Page 68 of Cavern of Silence
Ryker kisses me. "Great job!"
"That was fun!" Vanessa claims.
I kiss Ryker back and murmur, "Told you—"
"Who's that?" Ryker mutters, and my gut drops. He removes his gun out of his backpack.
"Get down, Flower," Hunter barks.
Two men with machine guns are on an ATV and coming at full speed toward us.
Where is Carmen? Who are they?
I take my seat belt off and reach for the door.
Ryker lunges across me and takes my hand so I can't open it. "What are you doing?"
"I need to go talk to them."
His forehead wrinkles. "You're not leaving this vehicle."
"If you don't let me out, they will make us go back."
"Then I'll go."
"No, you won't. They will kill you if you step foot on their land. And you don't speak Spanish. Now let go of me."
Miguel always told me people in this part of Guatemala do not like those who speak English. It stems from the border war between Belize and Guatemala, and since Belizeans mostly speak English, they find it insulting. There also is a high murder rate in this part of Guatemala. Since they hate English speakers, I'm not taking any chances.
"Julieta, I'm not—"
In Spanish, the men shout, "Get your hands high in the air."
Vanessa and I raise our hands, and I instruct, "Put your hands up."
Ryker and Hunter both put one hand in the air.
"Drop your guns. Both hands," I cry out.
"Do it," Vanessa orders.
"Julieta, what is going on?"
The men stop five feet in front of us, and their shouts become more aggressive.
"Put your hands up," Vanessa and I both yell again.
Ryker and Hunter put their Glocks in their laps and hands slowly in the air.
I rise so my head sticks out of the roof, and I quickly yell, "We aren't looking for trouble. I'm here to cross. I have money for Carmen."
"Carmen doesn't allow Belizeans. Go back."
"We aren't Belizeans."Except for Vanessa, but she's technically Brazilian, so she can play that card if needed.
"Turn around now and get off our land."
"No. Please. We need to cross. I have money for all four of us," I beg.
