Remember Jamie Baker (36 page)
Read Remember Jamie Baker Online
Authors: Kelly Oram
I pushed her behind me again and kept my thoughts to myself. I hoped Fortune would misunderstand her statement.
“I’d love for her to try.” His eyes met mine and I knew he hadn’t gotten Starling’s true meaning. How could he? Star trembled while I tried vainly to steady myself. This needed to end.
“Just go,” I warned him in a low voice. “You either stay here and get caught or leave us alone. Take your money and run.”
“I’m not worried. No prison is going to hold me. They could take my men, but I’ll sit here all day with you to prove a point. Those stupid humans think they can handle me, but they’re wrong.”
Every cell in my body froze. What did he say? I made sure to keep the fear on my face—not that difficult to do—to prevent suspicion.
My dad groaned and mumbled Starling’s name. My heart pounded and I tried to press my weight against Star so she’d back up, away from the criminal. I made sure every bit of her was hidden behind me. How come no one from inside the bank had tried to come out yet? Almost against my will, my eyes went to my left where the hostages still sat, unmoving.
“Don’t worry about them,” Fortune said, noticing my evaluation. “They’ll stay right where they are to avoid being killed. They already saw two others die today.”
Police sirens wailed close by and I took in a shaky breath. “Time to make your decision, Fortune. Cops are here to collect you.”
“Didn’t see you coming. Interesting.” The curiosity in his gaze sent the hairs on my arms standing straight up. When I didn’t reply, he shrugged and came towards me, laid a cold, leather-gloved hand on my face. I gritted my teeth to keep from shaking while he examined me. “You’re a pretty thing. Sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” It sounded more like a plea than a statement. My panic couldn’t be ignored much longer. My knees quaked.
“It would certainly upset your father and this city,” he mused. My entire body froze up as I saw he was now seriously considering it.
“Don’t take her!” Starling shrieked. She jumped out from behind me and shoved Fortune with all her nine-year-old might. “You can’t have her.
You’re a bad man!
”
“You’re right. This message is better.” Fortune tucked his gun away and my knees wobbled a little in relief. He was going to let us go. He met my gaze and when he spoke, his tone couldn’t be more plain. “You will not tell anyone about me or I will kill the rest of your family.”
“The
rest
—
?
”
Then Fortune’s hand went up and thin, bright blue lines of light shot from his palm with a crackle. Heat sizzled my arm closest to Starling, who fell to the ground in a heap; I hadn’t even had time to react. A split second later, the neon flash was gone and only Fortune remained.
Someone was screaming. Several moments passed before I realized it was me. I dropped to the ground and listened for Starling’s heartbeat, finding none. Before I could question my sanity, I looked in shock at her shirt, at the palm-sized burn mark over her stopped heart. Fortune sighed as I cradled her tiny body in my arms.
“Silly little girl,” he said. “Reminds me of someone I knew once.”
I looked up in time to see him slip out the door. A terrible wailing filled the small room, clanged in my head like a siren. My mother later told me it took four officers to tear Starling from my arms.
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Liz Long is a proud graduate of Longwood University. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her day job includes writing for a magazine publisher in Roanoke, VA. To learn more about Liz (including more information on her books, plus writing, marketing, and social media tips), visit her website:
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