Chapter 3

                                    

                                          
I reloaded Artemis as I stared through the scope and aimed at the empty soda can approximately a mile away. I was enjoying the amount of land my brothers owned, because it made great for practice.
                          
And it has been awhile, so I'm probably rusty. I haven't had a contract since I learned Max was a liar. If he has attempted to make contact with me, I wouldn't know because I blocked his number and removed it from my contacts.
                          
"The most important thing when operating a sniper is to remain calm," I told an intrigued Valeria. "Don't overthink. Be patient, but react with confidence and precision. Do that, and you will never miss your target."
                          
"Have you ever missed?"
                          
"Never," I replied as I pulled the trigger, the can disappearing with a blink of an eye.
                          
"Damn."
                          
The sudden sound of Cesare's voice caused me to jerk my head up from my gun and over in his direction. "What are you two doing up on the roof?"
                          
His eyes trailed over my gun, his eyes sparkling and his eyebrow raised. "Is that what I think it is?" He shoved me aside before I could respond, his fingers caressing the gun in a way a man would a woman.
                          
He groaned, before bringing his gaze to me. "How the hell did you get ahold of a rare sniper rifle like this? Even I don't have one of these and I practically own every sniper in the world."
                          
"It was a gift."
                          
He squinted his eyes, before widening them as if realizing something. "You must be the 'Sniper Queen' I've heard so much about."
                          
"Indeed I am. And I'm guessing you're the 'Sniper King' I've heard so much about."
                          
"Sì(yes)," he replied back with a nod. "I haven't used my skills in quite awhile though." He scratched the nape of his neck and chuckled. "Being a father is a full time job."
                          
"I'm guessing you're too busy for a little wager then, fratello(brother)?"
                          
His brows knitted together at my words, a smirk stretching across his lips. "What do you have in mind sorellina(little sister)?"
                          
A smile mirroring his own formed on my lips. Two siblings considered one of the best sniper assassins in the world are going to go head to head in order to declare the absolute best between the two. And I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the most exhilarating thing I've ever done. This was going to be interesting.
                          
****
                          
"Yes!" I shouted in triumph as I stood to my feet. "I won!"
                          
I had managed to take out all ten soda cans in less than five seconds. Cesare would have won, but fell behind only a millisecond. In my eyes, he was still worthy of the title he'd been given. 
                          
Cesare cursed under his breath in Italian as he stood to his feet and praised me for my victory. "You are truly the 'Sniper Queen'." He bowed down, the roar of our family clapping and hollering filling my ears.
                          
Straightening back up, he reached into his pocket and placed a stack of hundreds in my hand.
                          
I've never seen so much money in my life. Ten thousand dollars in cash might just be pocket change to them, but having this amount of money could change my life forever.
                          
"Do what you wish with the money. You've earned it, Roe." He pulled me into a hug, before turning and packing up his sniper.
                          
I closed my fingers around the money, amazed by the amount of weight that sat in my hands.
                          
"We should celebrate," the red haired woman I remembered as Autumn said, tugging me over to Mia, Valeria, and Evelyn. "How about a ladies night?"
                          
"I don't think I'd be any fun. I've never indulged in such festivities."
                          
Autumn pinched my cheeks, smiling. "Aww, you're just so cute. You're still going though."
                          
I could tell from the looks the other girls were giving me that I didn't really have much of a choice. When Autumn says you're doing something, you do it no questions asked.
                          
"I... I don't have anything to wear," I said, hoping that would save me from spending my time being surrounded by a bunch of drunk, horny men and their sweaty bodies grinding all over me.
                          
It did not. 
                          
"I guess we're going shopping then." 
                          
She looked back at Niccolo, who looked grumpy as usual. The only time I've seen him smile is with his wife and kids. He's definitely not the emotional type, which surprised me considering how he reacted when he saw me.
                          
All Autumn did was look at her husband and he was handing her his wallet. Marcellius and Cesare followed suit, and handed their wives their credit card.
                          
"Get some diapers while you're out," Cesare said, kissing his wife.
                          
This must be a routine for them. They don't seemed concerned in the slightest knowing their wives were going to spend what I'm sure will be an incredible amount of money.
                          
Marcellius placed a wad of cash in my hand and patted my head. "Go. Have fun."
                          
"Not too much fun though," Niccolo warned, being as protective a brother I knew he as well as my other brothers would be. 
                          
"I can't accept this," I whispered, looking up at Marcellius. 
                          
He frowned. "You can, and you will." His tone changed. And although soft, it was definitely more demanding than before. "Now go."
                          
I could feel the power in his voice. It sent a chill running down my spine. Valeria mentioned how similar yet different he is to our father. And to be honest, it's a little scary. And I don't scare easy. 
                          
Mia hooked her arm around mine and tugged me into the house with the rest of the other women. "He doesn't really take no for answer. I had to learn that myself. So it's better to just say thank you and move on."
                          
****
                          
While everyone else tried on a plethora of outfits until finally narrowing down to only one, I settled on a single, strapless black leather zip up.
                          
Even with how hot and badass everyone else looked, their attention remained only on me. And I don't much care to be in the spotlight. I've been in the shadows my whole life, so it's strange being complimented by a bunch of women.
                          
It definitely felt better than when receiving a compliment from a man. I actually felt beautiful, and less like a sex object.
                          
Later that night, we took things slow at the club my brothers owned. None of us drank much. We each had a glass of champagne to celebrate my win against Cesare, but that was about it.
                          
We did a little dancing. Well actually, they did a little dancing and I just sat back and watched.
                          
Luckily for me, everyone was too busy having a fun time on the dance floor to even notice that I wasn't present.
                          
It was either that, or they were afraid of becoming my next target after seeing me use Artemis today.
                          
Whatever the reason may be, it didn't really matter because I was very much content being invisible. I'd prefer to remain in the safety of the shadows where no one would waste their time paying me any attention.