Page 57 of Rivals & Revenge

I removed her socks and shoes, pulling away the scraps of fabric as Tierney made quick work of slicing through her pants.

"Fuck!" Tierney growled. "Ahren, look."

My eyes snapped up, settling on the flat plane of Connor's stomach. Our mystery woman had scrawled the word 'losar' with fine, shallow cuts.

"Take a picture." She prompted, taking a rag and gently swiping along her forehead.

"I'm guessing she's drugged," I said, putting my phone away and reaching for the pulse point on her neck. "Her pulse is steady, maybe a little weaker than it should be, but still normal, I think."

"So giving her something for pain is probably a no, then." She said, grinding her teeth.

I nodded, "yeah, that's a safer bet."

We continued in silence, each wiping away the layers of grime her clothing had done little to protect her from. Each swipe of the cloth accompanied by a sharp intake of breath or a heavy sigh as the two of us worked together to remove every trace of that house from her body.

"When I woke up, I was wearing her scrubs. Do you think there is another pair here?"

"Yeah. Connor keeps a few sets here in case she needs to patch me up. Wouldn't want her getting blood on her good clothes." I replied, the soft smile I only wore for her spreading across my lips. "I'll go get them."

I found several pairs folded neatly in the hall closet and I smiled. Walking into the room, she returned my smile. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just—I don't know. Amused by the irony. Connor is a doctor, and she has special clothes she wears when dealing with blood. You and I actually kill people for money and we both throw our favorite clothes into the incinerator like it's nothing."

She chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess that would seem weird to anyone who's not us."

"Lift her up and I'll slide on the top for her." She said, unfolding the scrub top and giving it a hard shake.

I lowered myself onto the bed beside her and gently wrapped her in my arms, pulling her body upright.

"Fucking shit!" Tierney cursed.

"What?"

"Phone." she growled.

Bracing her against my body so I could remove one hand, I dipped into my pocket and handed her my phone. She pointed it at Connor and snapped a picture. Her jaw tightened as her eyes swept across her back. One more picture and she handed me my phone back, reached for a rag and began cleaning Connor's back.

A message had been scrawled across her back, this time in permanent marker.

clue number 2

Man, the things you don't know are the Very things that will hurt you.

i know where your weaknesses lie.

last time, i was only Playing. this time, someone's gonna die.

Chapter 32

TIERNEY

Ahren paced the length of the room. Even without the heavy boots, his aggressive footsteps spoke volumes about the war raging in his mind.

Zeus and Apollo laid under Connor's bed with only their front paws and noses sticking out, following their master as he completed each lap.

He muttered something about needing a walk to clear his head, even though that didn't work out so well for him last time. The lunatic's note had really rattled him and I got the feeling that he wasn't the kind to be rattled.

My eyes flicked between them. I had been alone for years, happily so, and now, I had—friends. Two of them. My eyes swung back to Ahren—maybe more than a friend.

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