Prey [Ambassador's Pick ONC23]

15. Prey

"Boyd!" The voice from the doorway calls. "I'm back. You didn't miss out on much, she made it almost too easy."

My heart seizes in anger. Despite my inner conflict on whether or not to save Hope, the cavalier way he speaks of her death makes me sick. I stand up behind the bar, positioning the rifle against my shoulder and using the thick mahogany as a shield of sorts.

"Not another step, sweetness." The satisfaction I feel at finally being the one in control is incredible, making my confidence soar to dangerous levels.

Tanner stops at the sound of my voice, head turning towards the bar. His eyes widen as he takes in the sight of me, covered in blood with the gun in my hand. Empty hands fly into the air as though he's offering his surrender.

"Sadie." He nods once before glancing back at the door where his rifle leans uselessly against the wall. I can almost see him calculating whether he has enough time to grab it before I shoot.

"Don't even think about it," I warn, lifting my gun up slightly and hoping my aim is correct.

He considers me for a moment before lowering his hands. "Where's Boyd?"

"Dead," I answer, ashamed at how much pleasure I take from that one word. "I killed him."

I'm not sure what reaction I was expecting from him, but cold laughter was not it. He chuckles loudly, going as far as clutching his side and leaning over, as though I've just told the most hilarious joke he's ever heard. "Of course you did, sweetheart. Now, did he go looking for me? How did you escape?"

His condescending tone is so offensive I would slap him if I didn't need both hands for the rifle. And he seems to have overlooked the fact that I have blood all over me. Though maybe he thinks it's mine. "Boyd is dead, Tanner. That's how I escaped."

"I sincerely hope you're lying, Sadie. If you've hurt Boyd..." His hands clench into fists as he eyes me with hatred while he thinks of a worthy enough punishment. "I'll kill you."

"You were going to anyway," I retort. "At least now I've taken him down with me."

He charges without warning, running towards me as though he's intent on murdering me with his bare hands. My finger squeezes the trigger, the resulting bang deafening in the wide room. The rifle kicks back, knocking into my shoulder painfully as my ears ring from the blast.

Tanner drops to the floor, howling in pain and clutching his thigh, which wasn't even close to where I was aiming, but at least I got him somewhere. Blood spurts from the hole as he desperately tries to cover it with his hands, the pressure he puts on it doing nothing to stop the flow.

"Bitch," he yells, repeating the same word his partner used when he was bested.

I exit from behind the bar, my shoulder stinging and my ears still throbbing. The rifle is slack by my side as I walk closer to the man on the floor, swearing and bleeding profusely as he attempts to limit the damage. His wide eyes meet mine, as though he can't believe I actually shot him.

Ignoring the ache in my shoulder, I lift the rifle again and point it at his face. "Where are the car keys?"

He laughs, the sound tinged with agony. "You'll never get the car to work. It needs a code put into the tracking system before it even starts. Only Boyd and I know it. Guess you shouldn't have killed him, huh?"

I falter, the unexpected irony catching me off guard. Tanner grins at my crestfallen expression, enjoying the minor victory despite the circumstances. "You're lying," I insist.

He shakes his head, breathing deeply as he squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm not."

"But you need the hospital," I tell him triumphantly when I manage to gain my composure. "I'm the only one who can take you there. You have to tell me."