across his stomach. He blinks once. Twice. Then his gaze loses focus.
Penelope screams.
“No!” Natalia collapses at Óscar’s side, clutching her bloody shoulder.
Holden stares at them. He’s breathing too fast. His eyes are wild and shiny, but they hold no guilt. No comprehension. Nothing.
“Holden!” Penelope reaches for him, and he turns on her. Still holding the gun. Something has cracked, deep inside him.
Indiana steps in front of Penelope. “Put the gun down. Slowly.”
Holden blinks. Then he runs into the jungle, straight into the flames.
0.5 HOURS EARLIER
MADDIE
“There are no triggers!” “What?” Luke shouts. He’s still a little deaf from the blast.
“The C-4!” I shout. “It’s all gone, and so are the rest of the cell phones!”
“Madalena,” Silvana calls, and I look up to see her rifle aimed right at us, a psychotic smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “I see you got your strength back.”
“Put the gun down, or I’ll shoot you,” Luke says, returning her aim.
Silvana laughs. “Put your gun down, or I shoot Maddie.”
“She’s bluffing,” I tell him. “She needs Genesis and me alive to make my uncle cooperate.”
“Oh, niña, he met our demands three hours ago,” Silvana says. “The bombs are being loaded onto his ship right now. So tell your boyfriend to put down the gun before I blow pieces of you all over the jungle. Sebastián may still want you alive, but I have no use for you.”
Gunfire explodes. Silvana whirls around from the impact, and blood blooms from her right arm. Her rifle clatters to the ground. Genesis stands behind her, still holding a pistol, Indiana at her side.
Stunned, I stare at them, my ears ringing worse than ever. Then I pick up the rifle and aim it at Silvana’s head. “For Ryan,” I whisper as I position my finger on the trigger and my hand on the grip, just like Luke showed me.
Genesis lifts the rifle from my grip. “She’s not worth it,” she shouts. “Trust me.” Then she slams the stock of the rifle into Silvana’s forehead.
Silvana’s skin splits open over her left brow. Her eyes close, and her head falls to the side.
“Get her to the boats,” Genesis shouts at Luke.
Luke grabs my arm, but I pull free.
“No!” I shout. “I’m not leaving until I find Julian.”
GENESIS
“Maddie, go with him!” I push her toward Luke. “Indiana and I will grab another detonator and be right behind you.” “The warheads are gone,” my cousin says. “So is the C-4. They’re loading it on your dad’s ship right now.”
“What? No!” My ears are ringing.
Luke runs one hand through his curls. “Silvana said he complied hours ago.”
“Damn it!” I can’t think. I turn to Indiana. “How could he comply?”
“How could he not?” Indiana pulls me into a hug. “He’s your dad.”
I turn back to the base camp, and find Rog escorting Penelope and Domenica toward the beach with a rifle slung across his chest. “He left me.” Pen’s face is stained with tears, and her eyes are puffy. “He just . . . left me.”
“We need to get out of here before the rest of the terrorists get here,” Rog says as they pass us.
“There are more?”
“There are always more.”
“There are two boats on the beach,” I tell him. “Get everyone on them. We’ll be right there.” Even if they’ve finished loading the bombs, the boat might still be within range.
I have to find a cell phone.
“Okay.” I push hair back from my forehead and force myself to focus. “Go get the boats ready,” I whisper to Luke. “We’ll talk Maddie out of killing Julian and find a phone. Then we’ll be right behind you.”
“One of the boats is still in the tent on the beach,” he says. “It’ll take several of us to drag it into the water.”
