Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,64

drops of pink in his snowy wake. “Gotta...g-give you th-that.”

Tears froze at the corners of Juliet’s eyes. “Why don’t you j-just leave m-me here?” Her numb lips and chattering teeth made it difficult to talk. “I’ll d-disappear. Use a different n-name. N-no one will ever know I’m s-still alive.”

This was her last chance. A hail Mary. If she could talk him into letting her go, then maybe she could find her way back to Mike before she developed full-blown hypothermia.

Mike had lived for ten years under different names. If anyone could help her vanish, it was him.

“N-nice try...p-princess. No b-body...n-no paycheck.”

Shit. “I’ll pay you d-double. M-Mike can get you out of th-the c-country.”

“M-man of my word, p-princess.” The gleam in his soulless eyes doused whatever hope she’d felt a few minutes before.

He’s enjoying this.

Having had enough of his sick games, Juliet shouted at him. “You b-bastard!” Her voice echoed through the winter air. “Your w-word doesn’t m-mean sh-shit!”

“Doesn’t...m-matter.” He grimaced as he hobbled even closer. “Any final p-prayers you’ve got...you’d b-better say them n-now.”

Panic set in and Juliet wanted to howl to the universe at the unfairness of it all. She wasn’t ready to die. In many ways, she’d barely even begun to live.

They say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. But the only image Juliet’s saw in her mind’s eye was the man who’d stolen her heart.

Mike was her soulmate. Her other half. And despite their unconventional beginning, Juliet knew he was the man she was meant to find.

I’m so sorry, Mike.

Fuller straightened his stance, preparing to shoot. Juliet closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate. Holding on to the last remnants of dignity she had, she stood there, waiting for her life to come to an end...and then she heard it.

She heard him.

“Drop the weapon, Fuller!”

Juliet’s eyes flew open, and she couldn’t believe what she saw.

“Mike!”

He was still several yards away, and the snow was still falling in sheets, but there was no mistaking that face. Running toward them, he appeared to be carrying a gun of his own. Its barrel was pointed directly at Fuller.

Fuller.

The man was turning around, too. His gun moved with him, away from her, and toward...

“No!” Juliet didn’t think. She just reacted.

Reaching out, she grabbed Fuller’s arm and pulled it back. The sound of the bullet firing through the barrel echoed all around them, but thankfully she’d prevented it from going anywhere near Mike.

“Jules!”

Fuller pushed against her, doing his best to force her to let him go. Her feet slid in the snow, and she felt herself moving backward, but she held on with everything she had.

“F-fucking b-bitch!”

The strong man swung his elbow toward her face, but Juliet saw it coming and managed to move just in time for him to miss.

“Let her go!”

Mike was getting closer, now. Close enough he could shoot Fuller.

Realizing this, as well, Fuller let out a loud roar and shoved Juliet again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t hold on.

Juliet fell backward, the snow doing very little to break her fall. With an oomph, she landed hard on her back, her head inches away from the edge of the cliff. She was pushing herself back up to her feet just as another shot rang out.

No!

Her heart flew into her throat, but when she raised her head, she discovered it wasn’t Mike who’d been shot. It was Fuller.

The killer-for-hire dropped his gun and stumbled backward. Fresh blood dripped from his right hand, the warm drops melting the snow the second they hit.

Finally managing to become upright once again, she started to move out of the way for fear the injured man would accidentally knock her over the deadly wall. In an unexpected move, Fuller turned his focus back on her.

With a hatred and fury unlike any she’d ever seen, he raised his uninjured arm and reached for her. Screaming, Juliet tried to move to the side, but her foot slipped, and she went down on one knee.

Mike fired his weapon again, the second shot hitting his target with perfection. Blood oozed from the new hole in Fuller’s chest. Right where his heart would be, if the bastard actually had one.

The large man took several steps backward. Juliet could tell he was about to go down...and she was right in his path.

“Juliet!” Mike shouted her name. He was running toward her and waving his arms, signaling for her to move.

Scrambling to get away, the snow and her frozen form made standing more difficult