Page 110 of Born for Starlight

I got out of my chair, leapt over another chair to get to the Salgados.

“Everybody stop!” A man yelled in Portuguese.

I looked up. He was on the stage with Layla crumpled at his feet. He had Luzia by the hair, a gun pointed at her temple.

Fuck!

The buyers were scrambling, fleeing every which way.

The Salgados didn’t matter, I had to get to Luzia.

I jumped over a chair toward the stage, then squeezed between two others. I shoved some sick fuck to the ground as I pushed my way closer to where the man held Luzia.

“Drop it!” I heard Jase yell near the entrance.

“You too,” Bruno yelled.

Deke and Pedro were running toward the shots.

I saw that Pinto and Vargas each had guns pointed at the man who was holding Luzia.

“Drop your guns, or I kill the girl.”

Simon came out from behind the curtain. “There’s no way you can leave,” he said in English. The man looked at him, clearly lost.

Vargas translated.

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

Luzia struggled. He shook her, and I could see her begin to cry, but she continued to fight.

“Stop it!” he screamed at her.

I looked over my shoulder at the Salgados. The wife was heading for the exit.

Fuck!

The Salgados didn’t matter. Either Jase, Deke and Pedro would handle them or they wouldn’t. Luzia was the only thing I cared about.

I looked back at Luzia. She was whimpering.

Simon was near the curtain. I motioned at him and he saw me. “Vargas. Pinto. Drop your weapons,” he yelled out.

Perfect.

I came straight at the stage, keeping behind the lights that were shining right at the guard and Luzia. I had one shot at this. Vargas and Pinto had put their guns down, but I knew Simon still had his.

Vargas was talking now. Good man.

“We don’t want her hurt. We’ll let you go. We just have to work things out.”

“Well, work fast.”

His concentration was on Vargas.

Perfect.

Luzia had stopped fighting. She was slumped in his hold, just crying.