“Well, I’m in no danger of outperforming my trainer." Kiara dropped down into the chair that Jude had vacated, indicating that she should sit there.
“Neither am I.”
“I think I’d like to see Jude and Dennis have a shoot-off,” Kiara said with a grin. “See who’s better.”
Dennis crossed his arms and widened his stance. “I’m up for it.”
“Really?” Jude asked. “You think you can out-shoot me?”
“Yep. I think I can.”
“Guess we need to see,” Kiara said. “My money is on Dennis.”
“Well, mine’s on Jude,” Angela replied.
“Let’s get it set up.” Dennis turned and headed for one of the center lanes.
Jude let out a sigh and followed the man. Kiara got up and tugged on Angela’s arm.
“C’mon. We’re the cheerleaders.”
Angela allowed Kiara to pull her over to where the men stood discussing the details of the challenge. Once everything wasdecided, they put their ear protection back on, then the two men took up their positions.
They each took their first shot, then discussed who won that before moving on to the next round. They planned to do a best of seven.
Dennis might have had the bigger ego when it came to believing he was the better shot, but the proof in the pudding—or on the targets—was that Jude held that title. Jude won the first three rounds, then Dennis got two. But in the end, Jude took the sixth round, winning with four shots.
“And that’s why I’m the boss,” Jude said as he reloaded his gun before slipping it into his shoulder harness. He thumped Dennis on the shoulder. “Keep practicing.”
Dennis chuckled. “Maybe I let you win.”
“You tell yourself that,” Jude drawled.
“My goal is to beat Dennis,” Kiara said. “And apparently, you too, Jude.”
“It’s a good goal to have,” Jude told her with a nod.
With their practice session at an end, Dennis and Kiara headed upstairs. Jude had the target from the lane Angela had been using move forward. He pulled the target off.
“We’re going to keep this so you can compare it in the future, to see how you improve.”
Angela watched as Jude rolled it up into a cylinder. He kept it in his hand as they walked up the stairs to the main floor.
“I’m going to keep this in my office,” Jude said. “In a couple of weeks, we’ll compare it again.”
Angela hoped that she improved enough that it would be evident in that comparison.
“Will you and Kiara be available to go to the DMV to get your learner’s permits tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yes, I think so,” Angela said. “We’ve been studying for the written test.”
“Good. We have appointments for you both in Coeur d’Alene. After the kidnapping, when Annie had returned and you were still missing, Duncan had your and Annie’s last name legally changed from Burke to Turner, so we have a birth certificate in that name for you to use.”
“I won’t be Reynolds anymore?” Angela asked.
“No, you’ll be a Turner, like Annie.”
Angela had no problem with that. Being a Reynolds hadn’t been a positive thing for her, and she didn’t remember being a Burke, so there was no connection there.
