"How do you know it was you they were aiming at?" she asked. "I've done my share of shady shit. That was going to catch up with me at some point."
"If that's the case, they're a terrible shot," I said dryly.
"Unless it was a warning," she said.
"Warning against what?" I asked. "What are you involved in, exactly?"
I wouldn't be surprised if she was into something I wasn't aware of. She didn't tell me all of her secrets and I didn't tell her all of mine. We shared most of it, but some things were better kept to ourselves. Not to mention, someone might have hired her to carry out something she couldn't discuss. If that was the case, I wouldn't push. She'd tell me when she was allowed to. If she was.
She shrugged her uninjured shoulder. "Nothing I can think of that warrants being shot at, but some people are especially sensitive. Maybe I put too much ice in someone's drink. Or not enough."
"This would be an extreme response to something like that," I said. People had killed for less, though.
"Just a little." She nodded slowly. "It could have been worse."
"It could have been much worse." I was convinced she was dead and I was next. I'd lain on that hard ground while the time ticked away, listening for more gunshots. Waiting to feel that moment of impact before a bullet entered my body.
The guys must have reached the shooter, or scared them away before they could take another shot. That, or they thought they'd done the job they were there to do and left.
Then, of course, Sadie could have been much more badly injured. The bullet could have lodged in her shoulder, or torn it apart. She could have lost the use of it. Worse, the bullet could have passed through a vital organ.
I was grateful it was as slight as it was. Yes, it clearly hurt like hell, but she'd recover.
"Are you two all right back there?" Frost asked over his shoulder. "We're almost to Ice’s place."
"We're fine," I replied. "Just a little shaken up." My heart rate was almost back to normal, but my hands were still damp with sweat. I swapped them around every couple of minutes to keep the napkin in place, while wiping the other on my leggings.
"Us too," Frost said. "Dallas, you should let Storm and Atlas know what went down."
Ever since they'd dealt with Coach Stanley, they'd been asked to deal with several other things. None of which I asked the details of. They always returned looking grim, but they didn't seem to hate each other anymore, so that was a bonus.
Wasn't it?
"I already did," Dallas said. "I sent off a text to the group chat. They'll meet us at Ice's. Ramsey and Jay too. Along with the asshole who tried to hurt Chelsea.”
Keeping one hand in place, I pushed the other into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Like Dallas said, the guys caught the gunman, but didn't give any more details. I considered calling them to ask, but I'd find out soon enough.
"Soon to belateasshole," Frost growled. "He's going to regret the day he was born."
Between him and my brother, they'd make sure of that. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. I mean, he did try to kill me. Sympathy can only go so far.
"Can I stab them in the shoulder?" Sadie asked. "Just so they know how it feels."
Frost flashed her a brief grin. "I'm sure we can accommodate that."
"Excellent." She returned the grin. "I look forward to it."
"It didn't know you were so bloodthirsty," I told her. She wasn't a pacifist by any means, but she usually stayed out of this kind of shit. All she wanted, usually, was to live her life. This was a side of her I hadn't seen often.
"Only when people shoot me," she said unapologetically. "To be honest, I'm surprised with myself, but here we are. I feel how I feel. You're not going to judge me for it, are you?"
"Not at all," I said. "I'll leave the infliction of pain to you and Frost. And my brother."
"And me," Dallas said. "I want to hurt them too." He seemed more than a little disturbed at his own words, but he didn't try to take them back.
I knew he was still struggling with killing India, and his feelings about that. He'd enjoyed it, but was troubled by how much. Frost seemed to have embraced his inner darkness much more comfortably.
"Maybe you should wait and find out their reasoning before you plan where you're going to stick knives and screwdrivers," I said.
