Page 70 of Rivals & Revenge

After a few tense moments, I realized another shot wasn't coming. My gaze swept across the hillside as well as the valley below, hoping to catch any signs of movement or the sunlight glinting off a scope.

In one fluid motion, I spun around, gaining my feet. The pistols clattered against the brick driveway as I pulled my scout from behind my back and lifted it into position, hoping the scope would help me see better.

The whole thing was an adrenaline fueled fantasy though. As my racing heart settled, so did the realization that it was most likely a pro that took the shot and he would be long gone by now.

Loosing a heavy breath, I lowered my weapon, taking a few more deep breaths to steady myself.

"Fucking sexy." Ahren murmured behind me.

I threw him a half smile, turning to face him.

"Standing here ineffectively looking for something to shoot is sexy?" I asked, arching my brow.

That dark chuckle I'd come to love rumbled in his chest. "Not quite what I meant."

His expression sobered. "You sitting on my dick, protecting me. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

I turned away, feeling my face heat under his praise. Not that the red stain would be visible under the coating of blood and grime I wore.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ahren stand, retrieving the discarded pistols from the ground. His arms wrapped around me from behind.

"All I can think is how relieved I am it wasn't you," he murmured, his heated breath fanning across my neck with each word.

I nodded. That had been my first thought, too. I knew we came here to save Jax, and I should be more upset at his death, but all I could think was 'at least Ahren wasn't hit'.

"The shooter is long gone. Let's go home." I turned in his arms, finding him staring down at me with an unreadable expression.

Wordlessly, he nodded. His hands sliding down my arms until only our fingers were connected.

"Get in. I'll be there in a sec."

He walked over to where Jax's body lay, reaching in his pocket to retrieve his phone. His brow furrowed as he tapped against the screen, finally throwing it so it landed on the roof of the single-story house.

He dropped into the driver's seat, slammed the truck into gear, and raced out of the driveway.

Connor and I sat quietly, both still in shock at the events of the last ten minutes. Just as I opened my mouth to ask why we were in such a hurry, an explosion rocked the truck.

Ahren swerved, but was thankfully able to keep the truck on the road.

"Failsafe." he said. His quiet tone seeming at odds with the chaos of the moment.

"Jax was no fool. He knew what I am. Knew the risks. He rigged his place so no one could go snooping through his system after he was gone."

"And he taught the assassin how to arm it?" I asked.

He chuckled quietly. "Yeah. He trusted me. I don't know that I would exactly call us friends, but—well, you get the picture."

The rest of the drive passed in quiet contemplation. Each of us was well aware she'd broken the rules she'd set. The shot had been timed for maximum impact. She'd meant to rattle us—and she had.

The realization settled over us that the rules of the game had given us a false sense of security. We had been grasping at straws all along, trying to catch up with the crazy bitch, only to find out we weren't even playing the right game.

We needed a final strategy before the next blow came. My gut told me that would be sooner than any of us would like.

The truck rolled to a stop, but none of us rushed to leave. The silence hanging over us was near suffocating.

"Tierney and I are covered in pink mist. If you wouldn't mind removing the seat covers and floor mats, I would appreciate it. Toss them into the incinerator."

Connor nodded, eager to do whatever she could to help—that was just her nature.

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