“And that’s why I’m going to train you until you’re capable of protecting yourself and others.” He hesitated, his gaze going to the target. “Do it for your dad. For Kiara.“ He glanced at her. “For me.”
Hope rocketed through her at those words and his glance. Was it possible he felt as pulled to her as she was to him? Or was it all her imagination?
“I’ll try my best to learn everything you want us to know.”
Jude nodded, then lifted his gun to aim at the target. He fired off six shots, then lowered his arm.
“Now, it’s your turn again,” Jude said, any hint of emotion gone. He stepped out of the way, gesturing for Angela to take his place.
She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then went through the process of loading her gun, just like he’d shown her. After positioning herself, Angela took a breath and exhaled.
Her first shot missed, but the next three hit the paper, though they were nowhere near where Jude had hit it.
“You’re already improving,” Jude said.
"Thanks," she said, feeling a small flush of pride at his approval. She emptied the magazine with her final shots, trying to focus on the target rather than on Jude watching her.
Angela set the gun down, her arms slightly sore from the unfamiliar tension of holding the weapon steady. She rolled her shoulders, working out the stiffness.
"We should take a break," Jude suggested. "You don't want to overdo it on your first time."
"I'm fine," she insisted, though the relief in her arms when she’d set the gun down had been immediate. "Just getting used to it."
"Everyone's muscles get tired their first time shooting. It's using a completely different set of muscles than you normally would."
She couldn't argue with that. Her forearms and shoulders ached in places she didn't know could ache. Down at the other end of the range, she could hear Kiara's excited voice as she talked with Dennis. Like everything else they’d done, her sister seemed to be taking to this much more naturally than Angela.
"How's Kiara doing?" she asked, glancing toward them.
"From what I can see, she's doing well. Dennis is one of our best instructors." Jude checked his watch. "Let's take a break."
Angela nodded, grateful to remove the ear protection and leave the shooting lane. Jude led her to a small sitting area just outside the range, where there were tables with two or three chairs clustered around them. There was a glass wall that allowed them to still see the shooting lanes, but the noise was muffled.
A water cooler stood in the corner, and Angela headed straight for it, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was.
The cool water helped ease the dryness in her throat. She filled a second cup and offered it to Jude, who accepted it with a nod of thanks.
"So," she said, settling into one of the chairs, "how often do you come down here to practice?"
"At least twice a week," Jude replied, taking the chair across from her. "Sometimes more. Depends on how my week is going.”
Angela tried to imagine him down here alone, methodically working through target after target with that same focused intensity she'd just witnessed. The image fit him perfectly—disciplined, precise, never satisfied with anything less than excellence.
"Do you ever get tired of it?" she asked. "All the training and preparation?"
Jude considered her question, gently rolling the paper cup between his palms. "Sometimes. But then I remember why I do it, and it doesn't feel like a burden anymore."
"Why do you do it?"
His gaze met hers, and something in his expression shifted. "To protect the people who matter to me."
“So for the same reason I’m doing it,” Angela said.
“Yep.” A quick smile crossed Jude’s face. “Although I have to say that for the most part, I do enjoy the training and practice. I’d probably still do it, if slightly less frequently, even if I didn’t have to do it for my job.”
“How did you do, Angie?” Kiara asked as she and Dennis approached where they sat.
“I did okay,” Angela told her. “How about you?”
