A fit of laughing erupted downstairs and Jess stiffened, adrenaline pumping, bolting upright and stepping into the shadows of the hallway. She glanced around the corner, down into the main hall. Four men at the card table now, more empty bottles littered around them than before. Where was the fifth?
Enzo came up maybe fifteen minutes ago? She needed to hurry. So far they hadn’t seemed to notice the light show going on in the sky. If they had a TV or radio on, there had to be announcements of the destruction that was already happening on the other side of the world.
The scientists knew it was coming, but there were too many conflicting estimates. Jess wasn’t even sure her father’s time estimate was right until she saw the water draining from the bay. The speed of the water disappearing gave her a frightening estimate of how close Nomad might already be.
But these guys, drunk and playing cards, were isolated on this island. They had no idea. Jess needed to keep it that way as long as possible.
Creeping down the hallway, she pressed her ear against the first door. Silence. At the second door she heard shuffling, then the sound of muffled crying. She tried a few of Aberto’s keys before the lock clicked over. Ever so slowly, she opened the door.
There, inside, Hector was on a cot, his knees pulled up into his chest, his eyes wide. Jess held a finger to her mouth—quiet, be quiet—and motioned for him to come. He uncoiled his legs, his small chest heaving in and out with quick breaths, and slid off the cot to take a step toward her.
“Come on, it’s okay,” Jess whispered. “We need to go.”
He stopped two feet from her, his lips trembling. Jess held out her hand. He stared at her, then lifted his hand and pressed his cold little fingers into hers. Jess scooped him into her arms.
“Giovanni?” Hector whispered.
Jess closed her eyes, gripping Hector tight.
Giovanni.
He almost got her killed. He hid things from her, even as she risked her life. Why didn’t he tell the truth? An ugly surge of spite rose up in her ancient brain-stem.
But then again…
Truth was a slippery thing. Sometimes, our lies became our lives. Jess knew that more than anyone.
“Which room?” she whispered to Hector.
He pointed at the second door down the hallway, near the end. Jess listened to the voices downstairs while she crept along the hall, fumbled with the keys until she found the right one.
The door swung open.
On a bare metal cot, Giovanni was tied up with rough yellow nylon cord. His face purple and swollen from the beatings, he opened one puffy eye, barely even registering surprise at Jess standing in front of him with Hector in her arms.
“Go,” Giovanni whispered from cracked lips, “go without me.”
“You’re coming with us,” Jess whispered back, putting Hector down and pulling the knife from her back pocket.
She raised her eyebrows at Hector, nodding at the door. Keep watch, her eyes said. Hector nodded and tiptoed to the door, peering out. Jess cut the ropes binding Giovanni, and he winced as he sat upright, rubbing his wrists.
“Can you walk?” Jess whispered urgently.
“I think so.”
“Then let’s go.”
35
ISOLA GIGLI, ITALY
GIVING GIOVANNI THE knife, Jess pulled Enzo’s handgun from her front pocket and led them out the door, sneaking across the landing. Giovanni pointed at the slumped body of Aberto, thinking him asleep, but Jess shook her head, don’t worry, keep going, she mouthed silently.
As they passed Aberto, Jess fixed her eyes on the staircase down, listening to the voices. Giovanni stared at the inert body of Aberto, glancing back at Jess, then back at the dead body.
Hector crept along between them.
Out onto the terrace and down the exterior stairs, Jess led the way. She limped on her unfamiliar prosthetic, while Giovanni stumbled behind her, wincing in pain on every step. He stared up at the glimmering light show in the sky but said nothing.
“What are we going to do?” Giovanni whispered as they reached the cover of the trees. “Is there a boat?”
“I don’t think so.” Jess pressed forward, the hair on her neck prickling in anticipation of shouting behind them. Just a few hundred feet to the dock from here.
“Then we swim?” Giovanni tripped on a root and tumbled into the ground, cursing. He got onto his knees, his bloody face contorted in agony. “It’s a kilometer to the shore. I can’t swim that, not now.” He waved his hand at Jess. “Give me the gun. I’ll hold them off while you take Hector.”
Jess hauled him to his feet. “We’re not going to swim.”
Giovanni doubled over, panting. “Then what?”
“We walk.”
“What?”
Jess grabbed Hector and marched forward to the edge of the trees.
“Have you lost your mind?” Giovanni hissed, staggering behind her. “How do you expect to…”
Jess pointed at the water. Or what was left of it. Wet mud glistened in reflected pink and greens from the lights in the sky, rocky outcroppings covered in seaweed dotting the almost empty bay.
Almost empty.