Page 92 of Give Me Peace

“Fuck, I love you,” he whispers in awe. “That was savage, baby. Never been harder than I am right now.” I grin, high on adrenalin and victory. A sound from the hallway has my finger ready and waiting for whoever’s attempting to sneak up on us. Kash saunters out a second later, munching on a bag of chips. He raises an eyebrow at the three of us, holding up his free hand in surrender.

“I’m dead. Roan’s big, dumb ass took me out in five point two seconds.” Kash licks the Cheeto dust from his fingers, then goes back in for more.

“Me and Loch are out, too.” Havok grunts and groans as he climbs to his feet, happily telling Kash how I wound up being the victor in his ambush.

“Badass.” Kash grins and gives me a high-five. “Better beat feet, though. You’ve got two more assholes to snipe.”

“Oh, yes. Run, my love. Please save yourself,” Lochlan deadpans, his sarcasm making me giggle.

“Thank you for your sacrifice.” I press my lip to his. “I’ll make it up to you later.” Lochlan gives me a ‘really?’ look.

“Sweetheart, you and I both know I did no such thing. You straight murdered me.” He acts offended, but I see his lip twitch. He pulls me in and speaks low against my ear. “You’re gonna pay for that over my knee.” I meet his honey gaze with a grin. I have no idea if he’s serious, but regardless, it’s a problem for another day.

“Gotta run.”

I kiss Havok and Kash quickly, pull my goggles into place, then bolt for the lower level. Keeping my steps light, I pause at the bottom of the stairs and glance around the corner. The hallway is clear, so I sprint to the media room and slip inside. It’s empty as far as I can tell, but they’ve got to be around here somewhere. Deciding to wait them out, I head for the snack area and wedge myself between the wall and popcorn machine. I nearly fall asleep while I sit there, but a faint noise perks me back up.

“I know you’re in here, Tink,” Krew taunts as he checks between the recliners. “I can smell you. Ripe and sweet. Needy.” I still, wondering if that’s an actual thing. Surely not. But my panties are sticky with my release. I’m weighing my options, flip-flopping between making a run for it and surrendering, when Krew pulls his phone from his pocket. He glances from it to something near the ceiling, then back again. I follow the same path, finding a camera mounted in the corner of the room. From what I can tell, the angle doesn’t show much of the area I’m in, if any. Krew hasn’t even bothered to look back here because there’s nowhere to hide without being seen. At least not any place they could fit.

That lying little cheat.

He knew where to find me because he’s been watching the cameras and tracking our whereabouts. Lochlan’s rules clearly don’t apply to him and based on the pointed ‘no cheating’ comment, I’m willing to bet this isn’t the first time Krew’s done this. Think, Saylor. I rack my brain for a way out, knowing I won’t have long before he starts a more thorough search. I have the advantage, though. He’s in my line of sight and completely unaware. If I can get him to turn around and face me, I might I have a chance.

I carefully pull my hair tie free and use it like a slingshot. It sails past him, but Krew whips around like I knew he would. When the front part of his vest comes into view, I drop forward and pull the trigger. Repeatedly. My aim might not be great, but surely one of those hit home.

“Jesus. The first two were plenty, Tink.” Krew laughs as I crawl from my hidey-hole. “You know camping is considered unsportsmanlike, right?”

“Oh, yeah?” I question with a grunt, struggling to pull myself upright with all the added bulk I’m carrying. “And cheating is completely acceptable, I’m assuming?” I cock my hip to the side and give his phone a meaningful look.

“I’d be foolish not to use every trick in my arsenal.” Krew grins, stepping closer so he can tilt my chin up. “And you would be, too. Real life doesn’t heed rules, Tink. The bad guys aren’t going to wait around for you to pop off a fair shot before they return the favor. Dirty is the name of the game, so darken that pristine little heart of yours before it’s too late.” His harsh words drift over my parted lips, spoken so closely I can smell the mint flavored gum on his breath. Krew’s voice remains kind throughout his spiel on morality, but the truth of what he’s saying still rankles.

Not from naivety or holding on to some misguided notion that the world won’t chew you up and spit you back out the first chance it gets. It bothers me that he still sees me as some damsel who can’t hold her own. I’m fully aware of my faults; I understand my areas of weakness. But I’ve also learned from them, and I’m not the same girl who blindly accepted a ride from someone she thought she knew and trusted. This stupid, floating rock we’re all stuck on for the foreseeable future is full of people who are ready and waiting to take advantage of those perceived as weaker than them.

But how’s that saying go? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. When you’ve been burned as badly as I have, your defenses start to mount, and all those people who thought you easy prey become the ones being hunted. We learn and adapt, so we’re never again forced into the sort of situation that caused such a fundamental change to begin with. I’ll always be kind, that part of me will never change. But I can also wield that sweet demeanor and sunny disposition to my benefit. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s to use my liabilities against what threatens me.

“I suppose you’re right.” I lightly trail my finger over the hardness behind the zipper of Krew’s jeans. His face remains stoic, and if it weren’t for the slight tic of his jaw, I’d think he was completely unaffected by my touch. As it stands, I’ve acquainted myself with their tells—just as they have with mine. My and Krew’s connection might not have been as seamless as the others, but I know enough about him to pick apart his nuances pretty easily. My heart thunders as I grip him fully, applying the tiniest amount of pressure. I’ve never been this forward or taken such liberties with another person’s body. I’ve well and truly invaded his personal space.

“But here’s the thing…” I stand on my tiptoes and speak directly against his mouth, assuming the same stance he did with me. “Me and my innocence? We’ve got you by the literal balls, Krew. The purity you’re so obsessed with and sure of is what landed you here. At my mercy. Maybe next time you’ll treat me like the threat I can so easily become.” I pull the handgun from where it’s tucked against his back and wrap my foot around one of his. With a quick yank forward and a shove to his chest, Krew loses his footing and falls to his ass. I grin down at him, a mixture of shock and pride filling my chest.

“Holy crap,” I giggle, waving a hand at his disheveled form sprawled across the carpet. “I didn’t expect that to actually work.” I’m not fooling anyone with this five-foot-two body that lacks any real muscle tone, and I doubt my Liam Neeson style warning was very believable or scary, but I did throw him off balance. I’ll take my wins where I can, which means Krew and I are a lot more alike than I’ve given credit to. I reach out to help him up, but the second his hand wraps tightly around mine, I realize my mistake. My chest collides with Krew’s as he pulls me down. I laugh, moving to push the hair from my face as I straddle his hips.

“Now you’re catching on. Fake it till you make it, Tink. No one has all the answers, all of the time. The key is to feign confidence until a better plan presents itself.” I smile at his crazy talk, knowing with absolute certainty I’ll never be able to pull off anything more elaborate than trivial competitiveness. Reality is a completely different beast, and my poker face has never been very great. “Pretty sure Ro is in the arms room. Better get a move on, Tink.”

My eyes widen as I scramble to my feet. I don’t bother sparing Krew a parting glance or goodbye. My mind is already refocused on the game and the last person remaining. I have no idea why I’m so determined to prove my capability, but I think it’s more of a mental achievement for myself than to have bragging rights over the guys. Not that I won’t parade my victory in their faces, but it’s not the driving force behind my need to win. I toss my rifle back, the weight becoming a comfortable accessory at this point, and grip the pistol I lifted off of Krew. Tilting my head around the doorframe of the media room, I peek down the hallway towards the firing range.

The green hue of my goggles reveals no movement, but I bite my lip as I waver indecisively. I’ve gotten lucky thus far, but that’s bound to run out sooner or later. These men are tactically trained. I’m operating on sheer desperation and the disillusion they have that I won’t throw them under the bus to save myself. Deciding it’s best to regroup, I exit and press my back to the wall—planning to slip upstairs quickly and quietly—but it appears my luck is definitely fleeing on the sooner side.

I freeze as Roan steps out at the same time, but neither of us makes a move toward the other. My side is facing him, so he doesn’t have a straight shot at my vest, and we both know my aim isn’t good enough to land anything from this far away. We’re at a standstill. I feel my heart lodge itself in my throat when his mouth lifts into a wicked grin. To Roan’s delight, my brain latches on to the action and declares it a silent threat, sending my ‘flight’ response into overdrive. I bolt for the stairs, intent on running away instead of facing him head on.

“Those little legs can’t outrun me, baby girl,” Roan chuckles, sounding way closer than he should. I refuse to look back and see how much ground he’s gained, knowing it’ll cost me precious seconds I don’t have. I hit the bottom step but stumble. Throwing my hand out to catch myself, an idea hits me and I play it up, letting my knees slam against the metal slats with a hiss that’s all too real, unfortunately. No pain, no gain, I guess.

“Fuck,” Roan swears as thick, corded arms slip beneath me and roll my body. His worried eyes rake over me, taking in my scraped and irritated skin. His touch is light as he prods the area, making sure the injury isn’t anything more than superficial. Guilt weighs heavily as I use his concern to knowingly deceive him. Before I can talk myself out of it, I lift the handgun and press it directly against the target plate on Roan’s vest, then pull the trigger. He blinks as the vibration of my hit jolts the both of us, dropping his gaze to take in my backhanded win. For some reason, my eyes sting with tears as Roan sits back with a baffled look on his face, likely realizing he was just hoodwinked.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out through a wave of regret. His green eyes snap to mine in alarm.

“What the fuck are you sorry for?” Roan barks in that short and gruff voice of his, brows dipping together in confusion as he crowds me once again.

“That was mean. I made you think I was hurt just to get the upper hand. I don’t like this feeling. And despite what Krew thinks, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. That look on your face makes me feel like I’m an inch tall. I shouldn’t have used your emotions against you.” Roan swipes a stray tear from my cheek.