There was a pause as the Venkatesans exchanged long looks. My pulse sped. Wait, did we still have a chance?
Brown spoke quickly. “We are still firmly committed to Veena’s safety. Had we been in charge today, this wouldn’t have happened.” The other security people in the room stiffened, but the chief ignored them. “And we have additional evidence and information now. Both vehicles and at least a partial description of the suspects.”
The Venkatesans seemed to be having a silent argument over Veena’s head.
“You said the kidnappers are determined.” Exasperation and pride mingled on Mr. Venkatesan’s face. “Our daughter is more so. Veena believes the chance to compete in the Olympics is worth the risk. While her mother and I don’t, we also aren’t prepared to tear her away from the goal she has worked toward for much of her life. We cannot bring ourselves to destroy her dreams.”
Veena’s head shot up, hope filling her watery eyes.
“We will allow you to stay,” Mr. Venkatesan said.
“With conditions,” her mother added.
Veena burst into fresh sobs. She hugged her mother, then her father, and her mother again. “Thank you! I love you both so much. I’ll pay for my coaching and the security with my sponsorship money. You won’t have to spend another penny.”
“I’ll work for free.” I winked at Veena.
“The rest of our team, unfortunately, will not,” Brown said with a glare my way.
“You know we don’t care how much it costs, anbe,” Ms. Venkatesan said to her daughter.
Veena wore a huge, goofy smile. She hugged her parents again, then me. She even went to hug Brown, but he looked so horrified, she stopped.
“Mr. Brown, I would like to know exactly how you will prevent something like this from happening again,” Mr. Venkatesan said.
“And Veena insists on attending the interview this afternoon and competing tomorrow. Are you able to go with her, Nicole?” her mother asked me with concern.
I must look rough. My head and muscles ached, but I didn’t hesitate.
“Of course.”
Veena was determined to win gold. And after today, I was doubly determined to see her do it.
I had no idea how Veena pulled that media interview off after the kind of day she had, but she aced it. She was smiley, sweet, and funny, yet fierce when she spoke about riding and the contest the next day. She even managed to answer the skin care question by discussing the importance of wearing sunscreen at altitude. It wasn’t hard to see why every major media source covering the Games clambered to talk to her.
Miraculously, they hadn’t gotten wind of the kidnapping attempt—yet.
Cooley, Kovitch, and their teams arrived in Copper as the interview began, and they stayed close. Brown wouldn’t take any risks, and neither would I. The only place I didn’t follow Veena to was the toilet in our hotel room.
While Veena performed puja that night, I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Feeling restless, I texted Mom, who was fine, and then I moved to the bathroom and called Xene to fill her in.
“An abduction was always a possibility given the threats and demands in this situation, Nicole. We adjust to ever-changing circumstances, and from what you told me, you did that very well today. Your principal is safe.”
Her words helped boost my confidence enough to sleep, although restlessly. I dreamed of dropping in the face of gunfire again and again, leaving Veena vulnerable. I hadn’t told anyone, and Veena apparently didn’t mention it, either, but that didn’t erase my guilt.
Veena’s life was in my hands. I had to be better.
Because something told me the danger was far from over.
Sixteen
The next morning dawned so bright and sunny that I couldn’t keep my eyes open outside without shades. Snowplows rumbled around, digging out the streets, while the chairlifts hummed up and down the long white slopes on the mountain. Despite the positive change in conditions, Veena was in low spirits.
“You okay?” I asked.
She grunted and shoveled a bite of eggs into her mouth. I remembered Ali and Gage said she was always salty at contests, and I couldn’t help noticing they sat at another table this morning. I spent the rest of the meal letting Veena stew in silence while I mentally ran through the details of the schedule today. Cooley would take point on the mountain, but I’d be there for backup.
Veena’s warm up and the qualifying round went well, although she didn’t attempt the double V. She was in the lead before the finals, and a Chinese rider named Mei was in close second. Darya was third, and Mei’s teammate, Jia-Li, was fourth. Veena said the Chinese riders were her strongest competition, followed by Darya and Ali. The women were all tough and focused. No goofing around before or after runs.
Lots of people milled around the top of the pipe before Veena’s last run: a mix of athletes, coaches, lifties, and trainers. Cooley was up here, too, and his team watched the crowd below. No hint of trouble so far.
Darya was at the bottom after laying down a solid final run. I’d confirmed she was in the stranded van yesterday, so she wasn’t directly involved in the kidnapping attempt. But still, something was wrong with that girl. When she’d been up here at the top, too, she’d stared at Veena as if trying to intimidate her silently.
Connor materialized next to me. Unsurprisingly, he’d been hanging around all day, never getting too close to Veena but always nearby. What was that about? Was it about anything at all?
Veena nodded and stayed loose on her board as Nate gave her a final pep talk. When the announcer called her name, the crowd cheered. She bumped fists with her coach, pushed herself to the edge and paused, outlined against the brilliant blue
