Jude chuckled. “I have a feeling I’m not going to have a problem with you not wanting to be armed when leaving the estate.”
“Nope,” she agreed. “Are there people who don’t like to be armed all the time?”
“Annie doesn’t like to wear her gun,” Jude said.
“I have a feeling Angela will be the same,” Kiara said with a smile at her sister.
Jude knew that was probably true. But now more than ever, he needed her to feel comfortable with a weapon.
“Well, let’s get this started,” Jude said.
He took the ladies to the elevator that transported them to the basement of the building. The space was divided into several rooms, with the largest being the actual shooting range.
Dennis was already waiting there with the weapons they had decided to have Angela and Kiara start their training with.
“Kiara, Dennis will be training you, while I’ll be helping Angela,” Jude said.
“Sounds good.” Kiara gave him a smile before turning her attention to Dennis. “So, where’s my gun and what’s the target?”
With a chuckle, Dennis led Kiara to the first lane of the five that were set up for gun practice. Jude took Angela to the one on the opposite end from Dennis and Kiara.
“Before we start, tell me how you’re feeling about this,” Jude said, taking in the shadow of apprehension on Angela’s face.
She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick cream-colored sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, revealing the fine bone structure of her face.
Letting out a sigh, she said, “I don’t know. I realize it’s a good thing for me to have the ability to defend myself, but after seeing Jim and Craig with guns, I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“Your reason for this training is different from how Jim and Craig use their weapons. You’re not going to be seeking out opportunities to use your gun. You’ll only use it as a way to protect yourself if you feel threatened.”
Angela crossed her arms. “Have you shot someone?”
Jude shook his head. “No. I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had to do more than draw my gun. But every time I’ve drawn it, I’ve been prepared to use it. And you need to be as well.”
There was a reluctance on Angela’s face that reminded him of Annie when he’d trained her. He had a feeling that Angela would never feel completely at ease with being armed, and he was okay with that.
As long as she was willing to learn and eventually wear a weapon, he wouldn’t press her to enthusiastically embrace guns.
Teaching her how to shoot helped to appease the strong desire Jude had to protect her. If ever he couldn’t be there for her, he needed to know that she could protect herself.
It was extremely important to him that nothing happen to her, and that had less to do with his job and more to do with her place in his heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Angela watched closely as Jude showed her the different parts of the gun he’d chosen for her. His movements were confident and quick. Clearly, he was very familiar with guns. Meanwhile, she’d already forgotten the name of the gun.
Was there anything he wasn’t good at?
His comfort with weapons was yet another reminder that his job required him to be ready and willing to take another person’s life—should they be a threat to the ones he was charged with protecting. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be comfortable shooting someone.
"First, we're going to go over basic safety. This is the most important part, and I need you to really listen to me."
Angela focused on his words as he explained how to hold the weapon, where to keep her fingers, and how to check if it was loaded. His voice was patient but serious, and she found herself hanging on every instruction, determined to show him she was taking it seriously.
She hoped she could remember everything, because it was a lot. And despite her best efforts, it was hard to completely focus on what he was saying when just being near him was a distraction.
“You’ll need to put these on,” Jude said, handing her a pair of earmuffs.
He put his on while she adjusted hers over her ears.
