Page 30 of Scorpion

My hair is graying with each second. “You’re a security nightmare,” I mumble, following behind him down the steps.

“I know,” he throws over his shoulder.

We turn toward the ammunition room and I have to stop myself from outwardly groaning. If he’s planning another raid or mission, he’s meant to involve his fucking security advisors. There’s absolutely no way I am about to agree to go off on some adventure when I’m the only one who can protect him. It’s plain stupid, especially with Goldchild growing more aggressive with each passing week.

The combination of annoyance and anticipation has me crossing my arms and staring him down as he unlocks the hidden entrance, and the bookshelf automatically slides back into the wall and to the side. “Tell me where we are going, so I can advise Sergei to prepare accordingly.”

He waves his hand dismissively. “No need. All the necessary arrangements are done.” I catch the sniper rifle he throws my way and glare at him. “It’s just you and me today, Lieverd.”

“I’m calling Sergei.”

“You’re no fun.” Mathijs sighs, grabbing a fire-resistant blanket and a spotting scope, placing both in a pack that he throws over his back. I glare at him when he grabs both my shoulders and taps my nose. “Don’t worry, my little protector. We’re staying on the property.”

Mathijs snatches the rifle from me before I get the chance to respond.

I repeat, what the actual fuck is going on?

Dumbfounded, I march behind him into the forest surrounding his property, no closer to figuring out what shit show I’m about to find myself in. “Give me that.” I try to snatch the sniper from him but he tightens his grip. So I hold my hand out instead. “I’m meant to be protecting you. Not the other way around.”

He whirls around on me. “You’re unarmed?”

“The answer depends on who’s asking. Are you expecting a show and tell?”

“Are you offering? Maybe throw in a pat down as well.” Mathijs’s eyes glint. Flirting with the flirt will only make this whole situation even more difficult to navigate.

He grins victoriously, and I resort to following along silently. The dirt squelches beneath my feet, and my pants catch on branches and bushes. The Halenbeek estate consists of acres of forestry spanning over ten miles. The first time Sergei told me, I was ready to argue about how horrific an idea it was. Now that I’m walking past trees and rocks and fallen logs, I can just spot the various hidden cameras and pressure systems concealed beneath leaves. Apparently, an alert will go straight to the security room if there’s anything bigger than a cat passing by.

My foot aches as we walk, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Since I started, Mathijs always makes sure that there are no scheduled outings when I’m meant to have a physio appointment. And the times we’ve gone out of the city, he forced me to “see her” by video.

Mathijs halts in his steps, stopping us at the edge of a clearing of green fields and a small lake that continues in a stream straight ahead. I frown when he draws a set of binoculars out of his bag to peruse the area. Are we… hunting? When we were kids, he wouldn’t hurt a fly but he wouldn’t think twice about laying it on someone else.

Ex-wannabe-veterinarian-Mathijs doesn’t hurt animals. Or at least I thought that was the case until he sets the binoculars down and lays out the blanket on the ground, right behind a log.

“What are we doing out here, Mathijs?” I say wearily. I can shoot humans fine; animals are where I draw the line.

“Target practice.”

Excuse me? “For… you?”

“It wounds me you think I’m the one who needs it.” He places his hand over his heart, then drops onto his knees on the blanket.

“Are you saying I’m not a good shot?”

“I’d say no such thing.” He settles himself on his stomach and places the rifle in front of him, balancing it on the log. I try to spot what it is he’s aiming for, but all I can see on the other side of the clearing are more trees.

Averting his attention, he reaches into his backpack to hand me the scope. Fucking hell, I guess we’re doing this. I kneel beside him and take the spotting scope from him.

“I hope my instructions weren’t confused for miles.”

What?

He squints somewhere north, and I follow his line of vision until I spot a human-shaped dummy with target symbols all over it.

“Fifteen hundred meters, right? That’s the distance you want to meet.”

I stare at his profile for a heavy moment.

He… he’s helping me try to reach my goal? My chest warms and expands, faster than I can reasonably comprehend. Putting a roof over my head and giving me a salary felt like an act of community service. This is another layer altogether.

---