Page 62 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Seth and Angela are both veterans as well. After they got out of the service, they settled down here and built their dream home. Andthisis part of their dream.”

“That’s pretty fucking cool. Also, not unlike what you guys are doing back at your place. Why don’t you have a cool shooting range?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me as I parked the four-wheeler and helped her climb off.

“Because I don’t want to deal with all the inspections and regulations involved. Seth, here, doesn’t mind the paperwork.”

“Something tells meAngelais the one who doesn’t mind the paperwork.” Maddy was a quick one. I’d give her that.

As we made our way into the large building, I kept a hand on Maddy at all times. The urge to protect her was fierce, far greater than I had anticipated.

We made our way down a long hall towards the armory.

“Jeez,” Maddy whispered, uttering a low whistle as she took in the truly prodigious arsenal that Seth and Angela had amassed over the years.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Seth rocked back on his heels,arms crossed over his chest and that signature smirk carved into his face. Showoff.

“Quite,” Maddy added.

“Don’t mind Seth, here. He’s an overgrown man-child who likes his toys,” Angela scoffed as she wrapped her arm around Maddy’s shoulders. “Stick with me, hun. I’ll teach you how to handle these boys.”

“Yeah, I think I like you,” Maddy replied with a giggle. “Though I have a way of handling these boys myself.” She turned, pinning me with a look. That high-arched brow and smirk made my cock twitch. What was it about this woman and her sass that turned me into a horny bastard?

Seth handed out weapons to each of us along with a box of rounds each, and we made our way over to the shooting lanes.

“Alright, Maddy, watch and learn,” Jax announced, walking into the shooting station with a swagger he should not have had. I rolled my eyes at his impression of bravado, and our hosts mirrored my actions.

Jax took his stance, aimed his weapon, and rapidly unloaded three shots into the paper. One in the head, two in the heart. For being one of the worst shots out of the lot of us, he still knew what the fuck he was doing.

“Seems easy enough.” Maddy shrugged, walking up to the space as Jax vacated it.

“Whoa, slow down, Maddy. Let us give you some weapon training first, yeah?” I quickly stepped in to take over.

“Hang on, now, Devil Dog. Are you assuming the girl has no weapons-handling experience, or did you ask first?” Angela asked.

“She doesn’t.” I stepped up behind Maddy, noting the way she smiled at Angela’s question and how she grew frustrated immediately as I took her through her paces, teaching her how to load and unload the weapon, how to aim it, and the basics of overall gun safety.

She yammered on, insisting that she understood, and her tone only grew more irritated and annoyed as I persisted in walking her through things.

“Okay, now raise the gun. Don’t forget to align your sights,” I encouraged, guiding her through the motions.

“You know what, Niko? How about you let me try it on my own before you start correcting behavior that has yet to happen? Yeah?” she snarked, laying the gun on the table safely and turning on her heel, hands on her hips, to glare at me.

“Ooo… spicy! I like this chick, Niko,” Angela cackled from behind us.

“You think you can handle it?” I questioned, feeling quite certain of myself. Maddy had no idea how difficult firing a weapon really was. I wasn’t worried about her being unsafe; she wasn’t a stupid girl. On the contrary; she was highly intelligent, just hard-headed most of the time. And if she needed to learn this question the hard way, who was I to dissuade her?

“I think you should let me try, that’s what I think,” she sassed.

I held both hands up in mock defeat, stepping back to rejoin the others. Even Deacon took a moment from his own shooting, a few stalls down to watch the show.

I watched as Maddy squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and picked up the pistol. She checked herweapon, fixed her stance without a thought from what I could tell, and then she aimed.

Three shots rang out, one after the other, in rapid succession.

She set the weapon down, removed the headphones from her ears, and stalked back towards me.

“Was that good enough for you…buddy?” She all but spat, knowingly pushing my buttons. But I barely heard her. My eyes were laser-focused on her silhouette target down range.

Three holes through the paper. Two in the heart. One in the head. Perfectly. Without a single miss.

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