“Thank you for helping me.”
“Sure. Come on in. We’ll get you something to eat, then you can get some rest.”
She followed him inside. “I know if I were at home, there would be nothing stopping him.”
“The guest room is upstairs. He won’t get up there if he dares to break in.”
“Do you think he will?”
“Heck no. I have an alarm because I’m out of town often.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Not you being out of town, but that you have an alarm. The place where I rent a room doesn’t have an alarm. There are too many people in and out.”
“Where do you rent?”
“Not too far from here. It’s an older house, and the owner made each room a place for rent. I mean, it’s a little crowded, especially if you live on the second floor where the only people coupled up live. That floor is crazy because they have one bathroom between all eight of them. I’m on the third floor,which is great, except when you have groceries or heavy stuff to carry up.”
His chuckle warmed her. “Yeah, that would be awful. When I moved here, I was so thankful the kitchen was on the first floor. I spent three years living in an apartment complex on the fourth floor.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, it was a pain. Sometimes when I’m bringing in bags, I wonder if I’ve gone soft.”
Now it was her time to laugh. “No way. You’re not soft. I mean your…” she trailed off, not wanting to point out that she’d been checking him out. He was built, and it was obvious he was strong.
He lifted one arm and flexed. “I have muscles. Necessary in my job.”
“You’re military, right?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“I guess that means you know firearms.”
“I do, and I respect them. They are great tools if you know what you’re doing. Too many people are idiots and don’t know what the hell they are doing.”
“I’ve never fired a gun. I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Well, if you’re interested, I could take you to the shooting range, just so you understand safety. It would be best to show you how to make sure a gun is unloaded at the range. That way, we can set everything up where the gun is pointed down range, and if you accidentally set it off, it wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“Does that happen often? You know, them going off by accident?”
“No, but people unfamiliar with guns are unfamiliar with them. It’s best to set it up where you won’t be afraid to touch the pistol or rifle. Also, you can fire it after you’ve learned to load and unload.”
She nodded. “I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable firing one.”
“I get that. I don’t think everyone should shoot, but with Robert as a threat, it would be good if you’ve handled a gun. Just for your understanding.”
What he said made sense. She wouldn’t ever be someone who owned a gun, which wasn’t what Cy was suggesting. She just needed to know what one felt like.
“Okay, I would be willing to learn.”
“Good. Now for food. Let’s see what I have.”
“You don’t have to?—“
“I need to eat something, too. You don’t have to eat a lot, but it would be good to get some calories in.”
“Thank you.”
