“Oh my God,” she whispered, and he loosened his grip, but didn’t let go.
“What’d you think?” he asked.
“That was…strange.” He felt her arms lower, and moved back to give her space. She peered at the target. “We hit…his armpit. That’s good, right?”
He grinned at her. “Yeah, that would knock someone out for a bit.”
“Will you help me again?” she asked.
“Of course.” He took up his position behind her, wrapping his arms around hers and holding her hands steady on the gun. Her cheek was cool against his, and he had the urge to kiss it to see what it felt like under his lips. After clearing his throat as if it would clear his thoughts, he said, “One…two…three.”
They fired off another shot, and this time, she didn’t knock back into him as hard.
“We hit his chest,” she said, lowering the gun.
He dropped his hands and moved to the side, curious what was going through her mind. The expression on her face was a mixture of surprise and being petrified.
“This is fucking terrifying,” she said, but didn’t let go of the gun.
“You’re doing great. That was an excellent shot,” he praised. “I wanna see you do it on your own this time.”
Pain crossed her eyes. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Yes, you can. You’re here. In a gun range. Holding a .22 caliber. You’ve got this.”
She swallowed and faced the target. Moving her feet into a sturdy stance, she lifted the gun, and—
“Make sure you lock your elbows,” he said, reaching out to adjust her position. “Aim for his chest again.”
“Okay,” she said, then took a deep breath and exhaled it through her mouth. She lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger, nailing the target in the left kneecap.
“I hit it,” she said, turning to face him, the gun still lifted.
“Whoa.” He moved her arm down so it wasn’t aimed at a moving target. “Be careful where you wave that. Makes the other shooters nervous.”
Giving a laugh, she said, “You mean it makes you nervous.”
“I don’t particularly like a gun aimed in my direction, but I wouldn’t say it makes me nervous.”
“Oh bullshit. A gun aimed at you wouldn’t make you afraid? Jason, that would make anyone freak out.”
He shook his head. “I don’t mind being the target as long as they don’t pull the trigger before I do.”
Raising a brow, she said, “Good point. I haven’t seen any bullet wounds on you, so I’m assuming that means you’re pretty good at getting them first.”
“You could say that.”
“Can I see?” she asked.
He gave her a long look and then took the gun out of her hands. “What do you want me to hit?”
“The right side of his neck.”
“The right side of his neck?” he repeated. “That’s your choice?”
Her hands went to her hips. “That’s what I said. Unless that’s too specific for you.”
Picking up his own gun, he checked the ammo, and then lined up the shot with one hand. He turned his head toward her and pulled the trigger, watching her eyes go wide when he hit his mark.
“Holy shit,” she said. “You hit him.”
He lowered the gun and put it back in his waistband. “You told me to.”
“Yeah, but…you hit his neck without looking.”
He glanced up. “And?”
She was still shaking her head in apparent disbelief. “And you’re kind of a badass.”
“What the hell do you think I get paid for?”
“I don’t think Kirkpatrick could do that,” she said.
“Neither do I.”
She laughed. “You’re not even modest about it either, are you? Hell, I wouldn’t be. I’d get badass tattooed on my forehead if I could make a shot like that.”
“That would just be advertising for trouble.”
She tapped a finger against her lips. “You’re right. I’d get it on my chest instead.”
“Don’t do that, you—”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Please do finish that sentence.”
Shut the hell up before you say something you’ll regret.
Shrugging, he said, “I’ve just heard it hurts like hell. But go for it if that’s your thing.” He leaned over and picked up her gun. “Care to continue?”
THEY’D PRACTICED SHOOTING more rounds for another hour before calling it quits and making a quick stop at the grocery store. Her shoulder felt sore already, and she doubted she’d be able to lift her arm over her head the next day.
Jason merged onto the main road that led back to the apartment, the road pretty deserted even though it was still early in the evening. Daylight savings was due in a little over a week, and it couldn’t come soon enough. She hated that it got dark so early.
Sixties tunes played softly in the background, and it made her smile as she watched him drive. She’d never have pictured him enjoying that kind of music, and it reminded her of the first day she’d met him, when she and Steven had been blaring surf rock on the way to her father’s house.
Leaning her head against the glass, she closed her eyes and felt her body relax. She always felt safe with Jason, more so than even Kirkpatrick, though she’d never tell him that. Even in the middle of a gun range, he’d found ways to keep her calm, to help her not freak out. And she’d definitely freaked when they’d first entered that place. Hearing the gunshots had made her jump, and she’d had to force herself to breathe through the panic. The last thing she wanted to do was show weakness in front of him, and that was probably the only thing that had kept her upright instead of in a ball in the corner. But as terrified as she’d been to face her fear, she couldn’t help but be proud of herself for doing it. She hoped she’d never need to put into practice what she’d learned tonight, but she was glad to at least know how to click the safety off in case she needed to.
“You can admit it,” Jason said, and she opened her eyes.
Pursing her lips, almost positive where he was going with this but not wanting to confess it, she said, “I’ve already told you how mind-blowing you were back there. I think your ego might explode if I keep praising you.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “That’s not the admission I was looking for, but I’ll take another compliment.”
“You’re a smug bastard. How’s that?”
“One of the nicer things you’ve called me. Thank you.”
She rolled her eyes as he turned into the overflow parking across the street from their apartment complex. “Fine,” she said when he shut off the engine. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be.”
“And?”
Groaning, she said, “And I felt kinda kickass knocking out a few kneecaps.”
“And a hip,” he added.
Turning her body to face him, she opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, hesitating. His brow rose as he waited, and she tried again.
“Thank you,” she said, twisting the ring on her finger. “I never thought I could even be in the same room as all of those weapons without having a major attack, so…thank you. I’m not saying I wanna do it every week for fun, but it makes me feel…”
“Empowered?” he guessed.
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good word for it. Empowered.”
His face was shaded in the darkened interior, but she could make out his gentle smile.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said.
That’s not all I’m feeling.
Suddenly, the air in the car turned electric, and she couldn’t move. Her eyes didn’t waver from his, and as he held them, she didn’t dare breathe, or the spell would be broken.
“We should probably go,” he said finally, his voice deeper than it was before and, she swore, laced with regret.
She gave a slight nod, not wanting the moment to be over. The tension hummed between them, and she waited. For what, she didn’t know. She�
�d never expect him to ever be the first to make a move, but she couldn’t seem to move her body those last remaining inches forward.
Car beams flashed in the rearview mirror, someone parking in the lot too, and that was enough to shatter the moment. On Jason’s end, anyway.
He looked away, rubbing his eyes, before opening the car door. Sighing, she fell back in her seat and cursed that she was such a coward. She rounded the car just as Jason pulled the bags from his trunk.
“I can carry those,” she said, grabbing at the bags in his hand.
He let go of them easily, his eyes scanning the darkness, his body tensing beside hers. Though he didn’t slow down, she could feel his body language do a 180 from what it’d been in the car. The man beside her was in alert mode.
Her eyes followed his along the darkened street. It seemed deserted to her, but Jason kept looking back at a black car parked along the sidewalk. Its windows had to be tinted far beyond the legal limit. The driver’s side window rolled down a crack, and a cigarette tapped against the edge of the glass, the ashes scattering to the pavement below. When the window rolled back up, Jason said, “I think we should get going.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“We just need to—” He whipped his head back around to see the car had pulled out and was screeching straight for them. “Shit—” she heard before Jason’s body slammed into hers, knocking her off the pavement and sending her flying backward to hit the ground in an unforgiving thud as the car plowed into his side. He landed on the hood, crashing into the windshield before rolling off and dropping to the ground.
“What the hell…Garrett!” Kirkpatrick yelled when he yanked open their apartment door and saw them lying on the ground. He pulled out his gun and leaned over the rail, trying to get a shot at the car, but it was already out of view. Cursing, he ran down the stairs.
After grabbing his gun from his ankle holster, Jason jumped to his feet, yelling, “Stay with her!” and took off at breakneck speed after the nondescript black Mercedes. When he was close enough to get a good shot, he aimed for the back tire, causing it to blow out. The car weaved to one side, but instead of slowing down, it accelerated, the tires squealing as it made a hard right onto a side street. Jason aimed again, and this time he knocked out the back windshield before it disappeared.
Kirkpatrick kneeled over Katherine, and she tried to sit up, but pain shot through her back and shoulder, and her head was tender where she’d knocked it. Around her, her bags were lying on the ground, the contents splayed out all over the pavement.
“No, just stay there,” he said, keeping tabs on the movement around them. The street was empty, though; not one person was in sight.
When Jason was back, she struggled to her elbows.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice faint from having the breath knocked out of her.
“I’m fine,” Jason clipped out before kneeling beside her and inspecting her for damage. “Let’s move her inside.”
* * *
JASON WAS PACING. He never paced. Never fidgeted. Never showed more than subtle emotion at any time. But right now?
Jason was pissed.
He had his cell phone in a death grip by his ear, and he was talking in a low, angry voice to whom she assumed was Thompson. Whatever was being said on the other end of the line wasn’t something Jason agreed with, and when he hung up, he flung his phone on the couch. Kirkpatrick was standing by the window keeping an eye out, but gave him an inquisitive look. When Jason gave him a curt nod, Kirkpatrick returned his attention outside.
“What did he say?” she asked Jason, wincing when she moved the ice pack to her elbow. She’d gotten a few scrapes and bruises when Jason had pushed her out of the way, but nothing seemed sprained or broken. Her heart rate was a little astronomical, but she figured that was par for the course when someone was trying to run you the hell over.
Most likely the same someone who’d been in my room…
Jason grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge and downed half of it before responding. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“That’s bullshit,” she said, and his eyes shot to hers. “Stop treating me like I’m some breakable child that’s gonna shatter when something bad happens.”
Kirkpatrick let go of the curtain and crossed his arms. “No leads. When I spoke with Thompson before, he said it’d be best to move you to a more central location.”
She looked at him warily. “Central location, meaning…?”
“Your father’s house,” he said.
“What?” she shrieked, jumping up and looking between the two guards in panic. “But…I wouldn’t be any safer there. Someone got into his office, remember?”
Jason stayed quiet, his wall up and no longer giving away any sign of emotion, while Kirkpatrick took the lead. “It’s more about having extra eyes on you, working as one unit instead of two.”
“I think you’ve proved more than capable of saving my life,” she protested. “I’m not going back there. I’m not.”
“If that’s what is decided, I’m afraid you won’t have a say in the matter.”
“No. Absolutely not.” She turned to Jason. “Please. You can stop this, I know you can.”
“Hey, what am I, a chump?” Kirkpatrick joked.
Jason regarded her as he rubbed his jaw, his head cocked to the side. Glancing over at Kirkpatrick and then at her, he dropped his hands and grabbed his phone from the couch. “Put the ice back on your shoulder,” he told her. Then he disappeared down the hallway.
“Shit,” she said, kicking the chair leg. She’d have to come up with another escape plan if they decided to make her go back there.
“Well, look at it this way,” Kirkpatrick said. “If we have to leave, at least you don’t have to go to your awful classes. And by you, I mean me too. They’re ‘throw yourself off a cliff’ worthy.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t think this lets you off the hook from our bet. I’ll parade you all over downtown Atlanta if we have to leave.”
When his smug grin fell, she smirked. “Better go work your magic with Garrett and do some begging, or my fellow students won’t be the only ones having a field day.”
SHOTS FIRED.
BROKEN glass.
A little late night reminder that not everything stays hidden in the shadows.
Better luck next time, asshole.
Let the games begin.
“OH MY GOD,” Katherine said, dropping her spoon into her bowl of cereal when Kirkpatrick shuffled into the kitchen the next morning. “No way. No freakin’ way.” A wave of hysterical giggles overtook her as she collapsed over the table.
Kirkpatrick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system now.”
“No,” she said, wiping the tears from her face. “It’s so perfect. People are gonna flip.”
His entire body was covered in tight magenta spandex, with red briefs and boots and a long polka dot cape trailing behind him. On his head was a headband with a massive pink bow, and the Hello Kitty symbol adorned the front of his chest as well as his belt buckle. Basically, he was Superman with Hello Kitty adornments. And it was fucking fabulous.
“Where the hell am I supposed to put my gun?” he asked, lifting the cape to search for a spot.
“Why, in your magical briefs, of course.”
Jason walked in from the living room and shook his head as he looked him over. “The fuck are you wearing?”
“This was the bet,” she said proudly. “He has to wear that all day while I go to class. Don’t you think it’s an appropriate bodyguard outfit? I mean, you’re basically superheroes, so you should dress like one. What size do you wear, Garrett?”
“I’d never agree to those terms, but bar that, I’d never lose.” He shot a pointed look at Kirkpatrick, who shrugged.
“I never thought she’d last. I think you took it easy on her. Regardless, I’m secure enough in my masculinity to rock this. Women love pink on guys, right?
And it’s comfortable,” Kirkpatrick said, squatting and stretching around to see how it moved.
She laughed again. The spandex would’ve been unforgiving on almost anyone else, but it showcased every one of Kirkpatrick’s muscles, and damn…she’d had no idea all that was underneath. Regardless of the ridiculousness of what he was wearing, it showed off his body and his sizable…package.
“You actually look kinda hot,” she told him, earning daggers from Jason.
Ooh, jealous?
“I mean for an old bodyguard and all,” she backtracked.
“I’ll take that compliment, thank you.” Kirkpatrick looked at Garrett. “Did you tell her yet?”
“No,” Jason said. “Hadn’t gotten a chance.”
Her eyes darted between the two of them. “Tell me what?”
“Thompson agreed to let us stay put. No need to withdraw from your classes.”
“Unless you want to,” Jason piped up.
Now that was how to start a Friday off right.
“I’ll high-five to that,” she said, slapping both of their hands before wincing.
Jason narrowed his eyes in concern. “Your shoulder bothering you?”
“It’s sore,” she admitted. “More from shooting a gun than from being thrown to the ground, I’m sure.”
“I heard you kicked ass at the range. Good job, Kitty Kat,” Kirkpatrick said.
She pointedly looked down at the picture on his chest and back at him. “You don’t think your outfit is a coincidence, do you?”
“Guarder of the Kitty, and—” Kirkpatrick stopped. “Yeah, okay, that’s not appropriate at all, you little troublemaker.”
“Told you not to make a bet with her,” Jason said, coming around the bar to stand in front of her. He pulled her sleeve all the way up and pressed around the tender flesh. “All these scrapes and bruises,” he murmured.
“And they all come from you,” she teased. His eyes shot up to hers, and a glimmer of naughty mischief lit them. Was he thinking what she was thinking? Because she wouldn’t mind a few teeth marks to add to her collection…
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