Page 113 of Born for Starlight

"He went over the stage lights so the gunman would turn on him instead of her," Simon told me. "He got shot and kept going. He covered her while I took the shot. He saved Luzia."

I stopped running.

He saved Luzia?

The doors were right in front of me. Before I could push through them, the right one opened, and Jase was there. His arms opened and I rushed into them, and he held me.

“I’ve got you, Angel,” he murmured into my hair. “You’re good. I’ve got you.”

“Luzia? She’s really okay?”

“Yes.”

“Matthew?”

“I don’t know.”

“Take me to him. To them.”

He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and we sprinted across the courtyard. We passed two teachers who looked up alarmed. I heard sirens in the distance. It took forever, but there was finally another set of closed doors. They wouldn’t open.

“Deke, you fucker, open the door,” Jase, hollered as he pounded on the door.

The door cracked open.

“For fuck’s sake, let us in.”

“Needed to make sure it was you,” Deke said as he opened it up enough to let us in. Inside was controlled chaos. I stepped in something slippery as I walked into the auditorium. As I looked down, I realized it was blood. I didn’t want to think about it. I looked up and saw that our men were holding guns on what seemed like hundreds of men and women, but were probably only forty.

I looked to my left when I heard the sounds of girls crying. Not loudly, just the low sound of scared children. Girls were huddled together around a kneeling Layla. She was speaking to them in hushed tones. Two of the girls were clutching at her like she was the only safe thing in their world. Luzia wasn’t one of them. She was standing back. Watching.

I pulled out of Jase’s hold, stumbled forward, and made my way up the stairs to the stage. That was when I saw Matthew lying in a pool of blood.

“Matthew!” I skidded down to him on my knees. Simon was shirtless, holding his T-shirt against Matthew’s shoulder.

“He’s going to be fine,” Simon rushed to assure me.

“How can you know that?”

“Experience.”

“Sweetheart?” Matt said. I looked down and saw his eyelids flutter open. “Are you okay?” he asked me.

“For God’s sake. You’re the one who’s been shot. Don’t talk.”

“Luzia?” he gasped out her name.

I looked over my shoulder. Vargas was talking to her.

“She isn’t injured.” I couldn’t tell him she was fine. I didn’t think any of these girls were going to be fine for a long time.

“Good,” he whispered. “The Salgados?”

“I don’t know.”

“We got ’em.” Jase answered.

“Good. But you’re sure Luzia is okay?”