Page 100 of Glimmer in the Darkness

Which meant this conversation was over.

Vince’s eyes didn’t shift, but his lips flattened. His shoulder lifted the tiniest bit.

And he fired.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ella sat in the sunshine, her back pressed against a skinny tree trunk. The pretty lady had freed her from the chain, and they’d crawled out a back hole Ella hadn’t even known was there. But the lady knew. The lady said if Ella was really quiet, she’d get her out of there, and she had.

But then, the lady had wanted her to go closer to the cave’s entrance, but she wasn’t going back there. She couldn’t. She grabbed the trunk and held on and cried and begged the lady not to take her back inside.

The lady had run her hand down Ella’s hair, which was probably all matted and yucky, kissed her on the temple, told her to stay put, and crept to the entrance.

Ella couldn’t look. She hid behind the tree and hoped the man wouldn’t find her there.

He was inside. Ella wanted to run away, far away where the man wouldn’t find her. But the lady promised to take her home to her daddy if she stayed where she was, and she was too scared to move, too scared to do anything.

She sucked her thumb and prayed to God to please keep the lady safe.

But then, a loud bang came from the cave, and Ella screamed.

Chapter Thirty-Five

James dove to the side just in time.

The bullet ricocheted off the wall behind him, sending stone fragments in every direction.

James rolled onto his knees, prepared to shoot.

But a shadow darkened the cave. Vince turned that direction, shifted his aim.

Had to be Cassidy. But James didn’t look, just lined Vince up in his sights.

And squeezed the trigger.

Vince crashed back against the stone wall behind him. Lifted his gun. Aimed at James.

Cassidy fired, and Vince flinched, then raised his gun again, this time aimed at Cassidy.

James vaulted across the ground, lowered his shoulder, and tackled his friend. He tossed his own gun away, snatched the weapon from Vince’s hand, and threw it across the cavern.

Vince struggled beneath him, still strong despite the bleeding wounds.

One bullet had hit just below Vince’s collarbone on the right side.

Another had grazed the outside of his shoulder. Blood seeped there, but not nearly as much.

James pressed his weight onto his friend’s biceps and turned toward the mouth of the cave, where Cassidy stood, gun still trembling in her hands.

“Come closer. Aim at his head.” James turned to Vince. “You’d better stop struggling, or she’ll have no choice but to shoot you again.”

Vince glared past James at the woman standing behind him, but he let his muscles relax. Blood poured from his injury. Didn’t look life threatening, assuming they could stop the bleeding. “You wouldn’t let your girlfriend murder your old friend in cold blood, would you?”

James pressed his hand onto Vince’s wound, eliciting a scream of pain, and punched him in the jaw with the opposite fist. “You killed my sister.”

“I didn’t kill her.” He almost looked amused when his gaze shifted to Cassidy. “Hallie was still alive when they escaped. Cassidy killed her.”

To silence him, to keep the doubt from creeping in, James punched him again.