With a moan, Parrot covered his face with his hands, and I realized I’d probably been too graphic with the possible details of his mom’s situation.
Jonathan emerged from the jungle as we passed by the single-men hut. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
I looked at Parrot and his clenched jaw, and I knew he wasn’t opening it to explain. I turned to Jonathan. “Talon alluded to the fact he killed the guard or possibly hired a hit man to do it. And he told us to steal the vase and meet him at the corral at midnight.”
“Or?” Jonathan asked.
I put my arm around Parrot. “Or he’d give the order for Parrot’s mom to be killed.”
Jonathan looked right at Parrot. “Your mom is not going to die. We’ll play Talon’s game, but our way. We’re meeting him at midnight.”
I lay wide awake in my hammock, incessantly checking my watch.
11:11 P.M.
I went over everything in my head that Jonathan had planned. We’d have a pouch with a fake vase. Parrot and I would use it as leverage in obtaining his mother’s location. We’d give Talon the false artifact, and Jonathan and Guillermo would move in.
11:23 P.M.
I listened to the night sounds. A symphony of bugs, frogs, and a million other jungle night crawlers filled the air. Jonathan, Guillermo, and Quirk would be watching from the woods the whole time. Nothing would go wrong.
11:39 P.M.
An occasional soft snore, heavy breath, or the sound of a body shifting filtered past me in the single-women hut.
11:51 P.M.
I swung my legs over the side of the hammock and, with a deep breath, left the hut. I crossed the village, squinting toward the corral. Through the night I made out the shadows of the horses as they restlessly moved around.
I saw a person standing inside the corral holding a long object. And then another person beside him.
As I passed the ceremonial hut, something moved in my peripheral vision, and I turned to see Parrot coming toward me, holding the pouch with the fake vase.
I waited for him to catch up. “There’s someone with Talon.”
Parrot’s gaze flicked to the corral. “That’s the leader from Southern Mexico. Looks like we know who the other bad chief is.”
I nodded toward the corral, absolutely determined Talon would not intimidate me this time. “Let’s do this.”
We approached the corral fence. The horses shifted with agitation at having Talon and the other chief inside the area.
Diablo and Abrienda tried to come over and say hi to us, but Parrot held his hand up and shook his head, and, surprisingly, the horses kept their distance.
Talon nodded to the pouch. “I’m not even going to ask how you got that away from the guards.” He smirked. “Aren’t you just sly these days?”
My gaze switched to a long spear Talon held in his hand. “What did you bring that for?” I asked, proud of my gutsy voice.
Talon shrugged. “Never know when you might need a good spear.”
I didn’t like that answer.
“I’m not into dramatics.” Talon held out his hand. “Toss the pouch here, and I’ll tell you where your mother is.”
I put my hand on Parrot’s arm. “Doesn’t work that way. You tell us where his mom is, and we’ll give you the pouch.”
Talon narrowed his eyes.
“And,” I continued with my bold ultimatum, “you lie to us about his mom, and you suffer. I think you’ve figured out by now that we have the ability to make you do just that. We have access to top secret things. Things you could only dream of.” I pinned him with the stealthiest gaze I’d seen TL do. “You will be hunted down, both of you, and made to suffer.
“And, you lay one finger on my friend, and the same applies.” Because once the location of Parrot’s mom was revealed, he’d be free to testify against Talon. Talon knew that. Maybe that’s why he’d brought the spear. To end Parrot’s life.
Silence fell over us as my threat lingered in the air. I concentrated on not swallowing, blinking, or moving. I kept my icy eyes on Talon, letting him see every ounce of the truth in what I’d said. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I’d gone too far, but I also knew I’d carry out the threat if need be.
The chief beside Talon swallowed, and the sound gurgled in the air. The nervous reaction pleased me.
Talon grunted. “Darren will not testify against me.”
“Done,” Parrot immediately agreed. “Tell me where my mother is.”
“Poland. The city of Racpap. On Nublin Street. Number Twenty-three.” Talon held his hand out for the vase, and Parrot tossed it to him.
Like two greedy boys, the chiefs eagerly untied the pouch and began unwrapping the thick layers of protective cloth.
Parrot and I turned away and started back across the village.
“Racpap. Nublin Street. Twenty-three,” he recited. “Racpap. Nublin Street. Twenty-three.”
“Pick up your pace,” I whispered. “Talon’s about to discover the vase is fake.”
“WHAT IS THIS?!” Talon yelled through the night.
Parrot and I took off running. We wove through the village, dodging behind huts, jumping gardens, and disappeared into the jungle. Hearts pounding, we ran as fast as we could through the dark to the river. Plants slapped us, thorns stabbed us, limbs tripped us, but we kept going.
Minutes later we emerged at the river, our predetermined meeting place.
Gasping for air, I braced my hands on my knees. “Jonathan”—I took a breath—“and Guillermo”—I took another breath—“should have got him by now.”
Sucking in air, Parrot nodded.
Out of the corner of my eye, a shadowed figure emerged from the jungle. I jerked up.
The Huworo chief stepped onto the river’s bank. He said something in his language and nodded to the right.
“He says,” Parrot translated, “he saw everything that happened. And this is not a safe place. Talon is heading right toward us.”
“But what about Jonathan?”
Parrot turned to the Huworo chief, asked him that question, and the chief responded.
Parrot didn’t say anything at first. He didn’t even look at me.
“What?” I nearly shouted.
Parrot rubbed his hands down his face. “Oh, my God.”
“WHAT?!”
“The chief says Jonathan has been killed and Guillermo’s been seriously injured.”
My whole body went numb. “Wh-what?” I shook my head. “That can’t be.”
Jonathan’s words echoed in my brain.
If anything happens to me . . .
The Huworo chief said something.
“He says,” Parrot translated, “that we have to hurry. Talon’s very close.”
I shook my head again.
Something’s not right. “
I want to see his body. I don’t believe he’s dead.”
Something rustled in the jungle, and the chief took off running.
Parrot grabbed my arm and raced after the chief down the bank of the river. Tugging my arm free, I kept up the pace, glancing back every now and then to where we’d come from. The river cut around a corner, and I lost track of where we were.
The clouds parted, and the nearly full moon lit up the area.
More of Jonathan’s words echoed through my brain.
Don’t trust anybody. . . .
My breath hitched with the overwhelming emotion. Jonathan was dead. TL was on another continent. David, too. Guillermo was seriously injured. And I had no idea where Quirk was.
Breathe, GiGi, breathe.
I still had Parrot, I reminded myself.
The chief darted off into the jungle, and we followed. The foliage surrounded us, blocking out any meager rays of moonlight. I tripped over something and felt Parrot pulling me up. He ran into a tree, and I was there to catch him. We both rolled down a bank and helped each other up. I tasted blood. With the amount of things scraping my face, there was no telling where it was coming from.
An animal roared through the night, and my already pounding heart leapt.
Oh, my God. We’re going to die.
Right as that thought went through my brain, we emerged at the swinging bridge that spanned the canyon and led to the cave.
Sucking in air, Parrot and I looked around.
The chief said something. I turned in his direction and stumbled backward mere inches from the canyon’s edge.
Holding a gun at me and Parrot, the chief repeated what he’d said.
“He says,” Parrot gulped a breath, “that we either end our lives in the canyon or he’s going to shoot.”
“What?”
I caught my sob.
Don’t trust anybody. . . .
“Oh, my God.” And then I started crying.
Parrot wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“Lower the gun,” a voice spoke to my left, and I jerked around.
Quirk stood at the border of the jungle with a rifle pointed straight at the Huworo chief. A shadow emerged behind him. I recognized the figure a split second before I screamed, “Quirk!”
And then everything happened lightning quick. Raising a rock high above his head, Talon slammed it down on Quirk’s skull, and he fell flat on his face. Talon brought his spear back and slung it through the air, and with a squish, it pierced the Huworo chief’s chest, sending him sailing through the dark into the canyon. Then Talon swung Quirk’s rifle up into his hands and pointed it right at me and Parrot.
Neither one of us moved.
He cocked the rifle, making it more than apparent he wasn’t talking, just shooting. I shoved Parrot away from me and dove in the opposite direction at the exact second Talon fired.
The booming sound echoed through the canyon and vibrated my body. Immediately, I recalled what Jonathan had said during PT.
What is my objective?
To disable Talon.
What is my terrain?
A canyon behind me, jungle in front.
Is there an enemy nearby?
Yes.
Is there a team member nearby?
Yes. One alive, one now unconscious.
How much time do I have to meet my objective?
ASAP.