Page 78 of Death's Favor

He gives my ribs a playful squeeze. “I’ve been worried you only married me because you had no other option.”

I lift my head off his chest and give him a soft smile. “That’s why I wanted you to know.” I drop a kiss on his chest before resting my head back down. “I had options. Gran even offered to help me escape before the ceremony,” I tease.

“Can’t believe that woman was carrying a gun on her.”

“I can.” My smile has a life of its own. “She’s a different breed.”

Tommy huffs. “You didn’t take her up on it, though.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I hug him snugly. “And I’d marry you again if need be.”

“I like that idea. I think I’ll take you up on it.”

“Marry me again?”

“Every year on our anniversary.” His words are resolute, and I have no doubt he’ll follow through. He’s a man of his word.

“I do believe in you, you know,” I tell him softly.

He drops a kiss on my head. “That’s good because it’s important to me.”

“You’re important to me, so I’ll do my best. I don’t trust Biba, though. He worries me.”

“It’s smart to respect an opponent, but he’s just a man like any other.”

I nod, then broach something I’ve been mulling over. “I could still do it, you know. I could still report him. It’s the right thing to do.”

“That’s never happening,” Tommy quips immediately. “I’ll chain you to my bed before I ever let you testify and risk yourself like that.”

I bite back a smile. “Chain me to the bed, huh?” I ask, my voice going husky.

“Oh, little thief, you’re playing with fire.” In a heartbeat, he rolls us over so that he’s on top, his molten stare fusing with mine.

I flash him a wicked grin. “Go on, Death, do your worst.”

CHAPTER 36

DANIKA

The gun is heavierthan I anticipated. It’s also cool to the touch despite the heat on this sunny afternoon. We’re in the shade, so that helps. Just two people on a blanket in the middle of a farm with a picnic basket, a box of bullets, and a sniper rifle.

“This has got to be the strangest first date known to man,” I muse.

Tommy removes his eye from the scope to peer up at me. “Because of the gun or the fact that we’re already married?”

“C, all of the above.”

“At least it’s memorable.”

A giggle tumbles past my lips.

Tommy returns to his task, spinning dials and knobs between looks through the scope. “Alright, I think I’m ready to take some test shots. Time to put on the noise protection.” He hands over earplugs and thick black headphones.

I told him I only needed one earplug, but he insisted I use both. Once I’m geared up, I squint at the distance, where I know he’s hung a target, but I can only make out a small white blur. The large poster paper is attached to a tree trunk and consists of the silhouette of a man’s upper body in black on a whitebackground. It’s so freaking far away that I have no clue how he could possibly hit it.

He hands me a pair of binoculars. “Watch.”

I focus them on the target, trying to steady my breathing to hold as still as possible. My body tenses in anticipation of the shot, and when the gun goes off, I think he’s missed until a hole bursts through the paper a second after the explosion.