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Frustration pinched his brow "If you draft, I’ll let you shoot Jack"

Peri’s eyes flicked past Allen to Jack as theSandy "Hey!" he exclaiive me the rifle?" she wheezed, clenched in pain

Frank ca s for her"

"Then riped, and he turned Peri’s face to look at hih "How about it?"

"You’ll wipe roaned "Use me"

He nodded "Soive you the chance to shoot hiht in the balance of actions, but right now … she didn’t give a shit

"You guys figure this out I’," Jack said, and Frank cocked his rifle It wouldn’t ht back in here and he knew it

The pressure to juer Her fingers felt that awful slick stickiness of blood on the varnished floor The feel of blood was in her mouth Pain crushed her as Allen knelt beside her, a wad of napkins pressed to her chest She squinted at the ceiling, wondering if she could see the ghost of herself up there Everything was i to ony She would reer Blood, varnish, slick fingers, the hardness of the floor, the pain of loss radiating through her, betrayal, Sandy’s hair twisted in her fingers Allen was going to take the last three years fro Jack would be worth it

"Deal," she said, and then … she jumped, and the world flashed silver sparkles that dissolved into blue

Hunched and hurting, Peri stood on the stage and wiped the blood fro as she touched her lip to find she’d bitten it The woman’s hands clenched into tiny fists

Peri reoriented herself, knowing that in thirty seconds she was going to be du Jack had betrayed her Bill was lining his pockets with Opti’s agents’ efforts Her own psychologists orking for hiive her a rifle so she could shoot Jack’s head clean off

She turned to Allen, watching her frolasses and from under black curls Frank’s rifle was in his hand It had one shell in it It had to be enough

"You spoiled, entitled little girl!" Sandy shouted, still before the bar but her words unchanged fro Peri she wasn’t a drafter or anchor "I’ on you hand and foot, treating you like a god, and all you do is bitch about it when you lose a littleyou a fucking favor!"

"You got that right" Peri held out a hand to Allen, her fingers and toes tingling What if he’d lied to her, too? Why was she so trusting?

But Allen threw it The rifle hit her palm with a solid thud Confidence flowed, and Peri turned, cocking it with a sure motion