Las Hermanas Read online

  “What are you doing?” he whispered. “Do you want to get us all killed?”

  Confused, Adi searched his face, trying to figure out what he meant.

  “Come on,” he said as he pulled her forward, the older man leading the way.

  They moved towards the village in the dark, stopping at a large house. The older man took a moment to peer inside before he entered and Adi followed involuntarily, Rodrigo pushing her through the doorway and into the hall. For a split second, she thought about running, but as soon as she recognized the voices coming from a room just up ahead, her legs went numb.

  The older man opened the door ever so slightly, carefully looking into the lit room before he stepped out of the way. Rodrigo nudged her forward, but her feet didn’t move, having never felt so heavy as fear took hold. Seeing her resist, he picked her up with one arm and silently dropped her down in front of the door, giving her a full view of the room.

  Although she already knew who was inside, she couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of dread when she saw them. There, sitting around the room, were La Patrona’s men.

  Adi felt herself being pulled away, the men disappearing as the door shut, not making a sound. Giving the older man a nod, Rodrigo grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the house through the dark. As soon as they were back underneath the trees, Rodrigo took out his knife and cut her loose.

  “You know them,” he stated more than asked.

  She didn’t have to answer. Her face did that for her, and when she looked up at Rodrigo, she saw nothing but anger.

  “How could you do this?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice down. “How could you do this to us?”

  She struggled to find the words, the seriousness of what was happening setting in. “You don’t know why they’re here,” she said more to herself than to him. “They could be here for something else.”

  Rodrigo scoffed. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that? You must think I’m an idiot.”

  She didn’t reply, trying to figure out how they had followed them this far.

  “They’re going village to village, asking if anyone’s seen a group of runaway girls,” he continued, his voice low. “You don’t have to be smart to figure it out.” He was silent for a moment. “What did you do?”

  Frustrated, her fear dissolved. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said, glaring at him. “I thought we had been careful. I made a mistake.”

  Rodrigo shook his head. “That seems to be all you can do.”

  Adi knew he was mad at her for what she had done, but his words still hurt. He wasn’t just angry with her, he hated her. Turning away from him, she walked back to the river.

  The boat ride was silent as they made their way downriver, the sky becoming lighter as it prepared for morning. While Adi was angry and scared, she shoved those feelings aside knowing that she needed to come up with a plan. If they had tracked them this far, she knew they would keep coming. Closing her eyes, she pictured their faces and tried to count how many men were in that room. She got to seventeen before she quit. It didn’t matter; they didn’t stand a chance.

  They arrived at the camp a few hours later and as soon as they walked in, Adi watched Catalina storm towards them. Rodrigo barely had enough time to look her way before she sucker punched him right in the face.

  He stumbled backwards and caught himself as he fell, but not missing a beat, he immediately pushed himself up and charged, taking her out at the waist as he slammed her body onto the ground.

  Running over, Adi tried to pry him off, but it was no use, he wouldn’t be moved. As he punched Catalina in the face, she slammed her knee as hard as she could into his side and he crumpled, giving Catalina enough time to jut the palm of her hand into the bottom of his chin, causing him to fall backwards. They stood at the same time, and foolishly trying to stop it, Adi jumped in between just as their fists swung. She felt each punch as they accidently hit her from both sides, causing her to drop to the ground. As she crawled up onto her knees, Catalina took another swing at Rodrigo.

  “She’s here,” Adi managed to get out, her voice strained. “La Patrona is here.”

  •

  She didn’t have to repeat herself. Catalina had stopped, a look of disbelief on her face. As Adi stood back up, Salvador approached them.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded, looking at Catalina and Rodrigo’s red faces.

  “We got a problem,” Rodrigo answered, wiping the blood from his mouth.

  Noticing the growing crowd around them, Salvador nodded. “Come.”

  Adi didn’t follow as the three of them went into the main building, choosing instead to go find the others. If anyone had to tell them about La Patrona, she wanted it to be her.

  “Adi,” Nayara said with relief as soon as she walked into the shelter. “Lupita saw them take you. We’ve been looking everywhere.”

  Adi nodded and tried to smile as Talita and Evita jumped up, but as she watched them look back at her with uncertainty, she knew it wasn’t working.

  “What’s wrong?” Talita asked, her voice small as she held her newborn tightly to her chest.

  There was no easy way to say it. “They’re here.”

  It took a moment to sink in, but when Evita let out a tiny gasp, she didn’t need to explain.

  “How many?” Renan asked as he entered, Yumi and Giovana right behind him.

  “I don’t know,” Adi replied. “Around twenty.”

  “What are we gonna do?” Yumi asked, her question echoing through the shelter.

  Adi was about to answer when Pablo walked in.

  “Adi,” he said, giving her a strained smile. “Salvador wants everyone in the hall.”

  It took a while for them to gather, hushed voices filling the room, but once they were all there, Salvador didn’t waste any time. “I need each of you to listen. What I’m about to tell you will not be easy, but if we do it right, we will be just fine.” His speech lasted less than two minutes and when it was over the kids scattered, running off to do as they were told.

  “This won’t work,” Giovana said, shaking her head as she tightly held Evita’s hand. “She’ll find us, I know she will.”

  Adi knew she was right. The plan was to split up and hide until La Patrona was gone, but as she watched the scared faces disappear into the trees, it wouldn’t be enough. La Patrona wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.

  They left the camp, walking west through the trees, but less than a kilometre in, Adi stopped.

  “Keep going,” she said, handing Yumi her gun. “Don’t stop ‘til it’s dark. Get off the ground.”

  “Where are you going?” Nayara asked.

  “To end this.” But as she turned to leave, a hand latched onto hers.

  “I named her Esperanza.”

  Adi stood still, the name throwing her off as she looked into Talita’s penetrating stare. “What?”

  “My baby.” Talita looked down at her daughter sleeping against her. “I named her Esperanza, after your mama.”

  Adi couldn’t control the wave of emotion that flooded over her.

  “I know how much you loved her,” Talita continued. “Whatever happens,” she squeezed Adi’s hand, “just know, I’ll never forget it.”

  Adi remained where she stood, unable to move as she watched them walk out of sight. But as soon as they were gone, she took a deep breath, shoving the emotions down, and sprinted back through the trees.

  She ran as fast as she could, whistling loudly as she went, hoping that Catalina and Renan would hear the familiar tune. When she saw Catalina running towards her with Caio right behind, she wasn’t disappointed.

  Reaching the camp, Adi stopped along the edge and peered in, searching for any indication of movement. It was weird seeing it so empty and quiet, the smoldering fire the only sign that someone had been there, giving off a small wisp of grey smoke.

  “How long ‘til they’re here?” Catalina asked.

  “An hour, maybe l
ess,” Renan answered, making Adi jump. He smirked as she looked back, unaware that he was there. “They’re crossing the river now.”

  Adi nodded, trying to decide what to do. They didn’t have much time and she needed to make a decision. Dropping to her knee, she grabbed a stick and drew a line in the dirt.

  “Here’s the river,” she said as the others watched. “Here’s the camp and here’s the green wall. We need to stop them there.”

  “We can’t stop all of them,” Renan said kneeling beside her. “Some are gonna get through.”

  “No,” Adi said shaking her head. “If they get past the wall, they’ll find the camp, and that can’t happen.”

  “So we stop them at the wall then,” Catalina said.

  Although she was trying to sound confident, as Adi looked at the three faces around her, she saw their doubt.

  Not another word was said as they walked towards the green wall. Stopping at a puddle, Adi smeared herself in mud, determined to use every advantage. Even if they didn’t stop the men, the least they could do was give the others a chance to get away. Arriving at the wall, they crept through and headed towards the river.

  Adi squatted down, surveying the area. She couldn’t see anyone, but she could feel them, the jungle’s silence letting her know that they were there. She steadied her grip on the large knife Catalina had given her and got ready.

  She spotted the first group a few yards out and moved forward, trying not to be seen. Without a gun, she was forced to get much closer than she wanted, but as she slid her back against a tree, every muscle in her body flexed in anticipation.

  The first man walked up without hesitation, not seeing her behind the tree as he passed. Waiting for the second man to come closer, Adi struck, stabbing him in the side of the neck as she plunged her other knife into the first one’s back. Too busy to see if there were more, she instantly dropped to the ground and heard a shot ring out, the sound splitting the silence.

  Renan nodded to her as he checked the dead body of the third man. Pulling her knife out of the first one’s back, Adi took his gun and followed Renan as they continued on.

  For a while, they saw no one else. Unsure of what they were walking into, Adi scampered up a tree and peered out towards the river. It took a moment for her eyes to spot them, but eventually she saw the dark figures slinking through the trees below. Motioning to Renan, she crouched on a low branch and waited.

  As soon as the man walked underneath, she dropped, plunging her knife straight down into his neck. He fell like a block of cement, but the moment she landed, a bullet whizzed past, just missing the top of her head. Ducking into some bushes, the shots came fast and furious as she sat there trying to figure out where Renan was. Distracted, she didn’t see the man until it was too late, and he knocked the knife easily from her grasp as his large hands grabbed her throat.

  “Where are they?” he demanded as he squeezed, the weight of his body holding her against the ground.

  Adi thrashed desperately, trying to get loose. Not strong enough, she couldn’t break his hold, but as he brought his face close to hers, she thrust her thumbs into his eyes. The man screamed as she felt his eyeballs squish underneath, clutching his face as he sat up. It was enough for her to get out and as soon as she stood, she pulled the gun from her waistband and shot, pumping a bullet into his head. She was breathing hard, looking at his crumpled body, when something on her right moved and she whipped around, finger on the trigger.

  “Shit,” she said hoarsely as she lowered her gun.

  Rodrigo slowly stepped forward, looking in disbelief at the bodies around her. “What are you doing?”

  Adi was about to answer when she suddenly dropped to her knee and shot, the bullet missing Rodrigo by a couple inches. Looking behind him, he watched as a man slumped over dead before turning back to her.

  “Do you know how fucking insane this is?” he asked.

  Hearing a sporadic burst of gunfire to her left, Adi smiled. “Yes,” she said, before sprinting towards it.

  She only got about ten feet away before she saw more men coming at her. Stopping behind a tree, she steadied her breathing and waited.

  “Now!” she heard Rodrigo yell. She spun out, dropping low before swinging her knife upwards in one fluid motion.

  The blade bit into the man’s thigh and he screamed as he fell, the blood flowing out of him faster than she could have guessed. But as she looked up, she saw the butt of the gun right before it hit her directly on the head, and she dropped hard onto the ground.

  “You little bitch,” the man said. He viciously kicked her in the stomach, leaving her breathless. “I’m going to gut you like a fish.”

  Prying the knife out of her hand, he raised it high above his head, but just as he was about to plunge it down into her, she slid the knife out of her sleeve and cut him across the inside of his arm.

  The knife drove into the dirt next to her as she rolled to the side, the man’s blood covering her like a warm waterfall. Clutching his limb in agony, Adi kicked him in the chest with both feet, sending him backwards. Wrenching her knife out of the ground, she pushed it into his chest with all her might before she stumbled, falling down against a rock. Her head was throbbing and she was dizzy, but once her vision finally cleared, she pushed herself back up, trying to see what was going on.

  Catalina and Caio were just west of her, attacking the men coming in from the river, and she could see Rodrigo on the east side, pounding some guy into the ground. She was looking for Renan when she heard a shot from behind her and she spun, crouching as she searched the green wall. She didn’t see the gun until it shot again, the bullet flying past her and into a man about ten feet away. That’s when she saw her through the leaves: Valentina. Adi turned, but just as she started towards a man a few yards ahead of her, she heard a familiar whistle and sprinted towards it.

  Bullets flew all around as she ducked and zigzagged through the trees, knowing what that whistle meant. Seeing a man thundering her way, she ran as fast as she could towards him before sliding on the ground at the last second, slicing his legs as she passed. He wasn’t dead, but there was no time to finish as the whistle sounded again, this time more urgently.

  She arrived at the same time as one of La Patrona’s men, and she threw her knife as he shot, both of them missing the other. She could feel the bullets hit the tree as she stood behind it, tucking her gun into her pants. Making sure to stay out of sight, she climbed the trunk. High enough, she peeked out and watched as he made his way over to where she had been standing, oblivious to her above him. She took out her gun and squeezed the trigger, not missing this time. He hit the ground with a thud.

  “Renan,” she whispered as soon as she dropped from the tree, scanning the area.

  “Here,” she heard him croak, his voice filled with pain.

  Running over to a bunch of twisted vines, Adi peered through and spotted him lying on his back in the dirt.

  “Fucker caught me from behind,” he said, grimacing. She examined the bloody hole in his calf, making sure the bullet went through. Taking out her knife, she cut away his shirt and ripped the fabric into strips. Knotting the first piece above the wound, she folded up the other and placed it on top, wrapping a bunch of vines around it tightly to secure it in place.

  “Stay here,” she said. She covered him as best she could with leaves, ferns, and moss. “Don’t make a sound.” Handing him her gun, she gave him a reassuring smile before slinking off into the trees.

  The jungle was oddly silent as she ran, an unsettling feeling passing over her. She didn’t see or hear anything and was about to think the worst had happened when she heard shots fired in the distance.

  Picking a few guns off the dead bodies she passed, Adi stopped about ten feet in front of the wall and scooted up a tree, getting a perfect view of the area ahead of her. There were only a handful of men left and as they came into sight, she took a deep breath and fired, slowly dropping them one by one as they shot back random
ly, not knowing where she was.

  Taking the last shot, Adi stayed in the tree and waited, carefully searching for anyone else. The jungle was quiet once again, the only sound the rustling of leaves above the canopy as a gust of wind passed through. Satisfied, she climbed down but as her feet touched the ground, she heard a burst of gunfire and Catalina yelling, “He’s behind the wall!”

  Adrenaline rushing into her veins, Adi sprinted towards the camp as fast as she could go. Unsure of where he was, she took the most direct route, determined to catch him. If he saw the camp and got away, they’d never be safe.

  She made it there in record time and crouched against a hut, scanning the open area as she tried to find him. When nothing moved, she waited and just as she exhaled, she saw him, gun aimed and ready as he entered the clearing.

  There was a look of surprise on his face as he glanced around, obliviously passing Adi as she waited in a shadow to his right. Silently stepping behind him, she thrust her knife into his back, his arms dropping down as the blade entered. Falling to his knees, he dropped dead face-down in the dirt.

  Adi stood there looking at his body when out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move and she spun, her knife loose and ready in her hand. She froze, recognizing the person in front of her.

  His light brown eyes widened as he looked back at her in surprise.

  “Benito,” she said, but it was too late. He had vanished.

  •

  She couldn’t move, grounded in place as she tried to will him back to her, but as soon as Rodrigo walked up, she had no choice but to break away. Something was wrong.

  By the time Adi reached him, Caio was dead. Catalina didn’t acknowledge her as she approached, silently holding his limp body in her arms. Staring at the two of them on the ground, Adi said to Rodrigo, “Renan’s been shot. He’s hiding near the river on the east side.”

  She said nothing else as she heard him leave, kneeling down in front of Catalina. Looking into her expressionless face, Adi placed her hand on the back of her neck and pulled her towards her, pressing her forehead against her own. They sat in silence, eyes closed and when Catalina finally moved back, Adi watched as she picked up Caio’s body and carried him to the camp.