Page 67 of The Sniper

Reyna barely managed to twist mid-air, her hands scrambling against the jagged edge of what remained of the building. She caught the crumbling ledge at the last second, fingers digging into rough concrete as the rest of the rooftop collapsed into the warehouse below.

Shit.

She was dangling ten stories in the air, her rifle gone, her body straining against gravity’s cruel pull. Dust and debris rained down around her as the structure groaned beneath the strain. The only thing keeping her from plummeting to the unforgiving pavement below was the sheer force of her grip.

Her fingers burned, her arms screaming in protest, but she didn’t dare loosen her hold.

Then she heard him.

“Reyna!”

Daniels.

She didn’t see him, but she felt him—heard the raw panic in his voice, the rare break in his control.

She’d never heard Daniels lose his composure. Not once.

But now? Now he sounded like a man barely keeping it together.

Gunfire still rang in the distance, Fitz and Mitch engaging what was left of Artemis’s hired mercenaries. But none of it mattered. Because all Reyna could focus on was the sheer drop beneath her.

This is going to suck.

Her right hand slipped, sending another rush of gravel and dust into the air.

“Hold on,” Daniels barked.

Not exactly an option, Sir.

But she didn’t say it. She couldn’t waste the breath.

And then he was there. She didn’t know how he’d gotten there; she was just grateful he was. Daniels dropped onto his stomach at the ledge, reaching for her.

“Take my hand.” His voice was sharp, a command, a demand. “I love…”

“Don’t say that. That’s what the hero always says when he’s about to drop the heroine.”

Her arms trembled, her muscles locking up from the strain. Blood trickled down her temple, dripping onto the ruins below. The fall hadn’t knocked her out, but it had rattled her.

She reached up with her free hand, but her fingers barely brushed his.

Too far.

Daniels cursed.

Then, without hesitation, he pushed forward, ignoring the loose gravel beneath him. His body was half off the ledge now, his center of gravity dangerously close to tipping.

“Daniels, don’t...”

“Shut up and grab my hand. That’s an order.”

His tone brooked no argument.

Reyna gritted her teeth, forced her body to obey, and swung up just enough to latch onto his forearm.

His grip was iron.

Then, with a grunt of raw strength, Daniels yanked her up.

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