Page 12 of The Player
I picked up one of the throwing knives from the edge of the altar and took aim, flicking it through the air and watching as it landed smack bang into one of the guy’s skulls. He didn’t flinch, just slumped further into the chains that bound him as his life drained away, blood trickling from where the knife was embedded. I didn’t know why I’d done it, but I couldn’t stop myself from grinning at my killer shot.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Devon spat angrily. “Why did you do that?” He dropped the knife he was holding with a clatter and glared at me. There was a look of pure anger on his face, and my fleeting victory turned to flickers of shame that I fought down.
I’d fucked up.
But I wasn’t going to show it.
“I’m getting some target practise in,” I replied nonchalantly, trying to play it down. I’d acted before engaging my brain. I knew that. It’s what I did most of the time, but shit happens. It was done. I couldn’t change it now.
“We were supposed to get some information from him. He might’ve known stuff, important stuff. Fat chance of getting that out of him now.”
“There’s still that guy,” I said, backtracking and pointing at the other one.
“Well, let’s hope he knows as much as his mate, or we’ve just wasted a lot of time and effort in tracking these fuckers down and bringing them here. The guy you just skewered was our main mark. Good luck explaining to Adam how you fucked up.”
Devon was holding back. I could tell he was pissed off at me because his jaw was ticking. But even though he was probably picturing a thousand ways to make me suffer for being an ass, he wouldn’t act on it. He never did.
“Adam won’t mind.” I smiled, picturing my mate, Adam, trying to suppress the nuclear bomb that’d go off inside his head when he found out what I’d done. “He knows when the urge takes hold, you’ve just gotta go for it.”
Devon shook his head, irritation painted all over his face.
“He also knows it’s important to work as a team,” he muttered under his breath.
“I am a team player.” I grinned back at him. “I just like scoring a few goals of my own.”
Devon glared daggers at me.
He loved me, he just had a strange way of showing it.
I heard the click of the door unlocking behind me, felt the rush of cold air as it opened, and then I heard Colton’s voice bellowing loudly, “You started without us. That’s fucking rude.”
I spun around to find him, Adam, and Tyler standing in the doorway.
All the soldiers were here.
Colton looked up at the dead guy with admiration in his eyes. “Damn! Good shot,” he said, nodding in appreciation.
Adam just stared straight ahead. Admiration was the last thing on his face. It looked like he wanted to summon fire and burn us all to hell as he glowered and gritted his teeth.
And Tyler?
He just shook his head and strolled past me into the chapel.
“Another Will special, I’m guessing,” Tyler droned sarcastically. “If we had a penny for every time you’d fucked up…”
“You’d have a lot of fun spending your pennies on the kid’s machines at the arcade.” I smirked back.
“You know…” Tyler narrowed his eyes at me. “There’s a tree creating the oxygen you’re wasting. You should go and find it and apologise.”
Colton roared with laughter, and I laughed too. I loved it when Tyler showed us his snarky backbone.
“I would tell you to go fuck yourself, Ty,” I shot back, a massive shit-eating grin on my face. “But I’m pretty sure you’d be as disappointed as your last girlfriend was.”
Tyler went to respond, but Adam cut in.
“Enough flirting, ladies. Can we get to work? I have a man to torture and a wife to fuck when I’m finished. Listening to you dance around each other isn’t on my schedule for tonight.” He glared back at us. “But I can add a bit more torture if you keep pissing me off.”
“Let’s have at it then,” Colton replied, rubbing his hands together.
