Page 9 of Rivals & Revenge

Was this a gift from the so-called gods? Or a cruel joke. Both possibilities held equal weight in my mind as I stepped out, positioning myself directly in her path, my arms folded across my chest, the very picture of the self-righteous bastard I was.

Could I have taken a few more steps in her direction and closed the distance she needed to crawl? Perhaps, but I saw no real reason to do so.

My eyes scanned the silent woods behind her, but the only movements and sounds came from her, the woman responsible for this evening’s foul mood. Tierney.

I lowered my eyes and found her looking up at me from the ground at my feet.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” I said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

The color drained from her face; the determination I had seen blazing in her eyes only a moment ago, replaced with utter defeat. Her lips parted and quivered as her eyes darted wildly from side to side and something akin to fear painted her delicate features. Her eyes slid shut, and her entire body collapsed.

I kneeled before her and placed my fingers against her throat. Her pulse was there, but thready—weaker than it should be. The pungenttang of blood, barely masked by the scent of damp soil, clung to her skin.

There was only one move I had. I dug my phone from my pocket and hit “2” on my speed dial.

One. Two. Three. My fingers tightened around my phone, nearly cracking the screen. Four.

“Hello. Sorry. I was in the shower.” Connor’s breathy reply came.

“No excuses Connor. I have a job for you. I’ll drop you my location. Hurry.”

I ended the call, sliding the phone back into my pocket as I kneeled and observed my unconscious rival.

Ending her right here and now would be so easy. Hell, someone else had already done most of the work for me. I considered my earlier migraine and the mounting frustration from Tierney related events, not to mention the eight million I was light because of her already.

All of that could go away with the flick of my wrist. To be brutally honest, she was in bad enough shape. It might not even take that much.

Yes, ending her now would solve a myriad of current and future problems.

Still, there was this feeling I got whenever I was about to fuck something up, a slight stiffening in my spine just strong enough to tighten the muscles in my chest. It had served me well through the years when I chose to listen to it.

Yet there were times when I would ignore the feeling, fuck the consequences, and do whatever I wanted.

Regardless, I couldn’t shake the feeling my entire life rested on the thin sharp edge of a knife and if I chose wrong here, it would be my own throat I slit.

Chapter 6

AHREN

“OK. I’m here.” Connor gruffed. “You pulled me away from a hot bath and a good book. This better be good.”

The corners of my lips twitched up, just a bit. It wasn’t often I allowed people to speak so disrespectfully to me. But it was Connor’s reward.

I had offered her anything she wanted the first time she saved my life. I wasn’t usually one for the grand gestures, but that had been a close call, and I was lucky to be alive.

Most people would have asked for money or hell, a private island, not Connor. She said, “I’m not the demure, polite type. I’ll work hard for you. Just let me speak plainly.”

It took some getting used to, but it turned out I kinda liked having someone who didn’t jump at my every command and called me outon my bullshit, but I could still call when I found my rival near death in the woods.

She came to a stop a few paces from me, folding her arms over her chest.

“One of yours?” she asked, inclining her head toward Tierney’s too still body.

I took a final breath before answering with a shake of my head. “No. I want you to see if you can work a miracle on this one like you did for me.”

“Friend of yours?” came her blunt reply.

A wry chuckle escaped me. “Not even close.”

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