“Just shut up,” Hannah announced, straightening so Frank had a clear shot at her. She knew it wasn’t necessarily the smart move, but she couldn’t dilly-dally. She needed to put an end to the fight ... which meant putting an end to Frank. “If we’re going to fight, I think we should do it like adults.”
Frank rolled his eyes. “Oh, so you want to go passive aggressive and gossip behind each other’s backs, do you? That sounds like zero fun. Why do you think I’m even here? The new way of doing things is the wrong way. We have to remind people of what could be if we expect them to remember what was.”
It was convoluted logic and Hannah couldn’t work out what he was trying to say in her head. Ultimately it didn’t matter, though. Hannah understood she couldn’t let this stretch out. “You’re a coward,” she announced, her eyes narrow slits of hate as she regarded the man. “You get off on making others fight but refuse to get your hands dirty.”
“Um, look around,” Frank countered. “I’m in this dusty hellhole for a reason. I’m fighting you.”
“No, you’re hiding because you’re scared of me.” Hannah decided to press her advantage. “That’s why you came here in the first place. You heard what I did to your friend and you wanted to try to eliminate me before I could figure out exactly how to kill the rest of you. That’s it. That’s what makes sense.”
“Oh, that’s not even true.” Frank rolled out so he was in clear view, his chest heaving as his eyes flashed with annoyance. “You’re nothing but a gnat to us. The others said we should come together and handle you, but I knew I was all it would take so I came without them.
“Look around,” he practically bellowed. “I’m winning. You’re losing. Your friend is about to die ... and at your boyfriend’s hands. Do you know what that means? I’m in control here. Me!” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “You can’t take me down because you’re nothing!”
That was the opening Hannah was looking for. She kept her hand movements tiny — even though she wanted to end with a flourish — and pulsed another dose of magic toward Frank, purposely keeping it low and light.
“Is this all you have?” Frank was delighted as he easily swatted the magic away, his eyes trained toward the ground. “Is this your last effort? That’s so pathetic I’m not even sure if I should waste the energy killing you. In fact ... .”
The words died on his lips because he was focused on the first dash of magic, not even glancing in Hannah’s direction while he was speaking. The second burst of magic she heaved in his direction was a surprise when it smacked into him.
Frank made a gurgling sound, his head snapping up as he looked to the sky. Hannah couldn’t be certain, but part of her believed he was trying to say something — maybe even call on magic to flee — but it was far too late. For all intents and purposes, he was already gone. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started flaking as he careened toward the ground. At the moment his body was supposed to hit, he exploded in a cloud of dust — or maybe it was ash — and disappeared.
Hannah was breathing heavy as she bent over at the waist and rested her hands on her knees. She was feeling pretty good about herself — if also exhausted — and was debating what would be the coolest thing to say considering the takedown ... when she remembered Cooper and Tyler.
“Oh.” Her hip twinged as she turned, relief washing over her when she found the two men sitting in the middle of the street, disheveled but no longer fighting. “Are you okay?” She rushed to Cooper’s side, cringing when she saw the blood at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, geez. Maybe we should call an ambulance.”
That suggestion was enough to have Cooper snapping up his head. “Absolutely not.” He was firm, his eyes keen as they searched her face. “Are you okay, baby?” It was as if he was stepping out of a dream and finally seeing the reality around him. “Are you hurt?” He reached for Hannah, but she carefully grabbed his wrist rather than allow him to fawn all over her. “I might be a little sore tomorrow from diving in the dirt like that — it’s much easier when you’re wearing the knee pads and doing it on a gym floor — but I’ll survive.”
She flashed a smile as she studied Cooper’s wounds and then turned her attention to Tyler, who looked to be worse off ... and staring at the ground rather than his friend. “Do you need to go to the hospital, Tyler?” She didn’t want to put him on the spot, but she wouldn’t risk his life if he had internal injuries either.
“I’m fine,” Tyler reassured her, managing a smile that didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I just ... I’m fine. Once I’m cleaned up, you won’t even be able to tell anything happened.”
Hannah knew better than believing that, but she didn’t press the issue. “There’s a first aid kit in the saloon,” she said, extending her hands to help Cooper to his feet. “Let’s get you guys cleaned up, huh?”
Cooper shot her a grateful smile, but his eyes were remote. “I ... um ...
