Page 49 of Gold Mine (The Diamond Trilogy 2)
He turns purple in the face.
I have the faint worry that he might collapse—a heart attack, a stroke. Whatever happens to old people when they completely overload with stress. Then he nods to one of the men, and somehow, through my small experience, I recognize the kill order when it comes.
He’s going to kill us here in this loft in the middle of Manhattan, because it’s safer than letting the world find out about his crimes. No matter how valuable Elijah is to him, he’s more dangerous alive right now. Which means we’re dead.
Time slows down, and I look to my right, where the guns sit on the foyer table. White calla lilies and a black titanium gun. Point and shoot, he told me. It can’t be that simple, but I also have to try. My pulse thumps in my brain like the bass in a club.
I grab the gun. It’s lighter than I remember. Or maybe I’m stronger.
Thump. I point and shoot.
Thump. Thump. Red blooms on the lieutenant colonel’s uniform.
That’s the last thing I see before the world turns upside down…
Elijah flattens me to the ground.
The gun is in his hand instead of mine.
The vase with the calla lilies explodes.
Shards of crystal rain down on us. Elijah pushes me out of the room and down the hall. The world has become eerie and quiet. I can’t hear anything, not even my feet pounding down the fire escape.
We make it back to Elijah’s car. He buckles me into the passenger seat. Then he’s in the driver’s seat, and the SUV steers roughly onto the street.
He’s shouting something at me, but I can’t hear him. His lips are moving. I watch them to see what he’s saying. Stay with me. Stay awake.
Why would I fall asleep at a time like this? I look down at my body.
Blood spreading across white fabric. Black text stark across my chest. I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything at all.
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