Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,13

the moonlight, Juliet could see his eyes widening with surprise through the oval slits in the woven mask.

“You...bitch.” He dropped to his knees and clutched his chest. “Fuckin’ shot...me.”

“And I’ll do it again if you don’t stay down.” Her words came out surprisingly steady, despite feeling as if she would fall apart at the seams.

It seemed the warning was unnecessary, for less than ten seconds later, the man had collapsed onto his back. Eyes closed. Chest not moving.

Ohmygod!

Juliet’s breathing increased, but just before she could go into a full panic mode, she reminded herself of what needed to be done.

Call the police. Tell them you shot an intruder.

With her gun pointed at the dead man’s head, she stepped in a wide girth around his body, turning so she could walk backward into her bedroom. Keeping an eye on the unmoving form, she made her way over to her nightstand and picked up the landline phone.

Dialing nine-one-one, Juliet forced herself to speak as she relayed to the operator the horrific events that had just taken place inside her home. Once the operator learned of the intruder’s fate, she instructed her to stay inside and wait for authorities to arrive.

Most women would probably run outside, getting as far away from the corpse as possible. But again, Juliet wasn’t most women.

Another lesson from Daddy...never make assumptions. Especially in a high-risk situation.

After ending the call, Juliet hung up the phone and went back outside. Chest still heaving, body fighting to regain control of itself, she watched the intruder wearily as she approached him.

He was so still, almost like a statue. But he wasn’t a statue...he was a human being. One who was currently bleeding all over her private oasis. A man who’d just died by her hands.

Oh, god.

A rush of burning bile hit the base of her throat, but Juliet swallowed it down. Sirens blared from somewhere in the distance, their screams getting louder and louder the closer they became.

She stared down at the masked face. A sudden need to know who he was and why he’d come after her was overwhelming.

Juliet knew she shouldn’t touch him. That removing the mask could potentially be considered tampering with evidence. She didn’t care.

I have to know.

Trembling legs carried her closer to the dead body. The gun in her hand quivered, despite her efforts to the contrary. Still, Juliet pushed herself on.

I have to know who he is. I have to know why he came after me.

Standing mere inches away, she bent down. Careful not to step in the growing pool of blood, she shifted the gun to her left hand and reached for the mask with her right.

Pinching the ends of the soft, black wool between her fingertips, she lifted the mask up and over the man’s chin, revealing an unremarkable mouth and jaw. Still shaking, she started to raise the material over the man’s nose when the unthinkable happened.

The man moved.

In one fluid motion, he grabbed hold of her wrist with one hand, yanking her fingers away from the mask, while at the same time, he pushed her body backward with his other.

Crying out from both shock and fear, Juliet fell onto the roof’s hard surface with a painful thud. Blood dripped onto her chest as her very-much-alive attacker hovered over her, the barrel of her gun now pointing at her head.

“Please,” she heard herself beg. “At least tell me why you’re doing this.”

“Why does anyone do anything?” The man grimaced in pain. “Money, sweetheart. And your father?” His exposed lips curled into an evil sneer. “He has a helluva lot to spare.”

“M-my father? Are you saying...my father hired you to k-kill me?”

“You’re surprised?” He chuckled then coughed. “What kind of daughter turns on her old man like that, anyway?”

Juliet shook her head with a frantic denial. “I didn’t—”

“Shut up!” He pushed the gun closer to her head. “If you ask me, you’ve had this coming for a while.”

“Good thing no one asked you.”

Juliet heard his voice a split second before the retort of gunfire filled the night air.

****

Chapter 3

“Jules!”

Mike ran to where Juliet lay trapped beneath the man who’d damn near killed her. After calling Derek the night before to ask him to find Juliet for him, the guy had taken all of twenty minutes to track her down and call him back with an address...in Houston.

He couldn’t believe it when Derek had called him with the news. For the past year and a half, Juliet had been right there, within his reach. All