The other woman sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to disrupt the tray. “What’s your proficiency with firearms?”
“Ah, none. I’ve never even held one.” The closest she’d come was her hand brushing against Jackson’s holstered sidearm when she’d hugged him while he was in uniform.
Her answer seemed to surprise Jayla. “Really? But your father’s a general.”
“He wanted me to learn, but I wasn’t willing.” She’d been a teenager with certain views about guns, and those views had led to some pretty explosive arguments with her dad. He’d eventually given up trying to push her into his way of thinking, and to maintain peace in the household, they’d agreed to disagree and left it at that.
“Okay. Do you have any hand-to-hand combat experience? A martial arts class or self-defense?”
“No. Growing up, I took dance classes, music lessons, theater, and worked with a vocal coach.”
Jayla nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. All right. The dance classes might translate well; there’s a rhythm to fighting.”
“You want to teach me to fight?”
“Yes. Erik and I will protect you to the best of our abilities, but we have to start thinking about worst-case scenarios here andprepare. You need to know how to defend yourself and fight off an attacker. Are you still unwilling to learn how to use a gun?”
Under the circumstances, opposition seemed foolish. “I’ll learn.”
“Great! We’ll start training you up. You’re going to earn that badass rattlesnake tattoo.”
Chloe chuckled and shook her head while Jayla shot her a beaming smile before pointing at the untouched soup. “Eat up. You’re going to need your strength.”
Erik was telling her about guns, explaining about different makes, models, and calibers, and Chloe was trying to pay attention, but her mind kept wandering. Danny’s family must be devastated. She knew they lived in the area. She should send them flowers. Or maybe something more personal?
“Chloe.”
“Hm?” She looked up at Erik.
“Are you listening?”
“Right. Sorry.” She sat up a little straighter. “I’m listening.”
He demonstrated with his own gun, which he said was called a SIG Sauer M17, how the manual safety worked, how to eject the magazine, load the ammunition, reinsert the magazine, andchamber a round. How to stand, how to hold it, what to do if it jams.
Chloe listened, she paid attention, but when Erik held it out to her, butt first, and told her to “Feel the weight,” she balked.
“It’s okay, Chloe. The safety’s on.”
She nodded, cringing slightly as she wrapped her hand around the grip. Erik released the barrel, and her hand dropped slightly as she took the weight. It wasn’t heavy per se, but it was heavier than she expected.
“Do we dare take her out to practice?” Jayla asked, dipping a carrot stick in some ranch dressing. “What if Savoy is watching? Follows.”
“Then we shoot him,” Erik replied, while Jayla chewed her snack and nodded thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Chloe gingerly set the gun down. Logically, she knew it wasn’t just going to start spraying bullets, but she’d rather err on the side of caution.
“I’ll check to see if there are any ranges around here. But first…” Jayla set aside her carrot sticks and dusted her hands together as she stood. “Let’s move the furniture out of our way and teach her how to defend herself.”
It didn’t take long to push the furniture back and create a square of clear space for them to work. Like with the gun lesson, Erik and Jayla demonstrated first, with Erik playing the aggressor. Sneak attacks, to full-on charges, they showed her how to escape froma hold, no matter which side it came from. Jayla, Chloe quickly decided, was a badass. She didn’t hold back. And poor Erik took all the abuse.
With a savage yell, Jayla broke free once more from his hold, turned, and without pause or hesitation, kneed him squarely between the legs. Chloe let out a hiss of dismay and covered her mouth with her hands as Erik let out a pained grunt and doubled over on himself before his knees buckled and he hit the floor.
“Nothing is off limits,” Jayla told her sharply. “Nothing. You scratch, you bite, you pull hair if you can get hold of it, and you definitely hit them where it hurts. Anything to buy yourself time to get away.”
Grabbing a bottle of water, Jayla cracked the top, guzzled half of it, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Give him a minute, then you can try.”
Chloe crouched beside Erik, wincing sympathetically at the pain written on his face. It sounded like he was having a hard time breathing. “Are you okay?”
