Riley (The Kendall Family #3) by Randi Everheart Page B

or take self-defense classes, so that caused a lot of tension. I threatened to run away a few times.”
    “Why would they object to self-defense classes?” Sophia asked. “I’ve taken those myself and they’re a great idea.”
    “Well,” Jordan began, “they could tell my interest was as much in kicking someone’s ass as in protecting my own.”
    “Nice,” said Riley, smirking.
    Kris rolled her eyes from across the room. “You just think that because you’re into all that macho shit.”
    “And you aren’t?” he asked her. “You’re the most macho girl I know.”
    Quinn interrupted. “What about your mother’s side of the family? Did you still see them?”
    Jordan took another sip of wine. “I spent summers with them in Russia. I traveled with them to other countries a lot, which is how I first went back to France. Somewhere along the way, I got it into my head to kill the guy who organized the attack that killed my parents.”
    Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Love it, but that’s ambitious, especially for a twelve year old.”
    “I was sixteen by the time I did it.”
    Even Kris seemed impressed. “You succeeded?”
    “Yes.”
    A short silence followed. Jordan noticed everyone looking either awed, respectful, or wary. Maybe she shouldn’t have admitted it, but her parents’ death and killing their killer was crucial to understanding how she’d ended up here trying to kill Riley.
    “I want some details,” said the Marine.
    Jordan shrugged. “I knew the name of the organization that did the bombing. They tend to advertise that sort of thing. I researched them for over a year. At some point, I pretended to be a sympathizer and made it seem like I wanted to be a Muslim bride fighting for Allah and all that crap. I attracted some low-level guy and we met up, then I drugged him.”
    Eyebrows rose around the room.
    “With what?” Riley asked.
    “A date rape drug. They’re easy to get in Europe.”
    “Even for a sixteen year old girl?” Kris asked dubiously.
    “Yeah. The easiest way is to find out who’s rumored to be using them on girls and beat the shit out of the guy and take them, so you know, those self-defense classes came in handy.”
    Kris’ eyes widened before she started to smile grudgingly. Several others in the room laughed and Chloe said, “Wow, that’s awesome!”
    “Remind me not to piss you off,” Riley joked for the second time today.
    Wryly, Jordan said, “I think you’ve already proven you can handle me pretty well.”
    Before he could reply, Quinn said, “Why did you drug the guy?”
    “To get his phone. Everything was in Arabic, which I couldn’t read, though I’d been learning some. I didn’t really need to read it too much. The phone’s icons were the same for things like maps. Going through his contacts, emails, and other shit like saved map locations, I was able to piece together some intel on where he tended to go. I also used some online translation services to decipher texts and other content. I began watching those places and eventually saw the guy I wanted dead.”
    “How did you know what he looked like?” Chloe asked.
    “His face had been on the news. With those groups, their leaders are often known. He didn’t keep a set schedule or anything, but I scoped out a good sniper perch at one location, waited for a good chance, and killed him with one shot. That’s when everything went to shit.”
    “You mean you were seen?” Riley asked.
    “Yeah, but not by the asshole terrorists. By Jake.”
    “The dead guy they wheeled away earlier?” Connor asked, looking confused.
    “Yeah. This is when I met him.”
    Riley asked, “What’s the story there?”
    Jordan sighed, knowing only bad memories lay ahead.
    “He chased me across the rooftops,” she began, remembering the scene. “I had to leave my rifle, but he still caught up with me. I could tell as soon as we started fighting that he was a lot better. He was black, so I thought he might be with