Page 31 of Cavern of Silence
You snap too easily,Maureen's voice says in my head.
Why did I have to yell at Julieta? I should have gotten out of the vehicle and punched Hunter instead.
That would have been a nightmare, especially when you were trying to get away from Kalim.
But he deserved it.
Hunter is crossing the line. I don't know what his beef is with Julieta, but what he did was inappropriate, and I can't stop beating myself up for not sticking up for her.
She won't look at me. I don't blame her for being upset. I lashed out at her.
Maybe the stress of being back is too much. Maybe Interpol was right to keep me away for so long.
You froze when you rescued her. She stepped out of the pit, and you froze. You could have gotten her or someone else killed.
You took advantage of her last night and couldn't keep your hands off her.
You didn't step up to help her when Hunter verbally attacked her earlier today.
You're epically failing at work and with her.
And you shouldn't even be thinking about anything except her safety.
I need to let go of her hand, but I can't. It's the only connection I have to her right now.
I want to pull over and beg her to forgive me. But I have to keep driving.
Stop thinking with your dick and use your brain.
"Julieta, pass me my bag, please," Hunter tells her in a stern but nice voice.
I catch his eye in the rearview mirror. I'm pretty sure he is aware I'm pissed. Regardless, I can't concentrate on him while driving, and I break the stare to focus on the bumpy road.
Julieta lets go of my hand, picks up his bag, and hands it to him. She doesn't turn to face him and returns to gazing out the window, but this time, she folds her hands on her lap.
For hours we drive, until the gas light goes on. I pull into a station. As I'm filling up the tank, I tell Hunter, "We need to make a decision."
"What's that?"
"Do we cut west into Guatemala tonight or keep south? The most direct way to Omoa is south, but is it going to be easier to get into Guatemala if we go a bit west?"
"I'm not familiar with the borders of Belize. Are you?" he asks.
"No. But if we cut west, we can hit a freeway. If we go south, we're going to be two tracking it."
Vanessa stresses, and I'm afraid she's going to have another attack about going through Guatemala.
Julieta gets out of the car and slides into the seat next to them.
Hunter's face hardens, and I want to punch him again.
"What if we drove the Guatemalan coastline during daylight?" Julieta asks.
"What does that solve?" Hunter asks.
"The guerrillas are focusing their efforts on the western Belizean borders. If we go south and cross the border tomorrow, we can drive the coast and be in Honduras by nightfall."
"It's better if we cross borders in the dark," I point out.
