Page 111 of Born for Starlight

I reached up and put my left hand on the stage for leverage, then up, onto the stage, over the lights. He turned with his gun hand, and I felt the fire before I heard the gunshot. I continued forward. I heard another gunshot as I grabbed Luzia and took her down to the floor, covering her. Simon had taken the shot. The guard was down behind me and not getting up.

She screamed. And screamed. And screamed.

“Shhh, Luzia. You’re safe, little one. You’re safe, little one.”

“Grainger, you need to get off her. She’s terrified, and you’ve been shot.” It was Simon.

Agony shot through my shoulder as he rolled me off the little girl.

Vargas carefully pulled her off the floor, all the while quietly telling her that everything was okay.

“Layla. Layla. Wake up. Layla.” It was Bruno.

“Leave me alone. I’m fine,” Layla answered.

“You’re not fine. Stop trying to get up.”

“I’m not even bleeding,” she grumbled.

I’m bleeding.

Everything turned black.

Chapter Thirty-Five

I was going out of my mind. Bruno had left me behind and all I could hear was muffled talking, and nothing made sense. And then I heard two shots.

Enough!

I slammed out of the office.

I knew I couldn’t talk on the comm. They still weren’t talking, even though I had heard the shots. Dammit, what was going on?

“Everybody stop!”

I didn’t recognize the voice. He wasn’t talking into the comm. It took me a moment to realize he’d been speaking in Portuguese and I’d understood him.

How had I understood him?

“Drop it!” Jase yelled in Portuguese. Again, I understood him.

“You too!” That was Bruno in English.

Then I heard a sound that froze my blood. A little girl crying. Sobbing. Scared as hell. I recognized that gut-wrenching terror.

“Who’s that? What’s happening?” I whispered into the comm.

“Somebody tell me what is going on!” I demanded through the comm.

Nobody answered me, but then I heard words that terrified me.

“Drop your guns, or I kill the girl.” The same voice, speaking in Portuguese, and again I understood him.

“There’s no way you can leave.” This was Simon speaking in English. Why was he talking to the man in English?

Vargas translated.

“You will let me out, or I will kill the girl.”