51. 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 that wasn'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.
After a few tense moments, the venom won. “You can fuck right off with that. I will out shoot you with my scout any day of the fucking week—twice on Friday!” she challenged.
He chuckled, “I think I’d like that. Maybe Rossdale can come and bring his antique too.”
“You do know it’s not the tool. It’s how you use it, right?” I quipped.
That earned me a laugh from the girls. Henri went silent, most likely searching for a proper comeback.
"Why?" Tierney asked, helping Connor strip off her blood-soaked clothes.
"You said you were done helping. That you had gone as far down that road as you intended to." She asked, giving voice to my question.
"Ahren said you were being set up. He already paid for me to stand down, but the way he defended you—let's just say it made me curious."
"You could have told me." I growled.
He laughed. Fucker seemed to think our panic was funny. "And have that crazy bitch fucking with my life. Hard pass."
"Why didn't you shoot sooner?" Connor rasped, her chest still heaving after her near miss.
"Sorry about that," he said, for once sounding contrite. "She had awful trigger discipline. Her finger curled around the trigger. It wasn't until she lost her grip and had to pick it back up that she faltered and I saw an opening."
"Thank you. As long as you aren't shooting at these two, I will give you a lifetime of patch jobs." She choked out a half laugh.
"Generous offer, but I don't like living off charity. I pay my debts. Patch me up a couple times and we'll call it even. Get my number from Rossdale."
"By the way, it's Christmas for you two." his laugh echoed in the empty yard. "No more looking over your shoulder. The order has been permanently canceled."
"So who the fuck was shooting at us?" Tierney piped up.
"Rogues I guess. She probably paid them directly. I can only say they weren't sanctioned. Either way, they're dead."
"Thanks for the ear, by the way. You couldn't have helped take some of those bastards out before I got shot?"
"Nah. You know how it goes, man. The first shot is a surprise. After that, you give away your position. I only had one shot to get her."
"Yeah. I get it. You didn't want to waste it. I know." I agreed.
"Ok. I'll ask. How'd you get the order canceled?" Tierney asked, raising her hand like a schoolgirl in class.
"I told you, I did some digging. Found a lot of things that didn't add up.
Like Rossdale said, they should have sent him after you or a top hitter from another region.
Sending the order to newbies, that made no sense.
I took everything I found to the new broker, and she agreed to cancel on her end without notifying the client.
Just so you know, this is only the second time something like this has happened where they took the client's money but refused the job. You should feel special. "
"Special probably isn't the right word. But I am deeply grateful. Thank you. "
She turned to me. “I'm going to finish helping Larissa get cleaned up and dressed in something not covered in blood.”
I nodded, tapping off the speaker, lifting the phone to my ear.
"I meant to tell your girl, nice shot. She's pretty badass with a knife," he complimented her.
A hearty laugh broke from my chest. "You have no fucking idea what she can do with a knife."
“Did you ever figure it out? Why you needed to risk your life for hers?”
“Yeah.” I said, a wide smile breaking across my face. “Yeah, I figured it out.”
"Look. In all seriousness, Tierney and I are both happy to owe you more than one. Just say the word. Connor too."
"I'll hold you to it," was all he said before the line went dead.
A slow smile spread across my face. We survived. Somehow, we fucking survived.
Rounding the corner, I found Connor stripped to her underwear, soaked from head to toe while Tierney rinsed her shoes.
"Want some of this? You look like hell," Tierney asked, waving the hose around.
I shook my head. "No. Any wound on the head bleeds a lot. It's not serious."
I pulled my shirt over my head, wiped the blood from my face, and applied pressure. "See? I'm fine."
She shrugged, dropped the hose, and turned off the spigot.
"So, are we burning the place down?" Tierney asked, her voice a little more cheerful and upbeat for the moment.
Connor waved her off. "No need. I lit it up pretty good back there. That's what pissed her off to start with. Her pitiful sprinklers were no match for the flamethrower. The house is probably already burning. "
"Oooh. No messy clean up. I like it," Tierney said, wrapping her arm around Connor to stabilize her and led her to the truck.
One last look around the empty yard and blood stained walls that could have been the last place we drew breath. That knot that had been twisting in my stomach for weeks finally unwound.
Still, that restless ache of frustration I felt when I didn’t get the kill I’d been planning still lingered. This time, though, I had a good idea how I might release that tension.
I jogged to the truck, a renewed spark flaring to life in me. The door clicked shut, and I leaned my head against the headrest, allowing myself a moment to breathe as I waited for the girls to finish.
Black smoke curled high above the back of the house. Connor had been right, the house was already burning. It seemed things were finally working in our favor. Tierney climbed into the truck and scooted over next to me. Connor, freshly dressed, climbed in, slamming the door behind her.
"When we get home, I'm sleeping for a week. I'm taking Tierney's old room." Connor said, leaning against the window. "By the way, did y'all ever find my car?"
"No. Honestly, I didn't think to look for it. We already knew you weren't with it. Sorry."
"Fuck. Sleep sounds good." Tierney agreed.
My hand squeezed her thigh. "Bed sounds like just the thing to make this all better."
She swatted my arm playfully. "I said sleep, Ahren. Sleep."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
"Don't worry. I'll teach you." She said, offering me a soft smile.
“It’s over.” Tierney murmured, awe creeping into her tone. “We fucking survived. ”
I nodded. “Still a little miffed, I didn’t get the kill shot. But I guess I can’t really complain.”
She shrugged. “I said I wanted to introduce that bitch to a knife. Wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it.”
Connor laughed. “You’re both crazy. But damn, I love you.”
Her eyes flicked up to me. “This isn’t the end. Not goodbye.”
I shook my head. “This is only the beginning.”
“I love you—more than I ever thought possible. I learned to mimic other people’s behavior—to fit in, but I never understood it. Now—”
“Now?” I prodded.
“Now all the songs make sense.” she laughed, her eyes lined with unshed tears.
I kissed her cheek, wiping away the tears as they began falling.
“Ok,” she smiled, “Enough of this mushy shit. I love you. I said it. Now I need to shoot something.”
“Sleep, then shooting. Got it. Anything else, love?”
"Take me home, baby." Tierney murmured, placing a soft kiss on my jaw.
"Anything for you, Kitten."