I still had a full clip.
“Emma?” Theresa had started for the door.
“Go ahead. I’ll be right out.”
Amanda followed her, but she whispered to me as she passed by. “You and me tonight! I’m excited. I have so much to tell you.”
So my gut had been right. I grinned at her and waited until both of them were outside of the door. It wasn’t that I wanted to shoot in secret or anything. I just wanted privacy. I wanted it to be me and the gun, just us for a moment. No bickering. No gossip. No heated undertones.
Learning how to shoot was really more for her and Amanda. I knew how to shoot. I had two bodies to prove it, but they were done from close range, not at a distance. And learning how to be better at what I already knew was never a bad idea.
As I held the gun, alone now, some of the old memories came back to me. But they were never very far away.
I had killed two men.
“Jeremy.”
My voice had been soft when I called to him. He’d been raping my roommate, and he was going to kill her. I had no choice. When he turned around and saw the gun in my hand, I shot him. The bullet hit the center of his forehead.
I swallowed now, remembering Mallory as she had watched me, pinned to the wall by his hands. Her eyes had been so lifeless. They were the opposite of Ben’s. He’d been pleading for his life, but minutes earlier he’d been planning to kill Amanda, then me. My stomach churned, remembering that he was going to take me to Franco. He wanted to barter, trade me in for more money, more drugs.
He was the one who killed Mallory, but the Bartel family set all of it in motion.
I drew in a ragged breath, cradling the gun in my hands like a precious baby. This little piece of metal had caused so much havoc in my life, and it was Carter’s weapon of choice. He’d killed plenty with it when he worked for the Mauricio family.
Somehow, I knew this weapon would have a place in our lives again. I didn’t want it to, but I knew it would. And with that last thought, my hand closed over it, and I raised my arms, aiming with my feet apart, my shoulders rolled back. I shot, one after another, until my clip was done.
All except one hit the bullseye. The other one, the outlier, was just outside the inner circle on the target.
I’d have to get better.
“Emma.” There was a knock on the door, and Amanda waved from the other side. She yelled through it, her voice muffled. “Are you coming?”
I nodded. Putting my gear away, I stepped into the hallway. Amanda held my bag, and I put my gun inside the holding container with the ammunition beside it. Then I locked it and put it back into my bag. “Ready.”
She looked up and down the hallway. We were alone. “They’ve been fighting a lot, but he’s trying. I think Theresa’s actually scared because he’s trying.”
“What do you mean?”
“He asked her to move in.”
We had started for the front door, but I stopped. “What?” I hadn’t known they were officially a couple. “They’re so on and off all the time.”
Amanda grinned, ducking her head. “I know, but I overheard it. They’re more ‘on’ than they let anyone know. He asked her—gave her a key and everything.”
“She said no?”
She shook her head. “Theresa didn’t say a word. She went on a cleaning frenzy last weekend, after it happened.”
“And the turkey exploding—”
“She’s not really worked up about the bird. It wasn’t that big of a mess either. I think she’s scared of what else he had planned with that romantic dinner.”
“Wow.” Theresa moving in with Noah. “That’s great.”
“She cries in the bathroom. I can hear her.”
“Really?”
Amanda nodded. “Every morning. She lost her family. I think she’s scared of losing him.”
I nodded slowly, and we started for the front door again. “Yeah, that makes sense.” Amanda and I shared a look. We had lost people, too. Mallory. Mallory’s baby.
“So tonight…”
“Yeah.” I pushed open the door, and we stepped through. I could see the driver behind the wheel, and the car was running, so I assumed Noah and Theresa were inside waiting for us.
Amanda walked beside me. “I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
Her head bobbed up and down. Some strands of her light blond hair fell free from her ponytail. She tucked them behind her ear in a distracted manner. Biting down on her lip, Amanda looked agitated.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded again, but it was more to herself, like she was reassuring herself of something. “It is. It will be. I’m excited for tonight. I’m glad you’re coming over.”
“Me, too.” I grinned at her and reached over to squeeze her hand. She squeezed right back.
The door opened, and Theresa asked from inside, “Where did you gu—”
Then another shout drowned her out. “Miss Nathans!”
My head snapped up to see the same man from outside Joe’s. He waved his arm in the air and hurried across the road.
Suddenly three things happened at once:
One of my guards materialized out of nowhere and stopped the man. He literally blocked him, towering over the guy.
Another of the guards appeared behind me and cupped my elbow in his hand. As he directed me to a different car, he said to Amanda, “Please, get inside. Emma will be coming with us.”
Then I was hurried into another vehicle, and we sped off—even before Theresa and Noah’s car. I turned around to find Thomas inside, along with the driver. I hadn’t even known they were around. Only Michael had accompanied us to the range, and I thought they trusted my security to be adequate with him and Noah, but I’d been wrong.
Before we turned the corner, I saw a second car speed toward the guy who’d yelled, and more of Carter’s guards got out. I relaxed, knowing my guard wasn’t alone, but then I focused on the guy. This was the second time and second place he’d appeared. This was no coincidence. He was there for me, and apparently, I was Miss Nathans.
Before I could get a good look at him, we turned, so I turned to Thomas. “Who is that man?”
He didn’t answer at first, but then said, “We’ll find out.”
“Where’s Carter?” He’d been gone this morning, but he’d been disappearing every night and for longer hours than normal. I hadn’t been questioning it, but that time was done. I needed to know what was going on.
“Emma?” Theresa had started for the door.
“Go ahead. I’ll be right out.”
Amanda followed her, but she whispered to me as she passed by. “You and me tonight! I’m excited. I have so much to tell you.”
So my gut had been right. I grinned at her and waited until both of them were outside of the door. It wasn’t that I wanted to shoot in secret or anything. I just wanted privacy. I wanted it to be me and the gun, just us for a moment. No bickering. No gossip. No heated undertones.
Learning how to shoot was really more for her and Amanda. I knew how to shoot. I had two bodies to prove it, but they were done from close range, not at a distance. And learning how to be better at what I already knew was never a bad idea.
As I held the gun, alone now, some of the old memories came back to me. But they were never very far away.
I had killed two men.
“Jeremy.”
My voice had been soft when I called to him. He’d been raping my roommate, and he was going to kill her. I had no choice. When he turned around and saw the gun in my hand, I shot him. The bullet hit the center of his forehead.
I swallowed now, remembering Mallory as she had watched me, pinned to the wall by his hands. Her eyes had been so lifeless. They were the opposite of Ben’s. He’d been pleading for his life, but minutes earlier he’d been planning to kill Amanda, then me. My stomach churned, remembering that he was going to take me to Franco. He wanted to barter, trade me in for more money, more drugs.
He was the one who killed Mallory, but the Bartel family set all of it in motion.
I drew in a ragged breath, cradling the gun in my hands like a precious baby. This little piece of metal had caused so much havoc in my life, and it was Carter’s weapon of choice. He’d killed plenty with it when he worked for the Mauricio family.
Somehow, I knew this weapon would have a place in our lives again. I didn’t want it to, but I knew it would. And with that last thought, my hand closed over it, and I raised my arms, aiming with my feet apart, my shoulders rolled back. I shot, one after another, until my clip was done.
All except one hit the bullseye. The other one, the outlier, was just outside the inner circle on the target.
I’d have to get better.
“Emma.” There was a knock on the door, and Amanda waved from the other side. She yelled through it, her voice muffled. “Are you coming?”
I nodded. Putting my gear away, I stepped into the hallway. Amanda held my bag, and I put my gun inside the holding container with the ammunition beside it. Then I locked it and put it back into my bag. “Ready.”
She looked up and down the hallway. We were alone. “They’ve been fighting a lot, but he’s trying. I think Theresa’s actually scared because he’s trying.”
“What do you mean?”
“He asked her to move in.”
We had started for the front door, but I stopped. “What?” I hadn’t known they were officially a couple. “They’re so on and off all the time.”
Amanda grinned, ducking her head. “I know, but I overheard it. They’re more ‘on’ than they let anyone know. He asked her—gave her a key and everything.”
“She said no?”
She shook her head. “Theresa didn’t say a word. She went on a cleaning frenzy last weekend, after it happened.”
“And the turkey exploding—”
“She’s not really worked up about the bird. It wasn’t that big of a mess either. I think she’s scared of what else he had planned with that romantic dinner.”
“Wow.” Theresa moving in with Noah. “That’s great.”
“She cries in the bathroom. I can hear her.”
“Really?”
Amanda nodded. “Every morning. She lost her family. I think she’s scared of losing him.”
I nodded slowly, and we started for the front door again. “Yeah, that makes sense.” Amanda and I shared a look. We had lost people, too. Mallory. Mallory’s baby.
“So tonight…”
“Yeah.” I pushed open the door, and we stepped through. I could see the driver behind the wheel, and the car was running, so I assumed Noah and Theresa were inside waiting for us.
Amanda walked beside me. “I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
Her head bobbed up and down. Some strands of her light blond hair fell free from her ponytail. She tucked them behind her ear in a distracted manner. Biting down on her lip, Amanda looked agitated.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded again, but it was more to herself, like she was reassuring herself of something. “It is. It will be. I’m excited for tonight. I’m glad you’re coming over.”
“Me, too.” I grinned at her and reached over to squeeze her hand. She squeezed right back.
The door opened, and Theresa asked from inside, “Where did you gu—”
Then another shout drowned her out. “Miss Nathans!”
My head snapped up to see the same man from outside Joe’s. He waved his arm in the air and hurried across the road.
Suddenly three things happened at once:
One of my guards materialized out of nowhere and stopped the man. He literally blocked him, towering over the guy.
Another of the guards appeared behind me and cupped my elbow in his hand. As he directed me to a different car, he said to Amanda, “Please, get inside. Emma will be coming with us.”
Then I was hurried into another vehicle, and we sped off—even before Theresa and Noah’s car. I turned around to find Thomas inside, along with the driver. I hadn’t even known they were around. Only Michael had accompanied us to the range, and I thought they trusted my security to be adequate with him and Noah, but I’d been wrong.
Before we turned the corner, I saw a second car speed toward the guy who’d yelled, and more of Carter’s guards got out. I relaxed, knowing my guard wasn’t alone, but then I focused on the guy. This was the second time and second place he’d appeared. This was no coincidence. He was there for me, and apparently, I was Miss Nathans.
Before I could get a good look at him, we turned, so I turned to Thomas. “Who is that man?”
He didn’t answer at first, but then said, “We’ll find out.”
“Where’s Carter?” He’d been gone this morning, but he’d been disappearing every night and for longer hours than normal. I hadn’t been questioning it, but that time was done. I needed to know what was going on.
