Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“That’s my girl,” Dante whooped. “Get ’em, country!”
“Ina O’Shea,” Harley shouted in dismay. “I can’t believe ye shot me. I bought ye a jam donut this mornin’!”
“This is war!” I hollered. “Sacrificin’ a few will ensure the survival of many!”
“I concur!” Alec shouted. “Fuck them hoes! Shoot their dicks off, Ina!”
I heard Dante’s laughter from somewhere nearby. A minute passed as Harley moved to the safety zone before the buzzer sounded, indicating that the round could continue. Damien’s team was down a man, which swung the odds in my team’s favour. Playing the game was so much fun. I was excited, nervous, and completely exhilarated. I understood why teenage boys and men, in general, loved the sport. I totally got it.
I plucked up the courage to get up and change positions. I ran from the huge hay bale to the nearby barrels and dived behind them the second I heard the spit of someone’s marker shooting. When I pressed my back against the barrels, a body appeared from the hay bale I had just hidden behind. He wore a blue face mask. Instinctively, I lifted my marker, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Three pink splotches donned the man’s padded chest.
“Fuck. I’m out!”
It was Gavin.
“Pink!” he growled when he looked down and saw the colour of the paint that struck him. “Ina shot me!”
“Oh my God,” Nico shouted. “She’s fucking hunting us!”
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
The women cheered from the spectators’ point, and I did my best not to make a sound when Gavin spotted me, then stuck his middle finger up as he turned and jogged towards the safety zone with his marker above his head. The buzzer sounded once more as I got to my feet. The game continued for twenty more minutes until I had taken out an outraged Nico, which Bronagh thought was hilarious. Alec cursed everyone’s house when he was shot and knocked out of the round by Damien. People were quickly knocked out one by one until only Dante, me, and Damien were left.
I had been separated from my team for the entire game, and I had yet to see Dante. If I had, I would have hustled to his side to help protect him since he was our team’s captain. I was in the middle of switching positions when a noise from my left got my attention. I turned, and my pulse spiked. Across from me was Damien, and his marker was raised and pointed in my direction. I gasped and fell backwards, then turned and tried to scrabble away, but a stinging pain attacked my backside. I turned my head and saw blue paint splattered over my uniform.
“I’m hit!” I shouted instantly. “I’m out.”
“Sorry, Ina!” Damien called. “Are you okay?”
I got to my feet. “I’m okay.”
“I’ll avenge ye, country,” Dante hollered from somewhere nearby. “I swear I will! Blondie, you’re goin’ down!”
I laughed as I jogged off the field and towards the safety zone, where the knocked-out members waited. Harley and Gavin playfully nudged me because I had knocked them out of the round. Nico almost instantly questioned me about my shooting skills and demanded to know if I had ever received military training, which cracked me up.
“Where’d ye get hit?”
The question came from Gavin.
“Me bum,” I tittered. “Of all places.”
I turned, and the men laughed when they saw the blue splotches of paint caused by Damien’s marker. I laughed with them only to cover up the winces of pain. My arse was on fire and stung beyond belief. I realised Damien shot me in one of the places not protected by padding, which was dumb luck.
“Where did he get ye, Ina?”
I looked up at Bronagh. “Me arse.”
“You’re jokin’!”
“Nope.” I turned around. “Damien got me right cheek when I dived for cover. It stings like a bitch.”
There was a curse, then a shout.
“I’m out,” Damien almost bellowed. “Motherfucker got me.”
I looked up at the keep and saw Dante was doing a victory dance that made everyone laugh as he raised our team’s flag. My team cheered and shared high-fives knowing that we had won. We played two more rounds. Each team won one a piece, which meant my team won the game overall at two to one.
After that, Bronagh, Aideen, and Keela swapped positions with the men, and they geared up for a game. I took part in their game, which was a simple two-on-two and was surprisingly so much harder than gunning for the men. None of us were tall or broad like the men, so we all hid so much better. In the end, Bronagh’s and my team won, which Alec assured his wife was a fix. Afterward, I hugged all the women as they cursed and slagged one another and removed my mask just as Dante ambled up beside me. He dipped down and kissed my cheek.