27. Chapter 27
AHREN
The tip of the knife swiped across the carrot, slamming into the cutting board beneath it. "What the fuck was that?!" I growled, my eyes darting around expectantly.
Tierney dropped the steak on the counter, pulling the Walther from her waistband. Her eyes were hard as diamonds as they met mine. "You go high, I'll stay low."
The weight of the weapon in my hand grounded me, my mind and body both slipping into work mode as I nodded in agreement.
The lads hurried into the kitchen with a whine, their tails low against the floor. "Zeus. Apollo. Work." I commanded them. Both lifted their heads, ears raised—alert. Moments later, they both raced for the door, pawing at the floor until I opened it, releasing them into the yard .
"Be careful." I murmured, pulling her to me and pressing a lingering kiss on her lips, hoping it wouldn't be our last.
I forced myself to turn away, just as she crossed the threshold. A final glance at the blonde spitfire and I rushed for the stairs, taking them two at a time until I reached the lookout atop the house.
My stomach clenched as two shots rang out in rapid succession. I walked the perimeter, my Dragunov at the ready.
From this vantage point, I could see the entire western property line, including the gaping hole in the fence line and the charred crater that extended out in all directions.
A flash of blonde hair caught my eye. I whipped around just in time to see Tierney raise her pistol, taking aim at something in the distance and firing off two more rounds.
The dogs barking drew my attention to two men climbing over the fence. I raised my weapon; two shots, and they dropped.
Rustling in the bushes behind Tierney pulled my attention. The protective instincts I thought had long since been extinguished flared to life as a dark figure crept toward her. I raised my gun, ready to fire.
She turned, firing into her would-be-attacker's face, then returned to her sweep of the area. Cold. Calculated. Sexy as fuck.
For the next twenty minutes, we swept the area, but no one else came. Tierney looked up, her eyes finding mine, and she nodded, her hand signaling toward the house, and I nodded my agreement.
I slung my rifle over one shoulder as I started down the stairs. My boots were heavy against the hardwood steps, but the last thing on my mind was stealth. These fuckers just attacked my home.
If we were going to figure out this mess with Connor's kidnapping, we needed to figure out a way to call off the order and buy us some breathing room .
She stepped into the room, sliding her pistol into her waistband before crossing her arms over her chest. Her delicate features, set in hard lines that didn't suit her.
"Bombs." She blew out a sharp breath, blowing an errant hair from her face. "You forgot to add bombs to your list of weaknesses."
My jaw clenched, teeth grinding together. I knew she was just on edge and needing to work out some of her frustrations. Still, it set my teeth on edge. I hadn't been able to protect her.
"Sorry. Fuck!" she yelled, folding her hands behind her head and pushing out heavy breaths as she worked to calm herself.
Her eyes met mine, raw beauty and barely contained fury, wrapped in fierce determination. And I almost felt pity for those who breathed life into this goddess of death and vengeance. Almost.
"The hole in the fence is—less than ideal. To be honest, bombs and long-range weapons hadn't occurred to me and I have no defenses against them." I said. My quiet words somehow echoing in the silent room.
She nodded, her eyes fixed on the debris field scattered to the west. "It was just a fence. The perimeter should still be secure, providing your cameras and other protections weren't damaged."
"Good point." I said, falling into the chair and picking up the photo. "We need a plan to get the order canceled."
"You're right. We can't afford to fight a war on two fronts." She agreed.
Her finger hooked through the finger ring of her Karambit and she began twirling the knife as she paced in front of the door.
Hypnotized by her graceful movements, my eyes clung to her soft curves, appreciating the sway of her hips and the pout that sat on her velvet lips .
Fuck, this isn't the time. I chastised myself, but my eyes remained glued to the lethal beauty.
"Do you think your Jax could break into the system and send out an alert canceling the order?" she wondered aloud.
"No." I shook my head. "Already tried that when you were attacked in the grove. He couldn't get past their layers of encryption. He got in—but he said it was a labyrinth. Multiple layers, each with different encryptions."
"And without knowing which door to open, it's a colossal waste of time." She agreed, continuing to pace the length of the kitchen.
"Pretty much."
"Fucking hell!" she groaned. "Why does this shit have to be impossible?"
I barked out a dry laugh, "because then life would be boring."
That earned me a half-smile.
Her eyes widened, and the smile slid from her lips. "I have an idea. A really bad idea, mind you, but I think it might be our best play."
"I'm listening."
"What if we go back to the broker's house—well, the new broker, that is? Maybe we could use his system to send an alert. Not canceling the job, but stating it's finished. Take it off completely."
It wasn't the worst idea. Risky. But it wasn't like we weren't already fending off every hitter in our region and beyond.
"One small problem. "
A smile played at the corner of her lip. "Just one?"
"Neither of us knows shit about how to hack their system, even from the inside. Hell, that's what I have Jax for."
Laughter bubbled up through her chest. "I thought you were going to say we didn't know how to find the new broker, but you've already found him. Haven't you? "
I shrugged, throwing her a satisfied smirk. "Her. And yes. I know where she is. We can be there in an hour."
"I have an idea about our tech weakness," she said, sheathing her knife against her thigh. "I'll tell you about it while we get packed and strapped."
She moved silently across the floors, not even the barest whisper as she climbed the stairs.
A stark contrast to the heavy thudding of my boots marking my every step.
I had learned to be silent and brutally efficient when I needed to be.
She seemed to have adapted to operate that way all the time.
Living in a constant state of stealth and survival mode.
No doubt that had sharpened her instincts and probably saved her life on more than one occasion, but it must be a miserable way to live.
Whereas I crashed through the world, demanding to get my way—which, most of the time, I did.
She seemed to slip through the world from shadow to shadow, not leaving a trace of her existence behind.
Flipping on the light, we made our way over to the armory. Both of us grabbed extra ammo, and I strapped on a couple of Bowie knives. They weren't the elegant weapons Tierney's Karambits were, but they had always served me well.
"Ready."
My cock hardened painfully, taking her in—strapped down with weaponry, an ammo bag slung over her shoulder. So fucking beautiful. All I could think was—I would walk through the gates of Hell itself if this woman asked me to.
Instead, all my tangled mind could manage was a stiff nod. "Yeah. Ready."