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Another blow. Suki knew it wasn’t Lund’s fault. Fear overwhelmed her. Her dad would be taken to Jacob Calakmul, who’d made it clear what he wanted to do. Her father would be sacrificed on a Maya altar. She closed her eyes, feeling tears burning hotly. She shook her head, trying to stop them, trying to blot out her imagination, but it didn’t work.
She started sobbing.
It wasn’t fair! Ever since they’d gone to Mexico with the Beasleys, their life had blown up. Now the world was blowing up.
Before the jet stopped, Suki felt her mom’s arms embracing her. Suki quivered, her nose dripping, and held on to her mom, clinging to her.
These feelings writhing in her chest. These terrible emotions of loss, of grief, of anger, of hatred. These were emotions that the world would soon be feeling. Set loose by a jerk because of what had happened to his ancestors five centuries ago. What a mess.
Her mother held her, stroking her hair and murmuring softly. Suki knew that her mom was hurting too. Her husband had been abducted. Her boys were missing. Then she felt a small hand stroking hers, and when she opened her wet eyes, she saw Jane Louise kneeling in front of her. This little girl who had watched her family die was trying to comfort her. They were both trying to make her feel better despite their own pain.
There was something weirdly awesome about that.
Suki sniffled, wiping her eyes. The pilot had emerged from the cockpit and was opening the door. The roar of a jet engine could be heard outside as another jet took off.
Suki felt embarrassed for crying so hard. She’d unwittingly wiped her snot on her mom’s shirt. But moms didn’t care about gross stuff like that. Moms were incredible.
Suki looked at Lund. He seemed defeated. Grief stricken. He was staring out the window, tears in his own eyes, and by some incredible flex of self-will, they hadn’t fallen.
There was a shrinking part of Suki that wanted to blame him for this unfortunate twist of events. But Lund had tried everything in his power to protect her family. He’d done the same in Bozeman. In fact, he’d been grazed by a bullet protecting Suki’s life from an MS-13 gang. It wasn’t his fault.
“Hey,” Suki said.
Lund continued to gaze absently out the window.
“Hey,” she said again.
He turned to look at her, his expression suggesting he was bracing himself for a rebuke.
“Thanks, Uncle Steve,” she said to him, choking on the words. “It’s not your fault. You got us out of Florida okay. You can’t be everywhere at once.”
She didn’t know what had inspired her to say those things. But she saw the wrinkle in his forehead, the relaxing of his tense shoulders.
“Calakmul . . . he’s pretty intense. No joke. He’s . . . he’s a boss. That’s why we’re so afraid of him.”
Lund frowned and nodded. He didn’t offer any platitudes. Any fake promises that they’d get her dad back or the boys were okay. He was real. He wouldn’t fill her with false hope.
“Thanks, kiddo,” he said gruffly, wiping his eyes.
Suki reached out her palm to him. He knew what it meant. He placed his palm on hers, and their thumbs embraced. An introvert’s hug.
Lund sighed as they pulled their hands back. “I do have a tracker on your dad’s burner phone,” he said. “If they’ve taken him out of cell phone range, it won’t show up. But we can try that at least.”
He pulled out his phone again and switched apps. His brow furrowed. “That’s weird.”
“What?” Suki asked.
“The phone is still on. And working.”
Suki felt a gush of hope. “Did dad escape? Or can you find the guy who kidnapped him?”
Lund looked perplexed. “I don’t think so . . . it’s at the Lincoln Memorial.”
Suki and her mom exchanged a look.
“Call the phone,” her mom said.
“It’s the boys,” Jane Louise said with a smile.