Page 146 of Traitor

She fucking found me.

I sprint behind one of the barriers, dodging another shot. She's quick. Too fucking quick.

But so am I.

I move left, she moves right. We're circling each other, both waiting for an opening. I can feel her watching me, feel the hunger in her aim.

Come on, baby. Shoot me.

Another shot, I drop low. She misses. Barely.

I grin. "You're getting slow, Temper."

Her breath hitches, and I swear I can hear her mutter, "Smug asshole."

She's gone before I can taunt her again.

I find her hiding behind a wooden barrier. I'm right behind her, I could take my shot. But that's not what she needs. So I circle around her, and I let her see me. The hunt has gone long enough.

I hear the shot before I feel it.

Right in my chest.

Then again. And again.

The impact rocks through me, bright yellow splattering across my chest. I don't even register the stinging pain. I'm lucky she's at a distance.

I look up, my vision filled with her.

Mask tilted up, breath uneven, eyes burning.

She just stares at me.

I don't raise my gun. Don't try to move. I just let her.

One more shot. Right over my heart.

My lips twitch. I can't fucking help it. "You finally got me, Temper."

She exhales sharply, lowering her gun. She blinks like she's just woken up from a trance. Like she didn't mean to hit me so many times.

She needed this.

And fuck, if it didn't feel right to let her take me down.

I don't move as she steps back. Ria whoops in the background, declaring victory for their team, but neither of us react. It's just her and me. Just this moment.

She lets out a breath and murmurs, "I win."

I nod, grinning through the pain. "Yeah, baby. You do."

She's sitting in one of the chairs we set up in the clubhouse's barbecue area, bent forward, tying the laces on one of her boots. The sight of her like this — focused, quiet, unknowingly beautiful — does things to me.

I grab a can of Coke, pop the top, and hand it to her as I drop into the chair next to her.

She takes it, her fingers brushing mine for the briefest second before she looks up.

"Where's Ghost? I can't believe he'd let you fight a paintball war on your own," she teases, a small grin curving her lips.

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