Rifle tucked tight against my shoulder, I angrily approached my front door that hung awkwardly from a single hinge, ready to clean fucking house.
21
THE PAWNS
* * *
Aiming through the scope of my rifle, I pulled the trigger of the Palmetto Gen 3 PA-10 that I found hidden underneath the bed in Darren’s bedroom.I still wasn’t exactly the best shot with it yet, since I was only allowed so many training hours for long-range shooting.But whatever… five hits out of twelve shots wasn’ttoobad.
The vantage point of the bedroom balcony also wasn’t exactly the easiest perch to assassinate from either, but with the barrel pointed between the thick balusters, it provided me with the most cover.And I could see exactly what I needed to see just fine.
Having no idea what else to do, I decided that removing as many obstacles as possible was likely the best course of action.So that meant getting rid of as many of Darren’s guards as I could before someone stopped me.Now that my shock collar was ineffective, they were the only ones who still stood a chance of keeping me on the property until Darren returned.
If he returned…
What I actually needed to do was locate the men Jason had sent here to find me, but aside from Darren’s guards, I really couldn’t tell who was who.After what happened the last time one of Darren’s properties was attacked, I wasn’t sure who I could trust, or even if these were the people Sid had mentioned yesterday.
How many of them were on Matt’s side of the payroll?Likely all of them, but the team Jason had spoken about back in Rome should be the ones I seek out.Hopefully, they were the ones I could actually trust.
But I had no idea what the fuck they looked like, so I figured the process of elimination was probably the best way to go until none of Darren’s men remained.
Squeezing the trigger at another running guard, I managed to clip him in the hip, sending him barreling into the bushes and out of my sight.I caught another one hiding beside a tree, shooting at an incoming boat about to breach the shore.
When my first shot hit the tree just above his head, he quickly turned his rifle in my direction and returned fire, the baluster next to me taking the hit.Panicking internally, I recalibrated my aim between his eyes, but the bullet ended up piercing through the top of his skull.
Still dead, good enough.
Searching for my next target, my stomach suddenly clenched as I locked in on a very familiar, very punchable, face.
Fucking Matt.
I pulled the trigger without even thinking, ready to blow his goddamn head off, but it only clicked instead, alerting me that my mag was officially empty.
“Uuugghhh,” I groaned aloud, irritated that there had only been one full clip in the case, and I didn’t have time to search around for more ammunition.
Looking back through my scope, I watched Matt race across the lawn and up to the patio.He was going to head inside the house.
Abandoning my post, I took the rifle and ran back through the bedroom, down the hall, and then carefully descended the curved stairway.Stopping at the last step, I listened for more movement until I heard someone loudly stomping through the house and sounding like they were headed in my direction.
Flush against the wall with my heart racing, I raised the butt of my empty rifle and waited as the footsteps neared.The second the tip of a nose became visible, I slammed the butt of the rifle into what turned out to thankfully be Matt’s forehead.
He grunted in shock as he stumbled back, clutching his forehead while I stepped out from the stairs and pointed my rifle at him.He didn’t need to know it was empty.
Taking advantage of his minor disorientation, I stole a moment to notice Matt’s full tactical gear with an AK at his back, a grenade on his belt, and more guns at his sides.He clearly came here ready for a fight, but he sure as fuck just found the wrong one.
When his eyes landed on me, he raised the pistol in his hand while the other continued to clutch his head.
“What the fuck, Jaden!”he snarled at me from behind gritted teeth.
“Oh, don’t act so surprised, asshole.You had that coming.Now what the hell are you doing here?”
“Looking for Daniel.What the fuck do you think I’m doing here?”he snapped.“Sid said he would be here, so where is he?”
I cocked a brow at him, surprised that Sid chose to lie to Matt while Darren had also withheld the truth from him.Why?To Darren, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference since Daniel’s death wouldn’t have solved the war.But Sid?He clearly wanted Matt to remain fully invested and fight in this specific attack for a reason.
But, truthfully, as of this very moment, none of that really mattered anymore.
“Uh, he’s dead, dude.Darren killed him, like, two weeks ago.How have you not heard that?”