Every Mafia's Favorite Girl novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121: "The Dead Zone"

The mock city stretched before Aren, flanked by towering wooden facades, abandoned shipping containers, and hollow tactical structures designed to resemble an urban battlefield.

Her pace immediately slowed.

Not enough for the spectators to notice, but enough for her eyes to sweep rapidly across every structure.

’Jordan said two-thirds of the way through the lane.’

’A two-story structure with a faded blue container attached behind it.’

’But I shouldn’t assume that’s the only possibility. Jordan only caught a glimpse.’

’The shooter could’ve hidden somewhere else... or changed positions after Jordan’s run.’

Her gaze darted across every opening as she moved.

Every dark slit.

Every suspicious shadow.

The closer she came to the described location, the more her pace eased.

Finally...

She saw it.

The two-story structure.

The faded blue shipping container attached to its rear.

’There you are.’

Without hesitation, Aren slipped behind a nearby wooden mock building and carefully peeked around its edge.

Her gaze swept over the structure.

Numerous narrow firing slits pierced the upper level, each offering an ideal angle over the main lane.

’Several possible firing positions.’

’He won’t expose himself until he sees me.’

With that in mind, she calmly inserted a fresh magazine.

’I’ll clear the visible targets first.’

’Then I’ll immediately put rounds into every firing slit.’

’If bullets start coming back from one of them, then I’ll know exactly which slit belongs to him.’

Meanwhile, inside one of the hollow tactical structures, the concealed marksman lay perfectly still.

He had been hidden there for hours, and he knew the final moments of today’s mission were fast approaching now that Ariana Lombardi’s run had finally begun.

Sweat soaked through his black T-shirt, dampening the rifle stock pressed against his shoulder. His muscles had long since begun to ache from remaining perfectly motionless, yet his aim never wavered.

The rifle remained trained down the narrow mock street. All he had to do was wait for one blonde head to enter his scope.

Seconds stretched into what felt like minutes.

By now, it should have been her turn.

Yet...

She still hadn’t appeared.

His brows slowly drew together.

’...Where is she?’

By every calculation, she should have entered his line of sight by now.

The finger resting against the trigger began tapping impatiently despite his discipline.

Suddenly—

BANG!

A bullet screamed past the firing slit.

It struck one of the nearby steel targets with a sharp metallic CLANG.

Another followed.

BANG!

Then another.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Several rounds zipped dangerously close to the opening. One ricocheted off the outer plating barely inches from his rifle barrel.

His chest lurched.

’Shit.’

’Why is she shooting this way so much?’

’At this rate, a stray round’s going to come straight through the slit!’

For the first time since entering the structure, genuine panic crept into his thoughts.

He forced himself to breathe.

’Calm down.’

’You’ve done this before.’

’Finish the mission.’

Then suddenly—

Movement.

A flash of platinum-blonde hair appeared at the edge of his scope.

Adrenaline exploded through him.

Without another thought, he squeezed the trigger.

THOOM!

The rifle bucked violently against his shoulder.

But the blonde figure vanished almost the instant she appeared.

The bullet slammed harmlessly into the concrete wall beyond, blasting out a shower of dust and gouging a fresh crater into the mock street.

Outside the structure, safely concealed behind cover once more, Aren immediately shifted her gaze toward the impact.

A small smile curved across her lips.

’Ah.’

’Found you.’

Without wasting another second, she leaned out just far enough to bring her pistol to bear on the firing slit.

Six rapid shots rang out in flawless succession, each aimed not to kill, but at shoulder height, where a prone sniper would naturally brace his weapon.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The rounds hammered the metal wall.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The steel plating erupted in showers of sparks.

Each impact landed exactly atop the last.

THUD-THUD!

’Almost there.’

’Just a little farther.’

’There!’

’I’m almost out!’

’I made it!’

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