Chapter 62

Panic fluttered in Maya's chest as she saw the trap closing around them, the ranks of soldiers forming an impenetrable wall. This is all my fault. I should have known that puta could not be trusted. She'd made a stupid decision, all in the name of doing what was right, and now she needed to fix it.

Mami and Papi, if you are watching and listening, help me find a way to save him.

She and Lex continued running toward the edge of the festival grounds, where she hoped the row of troops would be thinner, and that was when she saw it, the answer to her prayers. One huge inflated balloon with a basket was tethered and their ticket out of danger. The sign beside it said, "Take your sweetheart for a night flight and show her the stars like she's never seen before." Maya almost laughed, but instead, she dragged Lex toward the balloon.

"The balloon," she panted. "Get into the basket, and cut the ropes."

The crowd had gotten thinner here, and Maya could see the soldiers sto