For now, the mission stands. Kill Spencer and Secure the lawyer.
And maybe...if the stars align... I'll get to finish what a dozen other assassins couldn't. Maybe I'll finally see what it takes to put down the tiger. Or maybe I'll just enjoy the chase. I steady my breath, the pad of my finger hovering over the trigger as I line up the shot.
Crack.
A sharp, searing pain explodes across my cheek. I jerk back, my hand flying to my face instinctively. Warm blood slicks my jaw, dripping onto my collar. I pull my hand away, staring at the crimson streaks staining my fingers. "Fuck," I hiss.
The bullet grazed me. If I had been half a second slower, my brains would be decorating the tree bark behind me.
"Roman!" My twin's voice crackles through the earpiece, sharp with concern. "You good?"
I touch my cheek again, wincing at the sting. "Yeah. Barely. That bastard actually got me."
"He shot you?" My brother's tone drops to zero. " I'm taking him out."
"No," I say quickly, pressing my palm against the wound to stem the flow. "Don't."
"What?" He sounds genuinely confused. "Why the hell not?"
"That weirdly dressed chaotic element," I say, watching through the scope as the girl in the hoodie dives behind a hay bale. "The one running around like a headless chicken. Don't shoot at her either."
A pause. "Huh? Why?"
I exhale slowly, watching Ilay shield the redhead with his own body, ignoring the blood soaking his jacket. "Just don't," I say flatly. "Dad won't be pleased with unnecessary casualties."
My twin goes quiet for a beat, then scoffs. "You're getting soft."
"No," I correct him, lowering the rifle. "I'm being smart. We got what we came for. Spencer is dead. The lawyer will be retrieved. That's enough for today."
I wipe the blood from my cheek and lean back against the tree, the adrenaline humming in my veins.
"Besides," I add, a slow, bloodied smile spreading across my face. "Where is the fun in ending the game this early?"
My twin laughs darkly through the comms. "You really are a sadistic bastard."
"Takes one to know one," I mutter.
I watch them scramble into cover, Ilay holding her like she is made of spun glass.
Yeah. This is going to be fun.
They don't call me the Beast Tamer for nothing.
Chapter 20
????
ILAY
The bullet rips through my shoulder before I can pull her fully into the cover of the trees. I hiss through my teeth, the burning sensation spreading instantly down my arm, but I force myself to ignore it. I have been shot before, and panic will only get us killed faster.
But if she had been hit? That thought makes my blood run cold.
We crouch low behind a low fence, mud soaking into our knees. She’s hugging when all of a sudden I feel her freeze under me. Did something happen?
I look down and I see her hands trembling as she reaches toward me, her face pale with terror. She probably just saw my injury, "Are you in pain?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's just a graze," I lie, though I can feel the warm blood soaking through my jacket, sticking the fabric to my skin.
