Page 48 of The Sniper

The killer had been waiting for them.

And she had Reyna exactly where she wanted her.

“Disconnect from your comm unit and I’ll drop the weapon,” Artemis murmured, her voice smooth, almost amused. “Or I’ll carve that pretty face of yours into something unrecognizable.”

Reyna reached up and disconnected her comm, but Artemis didn’t drop a damn thing. Instead, she lunged.

Artemis was fast, but Reyna was faster. She ducked under the first swipe of the blade, rolling onto the catwalk and reaching for the spare pistol at her thigh. But Artemis was already there, kicking the weapon from her grip.

Reyna barely had time to curse before she was forced to dodge another strike, the sharp edge slicing through the air inches from her throat.

She twisted, using the narrow walkway to her advantage, forcing Artemis into a tighter space where her knife was less effective. But the woman was skilled—she anticipated Reyna’s every move, countering each attack with lethal precision.

Below, the team was fighting Artemis’s men, unable to help with the battle unfolding above them.

Reyna knew she had only seconds to act. The momentum of her leap sent them both crashing into the railing of the catwalk, her forearm pressing hard against Artemis’s throat, pinning her in place. Artemis’s hands shot up, grabbing Reyna’s wrist, her nails biting into flesh as she struggled.

Reyna gritted her teeth. “You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.”

Artemis’s lips curled. “I still can.”

She twisted sharply, using the railing as leverage to spin out of Reyna’s hold. Reyna barely had time to shift before Artemis drove a fist into her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs.

Reyna staggered back, forcing herself to breathe through the pain, but Artemis was already on her.

A sharp elbow to the jaw sent Reyna stumbling, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. Before she could recover, Artemis hooked a foot behind her knee, yanking her down hard onto the cold steel of the catwalk.

Reyna barely caught herself before her skull cracked against the walkway. She rolled, dodging the next attack, springing back to her feet in time to block a punch aimed straight for her ribs.

They circled each other, breathless but determined, their movements a violent dance of precision and instinct.

Artemis lunged again, but Reyna anticipated it this time, twisting at the last second and bringing her knee up hard into Artemis’s stomach.

The impact sent Artemis reeling. Reyna didn’t let up. She swung, catching Artemis across the face with a brutal right hook that sent her crashing onto the catwalk.

Reyna reached for her knife.

Artemis reached for something else.

The moment Reyna saw the syringe, she knew she’d made a mistake.

She lunged, but she was a second too late.

Artemis pivoted and jammed the needle into the side of Reyna’s neck.

A cold, numbing sensation spread instantly through Reyna’s veins, a sharp contrast to the fire of battle still burning through her muscles. Her vision wavered, her limbs growing sluggish as the tranquilizer worked its way into her system.

“No,” she gritted out, trying to swing again, but her movements were slow, uncoordinated.

Artemis stepped back, rolling her shoulder as if shaking off the fight. “You’re good, I’ll give you that,” she murmured, watching as Reyna swayed.

Reyna’s knees buckled, her balance slipping.

She reached out blindly, trying to grab onto something—anything—to keep herself upright, but the world tilted, her vision darkening at the edges.

Artemis crouched beside her as she sank to the catwalk, her voice smooth and taunting. “I have work to do.”

Reyna tried to form words, but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. The last thing she saw was Artemis standing over her, a ghost of a smile on her face, before the darkness swallowed her whole.

---