Maddy sounds near tears as I turn toward her. Shame practically vibrates from her. I’d be furious because she’s right, but she doesn’t need to think I blame her.
“It’s just a house.”
The look she shoots me screams she doesn’t believe me. I stay quiet since more platitudes won’t solve this or make her feel better. Joaquin moves next to me before he speaks. I already know he’s thinking the same thing Jorge and I are.
“We need to leave.”
“How?” Maddy looks at all of us before staring out the window.
“Remember the Zodiac I told you about?”
“Won’t that keep us exposed?”
I point out the window toward the left. She can’t see much, but at least she knows which direction I’m talking about.
“See how the island curves toward that cliff? The cove will shelter us until we can get to the cave in that cliff. From there, we have a way out.”
She watches me rather than looks out the window. She nods, and I know she trusts me implicitly. There’s no time for that to warm my heart, but it would if we weren’t on the verge of dying. Joaquin shuts the French doors as Jorge rushes to the security panel. He enters a code, and metal panels slide down the outside of the window and doors. They seal every entryway, making the mansion into a fortress.
This is why we have the fully stocked pantry. In case we go into lockdown. Our uncles and cousins will get the alert, so it surprises neither my brothers nor me when our phones all ring.TíoLuis calls Jorge while Pablo calls Joaquin, andTíoEnrique calls me. None of us notice we default to Spanish until Maddy wraps her arms around her waist and appears entirely lost. Without being fluent, there’s no way she can keep up with our rapid conversations. We’re speaking in code, anyway.
I slide my arm around her waist and hurry her toward the door leading to the foyer. Her fingers slip into the waistband of my shorts as though it tethers her to me. It’s as reassuring to me as it is to her.
“Come on,chiquita. We need to get to the basement.”
I hear mytío’s sharp inhale, and I realize he could still hear me even though I whispered.
“Should a priest meet you here?”
“Give me the chance to propose first.”
I glance down at Maddy unsure if she understood that since it was only a sentence. She doesn’t appear to since she’s focused on keeping up as three men with far longer legs than hers run as we form a circle around her again.
“Fine. Call me when you get there.”
He won’t say the car we have hidden on the mainland just in case someone’s gotten through our jammers and tapped the call or bugged the house. My brothers and I hang up our calls as we reach the basement door. Jorge leads with Maddy and me in the middle. Joaquin secures the door and follows us down.
“This way. Keep holding onto me.”
I felt Maddy freeze when we took the last step because it’s pitch black. While he was still alive, our father drilled it in Jorge, Joaquin, and me how to navigate the basement in the dark. We know how many steps it takes to get to the backup generator, the armory, and the tunnel leading out to the water. I hear the door to the armory open with a quiet whoosh. Joaquin’ll grab an arsenal. Jorge hands Maddy and me lifejackets when we reach the hidden pocket door to the tunnel. They’re stored outside the tunnel, so anyone donning them has time to do it while running toward the sea gate. Like the armory, this door requires a code and biometrics.
“You won’t get separated from me this way or bump into the walls.”
I scoop Maddy over my shoulder, and she once again grips my shorts’ waistband. We make our way along the tunnel until we meet bright sunlight. Joaquin has better vision than anyone I’ve ever met. He peers through the metal gate that looks like it guards a prison cell.
“We need to wait. I see two of them. They likely have infrared, so they’ll see us once it’s dark, but it’ll be easier to hide in the shadows.”
“That’s at least five hours. We can’t wait that long.” I look at Maddy, who I set on her feet, so we can both don our lifejackets.
“I’m all right.”
It’s cold and damp down here, and neither she nor I are wearing enough layers. But I worry about her since she’s still underweight. Maybe it’s an old wives’ tale, but I don’t want her getting sick. Jorge must think the same thing because he passes her his suit coat. We all slide down to the floor, but I lift her onto my lap. Her eyes widen as she tries to look at my brothers. I wrap the jacket around her and ease her head against my shoulder. Her arms wrap around me as she huddles for warmth. She’s already chilled.
“We can wait until the sun moves. It’ll put the cove and cliffs in the shadow. We don’t have to wait until dark. We just have to keep our movement to a minimum on the boat.” Jorge offers the compromises, and the rest of us nod.
“Rest,chica. I don’t think you’ve slept well in ages.”
“I haven’t.”
