Nerves pricked my skin as I held the gun in my hand.
With my earmuffs already on, I slid my safety glasses over my eyes as I inhaled a significantly big, deep breath. Muscle memory and training kicked in, and I fired multiple rounds.
I yanked my earmuffs and glasses off, watching as the target retrieval system moved the silhouette paper target toward me.
A smile stretched across my face when I saw my marks.
Istill have it.
I’d always taken pride in doing my best in every aspect of my military training; shooting had always been something I excelled at.
“Damn.” Lyric’s voice behind me caught my attention, and I turned to see I had an audience. “Little brother has some skills.”
Standing with Lyric were Braxton, Gyth, and Kace. Their brows were raised in pleasant surprise. Dusty moved in next to them with a huge smile on her face.
“Jett has always been the best shot I’ve seen.”
The pride in my friend's voice made me feel good. But the looks of approval on the men’s faces that I had looked up to for so many years sent deep satisfaction through my whole body.
“I’ve seen you shoot a few times when you came home, but you’ve gotten even better,” Braxton told me. “You could give us all a run for our money.”
“Could,” I scoffed. “Sounds like a challenge.”
The men all chuckled, Dusty joining in. “You’re going to fit in perfectly,” Gyth said.
After the tour, they once again presented me with the job offer. Previously I’d told them that if I could still shoot, I’d take it. I’d been worried I wouldn’t be able to hold a gun again, and I knew sometimes they took on jobs where they had to protect people. If I couldn’t do anything they asked of me, I felt like I wasn’t worthy of accepting.
“Looks like I’ll take the job.”
Kace walked closer and slapped me on the back. “Glad to have you.”
Then the craziest thing happened. Braxton turned to Dusty and said, “If you ever want a change of scenery and a job, come talk to us.”
I’d never seen Dusty as speechless as she was at that moment. She looked like she was waiting to catch flies whenher mouth dropped open. But it was the wistful look in her eyes that had my heart going out to her. I could see that she was struggling more than she led on.
She inhaled, her head falling back and eyes closing for a moment before she opened them again and refocused on Braxton. “Fuck if that doesn’t sound like one of the best things I’ve heard in months, but I can’t right now.”
Everyone waited, sensing she wasn’t done, but letting her get her bearings.
Looking down at her leg, she remained quiet for a minute before glancing back up once again. “Thank you. This place is amazing. What you all have done here is remarkable. And you guys are pretty damn cool.”
The guys looked pleased at that comment.
She sighed. “I’m just not there yet. Not enough to be worth it to anyone, and I need to make sure my parents are okay too.”
Braxton nodded. “I understand.” He moved closer to her and touched her shoulder. “If things change, you know where to find us,” he said as he dropped his hand.
Dusty gave him a smile then, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was there at least. “I sure do.”
All the guys said their goodbyes since Dusty and I would be heading out. We needed to go pick up Griffin, and I wanted to pick up something for dinner so Patience didn’t have to worry about it.
Once they were out of sight, I looked my friend in the eye. “You could do this job in your sleep.” I could see the doubt in her gaze, and I understood it all too well, but I hated that she felt that way at all. “Nothing that happened in that hellhole, or the physical aspect of your injury defines you any differently than what you truly are. You’re a badass and fucking amazing.”
Dusty placed a hand on one hip and pointed her cane atme with the other. Her eyes misted, but she had shit to throw at me. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be good-old Dusty. “Don’t make me cry or I’ll hurt you. And when the hell are you going to take your own advice?”
I grinned at her. “Touché.”
She just rolled her eyes at me.
