The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson Page B

on,” he tried to say, but his mouth was so dry the words barely made it out.
    He eased the car to the left.
    “What are you doing?” Hamilton yelled.
    The car slammed against the mountain and then jerked back on the road. That didn’t work. Too hard.
    He eased it over again, this time watching carefully. The side mirror snapped off. Sparks flew. The car was slowing, definitely … but he was heading for the curve.
    He bumped back on the road, the wheel shuddering in his hands. He took the curve on two wheels. For an instant, the clear Alpine air was all they saw, dark blue sky and dark green pines… .
    The car shivered and kept the road. Jonah downshifted, fighting gravity, fighting the road, fighting the mountain, fighting the VESPERS, because he was going to WIN… .
    The car straightened out and zoomed over the bridge. Jonah kept it steady.
    “Jonah! Up ahead, on the left — that road. See it? It’s going uphill.”
    Jonah saw what Hamilton meant. If he could make that turn, the car would naturally slow as it climbed the mountain. If he stayed straight, they’d be traveling down the mountain again. With more curves to navigate, more chances to crash …
    It was their only hope.
    Below them was a thousand feet of air. The bridge was narrow. He wouldn’t have room to swing out to the right. He’d have to make it — or go spinning out, crash through a guardrail and leap straight into space.

Now!
    Jonah pulled the wheel to the left and the car responded, going airborne for a moment as it bumped off the road, hit a rail, then landed on the uphill road. Jonah steered and downshifted all the way up the road until he was able to gently crash into a rock on the shoulder.
    The car stopped. His head hit the wheel. Hamilton crashed against the dashboard.
    “Oh, dawg,” Hamilton said.
    “Oh, dude,” Jonah said.
    “That was close. That was so close to close, it was almost over.”
    “As close to a final destination as I ever want to get,” Jonah said.
    With shaking hands, they dug out their cell phones and backpacks. As soon as they stepped out of the car, the cell phones began to work. Amy didn’t pick up. Neither did Dan. Attleboro hadn’t heard from them in the past thirty minutes.
    “We’ve got to get to them!” Hamilton said. He slammed his fist on the car.
    “Dude, it’s a rental. Do you have to dent it, too?” Jonah crouched by the car. “We just need to find the device so Attleboro can check on it. It could be a lead.” He held up a small ball. “This baby is a videocam. That’s how she knew when to blow the brakes for maximum impact.”
    They grabbed their gear and half ran, half slid down to the road. It was empty.
    Hamilton threw his pack on the ground and let out a howl of frustration.
    “Wait. I hear something,” Jonah said.
    They exchanged a glance. What if it was Cheyenne? What if she’d met up with some other Vesper bad dudes? Suddenly, the road felt isolated, and they felt exposed.
    A dot appeared across the divide, taking the last turn for the bridge. The dot turned into a minibus as it crossed the bridge and headed toward them. No matter how jangled their nerves, a minibus seemed like a good sign. Jonah stepped out into the road, waving his arms. Hamilton tensed, ready to attack if he had to.
    The minibus screeched to a halt. A young woman with blond braids stuck her head out the window.
    “Jonah WIZARD!” she screamed.

    Casper took out a large red apple. He began to peel it with the knife. It was mesmerizing, watching the bright, polished silver blade move around the apple. An impossibly thin strip of peel began to spiral downward.
    “Hey, guys,” Casper said. “I missed you.”
    Dread invaded Amy’s bones, and she didn’t think she could move. He was blocking the doorway, and they were trapped. She didn’t want to go anywhere near that glittering knife.
    “The last time we were together, I was deep in a crevasse next to a dead guy,” Casper said. “And you didn’t even