“Lock the door behind me.” He hesitates at the door, eyes tumultuous.
I briefly wonder if he’s warring with himself about whether he should kiss me goodbye or something after what we just did, trying to decide what he’ssupposedto do and becoming increasingly frustrated. “Come back with some fun stories?” There’s no point bothering to tell him to be safe or any other number of cliche platitudes.
Grinning, he steps closer, kissing the top of my head before leaving. I flip the lock and shoot off a text to Ev before making my way back to the range, taking a deep breath to center myself. My steps slow until I stop completely as it dawns on me that for the first time in months… I’m completely alone. Glancing back at the door, I watch Grave pull away and my heart rate picks up.
There’s got to be a little money in the register to start out with. I have a gun, access to ammo and knives. Hunting jackets. There’s never been a better opportunity to run.
But even as the thoughts occur to me, they don’t sit well. Sure, the chance might be there, but it also has the looming feeling of being a set up, yet another test that Julian expects me to fail.
Walking back towards the door on the opposite side of the room, I wrestle back the multitude of emotions, reminding myself that things are getting better. With a quick glance at the camera that’s still covered, I cock the slide back and send the target farther out before emptying every round into it. Reloading is trickier than I imagined and I end up slicing my finger by the third bullet. Sucking on my thumb until the bleeding slows, I finish working through the box of ammo, finding it far easier to practice without any distractions.
My phone going off in my pocket has my current shot practically going through the ceiling and I curse, knowing that no matter how decent of a shot I might be when I take the time to aim, none of that will matter if the guy I’m trying to shoot isn’t sitting still in a silent room. I answer Everett’s call and set the gun down, grabbing the broom to sweep up all of the shell casings.
“Hey, I’ll be out in two minutes, I just need to clean up and grab my stuff.”
Hastily, I finish putting my gun back in the case and latching it, remembering at the last minute to leap up and tug Grave’s jacket free on my way out of the range. Crossing the room with hurried steps, I unlock the door, an annoyed Everett leaning against his car right outside with his arms crossed.
Thumbing through the keys, I lock up behind me, jogging across the sidewalk. “I’m sorry, I’d have just walked if I knew the way back,” I start to apologize, but he cuts me off by palming my cheek and kissing me, hard.
“He left you here alone,” he growls, pissed. “You have any idea how many people would jump at the chance to rob this place if they knew it was abandoned this morning?”
I simply blink, not sure how to reply. “No? It seems pretty ballsy to rob a place where someone could be inside that definitely isn’t afraid to use a gun.”
With a low snarl, he opens my door and I climb in. He closes it behind me before rounding the car and falling into the driver’s seat, swiping a tired hand down his face.
“Sorry, head’s still killing me and put me in a piss-poor mood,” he apologizes.
Awkwardly, I pull out the tiny bottle of pills with a triumphant smile and pass them over as he chuckles, thanking me and tossing back a couple of them dry.
“So where did Grave head off to?”
He sighs, firing up the engine and heading back towards the house. “Couple of guys tried to run. Aaron, Seth, Jake, and Caleb went with to hunt them down.”
I blanch. “Do you need to go with them?”
He hesitates. “Can’t leave you at the house alone.”
“Mav still there?”
He purses his lips. “Yeah.”
“Then I’m not alone. I’ve got to get caught up on all of the chores anyway and dear lord, do I need a nap. Besides-“ I tap my gun case “-I’m not as defenseless as I used to be.” At his unamused look, I continue, “I can most definitely get a good hit in with a hard case like this before locking myself in the bathroom and calling one of you to come save the day.”
He doesn’t look convinced, so I add, “I don’t want to give Julian any more reason to hate me and think I’m keeping you guys from your responsibilities than he already does. Trust me; I’ll be fine.”
At this point, we’ve pulled up outside of the renovated office building that we call home and he wars with himself. “I don’t know when I’ll be back,” he warns.
Shrugging a single shoulder, I unfasten my seat belt. “Isn’t that the case for any job? Not sure if you’ll be coming back or not?”
Narrowing his eyes, he lays a heavy palm on my knee and leans in. “It’ll take more than this to keep me away.”
Swallowing my nerves, I press my lips to his, still worked up from earlier. “Then there isn’t anything to be worried about. See you in a couple of days.”
His hand slides up my leg as he holds me captive, until he caves, rattling off the code to get into the building. “Want me to come find you when I get back?”
My heart skips a beat as his meaning registers and I shift in my seat. “If I’m here. Who the hell knows what I’ll be doing in a day or two?”
His grip tightens on my thigh. “Something happens, you call.” He leaves no room for argument, palming the back of my head and slipping his tongue into my mouth to steal any protest I might have considered giving.
