Suddenly Yara cries out. I glance down to see blood blooming on her shirt.
"No!" My scream is raw and primal. I stumble, nearly dropping her.
Morello whirls back and notices the scarlet hue, stark against the bright yellow of her shirt. His face drains of color.
"Go!" he shouts. "Get her out of here!"
I clutch Yara close as more shots explode around us.
We dive behind a boulder.
She's still breathing, but her eyelids flutter.
"Stay with me, baby," I beg, applying pressure to the wound. "Mommy's here."
Footsteps crunch on the gravel.
I look up to see Morello standing over us, gun drawn. He fires at unseen assailants.
"I'll take her and you run!"
He hauls me to my feet.
"I'll cover you!"
I blink back tears as I hand Yara to him. Our eyes meet, saying everything words cannot.
Then I'm running alone into the shadows, my baby's fading cries echoing after me.
It's agony, counterintuitive to a mother's love.
But I plan on being a distraction.
I crash through the underbrush, thorns tearing at my clothes and skin.
My breath saws in and out of my lungs. Behind me, gunshots still crack through the night air.
I have to keep going. I can lead them away, buy Morello and Yara time to escape.
Suddenly, a dark shape lunges from the bushes.
Hands grab my arms, yanking me to an abrupt stop.
I struggle wildly, but another man appears and helps subdue me.
"We got her!" one of them shouts.
Floodlights switch on, blinding me.
I hear a car door open, followed by steady footsteps on the gravel.
Blinking, I make out a tall, slender figure approaching. Moonlight glints off his sleek hair.
Gerald.
He smiles coldly. "Did you really think you could escape me, Alina?"
I thrash against my captors' grip. "Let me go, you bastard!"