Page 14 of Colombian Chemistry

“Now, I’m gonna need you to listen to exactly what I say, and don’t hesitate to do what I tell you.”

“What are we—”

“Just do exactly what I tell you without hesitation. Can you do that?”

I bit my lip and nodded.

“Good. You’re buckled up, right?”

I nodded again.

“Then unbuckle.”

“What? What if we crash?”

John swiveled his head to look at me, and a sly smile lifted up half of his lips. “That’s the plan.”

My eyes bulged. “What?”

“There are at least twenty men coming at us. Our best chance is to get off this road.”

“But there isn’t a way off this road. You said—” I stopped when I saw where his eyes traveled to—the jungle below.

“No,” I breathed. “We’ll die!”

“I know what I’m doing. Just trust me. Unbuckle. Now.”

I looked up at the Jeep heading straight at us as I unbuckled my seatbelt. The men lifted their guns and started shouting as they fired a few warning shots into the air.

“John—”

“Hold onto that bag for dear life, and when I say jump, you jump.”

“John! No!” I screamed, but it was too late.

He swerved the Jeep to the right, and we flew off the road into the only narrow opening without any large trees in the way. If there was a God, there was no way he was ignoring the sounds of my screams as we careened straight down the side of the mountain.

“Hold on tight!” John shouted over the sounds of the vegetation crunching and tearing beneath us.

We traveled at such a steep angle down that every bump lifted the back end of the Jeep, and I worried it might flip over. But John continued steering us between trees as he miraculously missed them while keeping the Jeep firmly on the ground.

When I glanced over at him, I swore a smile crept into his expression. But I must have been imagining it because no one in their right mind would be enjoying the plunge to our certain deaths. Then as he twisted and turned the wheel, I saw his lips lift, revealing a perfect row of straight, white teeth.

He was smiling.

He’s crazy and we’re going to die.

We hit a huge bump that sent the Jeep’s engine roaring as we went airborne. I caught air as well, but I held onto the bag with all my might as I waited to come back down into my seat. We landed with a thud and bounced several times before it seemed John had some semblance of control again... if there was such a thing when speeding down the side of a mountain.

“Okay! Get ready!” John shouted. “And don’t lose that bag!”

My heart hammered against my ribcage as I clutched the bag with one arm and put my other hand on the door handle.

“On three!” he said, reaching for his door handle as well.

“One.”

Oh my God.