Navy's Sons: Bullied by Quadruplet Stepbrothers novel Chapter 5

Tabitha’s POV

“You’ve got a death wish, don’t you?” Reed mutters as he flips the gun in his hand before cocking it and leveling the barrel right at me.

“Leaving Kaelara five years ago must have toughen you up, stepsis,” Jace snips. “Fine. Let’s see if that bravado still holds when the bullets fly.”

My heart pounds like a war drum inside my chest. It’s so loud I’m half convinced they can hear it too. Every inch of my body screams to tremble but I lock my muscles in place. I stare straight ahead. I force a calm expression onto my face and pray it doesn’t crack.

Shit.

This is insane. No, this is suicide. But if I back down now, I lose more than a challenge. I lose every inch of ground I’ve fought to claim since stepping foot back in this house… this island.

The brothers spread out across the range, each taking a position with one target in mind. They have one shot each to hit the four apples—one balanced on my head, two resting on my shoulders, and one lying in the center of my open palm.

I’ve never been the religious type, but I think this is the perfect time to pray. Holy shit.

Jace lifts his gun first. He gives me a lopsided grin like this is all some joke to him. His finger hovers over the trigger, then he pulls it. The shot rings out so sharply my shoulders twitch from the sound. The apple on my right shoulder bursts into pulp, spraying juice and sticky fragments across my cheek. The bullet whistles past just inches from my head but I force myself not to flinch, not even blink, even as my pulse drums so loud I can barely hear anything else.

Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap!

I have barely recovered from that when Reed moves next. He shifts slightly to adjust his stance, then fires. The apple on my left shoulder splits in two. I clench my jaw as seeds scatter like confetti around my feet. He smirks like he just won a game.

You’re enjoying this, asshole?

My eyes drift to the remaining brothers who are yet to take their shot. Luca lifts his weapon and doesn’t waste anymore time before shooting the damn thing. The bullet rips straight through the apple perched on my head. For one horrifying moment I swear I feel my hair lift from the wind of the shot. I have to swallow a gasp and pretend that I did not almost pee in my pants.

My weary eyes drift to the last remaining brother. Evren. He stares at me blankly while pointing the gun at the remaining apple that I’m holding. I have no idea what he’s thinking and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever figure out what kind of thoughts run in this man’s head.

Not that I have to worry about that because I am too busy tracking his movement as he tugs on the trigger, shooting the bullet clean through the center of the apple in my palm. The apple in my palm jerks but it stays there, perfectly upright within my ironclad grip. I glance at it and see a single bullet hole sitting cleanly through the center. Damn.

It’s over.

The breath rushes into my lungs like I’ve been drowning this whole time. I don’t know how I’m still standing. Evren dismantles his gun, lowers it, then tosses it aside without a word. He walks away as if none of this happened. I let out a shaky exhale as I watch him walk inside the mansion, exactly right where I want them to be. My knees feel weak but I hold myself up.

I did it. And I survived it!

Luca watches me with narrowed eyes. Like he’s trying to place a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit while unloading his gun.

“It’s almost hard to believe that you’re the same girl we knew five years ago,” he says.

I meet his gaze. “Then, I guess you never really knew me.”

He smirks.

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know you again. And by the looks of it, we’ve got plenty of time to do that, my dear stepsister.” He winks at me before turning around and following Evren inside the mansion.

Jace whistles and shakes his head. “Weren’t you scared?”

I give him a shrug. “You’re the navy commander’s sons. I was rooting that you’d have at least the decent skills to hit your target. Good thing you didn’t disappoint.”

“You’re bold. Reckless. Maybe you fit in more than I’d like to admit.” He smirks.

Reed scoffs. “I doubt that. It takes more than guns and bullets to last here, stepsister. I wonder how long you’ll last before you go running again like you used to.”

He slithers toward me and snatches the apple from my palm, the one with the bullet hole. Then, he bites into it and tosses the rest aside like it’s nothing. His eyes flick over me with that same old smugness, the one that used to shrink me down to nothing in high school. He leans in just close enough for me to feel the heat of his breath. “Let’s see how long that spine of yours holds up, Tabby.”

Then he turns around and heads back to the mansion.

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