Page 127 of Lethal Attraction

45.

44.

43.

Theo cracks his knuckles, a wicked smile tugging at his lips. Dom hasn’t moved since the countdown began, but he also hasn’t shown a single sign of weakness to the other side. He’s calm, collected, and ready.

Atlas makes eye contact with me, flashing a crooked smile as he mouths, “Fuck him up.”

I can’t help returning his grin with a nod.

32.

31.

30.

My eyes shift to Brooks across the field, and he offers me that ridiculous, smug expression of his. But he’s only met with despondency—as if he’s already dead. To me, he is.

And that throws him off for a split second. His natural confidence wavers, his face falling a fraction before he recovers.

21.

20.

19.

Everyone shifts forward, no weapons drawn, but the glint of predators from every direction. A thick silence blankets us as Alana and the other intel expert retreat to the sidelines. Connor watches his wife closely, ensuring she’s out of range before squaring his shoulders for the fight.

10.

9.

8.

One breath. One second of reprieve. I close my eyes, the image of Reed flashing in my head—his smile, his deep, throaty laugh, the last image I have of him in my study, my centipede held gently in his hands. Everything leads back to him, and I remember exactly why I’m doing this.

My eyes open.

3.

2.

1.

The sound of the alarm blares through the clearing, and no one wastes a second. Some assassins retreat to the forest for a vantage point to hide or stake out. Others go for the obvious kill, rushing across the clearing.

Atlas clotheslines some poor fucker so hard I’m certain it shatters the guy’s trachea. My brother sends his victim to the ground before kneeling on the guy’s sternum and twisting his neck until his head rests at an unnatural angle and there’s no chance of survival.

Bailey is nearly at the treeline, her legs pushing her until two men block her path, but they don’t stop her. She goes for the one on the left, crashing into him before she jumps, wraps her legs around the guy’s neck, and swings them to the ground with a sickening thud. She catches his arm in her grasp and snaps the bone after a fierce cry. The man beneath her screams, his eyes screwing shut as his partner tries to pry her off him. But she’s relentless.

She releases her victim, only to roll, sending her legs over her head and taking out the other guy by his ankles. He’s beneath her now as she straddles his waist and rears her elbow back before delivering a harsh hit that would rewire anyone’s brain.

Rowan makes it beyond the trees, his sight locked onto our grandfather. It seems the Western branch has a protective streak, because not a single assassin is giving my brother room to breathe. They come from all angles, jumping from the trees and trying to ambush Row, but he’s far quicker than any of them.

One man falls directly onto my brother’s back, already sliding an arm across his throat, before Rowan grips his wrist and tosses himself forward, throwing the man onto a downed tree and knocking the wind from him. Before he can regain his composure, Rowan slams a boot onto the man’s neck, choking the life from him as he claws at the leather that’s strangling him.

Theo is cutting through everyone at lightning speed, his laugh reverberating through the woods as he cracks someone’s head against a nearby tree. Dom moves silently, but he’s right on Bailey, monitoring her as he rear naked chokes a woman until her face turns blue and her arms fall limply to her sides.