Page 14 of The Sniper

Reyna blocked, twisting her body to deliver a sharp kick to his knee. He faltered, but only for a moment. He was bigger, stronger, and clearly used to fights like this. But Reyna had something he didn’t—training.

She dropped low, driving her knife into his thigh before spinning to face the first man again. He was bleeding, clutching his chest, but the crowbar was still in his hands, and the look in his eyes told her he wasn’t done.

“Last chance,” she said, her voice steady despite the rapid thrum of her pulse. “Walk away.”

He didn’t.

The crowbar came down in a brutal swing, and Reyna stepped inside it, her knife slashing across his wrist. He howled, the weapon clattering to the ground as he staggered back. Reyna didn’t give him a chance to recover. She stepped forward, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall.

“Who sent you?” she demanded, her knife pressing against his throat.

The man’s eyes were wide, panicked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“Wrong answer,” Reyna said, her voice like ice.

Before she could press further, the sound of tires screeching to a halt filled the air. Headlights illuminated the alley, and a familiar voice cut through the chaos.

“Reyna!”

Daniels.

Relief and irritation warred inside her as she turned toward the sound of his voice, just in time to see the second man scrambling to his feet and running away. With her attention diverted elsewhere, the man against the wall gave her a hard shove and he too sprinted away. Damn it.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Daniels growled, his eyes blazing as he turned to her.

“I had it under control,” Reyna said, though her chest was heaving, and adrenaline still coursed through her veins.

Daniels stepped closer, his presence dominating the narrow alley. “This isn’t control. This is reckless.”

Reyna opened her mouth to argue, but the glint of something in the corner of her eye stopped her. A glimmer of light, a reflection off a barrel.

Sniper.

“Daniels!” she shouted, lunging forward just as the shot rang out.

CHAPTER SIX

DANIELS

The sound of the gunshot tore through the alley, sharp and unforgiving. Daniels’s body reacted, surging forward as he grabbed Reyna and pulled her against him. They hit the ground hard, the rough pavement scraping against his palms as he rolled to shield her. A second shot. The sharp clang of metal hitting the dumpster behind them confirmed what he’d feared—a sniper had them in his sights.

“Stay down!” he barked, his voice low but commanding. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he scanned the darkened rooftops for movement.

Reyna twisted beneath him, her breathing fast but steady. “I had it under control.”

“Sure, you did,” he growled, keeping her pinned as he pulled his sidearm from its holster. “You always do until someone puts a bullet in you.”

“Daniels,” she hissed, her tone sharp. “Let me up.”

“Not yet.” He tightened his grip on her, his eyes narrowing as he caught the faintest flicker of movement in the shadows above. There.

The sniper wasn’t sticking around. He’d tried for them, missed, and now was moving, retreating across the rooftops withpracticed ease. Daniels felt a surge of frustration twist in his gut. He wanted to pursue, to drag the bastard off his perch and get some answers, but he couldn’t risk leaving Reyna exposed.

“Do you see him?” Reyna asked, her voice calmer now, more controlled.

Daniels nodded, still scanning the rooftops. “He’s retreating. Probably has backup.”

She pushed against him again, and this time he let her up, though his hands stayed close, ready to grab her if she so much as thought about doing something reckless. She dusted herself off, her expression tight as she retrieved her knife from where it had fallen during the scuffle.

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