Page 43 of No Sweet Goodbyes

“Thank you. But just so you know, I do know how to handle a handgun.”

“We’ll see.” He closes his eyes for a second and presses the red button on the device that takes back the targets. “You’ve got ten shots. Go when you’re ready.”

I set the gun on the counter in front of me, and I put my earplugs in.

When I take a deep breath, I pick up the weapon and go to work.

“Holy shit.”

Three hours later, I’ve already made enough points to qualify for handgun safety and use for the next two years, and we aren’t the only ones at the range anymore.

Even the chief is convinced to drive out because Linc wants to brag on my skill.

“Did you see her make every single one of the point shoots?” Remy and Dom are talking among themselves, and I overhear them going on about raking in the cash from all the officers who thought that Linc would kick my ass with a gun.

“I think she’s better than Dom.” That comes from Carter Malone, one of the night shift cops.

But Dom shakes his head. “That’s not possible.” He just shrugs when I stare at him in disbelief.

“What?” I ask him, one hand on my hip. “You don’t think I’m as good as you?”

“Bonita.” He pauses, obviously struggling to come up with what he can say to salvage the situation. Because this isn’t just a pissing match between men and women. We’ve somehow gone further than that. “No,” he finally says. “I don’t think you are. Your brother and Remy trained with their weapons, yes. But I slept with mine. Every single day, I trained with it and yes, it really did stay in bed with me when we were overseas. I know my gun better than I know my own body. There’s no chance in hell that you’re going to beat me.”

The challenge laid, I can’t walk away. After all, I grew up with two brothers who made it their job to make my life a living hell when we were younger. Then they made sure I’d be able to handle anything anyone throws at me. “Handgun or rifle?”

His shoulders slump, and his head drops forward for a moment, and then Dom steps up to face me. He lowers his voice. “I’m going to win, Emma. Don’t take offense and don’t let this get in the way of our date tonight.”

“Date tonight?” I cock my head to the side and stare at him like we hadn’t had an hour-long conversation that morning about what we will do for our first official date. “I didn’t know we had a date tonight.”

The growl in his throat is almost imperceptible.

“I’m going to make you eat those words, bonita.”

Louder, he clears his throat. “Rifle.”

A round of groans and muttered complaints comes from the men around us, and I turn to Linc. “Why are they groaning? What’s wrong?”

“Because it’s Dom with a rifle, little sister. You don’t stand a chance. He’s going to wipe the floor with you.” Linc pauses. “Do you want to use your rifle or mine?”

I smile. “You’ve got my gun case with you from Mom and Dad’s place, right?”

He nods.

“Then I want mine.”

Like the best brother in the world, Linc goes to get my gun case from his truck.

And I’m left standing there with a group of men who don’t know what to make of me. They’ve known me for years, some of them since we were kids. And the ones who didn’t know me before have come to know that I don’t mess around.

Dom, on the other hand, walks away and retrieves his own rifle.

“Hey, Emma, this doesn’t look like the gun case I got you for graduation.”

Linc hands me the bright-purple case that I got for myself after I got my new rifle. I carry it over to one of the two tables that the guys have set up for me and Dom.

“I know.” I smile brightly. “I got this one after I accidentally broke the other one.”

Accidentally, by shooting a hole through it when my father took me out to test the new rifle, but I’m not about to tell my brother that.

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