Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Kyle kept elbowing Gideon—seemingly to “share” in the humor—while the new guy, Jake, stood with his visor up, grinning like a fool.
Cynthia had bit it pretty early on and had traipsed off to join Cat on the viewing deck for some gossip and snacks.
Kyle was lying about Cam. The man had been hit, but not fatally, and he was lurking around here somewhere. Gideon wasn’t sure if Cam would risk revealing his position to save Beth. He may consider her an acceptable loss, if it meant she could keep them distracted long enough for Cam to claim the enemy’s flag.
Collateral damage.
Lucy had been left to defend their flag and considering what a dangerous player Cam was, Gideon was considering sending Jake to back her up—even though Lucy would argue that she didn’t need the support.
Gideon’s eyes scanned their surroundings restlessly, keeping an eye out for Cam, not so much as a rustle in the underbrush to betray the guy’s position.
Gideon was crouched behind a barrel, with an unimpeded view of the paint-splattered bathtub standing in the middle of a clearing. Beth had made a rookie mistake when she’d gone for the dubious shelter of the tub instead of heading for one of the barrels surrounding the clearing. The fucking tub was there to lure out noobs like her in just this way. Kyle—who was proving to be uncannily good at this game—had accurately guessed that Beth would go for the bath. Gideon had almost groaned out loud when he’d watched her panicked dive into the tub after Jake’s reckless shot had missed her by just a couple of inches.
The prick had been aiming at her head. Despite the helmet, it would have rung her bell just hard enough to frighten her.
Now she was trapped, and he could hear the panic threaded through the bravado in her voice.
“Yeah well, eat paint, motherfucker!” The words were followed by a primal scream, and Gideon watched in stupefied awe as Beth did something that could only be described as fifty percent reckless, fifty percent shocking but one hundred percent gutsy. She leaped up, firing directly at Kyle, who—in his arrogant belief that he had her beaten—hadn’t even bothered to take shelter.
The idiot gave a startled yelp and ducked. Gideon took a great deal of satisfaction in seeing Kyle winged by the spray of paintballs. The guy took a hit to his left shoulder before he had time to take cover.
Beth, who’d been firing blindly and wildly, probably hoping to catch them by surprise, did what could only be described as a clumsy swan dive out of the tub, landing on the far side with a pained oof, which was immediately followed by a loud groan.
Shit.
Kyle, who was none too thrilled to have been hit, shouldered his marker, and slinked forward, a determined glower on his face.
“Hey,” Gideon called to the guy, only to be ignored.
Prick.
He lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled, the piercing sound succeeded in halting Kyle’s progress. The younger man glared at Gideon—clearly annoyed by the interruption.
“What the hell, bru?”
“Stop,” Gideon commanded him, before pushing to his feet.
“Lizzy?” he called cautiously. “You okay?”
Silence. Nothing but the breeze, the faint popping sounds coming from another game on the playing field adjacent to theirs, and birdsong.
“Lizzy? I’m coming to you, okay? Flag of truce and whatnot. Beth…?”
“Let me finish her, bru. I know you wanted to take her out, but I deserve some payback for this,” Kyle muttered, jerking his head toward the bright pink stain on his arm.
“Shut the fuck up, Kyle. Her safety and well-being are more important than your ego.”
Jake had joined them. The man was chewing gum, and was staring at the bathtub indifferently. He wasn’t much of a talker.
“Beth?” Gideon strode toward the tub, picking up the pace until he was almost jogging. “Babe, are you okay?”
“I don’t think so.” Her voice was small and uncertain and his heart leaped into his throat at the quaver he could hear in it.
She hesitantly stood up, lifting her visor before limping toward him. Gideon caught Kyle’s movement out of the corner of his eye, and he swung toward the younger man in an attempt to stop what he knew was about to happen.
“No!”
His yell came a beat too late and he turned in time to see Beth take the hit. He watched her stumble, and dashed toward her hoping to block her fall. He was too slow and she went down onto her butt, her left arm extended to save herself. The agonized sound coming from her lips just about stopped Gideon’s heart. He saw that little twat lift his rifle again, take aim, and squeeze the trigger, but Gideon managed to get between Beth and the paintball with seconds spare. The sting of the shot on his back, taken in such close proximity, made his temper boil over. The fucker had had the damned thing aimed right at her chest.