100 Hours
Page 58
“¡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.
“No.” I can’t breathe. I can’t see through my tears.
“Ocho seconds . . . ,” he taunts.
My legs fold beneath me and I land on my knees in the dirt. “Please don’t.” I wipe tears from my eyes and look up at Sebastián, who’s watching my torture with a sadistic smile. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Five seconds,” he says. “Do you want to lose them both?”
“No!”
“Three seconds!” Silvana is practically gleeful, and I can’t think through the tangle of loyalty, guilt, and regret strangling me like a noose. “Which do you want to keep, the big mouth or the silver tongue?” She glances at her watch, then turns to me with excitement shining in her eyes. “Time’s up, princesa! Make a decision! Who are we going to kill?”
“Genesis!” Holden’s voice is a panicked squeak.
“I can’t . . .” I bend over my knees, huddled around the hole in my heart. “I can’t do it.”
“Fine.” Silvana turns to Sebastián. “Kill them both.”
Panic pumps fire through my veins. “Wait!” I sit up straight and she turns to me with artificial surprise and anticipation. “Indiana. Save Indiana.”
My own choice breaks me into a million pieces of remorse and regret. But I won’t take it back.
“You bitch!” Holden shouts, and my chest feels like it’s caving in.
“No!” Penelope sobs, and Domenica hugs her tighter.
Guilt is an abyss devouring me one shattered piece at a time.
Sebastián laughs so hard he sounds like he’s choking. He steps back from Indiana and waves one hand at Álvaro. “Let Holden go.”
He squats beside me as I stare at him in horror. “I didn’t think you would do it!”
1.5 HOURS EARLIER
MADDIE
“Holden . . .” Genesis grabs his arm as he stomps past her, but he pulls free. “I knew she wouldn’t kill you. You’re the more valuable hostage. You were the safer bet.” She’s lying, I can see it.
So can Holden.
“You deserve whatever you get out here,” he spits. The hatred in his eyes is so absolute that it steals my breath. He retreats to the other side of the clearing and sinks onto a log with Penelope, who’s still wiping tears from her face.
I make a show of getting up slowly while I sip my soda, careful to make brief eye contact with several of the guards so they can see that I’m feeling better. So I can gradually stop faking diabetic shock. And go to my cousin.
“Genesis.” I squat next to her. “We need to—”
“I don’t know how things got so screwed up between us,” she says, and for a second, I think she’s talking to me. Apologizing for all the times she was . . . well, herself. But then I realize she’s still looking at Holden.
“Give him some time,” Indiana says from her other side. “Eventually he’ll understand.”
“He already does,” she says. “He’s not going to get over that.”
We need to make our move. But she’s upset, and the girl with her finger on the trigger needs to have a steady hand. So I give Genesis some space and head over to check on Domenica and take the lay of the land.
Rog sits with his back against a tree, watching everything. His gaze finds me and lingers too long. As if he understands everything, now that, I assume, he’s finally clearheaded.
Penelope and Holden are huddled close together, which is no real surprise, considering that Indiana is evidently the “new headline.”
“Holden, we can’t do that to her,” Penelope whispers, and I freeze in my tracks. They haven’t noticed me, but the guards will, so I bend to tie my shoe.
“She was going to let them kill me!” Holden growls. “She deserves what she gets. And we need a distraction—now.” I can’t see his face, but every muscle in his body is tense.
“I know, but—”
Holden grabs Penelope’s arm so hard that she flinches. “You’re either with me or with her, Pen.”
“I’m with you. I told you. But . . .” She lowers her voice, and I stand, but I can’t make myself walk away. “If you tell them she took it, they’ll kill her.”
I walk to my cousin as fast as I can without drawing attention. “Genesis,” I hiss as I kneel in front of her and Indiana. “Holden’s going to tell them about the C-4.”
She frowns. “He can’t prove it. It’s already in the jungle.”
Holden is already up, heading for Sebastián.
“But what about the . . .” I glance at the bulge in her pocket, where the detonator phone is hidden.
“Shit.” She glances around the clearing. “I have to blow it now.”
But Holden is already talking to Sebastián. “There’s no time. Give it to me.”
“No, I—”
I take the phone from Genesis’s pocket, then shove it into my waistband next to my insulin pump. “Trust me.”
I stand, turn my back, and walk away.
“Genesis!” Sebastián aims his rifle at her chest. “Don’t move.”
GENESIS
I stand slowly, my hands in the air. “Back off!” Sebastián shouts at Indiana. When I nod, Indiana reluctantly takes three steps back. “Óscar, ¡venga!”
Óscar begins patting me down while Sebastián maintains his aim at my chest.
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.
“No.” I can’t breathe. I can’t see through my tears.
“Ocho seconds . . . ,” he taunts.
My legs fold beneath me and I land on my knees in the dirt. “Please don’t.” I wipe tears from my eyes and look up at Sebastián, who’s watching my torture with a sadistic smile. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Five seconds,” he says. “Do you want to lose them both?”
“No!”
“Three seconds!” Silvana is practically gleeful, and I can’t think through the tangle of loyalty, guilt, and regret strangling me like a noose. “Which do you want to keep, the big mouth or the silver tongue?” She glances at her watch, then turns to me with excitement shining in her eyes. “Time’s up, princesa! Make a decision! Who are we going to kill?”
“Genesis!” Holden’s voice is a panicked squeak.
“I can’t . . .” I bend over my knees, huddled around the hole in my heart. “I can’t do it.”
“Fine.” Silvana turns to Sebastián. “Kill them both.”
Panic pumps fire through my veins. “Wait!” I sit up straight and she turns to me with artificial surprise and anticipation. “Indiana. Save Indiana.”
My own choice breaks me into a million pieces of remorse and regret. But I won’t take it back.
“You bitch!” Holden shouts, and my chest feels like it’s caving in.
“No!” Penelope sobs, and Domenica hugs her tighter.
Guilt is an abyss devouring me one shattered piece at a time.
Sebastián laughs so hard he sounds like he’s choking. He steps back from Indiana and waves one hand at Álvaro. “Let Holden go.”
He squats beside me as I stare at him in horror. “I didn’t think you would do it!”
1.5 HOURS EARLIER
MADDIE
“Holden . . .” Genesis grabs his arm as he stomps past her, but he pulls free. “I knew she wouldn’t kill you. You’re the more valuable hostage. You were the safer bet.” She’s lying, I can see it.
So can Holden.
“You deserve whatever you get out here,” he spits. The hatred in his eyes is so absolute that it steals my breath. He retreats to the other side of the clearing and sinks onto a log with Penelope, who’s still wiping tears from her face.
I make a show of getting up slowly while I sip my soda, careful to make brief eye contact with several of the guards so they can see that I’m feeling better. So I can gradually stop faking diabetic shock. And go to my cousin.
“Genesis.” I squat next to her. “We need to—”
“I don’t know how things got so screwed up between us,” she says, and for a second, I think she’s talking to me. Apologizing for all the times she was . . . well, herself. But then I realize she’s still looking at Holden.
“Give him some time,” Indiana says from her other side. “Eventually he’ll understand.”
“He already does,” she says. “He’s not going to get over that.”
We need to make our move. But she’s upset, and the girl with her finger on the trigger needs to have a steady hand. So I give Genesis some space and head over to check on Domenica and take the lay of the land.
Rog sits with his back against a tree, watching everything. His gaze finds me and lingers too long. As if he understands everything, now that, I assume, he’s finally clearheaded.
Penelope and Holden are huddled close together, which is no real surprise, considering that Indiana is evidently the “new headline.”
“Holden, we can’t do that to her,” Penelope whispers, and I freeze in my tracks. They haven’t noticed me, but the guards will, so I bend to tie my shoe.
“She was going to let them kill me!” Holden growls. “She deserves what she gets. And we need a distraction—now.” I can’t see his face, but every muscle in his body is tense.
“I know, but—”
Holden grabs Penelope’s arm so hard that she flinches. “You’re either with me or with her, Pen.”
“I’m with you. I told you. But . . .” She lowers her voice, and I stand, but I can’t make myself walk away. “If you tell them she took it, they’ll kill her.”
I walk to my cousin as fast as I can without drawing attention. “Genesis,” I hiss as I kneel in front of her and Indiana. “Holden’s going to tell them about the C-4.”
She frowns. “He can’t prove it. It’s already in the jungle.”
Holden is already up, heading for Sebastián.
“But what about the . . .” I glance at the bulge in her pocket, where the detonator phone is hidden.
“Shit.” She glances around the clearing. “I have to blow it now.”
But Holden is already talking to Sebastián. “There’s no time. Give it to me.”
“No, I—”
I take the phone from Genesis’s pocket, then shove it into my waistband next to my insulin pump. “Trust me.”
I stand, turn my back, and walk away.
“Genesis!” Sebastián aims his rifle at her chest. “Don’t move.”
GENESIS
I stand slowly, my hands in the air. “Back off!” Sebastián shouts at Indiana. When I nod, Indiana reluctantly takes three steps back. “Óscar, ¡venga!”
Óscar begins patting me down while Sebastián maintains his aim at my chest.
