“Shut up a second and you'll find out.”
Reid put his foot on Grif's box and shoved it at him. “Open 'em up, boys. And, by the way, Jonah, this is coming out of the training center budget.”
“What the hell, man?”
“You'll see why in a second.”
This would be fun. He'd already cut the tape on each box so all he had to do was stand back and watch their faces light up.
Because one thing they all had in common? They loved their toys.
Grif got his box open first, stared down at it for a few seconds until a big-ass smile flashed. “Well, shit!”
“No way,” Jonah said. “Paintball?” He squatted, scooped the weapon out of the box and snugged it to his shoulder, checking the fit.
“These babies are custom-made, boys. We're talking semi-burst and full auto capabilities. It's a 200-round magazine-tube-fed machine gun. Standard .68 caliber paintballs.”
“It looks heavy,” Evie said.
“Fifteen pounds, Eves.”
“You know, I could carry fifteen pounds.”
Sure she could. He just wasn't about to risk her getting hurt. Not with the way he and the boys went at it. Before this was done, not only would they be covered in paint, punches might be thrown.
“I know you could,” he said.
He left it at that. Being a smart girl, she got the message.
“I can't believe you did this,” Britt said.
Reid cracked up. “Our slingshot days are over. I ordered everything we need. Protective suits, goggles, masks, the works. This shit hurts when it hits you.”
“Okay,” Grif said. “What else? Yours is different, right? Better sights or something?”
“Nope.” He held his hand up. “Swear. It's an even fight.”
Jonah set the weapon back in the box. “Dude, these had to cost ten grand.”
His brother was no dummy. “Don't worry about it. If it's a problem, take it out of the consulting fee you said I should let you pay me.”
“The fee is your salary. For you to live on. Not to buy us paintball guns.”
Reid shrugged. “What do I need money for? I got everything I need.” He bent low, unwrapped his rifle. “Oh. I lied. Mine is different.” He held it up, showed them the stock with the camouflage print. “Sorry. Couldn't resist. Now, let's get our gear on so I can kick your asses.”
13
Brynne, Evie, and Carlie Beth watched the men load into a battered pickup that, according to Evie, was Reid's. When he'd bought the new truck, Britt had insisted on keeping the old one as a work truck that they stored in the garage behind the house.
Not wanting to get their cars dirty, the guys decided the work truck would be used to transport them all to the heavily wooded north side of the property so they could attempt to maim each other with paintball pellets.
“They're such infants,” Carlie Beth said, watching Reid and Grif hop into the truck bed. “This is how they work out their frustrations with each other. As if it would kill them to have a conversation.”
Britt sat behind the wheel while Jonah handed up the weapons and boxes of protective suits and headgear.
Evie, now dressed in loose jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt, started toward the garage. “Girls, I'll be right back.”
Where was she off to? “Where are you going?”
“To get the Gator. There's a bluff just above where my dopey brothers do their stupid war games. We can watch.”
Brynne looked at Carlie Beth. The amazingly beautiful Carlie Beth with her slim figure and au naturel face. She obviously didn't have any hang-ups about leaving the house without her “face” on.
“They do this often?”
“Yep. They've tried slingshots, water pistols, sponge darts, and most recently Ping-Pong balls that shoot out of tubes. Grif came home from that fiasco with red circles all over his arms from the balls smacking him.”
Men. “You're right,” Brynne said. “They are infants.”
“But, girl, watching all that male hotness in action? Talk about stimulating.”
Evie zoomed up in a four-man ATV and skidded to a stop. “Get in and hang on.”
Carlie Beth took the front while Brynne slid into the back. By herself. Something she didn't mind. After the horrendous past two days, she simply wanted to enjoy the ride, the wind hitting her face and the warm sun that battled the chill from the morning air.
All this land around them? The greenery, the random bursts of color from rhododendrons and birdfoot violets, all of it settled her mind. Let her breathe a little and relax.
A freak weather system storming the area was expected to drive temperatures into the eighties and she planned on soaking it up.
The ride took less than ten minutes and their maniac chauffeur skidded to a halting stop under a giant oak tree that offered plenty of shade. To their right was a sloping ridge that Evie pointed to.
“We're going up there.” She shoved a bag at Carlie Beth. “Take this. I've got the other one.”
Carlie Beth held the bag up. “What's this?”
“Ammo,” Evie said. “I'm sick of these jerks telling me I can't play. I'm part of this family, too, and they never let me in on the fun. They're always on me about not drinking and not doing drugs and not having sex. Now I'm done.”
And, wow. Evie had some pent-up frustration. Frustration that, oddly enough, Brynne understood.
She climbed out of her seat and Evie shoved a second bag at her. “Here's more for you. I've got the binoculars.”
Brynne peeked in the bag and found what had to be a bucketful of acorns. “What's with the acorns.”
“Slingshots.”
Brynne laughed. “Slingshots?”
“Yep. They don't use them anymore so I hid them. I've been practicing and I'm pretty good. Girls, we're going to shoot my brothers.”
Carlie Beth darted for the ridge. “They won't know what the heck is going on.”
The three of them climbed the ridge and at the top dropped to their bellies. About twenty yards below was a worn path. If one of the brothers wandered through and looked up, the ladies would be busted. If they could stay quiet, though…
Brynne tested shooting an acorn and watched it hook left.
Evie, on the other hand, was a crack shot who'd hit the tree on the path below.
“I've been coming up here on weekends and practicing. I set up targets and ping them. This is the first time I'm doing live fire. Reid will pee his pants.”
“I suck at shooting them,” Brynne said. “I'll be the ammo girl for you two.”
In the distance, the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire destroyed the morning peace and a flock of birds flapped from a tree.
“We're rolling!” Evie said, bringing the binoculars to her eyes.
Brynne laughed. “This is too crazy.”
“I'm teaching my obnoxious brothers a lesson. If they want to exclude me and make me feel unwanted, they're going to pay. Girl power!”
Twenty minutes in, after the initial high of an adrenaline rush faded, Brynne's lower back ached and boredom had set in. “Why are they so slow?”
“They're hiding from each other. Sooner or later, they'll come through here.” Evie scanned the area with her binoculars. “Shh, someone's coming. Right there, through the trees. Oh, that's definitely Reid. He's a sneaky one. He knows just how to duck into the trees and not be seen.”
But he wasn't thinking about someone above him. For a solid three seconds, guilt leveled on Brynne. Reid was so darned competitive, having his baby sister pop him with acorns would drive him insane.
Good.
He deserved this. They all did. Brynne, having experienced life as a young woman constantly told what to do, where to be, how to dress, understood Evie's frustration. She might be their younger sister, but she deserved to experience life. On her own terms.
Baby sister or not, they should let her play with them. Period. These were paintball pellets, not actual bullets. As long as she was in
safety gear, like them, they should make room for her.
And Brynne was all too happy to help prove the point.
Quickly, Evie handed over the binoculars. “Brynne, be my spotter.” She pointed to an area just left of them. “He's in that clump of trees. It's hard to see him in that suit, but it's definitely Reid.”
Brynne took up the binoculars, scanned right, then left. On her second pass, the leaves on a bush rustled and she zipped back to it.
There.
Protective gear covered him from head to toe, but that wicked body? His tall form, big shoulders, and lean hips? Nuh-huh. No mistaking it.
“Pssstt,” Brynne whispered. “Here he comes. About to step out of those trees.”
Evie giggled. Giggled. The girl was too cute sometimes. “Got him.”
“I'd let him get a little closer. Just to make sure you can hit him from this distance. Wait for it…wait for it…now!”
Evie drew back and—fffttt—the acorn flew, just sailed through the air with amazing accuracy.
Ping!
She nailed him. Right in the back. With all the padding, it couldn't have hurt, but it darned sure startled him because he spun, dropped to a crouch and scanned behind him, his head pivoting while he checked the trees to his left.
The three of them ducked their heads, snorting quietly.
Evie scrambled for another acorn. “Load me up. He doesn't know where it came from.”
Brynne checked her binoculars again. “Evie, that was perfect. It was so quiet, he didn't expect it. Hit him again.”
Ping!
The second shot hit him in the helmet, the knock echoing. He spun again, this time looking straight up at them.
An explosion of gunfire—all that rat-a-tat-tatting—sounded from opposite directions, destroying the peace of nature, and the three of them gasped. Holy cow, that was loud.
Below them, Reid stood covered from front to back in red, yellow, and blue paint.
He dropped his weapon, flapped his arms. “Evieeeeee! Dammit! I'm dead!”
Their location now blown, the three of them scrambled to pick up their supplies and got to their feet, half running down the embankment and hopping into the Gator. Evie stomped on the gas pedal, but before they could clear the area, a paint-covered Reid tore over the ridge to intercept them. He looked like some kind of swamp monster in that getup.
Skidding to a stop, Evie released the wheel and held her hands straight up. “I'm unarmed.”
Oh, the drama. Too funny.
Reid whipped his mask off and slammed it on the ground. “What the hell are you doing?”
“You wouldn't let me play. I'm making my own fun.”
“Why would we let you play? You could get hurt.”
“So could you.”
Hoping to avoid a sibling smackdown, Brynne leaped from the backseat, grabbed hold of the only part of Reid's sleeve not covered in paint. “We need to talk.”
“Now?”
She dragged him away from the ATV, well out of earshot, and spun on him. “Before you start screaming, you deserved that.”
But, gosh, he looked so cute with his hair all poking up. Brynne's belly did a little squeeze and release and she bit her bottom lip because—yes—Reid Steele, in all his obnoxious glory, was stinking adorable.
“What? She just got me killed!”
“And rightly so. You should let her play. How do you think she feels, being the only one not included? That poor girl has to watch you guys go off and have fun, while she's left out. You're so busy telling her what she can and can't do all the time, you don't even see how much it hurts her to be left out.”
Reid shook his head, let out a halfhearted grunt. “What?”
She might need a sledgehammer to get through that thick skull. “Stop being mad over losing that stupid game and listen to me.”
“Stupid game? Are you kidding me? Whatever game we play, Jonah wins every fucking time. Well, not every time, but three out of four. I had this one in the bag!”
“Grow up,” she said. “Evie is more important. You have no idea what you're doing to her emotionally. You're lucky she only hit you with acorns.”
“Wait. Evie?”
“Yes. Evie. She's been coming out here practicing with that damned slingshot so she could prove to you that she can play. I'm telling you, it hurts her feelings. She just told me she feels unwanted.”
That got his attention. His head snapped back and his mouth hung open in disbelief. A few seconds later, he held up a hand. “Hang on. She said that. Unwanted.”
“Yes. That was the exact word she used. She was talking to Carlie Beth on the ride up here.”
Disregarding the paint—it had to be washable, right?—she stepped closer and tugged on the front of his suit. “Let her play. You have no idea how something like this can take root. She'll wind up resenting all of you for it. Trust me on that.”
Reid's face morphed into a tight mass of exasperation and growing confusion.
“Seriously? She's that upset?”
“It's not just the war-gaming. She's complained about you boys lecturing her all the time and popping in at her dorm unannounced.”
“Oh, hey now, that's not gonna stop. I've been a horny twenty-year-old guy. I know what sleazebags they are. No, sir.”
“It doesn't matter to you that it embarrasses her?”
“Tough shit.”
Oh, boy. She might need two sledgehammers for this job. Paint be damned, she set her hand on his chest, drummed her fingers. “Take a second here. Put yourself in her place and think about what it was like in college. Would you have wanted your parents showing up like that?”
“I'm not her parent.”
“You're sure as hell acting like it.”
That shut him up.
“Crap,” he said.
Progress. Excellent.
Still hanging on to his weapon, he brought one hand up, dragged it across his face. “I just…worry about her.”
“Which is great. But don't suffocate her. Please, let her play these stupid war games. I know this is how you guys work out your frustrations, but include her.”
Behind them, another burst of gunfire sounded. This one farther away. The guys moving away from them.
Reid sighed. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
He started toward the Gator, his long legs moving at a clip. “I'm already out. If Jonah wins, again, I'll put a bullet in my head. And our war games are not stupid.” He stopped, turned back to her, and their eyes connected for a long few seconds. “Thank you for helping me with Evie. I never realized. In fact, to show my appreciation, as soon as I get you alone, I'm gonna try to do you. Just a warning.”
Brynne burst out laughing. What an animal. Total caveman.
Yet, she could get used to this. Reid listened to her, heard her opinions, and didn't roll his eyes when he didn't agree.
Even when the idea might be silly.
Like a five-year swearing-off-men plan.
At the Gator, he set his weapon on the small flatbed, kicked out of his boots and unzipped his suit.
Her eyes wary, Evie watched him. “What are you doing?”
“You wanna play, don't you?”
She hopped up. “Yes!”
“Fine. The suit'll be big, but you've got that sweatshirt on. It'll protect you.”
Brynne unzipped her hoodie, handed it over. “Take mine too. It'll fill out the suit. And it has a hood.”
Evie shoved her hands into the hoodie while Reid stripped his suit off. “We'll cuff the sleeves. And the pants so you don't trip.” He handed her the suit. “Whatever you do, Squirt, do not let Jonah win this thing.”
* * *
Evie lost.
But since she’d ambushed Jonah and killed him, Reid was a happy guy. Plus, Britt had a decent smile on his face from the win. All good.
Given that they were all there already, their mom moved her family dinner to lunch and Britt, Grif, Carlie Beth, Aubrey, who'd jus
t returned from a sleepover, and Reid stood in the yard waiting for the water to boil in the giant electric turkey pot.
The back screen door smacked open and Jonah stepped out carrying another giant pot. Probably the shrimp.
“I'm not taking this as a loss,” Jonah said as he walked toward them. “You can't send Evie in as a ringer.”
“You're just pissed because she killed you.”
“Damn straight I'm pissed. We're doing a rematch.”
“I need to order her a gun. Or we have to do it when she's at school. She doesn't like being left out.”
Britt shrugged. “We knew that. Didn't we? She hasn't exactly been quiet about it.”
Reid took the shrimp from Jonah and dumped them into the boiling water. “We ignored her. If she did that to one of us, we'd be pissed.”
“The meathead is right,” Jonah said. “Order her some gear. Get her all set up. I'll even let her win one.”
“Hell, no,” Reid said. “If she wants to play, it has to be level. She'd hate it if we let her win.”
Jonah turned toward the house. “Mom’s got another couple pots in there.”
“I'll help you,” Reid said.
He had a few things to say to Jonah anyway.
They reached the porch and Reid held his arm out, blocking Jonah from going in. “Hang on.”
“What's up?”
“About before.”
“When?”
“This morning. When I was giving you shit about not including me in the meeting with the architect.”
His baby brother's shoulders sagged in that here-we-go-again way he'd become an expert at. “Dude, I wasn't boxing you out. I figured you didn't want to be involved in the details.”
“I didn't. But I suppose, if I'm going to be involved, I need to be in it all the way. I just can't picture me doing that.”
“When you were Army, you helped train foreign military. What's the difference if you're doing it here or overseas? The concepts will be the same.”
Huh. Point there. Behind him, female laughter drew him from the conversation and he angled back, spotted Evie and Brynne sitting in Mom's Adirondacks that they dragged off the porch. Brynne laughed at something Evie had said and threw her head back. Her ponytail swung and the bright sun hit it just right and something inside Reid collapsed. A total cave-in. He wanted this girl.
Living Fast: Steele Ridge Series Page 18