"We've got this." He whispered back.
Taking on Logan and Sanun was going to be difficult, but we had to get through this first.
Our opponents both looked confident, as if winning their first match made them a shoe-in for the second. I could have reminded them Bruno and I won our first matches as well, but the fact we were standing here said everything. We weren't going down without a fight.
Our opponents served first, a tall redhead named Gage hitting the ball across the net to me.
With a snap of my wrist, I sent it back. Rallying back and forth until, I slammed the ball past him, winning the first point. I wasn't giving any away this time. They'd all seen me play. They knew what I could do. Now I just had to prove it to them. And to myself.
"Good work," Bruno said.
It was his turn to serve. He and Axel hit the ball back and forth, diagonally from the left side of the table to the opposite left, before the ball slid over to the right and I hit it back to Gage.
Harder than necessary, he smacked it back to me. So fast I almost missed it. At the last second, I hit it back. The ball touched the edge of the table before dropping to the floor, scoring us another point.
On and on, back and forth, we hit that tiny ping pong ball. We took out the first game. Our opponents took out the second. By the time we won the third game, I'd worked up a sweat.
"We need to take this out in the fourth game," Bruno said.
I murmured my agreement. If we didn't, we'd be too tired for the next match. So would everyone else, but I wasn't willing to take the risk if I could help it. The more energy we had left in the tank, the better.
Focusing harder than ever, I served the ball over to Gage. His game was starting to contain a hint of desperation, sensing for the first time there was a chance he and Axel would lose. There was no room in my game for desperation, only concentration. It wasn't just my life at stake now, it was Bruno's. That made this all the more important.
Wehadto win.
Back and forth, back and forth. Point after point. Neck and neck until we both reached nine points. We had to get this done. Bruno served, sending the ball over the net so fast, Axel couldn't have hit it back if he wanted to.
Ten points to nine.
"One more point," Bruno said.
One more point and I'd have to…
No, I wouldn't think about that now. If I did, I'd hesitate. I couldn’t. If I hesitated, I'd be dead.
I waited for Gage to serve the ball. Watching his eyes, his shoulders, knowing he was going to try to faint and trick me.
Not today, I told him silently.
I shifted my weight over to the right as if fooled by him.
When he served over to the left, I snapped back. Hit the ball. It barely bounced over the net, before rolling out of reach and dropping onto the floor with a series of plops.
The room went silent.
"Natasha and Bruno win," Hunter announced.
"Fuck," Gage shouted. He slammed the paddle down onto the table, his body coiled like he might lunge at me or Bruno.
"Well, well, well," Hunter said, striding over and pulling his gun out of his pocket.
Before he offered it to me, Parker followed him over, his own gun in his hand, also pointed at me.
"Just a contingency in case you think to aim somewhere else," Hunter said, looking amused, as if I wouldn't dare to try.
I won't lie, I'd thought about it, but it would get me just as dead as losing this tournament. No one killed a Brantley and lived to tell the tale.
Hands shaking, I took the gun and held it down toward the floor.
