Page 77 of Rivals & Revenge

"This is personal, Ahren. She is calling out youandyour rifle. Does that date mean anything to you?"

I gave my head a hard shake. "Do you remember any of them?"

She shrugged, turning back to the wall. "No. I guess not. Did you shoot and miss?"

I scoffed. "Not hardly."

"No judgment. Just a question." She said, raising her hands in surrender.

"Let's go." I gritted out, reaching up to swap the bulbs. "Nothing more to learn from this room. But this might still come in handy."

Tierney climbed the stairs quickly, as eager to escape the wretched basement as I was.

Connor's eyes cut across the empty room. Her fingertips danced against her thigh as she rose to herfeet.

"So, what did you find?" she asked, her feet shuffling nervously. It was understandable why she would be so nervous being back in this house, but it still unnerved me to see the always so well put together doc frazzled.

I pushed my phone into her hands, flicking open the gallery so she could read through the images on her own. Maybe the distraction will help her feel more in control.

"Come on." I murmured, placing my hand on her back and guiding her toward the front door.

Stepping outside, I allowed myself the first truly deep breath since crossing the threshold nearly an hour ago. The three of us seemed to be on the same page, walking briskly to the truck, as if the house itself would judge us for running away.

None of us bothered speaking until we were well on our way home. "I do keep files. The date—well, it should be easy enough to figure out who the target was."

"I should probably do something like that. Just didn't want a paper trail." She said thoughtfully.

“The night I met Connor. I took a job. Rushed in. Didn't research. Every fucking mistake a young cocky asshole could make, I made. It nearly cost me my life.” I chuckled, remembering the brash idiot I had been. “I realized that if that night came back to bite me in the ass, I would need to know the details so I could respond accordingly.”

She snorted, her head shaking softly. "I can't even imagine you fucking up. Those twenty-six roses are all moments of pure luck. I still owe you one, by the way."

I laughed. "Is that so?"

"You know it. Shot some bald guy in the heart of Black Hills. I got the text confirming payment, immediately followed by the job inthe grove. You know—you snooped through my messages." She said, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"Well then, it sounds like you owe me a rose, Kitten. I'll expect it on my doorstep the moment all this is over."

She turned away, facing the window, but not before I saw the pink staining her cheeks.

Chapter 42

TIERNEY

"I thought we were going home?" I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of the small hardware store.

My seat belt tightened painfully, pressing me into my seat and the tires chirped against the pavement as he stomped on the brakes.

"Wait here. I'll be quick. Ten minutes tops." He said, slamming the door and jogging toward the store without waiting for our reply.

Larissa and I exchanged confused looks, but largely remained silent as we waited. True to his word, he was back in less than ten minutes, carrying what appeared to be three flashlights.

"Here. Take one of these." He said, tossing one to me and Larissa. "They’re UV lights. Black light basically. These aren't as strong as the bulbs, but they should be easier than replacing light bulbs everywhere we go," he reasoned.

"Smart idea."I muttered, peeling away the packaging and sliding the battery into its slot.

"I'll try not to be offended by the tone of surprise," he teased.

"So not home then."

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