She’d struggled against them for an hour as they walked, but the thick cords of climbing rope didn’t budge. Amanda walked by her side, her hands bound as well. She looked disheveled, her ponytail long since disbanded and her short, blond strands of sweat-soaked hair sticking to her forehead and around her ears. She was sobbing gently, only her slight sniffing giving her away. Julie wanted to reach over and put her arm around her, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to provide any consolation. She felt as bad as Amanda, and only out of sheer terror was she able to refrain from breaking down into tears as well. The mercenaries had taken Amanda first, back in the clearing during the fight. Julie had followed Ben into the jungle and waited, shocked, as Ben took out his anger on Rhett. The kid had been a devious backstabber, but Julie was still surprised at Ben’s reaction. She’d meant to stop him, to walk over and grab his outstretched hand before he could strike again, but the mercenary grabbed her and stuffed his large, sweaty hand over her mouth. She couldn’t scream.
