Page 36 of Ruthless Reign

“I do.”

He nodded. “Alright.” He set his weapon down, coming around to our lane to see what Kaleb brought. I wished he would go back where he was. Or better yet, leave. I didn’t need more witnesses here to watch me make an absolute fool out of myself. It was bad enough I needed Kaleb and Hardin here to train me.

Damien picked up and replaced a few of the weapons. “Didn’t realize you boys had so many up at the house.”

“Okay,” Kaleb said with a laugh laced in sarcasm. “Have you seen Ma’s tool bench lately?”

Damien’s sucked air in through his teeth. “Yeah. She’s uh?—”

“Got enough firepower in there to level California?” Kaleb finished for him and not for the first time I remembered to tread lightly where Sloane St. Vincent was concerned. The woman tolerated me, but that was about it. I was a tiny bit worried that if I breathed wrong in her airspace she might decide to cut the weakest limb right out of her family tree.

Couldn’t blame her, though. Finding out your husband had a secret daughter—even if it was before they ever met—couldn’t feel great.

“Damn close,” Damien agreed.

“Here,” Kaleb said, tossing me a little baggy of orange earplugs and a pair of clear safety glasses. “Put those on.”

I felt like a clown, but I did what he said, stuffing the giant earplugs in my ears. I noticed Damien and Zade had some in as well and felt less stupid.

Damien hefted what I would call a medium sized handgun from the arsenal Kaleb was still setting out on the table. He held it out to me. “Try this one. It’s what Sloane uses.”

I dropped my purse on the floor near the table and took it from his outstretched hand with what I hoped looked like confidence. Until I realized the business end was pointed up at him and dropped it to the floor, my jaw clicking shut.

Damien smirked. “Well at least you know that end does the firing.”

“Ha. Ha,” I mocked.

“Come on, get into the lane.”

All right, apparently we’re just going for it.

Hardin stopped firing at his target and even though I didn’t look, I could feel his eyes on me. I could feel all their eyes on me. My stomach soured as I took up the spot over the X taped into the floor, boxed in by two half partition walls with plexiglass tops.

“Like this?” I asked, trying to widen my stance.

Kaleb shouldered past his dad, grabbing my hips to angle me better, squaring me up to the target. “That one’s gonna kick,” he warned me. “Use two hands and lock your shoulders.” He tapped the back of my left thigh. “And keep this leg strong.”

“Just let the girl shoot the damn gun,” Zade chastised Kaleb, but I could tell from his tone he was mostly playing.

“Safety?”

This time Damien came up beside me. He lifted my hands and the weapon in them to eye level and tapped the little switch on the side to show me where it was. “Live,” he said, flicking it to the right. “Safe,” he said, flicking it the other way.

“Got it.”

He stepped back.

I flicked the safety off and rested my finger on the trigger, shouting as it bucked in my hands and a resounding bang filtered past the plugs in my ears.

Kaleb laughed and I swung my head back to glare at him. He held his breath, cheeks puffing out like an ape.

“Lesson one,” Damien said, clearing his throat. “Your finger doesn’t touch the trigger until you’re ready to fire.”

Kaleb put his fist to his mouth. The jackass.

I winced, realizing my wrist hurt from the kickback. Another few inches and I’d have likely hit myself in the face with the thing.

Hence the safety glasses.

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