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The gun is in hts even process as I scan the landscape She picked a good spot, I’ll give her that These rolling hills are perfect All you gotta do is lie flat on the other side of one to make yourself invisible “Merc sent me,” I yell “I’e a little and squat to the ground I’uess

Sasha

Orphaned last Christrandparents, she’s Merc’s responsibility because he’s the one who got her father killed I’d heard that the grandparents’ ranch was set on fire this past spring, killing everyone on the property after a propane tank exploded But I was too busy with my own shitstor the dead

Clearly she was not

“Sasha!” I yell “Merc fking sentby round and flatten myself out “What the fk—”

“You’re lucky,” she yells back at ood archer I have a gun too, and I promise you I do not miss”

Jesus fking Christ What is with the girls these days? Since when are they all wannabe assassins? “Sasha, calm the fk down I’m here because Merc sent me I’m supposed to hold on to you—”

“Hold on to me?” She snorts off to the left now, and she’s a lot closer than she was “I’m not his property”

I sniper-crawl over another ridge off to ht, peek, then spot the top of her dirty blonde hair one ridge over as she makes her way back where she started out She’s not a bad stalker And she’s fearless too If she thinks I’ll let her off because she’s a kid, she’s dead wrong Or maybe she’ll just be dead

“I’ll leave you here if you want, you crazy little shit, but first we’re gonna make a phone call so I can collect on ”

As soon as I stop talking I bolt for another hill off to the left, pop e over

This tiht in front of me

“I don’t want to talk to that assle—”

I pounce on her froroans as I take her to the ground, winding rab her arainst her elbow “Hold still, Assassin Srowl into her ear “Or I will snap this elbow”

She struggles for a moment but I apply more pressure and she cries out in pain

“I’et aith this bullshit, but I’ain, I’ll snap your puny little neck”

She stops struggling at that re to leadHarper Who the fk authorized this girl’s father to train her? From what I know of him, he was an arirl iven away to just another boy ould then be tied to the Company for life