Chapter 9
Cara
I wake up to the hiss of the wind and the steady splash and rattle of a downpour. A fresh, cooling wind, laden with wet jungle smells, blows against my face, and for several seconds, I have no idea where I am.
Then, I try moving, and everything hurts, yanking me back to reality fast. My face, my sides, my limbs, they’re all paying for yesterday’s adventures. But I’m alive. And well before I open my eyes, I know that I am safely away from Richard and my parents.
I roll over—and sense someone next to me. Heat rolls off of him, and I can hear him softly breathing in sleep; his bulk dents the mattress and makes it easier to roll toward him, so I do.
Jean. Last night comes back, every moment of it, from the beating, to my rescue, all the way up to watching him through my las
