Page 68 of War Games

He nods. “To be honest, I’m not even sure I fully understand who he really is, but if you’d like, we can work it out together.”

“Together?” I gasp, teasing him. “You’re not suggesting we work as a team, are you?”

Reaper groans and rolls his eyes, and I can’t help but laugh.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I tell him as my heart swells deep inside my chest. “Though I’ve gotta admit, I don’t think I have any fucking idea who Kienna James is either. Last time I talked to her, she was only six years old with more trauma than any kid should have to hold. I don’t know what kind of person we’re going to uncover.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re both trained in expecting the unexpected,” Reaper says. “Whatever you want to throw at me, baby, I can handle.”

“Oh yeah?” I say, adjusting myself on his lap and leaning in, my lips hovering over his. “Well, I’ve got something else a little unexpected, and I’m dying to see just how well you handle it.”

Then, without another word, I close the gap and drop my lips to his, and as if on cue, he picks me up off the couch and walks past the one-eyed dead head and straight to our bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

25

SIREN

Tonight Gasoline dies, and I’ve never felt so giddy about making a kill in my life.

Reaper practically sent me on my way with a kiss and a packed lunch, telling me to have a great day. But truth be told, I think he was jealous. Ever since the fire, he’s wanted revenge on this vile woman just as much as I have, but he knows I need this more. Besides, he thinks the brothers are planning something, and until he figures out what that is, he’ll be tailing them.

Mila has been working on tracking Gasoline for the past few days, and this morning, we finally got a hit. She’s been staying in one of the old warehouses in the industrial area where this whole bullshit started. Personally, I find staying in a warehouse unimaginative. The Boston Maneater did it too, and I can’t figure out why they would want to spend their last days on earth in a rundown building with no heat or access to working amenities. I get that living it up in a holiday home like Reaper, Shadow, and I have been doing certainly has its disadvantages,but I wouldn’t trade a working bathroom and a proper bed for anything.

With my car becoming a casualty of the suite fire, I had no choice but to walk my ass out to the industrial park, and after already knocking out many of the big contenders of War Games, I really don’t mind the stroll. Hell, I even let my guard down and try to enjoy the fresh air. Though despite doing what I can to enjoy my night, I keep to the shadows. My typical assassin-style outfit, complete with the black lips and long rope-like hairstyle is more than enough to draw the wrong kind of attention, and after the FBI have been sniffing around Blue Springs, the last thing I need is to get my ass caught.

There are only a few contenders left in the competition. The brothers, Gasoline, and a woman named Silver. For the most part, she’s managed to fly under the radar, and I haven’t paid much attention to her. I assumed she would be taken out by someone else earlier in the game. Yet as I approach Gasoline’s warehouse, I can’t help but notice the silver-haired woman creeping around, and judging by the way she’s carrying herself, this is definitely not a planned visit.

Hmmmm. Interesting.

My brow arches, and as I stick to the shadows, Silver attempts to be discreet. She glances around, missing every possible sign that someone is watching her, and despite not knowing much about her skill level, it’s clear who will be the one walking out of this one tonight.

I shake my head. There’s nothing I loathe more than an unfair fight, and someone like this has no business going after a woman like Gasoline. However, I can understand why. During that very first meeting in the warehouse just down the road from here, when these two women introduced themselves to the circle, it was clear that there’s a history there, and I bet Silver has beenwaiting for her chance to get the drop on Gasoline. The only issue is that tonight isn’t the night, nor is any other night.

Gasoline is a snake. She doesn’t fight fair, and her idea of beating someone is by stabbing them in the back. There’s no honor in the way she kills, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a serial killer. Silver might have the chance to surprise her, but Gasoline won’t allow her to have the upper hand for long.

When Silver disappears into the rundown building, I launch myself over the back fence and slip in through the side entrance, immediately getting smacked in the face by the putrid stench of gas, telling me I’m more than in the right place. The main overhead lights are out, but there’s a few spotlights that create just enough glow to catch Silver as she creeps through the building with a blade in each hand.

She looks left and right as if trying to sniff out Gasoline, but with the foul smell in the air, I don’t know what she’s expecting to find. There are gas cans everywhere, and my stomach starts to sink. I’m getting a bad feeling about this.

I can’t be burned alive again. That shit wasn’t fun the first time, and if that’s her backup plan, then I need out. I won’t risk that again. There’s too much accelerant littering the warehouse, and it would only take one simple spark to send this place up in a blaze. The fire at the resort will look like a campfire compared to what happens here.

Silver creeps right into the center of the warehouse when I notice something in the rafters, and I lift my gaze, only to find Shadow watching over me. My jaw drops, and as she cringes, it’s clear she knows she’s been caught. I hold my hands out in the universal sign forwhat the ever-loving fuck do you think you’re doing?And when she simply shrugs her shoulders in apology, all I can do is shake my head.

Now is not the time to discipline my delinquent child . . . or whatever she’s supposed to be to me.

I narrow my gaze at her, letting her know that we’re going to have words about this when we get home, and just as a cocky smirk tears across her gorgeous face, a flash of red hair catches my attention.

Gasoline.

She stands in a narrow doorway, her gaze locked heavily on Silver, and I realize that we’ve all been caught in her trap. We were lured here, and now she’s the one with the upper hand.

I signal to Shadow to watch Gasoline, and just as Shadow nods in understanding, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I ignore it, realizing it must be Mila checking in, but when a second text comes through, I reach for my phone. Mila knows I’m out, but she also never messages twice. It’s got to be Reaper.

Swiping my thumb across the screen, I unlock my phone and check the message.

Reaper - Get out of there. It’s a trap.

Reaper - Fucking answer me, Siren.

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