Page 97 of Rivals & Revenge

Ahren fired twice, but continued to sweep the area. That wound was too close—another half inch and I would be standing over his body picking these guys off alone. Facing the crazy bitch alone—no doubt the rest of my life alone, too.

Slowly, we backed toward the door, our eyes still straining for any signs of movement.

Leaves rustled behind me. I turned and fired, dropping our would-be attacker.

Ahren turned, his battle sharpened eyes scanning quickly before firing into the nearby hedge, staining the house behind it a deep red as his bullet found its mark.

"Bravo." that shrill voice rang out. I'd only heard it once, but I'd know it anywhere. “Really, I would clap, but my hands are a bit busy.”

Larissa stepped out from behind the corner of the house, the barrel of a shotgun pressed to the back of her head.

"Fuck." I whispered. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen.

"Come on. You two know what to do. Drop ‘em," she said, nodding toward our weapons. Smug satisfaction dripped from her words and my fingers curled, aching for cold steel between them.

Ahren stepped forward, his body half covering mine. It wouldn't save me from a shotgun blast, but it was a nice gesture, nonetheless. His pistol clattered to the driveway.

I leaned forward, placing the scout on the ground gently, unable to bear the sound of her clattering against the pavement.

"I was hoping you were stupid enough to just show up to a random address I sent you. I mean, I didn't think it would work at first, but I realized your ego is big enough—" she ranted, launching into a monologue like the villain in a cheesy movie.

My eyes dropped to the waistband of Ahren's pants. Fuck. I've got one shot. Realization slammed into me. This was his plan. This was exactly why he stepped in front of me.

In one fluid motion, I pulled the Bowie knife and threw it as hard as I could. Lucia staggered back, dropping the shotgun. She recovered quickly, though she struggled to hold the gun properly with the large knife buried in her shoulder.

Ahren and I were most likely safe, as there was little chance she would be very accurate at this range. But Larissa—

Lucia's head exploded, leaving behind nothing but a veil of pink mist, just as the shot rang out.

Larissa dropped to the ground, chest heaving, an unrestrained cry breaking from her throat.

Ahren and I exchanged shocked glances, both at a loss for words. We reached for our weapons, then stumbled toward Larissa, hoping the next bullet wouldn't take us out.

Ahren's phone chirped in his pocket.

He pulled it out, pressing the speaker just as we reached Larissa.

Chapter 51

AHREN

The shot rang out. The clear report of a rifle, a sound that I usually associated with freedom. My eyes traced the most likely path of the bullet, surprised to find the nearest hide nearly half a mile away. I reached for my own weapon, both grateful for the shot and worried we were the next targets. Tierney and I both had prices on our heads after all.

Just as we reached Connor, the phone rang. I pulled it out and pressed the speakerphone. Whoever was calling had to be connected. I didn't believe in coincidences—at least not ones that big.

"Yeah."

"Now you owe me. Both of you. And tell the lady doc she owes me a patch job. Maybe two."

"Henri," I breathed, "I don't think I've ever been so glad to hear a shot thatwasn't mine."

He laughed, "I bet."

“Nice shot.”

“Either of you could have made that shot. Especially if you weren’t such sentimental fools. Get yourselves a couple of MK12s like grownups.”

“Them’s fighting words. Might want to take that back,” I laughed, watching Tierney struggle to swallow the venom she wanted to spew.

---