Page 21 of The Perfect Stranger

We trudged through the thick of the jungle and over the steep terrain until we emerged again next to an exposed boulder. It had been our landmark signaling we had reached three-quarters of the way and were ahead of time. With the moonlight glimmering off its surface, we took a seat by its side.

Alejandro scooped up some loose stones and rolled them between his fingers, his ragged breath loud compared to the silent night.

“Would you have killed me back there?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I know I won’t come out of this alive. But if you could, please save my sister and nephew. My mother has already disowned me as a child. So I don’t care if I die. But please don’t let them destroy what family I have left.”

I could hear the pleading in his tone and wanting to be able to promise him that I would endeavor to save them. But the truth was, the accounts told by Josiah and Arturo did not leave much room for hope.

“La Balsa is where my father lives.”

His eyes widened, whites shining. “You’re from La Balsa?”

“My mother is American, but my father has lived there his whole life. He has helped build that town from the ground up, so I intend to help end the violence and restore it.”

Alejandro looked at his watch, the rubber band barely still attached. “Only ten minutes left before the flash.”

“Game on.”

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