Shot Through the Heart (4 page)

I take a deep breath, then anchor my feet to prevent another dumbass slip.

Yep, I’d be in a world of hurt if I ever needed to make a living as an Army sniper. How would I ever explain to a burly sergeant with a shaved head that a lady in a pink nightgown and her Angel dog made me fall out of the tree and miss my target? It’d be difficult enough to explain to Josh, who’s neither burly nor combat-trained.

On the upside, hopefully the doggie distraction means people are finally moving inside Drew’s house.

Twenty minutes later, I detect the snick of a door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps, slow and cautious, against the wooden boards of the rear deck. Wily jerk. He’s gotta be worried about being attacked from this side of the house, because it sounds like he’s going the long way around to make an approach to his car.

Inch by inch, I stretch forward so I’m lying flat on the limb, my water rifle aimed so the driver’s door is dead center in my sight. I breathe in, breathe out, then breathe in and hold it, concentrating on keeping my entire body perfectly still so Drew doesn’t see me until it’s too late.

My back pocket vibrates.

I grit my teeth and ignore the phone, thankful the sound is obscured by the hum of a passing Volvo as Drew comes into view at the far front corner of his house. He’s moving warily, first ensuring that the Volvo belongs to a neighbor heading to work, then studying the bushes and trees in front of him as he walks, clearly anticipating a hit. He’s also armed for one of his own. His backpack is secured over both his shoulders, rather than worn in the one-shouldered, casual way most of us usually lug our gear, and he’s carrying a bucket filled with water balloons in his right hand. The bucket’s so full that his upper body tilts to the left to compensate for the weight.

Whoever Drew’s target is, they’re going to owe me a load of thanks for taking him out before he can nail them with those balloons. The person on the receiving end of that bucket would show up to first period sopping wet.

Drew’s pace increases as he crosses the lawn. When he reaches the driveway, he fumbles in his pocket for the clicker to unlock his car, then double-beeps it as he approaches the driver’s side door.

A slow grin spreads across my face as he moves into the dead center of my gun sight, then sets down his bucket to shrug off his backpack. I put my index finger to the trigger at the same time a voice below me hisses, “Connor! Connor! Get down!
Hurry!
”

Chapter Five |
Peyton

“N
ow!” I say it louder this time, hoping Connor will freakin’ move.

He’s going to kill me for blowing his cover, but what choice do I have? Bracing against the trunk of the tree, I jump as high as I can and smack him in the ankle to get his attention since calling up to him isn’t working.

“What the—” Finally, his focus shifts from Drew to me. Twin furrows appear between his brows as he stares down. “Peyton?”

“They’re coming for you
right now
. You’ve gotta get out of the tree!” I point toward the woods, where the Delano twins are racing toward us, jumping over rocks and ducking around low-hanging branches. They’re less than fifty yards away now, yelling at each other to hurry. Each of them is carrying a megasize water gun and their eyes are locked on Connor.

In front of us, Drew mutters an expletive as he struggles to untangle himself from his backpack and open the door of his car. His gaze darts from Connor, to me, to a large bucket set in front of his feet alongside the rear door of his car.

“Move so I don’t hit you,” Connor grinds out.

I take a couple steps back as Connor wraps his arm around a wide branch, then half-swings, half-jumps down from the tree, the impact collapsing his knees and sending him into the damp grass with his water rifle clutched in front of him. I race forward and grab his elbow, yanking him to his feet.

“Peyton, stop—”

“Come on. I’m parked two houses down.” We can’t be shot once we’re in my car, but I don’t know if we’re going to be fast enough to outrun the Delano twins. Or their massive water guns.

Connor doesn’t move. Instead, he raises his own gun and shoots at Drew just as Drew’s pulling open his driver’s side door. The spray hits the door and side mirror, missing Drew entirely.

“Crap!” Connor yells as Drew slides into his car with his backpack still hooked on one shoulder, then pulls the door shut behind him. “That was my chance! Now he knows who’s after him.”

“So do you, you idiot!” I wrap my fingers around Connor’s wrist and pull him toward my car. “Run!”

He pulls his gaze away from Drew—who’s laughing like a maniac as he watches us from the safety of his vehicle—to see Joe and Jimmy Delano behind us, approaching fast. “Double crap. Run!”

My hand falls from Connor’s wrist as we sprint toward my car. A stream of water flies between us to spray my windshield at the same time another hits the grass to the right of me.

“Is it unlocked?”

“Yes! Go!”

Connor doesn’t argue. He races ahead of me, then flings himself in the passenger side of my car and pulls the door shut.

I slow to a walk once I see he’s safe, since the Delanos aren’t allowed to shoot a non-combatant, then walk around to climb in the driver’s seat, trying hard not to visibly gasp for air. Even if Connor is my brother’s friend and I’ve seen him practically every day of my life, I don’t want him to know that sprinting a few hundred yards is enough to leave me wiped.

There’s a reason I never run in public.

“I’m sorry,” I say on a semi-controlled exhale once I’m settled behind the wheel. “I couldn’t wait another second for you to shoot Drew, or I would’ve. You weren’t hit, were you?”

“I don’t think so.” He looks himself over. Other than the two wet spots on his knees where he went down in the grass, he’s dry. The Delanos are only about twenty yards away, but they’ve slowed to a walk. They know they’re too late.

He leans back in the seat, his dark hair smushing against the headrest. He scowls in exasperation. “That did
not
go well. Totally missed Drew. He’s going to be hard to get now.”

“Could’ve been worse, though,” I say, trying to make him feel better. “You could’ve missed Drew and been eliminated.”

“True.” He doesn’t sound relieved.

“I know it stinks, but you have the rest of the week to try for Drew. And now you know who’s after you, so you can watch your back.”

“I guess.” The wrinkles in his forehead ease. “Since both Delanos are here chasing me, they couldn’t have gotten Josh. So that’s another positive.”

He reaches over his right shoulder to grab the seatbelt, then pauses, his hand hovering near the window. “Wait. Unless that was Josh calling me to tell me he was hit and that they were coming to get me next. My phone buzzed right as Drew came around the house.” A look of alarm skitters over Connor’s face as he lifts his rear end off the seat and pats his back pocket for his phone.

“That was me,” I tell him. “I was trying to warn you about the twins. When I first noticed them hiding in the woods a few houses away I assumed they were stalking someone else on the street, so I didn’t pay much attention to them. Then I realized that, other than Drew, I don’t know any seniors who live on this block.” I make an apologetic grimace. “It finally dawned on me that they had to be watching you. They were in the woods for nearly two hours. When I saw them leave to circle around the back side of Drew’s house, I knew I had to warn you.”

There’s a dull thud as Connor’s head connects with the headrest. “I kept thinking I was hearing noise from the woods! But how would the Delanos have known where to find me? How did
you
know they knew?” Connor looks sideways at me, frowning even as the edges of his mouth quirk up. “And why are you here, anyway, if that’s not one too many questions?”

“I’ll answer if you take the wheel,” I say, since I’m not allowed to drive him anywhere. “Don’t get out, though. Climb over.”

I circle the car and buckle into the passenger side while Connor gets into the driver’s seat and slides it back. Once I’m in, he turns the key in the ignition and eases out into the road. We pass the Delano twins, one of whom takes a gratuitous shot at the side of my car—totally uncool—while the other gives Connor a mocking salute. At the same time, Drew treats us to a feminine, finger-waggling wave through his car window.

“Morons,” Connor mutters as we leave them behind. I have to agree.

“I assume the Delanos followed you from your house as you cut through the woods,” I tell him once we’ve rounded the corner. “Firing in the woods and actually hitting you through the trees and underbrush would’ve been tough unless they were really close. But Drew’s backyard is so big and open, I bet that once you were clear of the woods they couldn’t get into firing range without being seen. They probably decided to hide out until Drew came out of his house, figuring you’d be distracted and they’d be able to approach without you noticing.”

“I wasn’t even thinking I might be targeted myself.” He straightens in the seat. “But that all makes sense. If the Delanos were staking out the front of my house, they wouldn’t have been able to see me come out the back in time to follow very closely.”

One side of his mouth hitches into a grin as he adds, “But you didn’t say…why did
you
follow me? And when did you get here? You’re the last person I was expecting to see in Drew’s yard.”

“Josh asked me to. I’ve been parked down the street since four a.m.”

Connor says, “Huh,” but looks ill at ease all of a sudden.

I stretch forward to click off the radio, rapidly growing uncomfortable myself. There was a odd vibe between us yesterday at Lowe’s, then again while we were eating at Subway. I thought I was imagining it, but now I feel it again. It’s not a bad vibe. Just…odd. Palpable.

I force back a shiver. “Josh offered me twenty-five bucks on top of what he already owes me if I’d watch your back this morning. Guess it’s a good thing he did. Even if you weren’t worried about being targeted, he was.” But as the words come out of my mouth, I have to wonder whether there was more to Josh’s request than I thought. It isn’t like Josh to part with money unless he’s forced to do it. Josh also arranged to have me search for the tubing with Connor in Lowe’s, leaving us alone while he went for the funnel. Josh is usually all about getting rid of me so he can be with his friends.

As Connor adjusts the rear view mirror, his arm brushes mine, sending a current of awareness right to my core. Then he smiles, giving me another flash of his dimples.

Oh no. No, no, no. Does Connor have a crush on me? Is that why he put his arm around my back yesterday at Subway? Is that why he’s smiling at me now?

And wait…is my
brother
trying to set us up?

I return Connor’s smile before snapping my focus to the street. I hope I look perfectly normal, because I don’t feel it.

Connor Strabinowski would never have a crush on me. He’d be more interested in a senior. A cute senior. A cute, athletic senior with the ability to keep up should they be forced to sprint down a suburban street to escape water gun assassins. One who wouldn’t look completely out of place when standing beside him in prom photos.

And I’m Josh’s
sister
, for crying out loud. Not only is trying to score with your best friend’s sister generally taboo, but if I were a guy and met Josh, I wouldn’t suspect he had a sister who was remotely dateable. Doesn’t all that farting, spitting, and other nasty behavior of Josh’s negatively attach to me in the deepest part of Connor’s psyche?

“Paranoid much?”

“Um—” My stomach does a slow, sickening flip. I glance from the road to Connor, wondering if he can read my spiraling thoughts.

“I mean Josh,” he clarifies, frowning. “Not you. I can’t believe he was so paranoid I’d get hit that he’d offer you money to wake up early and follow me.”

I give myself a mental shake. Of course he meant Josh. “I was already awake. Josh made a ton of noise getting ready to go to Grayson’s this morning. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to look over my chem lab. When Josh saw my light on, he knocked on my door and offered. I figured, hey, why not?”

“Well, thanks. You saved my tail back there.”

“Barely. I should’ve tried to get your attention sooner.”

“It worked out. You showed up exactly when I needed you.”

“Lucky you.” I try to keep my tone casual even as my brain goes ballistic over the idea that someone like Connor—gorgeous, athletic, funny—could possibly be interested in me. Our conversation right now could be loaded with double meanings…or not.

When we stop for a red light at the main intersection of our subdivision, Connor glances at the screen on his cell phone, then hands it to me. “No word from Josh. Can you text him and warn him that the Delanos are after us so he knows to be careful?”

When I’m finished sending the text, I set Connor’s phone between our seats. It occurs to me that he’s traveling pretty light. “Where’s your stuff for school?”

“At my house. I was going to cut back through the woods after I shot Drew. Would you mind dropping me off?”

The light turns green, and I wave for him to turn onto a side street that leads to his house, saying it’s probably best if I wait for him, then let him drive us both to school. Chances are, Joe and Jimmy Delano’s car is parked somewhere near Connor’s house. By the time Connor grabs his backpack and comes outside, the twins could cut back through the woods and be waiting for a second shot.