“
Moreno was the first to see me, and he let out a curse as loud as Nicole’s shriek.
He pulled a gun from his hip. An automatic pistol.
Antone knocked it from his hand and pointed his flashlight at my flank.
“It’s Maya,” he said.
He started toward me. I was inching back, the branch too thin for me to turn around.
“It could be Annie,” Penny whispered, her gaze fixed on me. “Come looking for her brother.”
Antone shook his head. “That’s Maya.” He met my gaze. “I know it is.”
He kept walking until he was directly under my branch.
“This is your first time, isn’t it?” he said, his voice soft. “You’re scared and you’re confused--”
I let out a snarl that reverberated through the quiet forest.
Antone chuckled. “Or maybe not. I should have guessed you’d hit the ground running.
”
”