Page 95 of Wicked Tricks

“Sierra, I’m guessing?” I asked.

She smiled sarcastically and nodded once.

“Where’s Rome?”

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped back.

“Then who sent you? Diana?” I pressed, putting my hands up and carefully watching the finger that was wrapped around the trigger of the gun.

“Also, none of your business,” though her tone was snarky, I noticed that she swallowed hard and her hand trembled slightly. I couldn’t help but compare her to Rome who had held the gun on me with such confidence.

“You know that you don’t have to do this,” I said, slowly walking towards her.

She flinched, but stood her ground. Sierra was determined, with a hardness in her eyes and I knew that she was intent on completing the job she had been sent to do. It was obvious to me that this was an order that came from Diana. Rome never would have sent someone else to kill me, because she was quite capable of doing it herself.

“I know what you did, and The Family has no plans to retaliate on Lilith’s. I want to be able to work together.”

She scoffed, readjusting her aim.

“Rome will forgive you,” I said softly, keeping my eye trained on her, pushing my luck and continuing to close the gap between us. I knew that I hit a soft spot, and her gun lowered only a half inch for a second before she pulled herself together.

“I’m doing thisforRome,” she spat.

Like magic, at the mention of her name, I heard the screeching tyres of a familiar car reach the top of the mountain. I didn’t risk turning to look, but I knew it was her. The car came to a screaming halt at the side of us, showering both Sierra and I in loose gravel.

Rome got out of the car, slamming the door, her gun already trained expertly on Sierra.

“Put the gun down, Sierra,” she ordered.

I was instantly comforted by the sound of her voice.

Her eyes only darted to me once.

“I’m doing you a fucking favour, Rome,” Sierra spat.

Rome laughed, “you’re doing this to weasel your way back into Diana’s good graces. You know that you would be nothing without us. Now, walk away, before I put a bullet in your head.”

“Rome, calm down,” I said, noticing Sierra’s trigger finger twitch slightly at Rome’s verbal assault.

“Sierra,” I said, she didn’t look at me, still watching Rome with caution.

“You’re seriously here to defend him? The only reason I’m here is because you couldn’t finish the job! I’m here to finish what you started, Rome,” she shouted at Rome, her voice quivering.

“Sierra,” I said louder, getting her attention, “Do you know what will happen if you kill me?”

“Yes,” she snapped with a too-confident smile on her face, “your family will be done. Melbourne will finally be free from you parasites.”

“No,” I said, “if you kill me, you will die. You know this is the truth. My family does not end with me.”

“It’s a start,” she laughed. She closed the gap between us, holding the barrel of the gun at my chest, right by my heart.

“Don’t fucking touch him,” Rome warned.

Sierra laughed, “I knew that you went soft. After everything we’ve been through, you’re going to go against your girls for this guy? After all the bullshit you’ve spewed and taught us?”

“I haven’t gone soft, and I’m happy to prove that to you,” Rome smirked, and I couldn’t help but smile as I stole a glance in her direction. “Plus, I hardly consider you ‘one of the girls’ after what you did to us.”

There was a long beat of silence. Sierra’s eyes darted between Rome and I, as she realised she had been backed into a corner.

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