Alvarez lifted the carrier with both hands and met her gaze. “Lead the way.” Out in the wet night, wind whipped at Noemi’s hair, but she barely felt the cold. Headlights carved a shaky path along the cliff road as she drove, glancing in the mirror every few seconds to make sure Alvarez’s truck still followed.
Near the trailhead, her phone buzzed: Alvarez. She picked up on speaker. “He’s fussy but still breathing,” he reported. “Keep going.” They parked by the dunes. Flashlights cut through mist. Noemi guided them to the tunnel entrance, walls glistening.