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“Watch out—” I managed to gasp out.
Gunfire cracked out, sizzling through the air around us.
Carter and Sebastian reacted with the precision of seasoned soldiers, returning fire with deadly accuracy. Their movements were fluid. They needed to fill me in on the misspent youth that I apparently still didn’t remember.
Jack reached down to help me, his hands steady despite the cacophony of violence around us. He tried to pull me away from the line of fire, his big body shielding mine as he pulled me forward toward cover.
But that meant he was exposed to the men racing toward us and also to the sniper who was above us, if he were Sunny’s ally.
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder and the sharp tang of fear. I tried to shake off the cloud in my mind.
My knees trembled, struggling to support my weight as I watched the struggle unfold before me. Greyson’s face was contorted with pain. He and Sunny were still scrambling for control, locked so close together neither side could take a shot without risking killing their own man.
“Stay,” Jack whispered to me. “You’re okay. I’ll be right back.”
He launched himself away, firing on the men who were attacking us, shouting to Sebastian and Carter and the other men in the chaos.
Greyson was fighting desperately, but the blood streaming down his arm was a weakness, even before Sunny began to slam his fist into the bloody wound.
Greyson let out a roar of pain and with one a sudden, violent twist, the gun they were fighting over broke free.
The metallic clang as it hit the ground reverberated through the chaos, and it skidded to a halt by my feet. My breath hitched as I stared at the weapon.
Sunny slammed his fist into Greyson’s face, and a cut opened over his eye, blinding him partially. Greyson grabbed at him, trying to tackle him to the ground, as Sunny moved toward me.
My hand shook as I extended it towards the gun, every movement an immense effort. The cool metal felt strange as I wrapped my fingers around it, lifting it with trembling arms. Over the sights, I could see Sunny, who sneered at me.
Sunny’s mocking laugh cut through the noise around us. “Can’t even hold the gun steady, can you, sweetheart?” he sneered, a cruel smirk twisting his lips as he momentarily turned his attention away from Greyson.
Greyson dove after him again, but for one long second, I had a clear shot.
Time seemed to slow, my heart thundering in my ears as I steadied my aim as best I could.
Could I trust myself?
Slowly, I squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot was deafening. Sunny’s body jerked violently, flung backward onto the grass.
In the silence that followed, only the ragged sound of my own breathing filled my ears, my hands still shaking.
Then Greyson reached me. “That’s my girl,” he said softly. “Give me the gun.”
I handed it over. He took it from me oh so gently and carefully and then, without hesitation, performed a double tap on Sunny’s body—two quick shots ensuring no chance of survival. I flinched, the sound of gunfire ringing in my ears.
I hoped I’d never hear that sound again.
But then I caught sight of the figure lining up a shot from the roof. “Sniper!” I screamed, reaching for Greyson, trying to shield him.
Greyson twisted, his lips parting in surprise. He grabbed me, shielding me with his own body. “Crazy girl.” But he sounded affectionate, not afraid.
Bullets began to punch into the grass around us—not aimed at Greyson or Jack, but finding their marks in the bodies of renegade Jackals emerging from the forest.
It was over in moments that seemed to stretch on forever. Before I could fully grasp the sniper’s allegiance, Jack’s arms were around me, lifting me effortlessly off the ground. His chest was a solid wall against my cheek, his heartbeat a steady drum through the fabric of his shirt.
“Got you,” he murmured, his breath warm against my hair as we moved away from the scene of death and betrayal.
I clung to him, the earthy scent of his jacket mingling with the acrid bite of gunpowder.
