Page 107 of Born for Starlight

I buttoned my jacket and went to be a buyer.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Everybody was silent. That was the worst part. They’d been silent since Jase had told Matthew he’d be going in blind and Matthew had gotten rid of his earpiece. I absolutely hated this! I looked over at my brother who was sitting there, stone-faced. How could he look so unaffected? I wanted to shake him.

I shoved off the couch and started to quietly, oh so quietly, pace across the office.

I needed to do something.

Say something.

Throw something.

Instead, I was hamstrung.

I looked down at my phone. Eight thirty-one. I watched the minutes tick by. It was Billy who spoke first. By now, I knew that gruff voice.

“One down. Holding until I can safely take him to the container,” he whispered.

Container?

I looked over at Bruno.

Bruno gave me that look that said ‘don’t be an idiot’. Then I got it. The container Simon had described. The empty box they'd parked to fill. They were putting the guards in it.

I started pacing again. Another voice. I heard some kind of rustling over the comm. Then I heard Pinto. “Number two.” It was all he said. No talk of the container this time.

Why?

I stopped in my tracks.

I looked over at Bruno. This time he had his head turned toward the window.

I knew what had happened. Pinto had killed the guard. There hadn’t been any noise. But somehow Pinto had killed him.

There was the longest silence imaginable, and I started to pace again. My stomach started to burn.

Killed. Two of the guards had been killed.

Stop it!

Girls were going to be auctioned off, and they were there to help!

I shut my eyes. Tight.

Fine. Killed. It happened.

“Done. I’m taking number three to the container,” Vargas whispered.

“I’ve got four. I’ll meet you there,” Simon said.

I could hear some rustling. Then nothing.

I strained to hear more, but there was only more silence.

Another trip around the office. Bruno pointed at the chair. I shook my head. Like I was going to sit down. Was he crazy?

I heard another sound that I couldn’t make out.