Gideon spins on Aaron, who mutters, “Thanks, buddy,” to Max. Gideon charges, and I glance over at our captors, expecting them to do something, but they’re standing there, watching, and I can’t see their faces with the masks, but their eyes look amused. No, entertained. Just standing back, chilling and watching the rumble along with everyone else. Everyone except Maria, who’s at the desk, going through the drawers. When she sees me watching, she motions she’ll be careful.
Max has moved halfway across the room, as if to make damned sure he doesn’t get pulled into the brawl. Aaron and Gideon are still going at it. It’s obvious Aaron knows how to fight. Gideon does not. Aaron is only defending himself, but I can tell he’s getting frustrated, and a few of his blows hit hard. Gideon is hopped up on adrenaline and just keeps going back for more, until X-Files finally moves forward and says, “Okay, kid. Fun’s over.” He grabs the back of Gideon’s shirt. Gideon swings, and for once, his fist actually connects.
X-Files falls back with an oomph, then “You little brat,” and I’m on Gideon in a heartbeat. I don’t think. I just grab him to pull him away, and then I see the knife. X-Files pulls out a blade and the light shines off that razor-sharp edge and … and I drop Gideon. I don’t mean to, but someone grabs me, one arm around my waist, and yanks me away from the younger boy. Before I can twist to see who it is, the hand is gone and X-Files is snarling and Aaron is running toward Gideon. I shout, “No!” but Aaron tackles Gideon, knocking him face-first to the floor. And, thankfully, X-Files eases back.
“Let him go,” I say, and Aaron gives me this look of Huh? I say, “I mean, let Gideon leave in my place. Just get him out of here. Please.”
“Is that an order, Miss Riley?” X-Files raises the knife as he turns on me.
“No,” I say quickly. “I-I’m just suggesting. Asking. Can he— May he take my place?”
I expect him to give me the same line he did earlier with Max, about not wanting to reward bad behavior, but he grunts, “Fine. Get out of here, boy. He’ll take—”
He turns to Predator, and as he does, there’s a blur behind the guy in the Cantina alien mask. It’s Maria. She has something in her hand, something long and metal, and she’s been slipping up behind Cantina. Now she runs toward him, weapon raised … and Cantina shoots her. He shoots her point-blank, and she flies back, and there’s blood, just the smallest spray, and that’s what I think about in that moment. There should be more blood.
Then I hear whimpering, and I realize it’s me, and I clap both hands over my mouth to stop and someone grabs me from behind, pulling me back, the same arms as before, holding me tight as I shake so hard I can hear my teeth chatter, a voice whispering, “It’s all right,” but it’s not all right, Maria is lying on the floor, the white lettering on her T-shirt spattered red, and she’s not moving. God help me, she isn’t moving.
I push off the arms and run to Maria. I hear a shout of No! It’s Aaron and I think he’s telling me not to go to her. Then I see Gideon jumping Cantina. He grabs for the gun, and everyone’s shouting, Lorenzo and Aaron telling Gideon to stop, just stop, X-Files yelling that Gideon damned well better stop or he’s going to get a bullet through—
The gun fires. It’s a suppressed shot, like the first, but still far from silent. Cantina jerks back, his eyes wide. I see the gun, both of their hands on it, blood spreading across Cantina’s stomach. Gideon is turning, and everything comes in incredible slow motion, sound off, their mouths opening, nothing coming out, nothing that penetrates my terror. Gideon turns, and Lorenzo runs between him and X-Files, and Gideon fires. Lorenzo goes down. Then X-Files aims and—
Arms grab me again. The same ones as before. I struggle madly. My brain fires in every direction, thoughts going everywhere, paralyzing me. Get to Maria. No, stop X-Files. Do something. Just do something.
The arms drag me backward, and I realize we’re heading for the door, and I dig in my heels, but a voice says in my ear, “We need to get out of here,” and I turn to see Max, and the shock of that, of realizing who has me, shuts off my brain, and I let him drag me out the door.
CHAPTER 7
We reach the hall, and the second we do, that bubble around me bursts. I hear everything—the shouts, the cries, the scuffling, the cursing, a sob of pain. It hits me so hard I double over, hands to my ears, Max’s fingers still wrapped around my wrist.
“Come on,” he whispers urgently, and I know if I don’t, he’ll leave me here. He’s grabbed me on a whim, and if I don’t follow him, he’ll say to hell with me and keep going.
Waves of chaos from the room pummel me, and I swear I feel the terror and the pain and the panic from every person there. I think of Maria, lying on the floor, and then I see her smiling at me in line, trying to calm me down, joking about her T-shirt.
I see that T-shirt splattered in blood.
Maria shot by Cantina. Lorenzo shot by Gideon. Two of us lie on the floor back there, and I heard more shots as we were running. Who else is on that floor? Gideon? Brienne? Aaron? Aimee?
My knees buckle. Max’s fingers dig in, dragging me, and I want to say, No, just leave me here, but there’s still enough of my brain working that rises above the fear and shouts, Are you an idiot? and I stumble after him.
Then my gut seizes, and I stop so suddenly he’s jerked back with me.
“I’m running away,” I whisper.