Page 28 of Wretched Lies

My heart punches out through my chest. Did Quinn fire and miss? Or have I been shot and the pain hasn’t registered yet? Or…?

The other alternative is too horrifying to consider. Did the shot come from another direction? Has my brother just taken out the woman I’ve been falling for?

I spit out earthy mulch as I lift my head. Quinn stands in the same spot. She’s alive, but her flashlight slips from her fingers and lands at her feet. It still provides enough illumination for me to see her hand shaking as she keeps hold of her gun. Her eyes shimmer and her breath comes out in short gasps as she lowers her arm. It looks like she’s aiming down at my prone body, but Quinn isn’t looking at me. She’s staring at a spot beyond.

A second later, a pinprick of light settles on her torso. The red dot over her heart tells me a marksman has her in his sights.

I don’t know if it’s Mace or the Russians taking aim, but I leap to my feet.

“Stay down, Reid. I’ve got this,” Mace growls.

Fuck. Fuck. My brother’s the sniper.

“She isn’t aiming at me!” I yell so loud it rips at my vocal cords.

Quinn catches sight of the red dot on her chest and lets out a whimper.

“Drop the gun, Quinn,” I plead as my strides eat up the distance between us.

I need to put myself between her and the line of fire, but I can’t get there in time. Another shot rings out, and it’s a sob that tears from my throat this time. I reach her too late.

Quinn drops the gun and it lands in the mulched earthwith a heavy thud. I look for the blood blooming in her chest, but it’s too dark and she’s wearing a black sweater. I don’t think I see an entry wound.

“I’ve taken out one of Ilya’s men,” Jake says in my earpiece.

That was the gunshot. Quinn’s OK. We’re going to be OK.

“The other one’s behind Reid,” Levi says. “He’s either dead or injured.”

I spin fast, raising my gun and using my body to shield Quinn. There’s no hesitation this time. I’ll shoot anyone to protect her.

My gun sweeps from side to side as I seek out my target, but without my night vision, I can’t make sense of the shadows in the moonlight. I settle on a patch of earth that’s darker than the rest. I can’t tell if it’s a fallen log or a body.

Mace appears from the left and approaches the dark mound. “The second Russian’s down,” he says. He inspects the body with a kick. “He’s dead.”

A twig snaps as Quinn moves closer to me. Her arms wrap around my chest, and the scent of rose envelopes me. She rests her head on my back and I groan on an exhale. She’s holding onto me. Willingly.

Mace moves towards us, pulling off his goggles. “What a fucking shit show.”

“Who took the first shot?” Jake asks as he emerges from the opposite side of the woods.

Quinn clears her throat. “I did,” she says, loosening her grip and stepping around me. “I saw Reid and recognized him immediately because…” Her lip trembles into a smile when she glances at me. “I just can. The Russian appeared out of nowhere. He was about to shoot him.”

Holstering my gun, I tuck Quinn into my side before she gets any ideas about keeping her distance. “Thank you.”

Mace stalks closer. “Hello, Quinn,” he says, tilting his head as he scrutinizes her. “It looks like you saved my brother’s life.” He sounds more irritated than grateful. It’s as if he doesn’t want to let go of his mistrust. I could punch him.

Quinn tenses, but her voice is steady when she says, “I presume it was you who had me in your sights. That’s some way of thanking me.”

“You lowered your aim to Reid. It looked like you were going to shoot him next. What was I supposed to do?”

Jake wanders over to the man she killed. “It’s a clean shot to the head. Impressive. Killed before?”

I can hear the swallow Quinn needs before answering. “No.”

“But someone trained you well. Care to tell us who?” asks my brother.

“Enough, Mace,” I warn. “I came here to talk to Quinn on my own. This isn’t an interrogation, so fuck off.”