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“Stop,” I yelled. “Stop it!”
“In order to avoid any further confusion, I’d like to know your name,” the tall man said quietly. His voice sounded so familiar, the hair at the back of my neck rose. That night on Philae, it had been dark. His face had been hard to make out, but I remembered the blond hair shining like silver in the moonlight. And his low-pitched voice.
My throat was dry. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had anything to drink. “Inez Olivera.”
“I see,” he remarked, his tone polite. He might have been inquiring after my health. The hair on my arms stood on end. “So, it’s not Elvira Montenegro? The other one insists that’shername, but she could be lying.”
I shook my head, feeling sick. Since arriving in Egypt, I’d given my cousin’s name on more than one occasion. Foolish, foolish mistake. “I’m the one you want. Please let Elvira go.”
“Where is your mother?”
“I don’t know.”
He raised his hand and smacked me across the face. The sound reverberated in the tomb. I tasted blood in my mouth.
Whit used his elbow to slam the face of the one holding him down. He jumped to his feet, eyes feral. “Touch her again and I will end your miserable life.”
“Do you think you’re in any position to be issuing threats?” the tall man asked mildly. He jerked his head in the direction of his companion—who had a gun aimed at the level of my heart.
Whit stilled, scowling. And once again, the three men clutched at Whit.
The tall man returned his attention to me. “I’ll ask again. Where is your mother?”
I licked my dry and cracked lips. “I don’t know.”
He hit me in the stomach and my breath wheezed out of me. I bent forward, tears gathering in my eyes. Whit howled, struggling anew.
“One more time,” the tall man said quietly. “If you don’t tell me where she is, I’ll seal the tomb. Think carefully before you answer. Where is your mother?”
I thought about lying. A dozen probable locations were on the tip of my tongue and I only had to choose one far, far away—
“If I find out you’ve lied to me,” he said in that same terrifying, quiet voice, “I’ll shoot your cousin. Your mother, Inez?”
I straightened, and wiped the blood from my mouth using the fabric covering my shoulder. “I don’t know.”
The man’s eyes shone in the candlelight. They were a warm brown, the color of well-worn leather.
“Suit yourself. But know this—your cousin will share your fate.”
“Let her go!” I yelled. “She doesn’t know anything, she’s only just arrived.Please.”
The tall man ignored me, while the other three released Whit. He slumped to the ground, his face battered and bruised. The sound of stone scraping against stone crashed around us, the room darkening inch by slow inch.
And then silence.
We were trapped.
CAPÍTULO TREINTA Y CINCO
I sunk next to Whit, tugging at my bindings, but there was no give. He mumbled against the packed dirt floor, lying on his side, his long legs drawn close to his chest. Slowly he opened his eyes. They were bloodshot.
“How bad are you hurt?”
“Bad,” he wheezed.
“Can you sit up?”
“Not at the moment.”
