Page 8 of Ruthless Angel

Brady had taken him. They were gone. How would we find him now?

CHAPTER FOUR

CLOVER

“Do we really have to go?” I turned wide imploring eyes on Cash, hoping to sway him.

“Yes, you really have to go,” Daire answered for him. “You need to be able to protect yourself. We should get you working on some self-defense too.”

We’d left Raina’s place with my things hours ago. She’d promised that if we needed anything else, they would be there to back us up. Gage had muttered something about her repaying Daire for what he’d done to her but she’d brushed it off.

Her willingness to help meant the world to me. She was able to put aside the grudge she held for the Angels because of our friendship. I would never forget that.

Now we were back at the Angels’ house where Cash was insistent that we head to the shooting range so I could learn to shoot a gun. Daire wouldn’t be coming along. He was going to the gym to work out some of his frustration. The man was seriously tightly wound.

“I don’t want to use a gun,” I insisted. “They scare me. I’m not that kind of girl. Weapons and fighting.”

“You are now. Get changed into something comfortable. We leave in five minutes.” Cash waved a hand to get me moving.

I stomped up the stairs, grumbling beneath my breath. Learning to use a gun meant that I was accepting this world.This life of crime and danger that was so foreign to me. It would change everything I thought I knew.

Who was I kidding? My low key good girl life had been over since the night Blaze saw Zane shove me. Everything from there had been a domino effect from one crazy thing to another.

I changed into a pair of baggy sweatpants that were comfy and hid the bulge of the ankle monitor. After pulling my hair up into a clip, I joined Cash downstairs. We dropped Daire off at the gym before arriving at the shooting range.

Immediately I was nervous. Cash and I had our own little area separated from those next to us with a partition. We’d been given ear coverings to help muffle the noise. My heart raced when we were each given a handgun.

Cash went through the motions of showing me how to check if the handgun was loaded or not. Then he showed me how to load the magazine. After watching him do it a few times, he made me try. All right. This wasn’t so bad.

Once Cash felt comfortable with my ability to load the gun, unload it, and check the chamber, he showed me how to shoot. He aimed at a hanging picture of a zombie against the far wall. The first bullet hit the zombie in the face. The second bullet went into his chest.

“Now you try.” Cash nodded to the gun I held.

I swallowed hard. Nerves gripped me. It was all I could do not to squeeze my eyes shut. Taking a deep breath, I stared at the zombie’s face and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed the zombie completely, hitting the white space around him instead.

Even though I expected the recoil, I wasn’t prepared for how strong it was. Damn.

“Why can’t I just get really good at knife throwing?” I asked, pausing to wipe my sweaty hands on my pants. “I’m not sure this is for me.”

Cash chuckled and shook his head. “I guess you can do that too. You’re still not getting out of this. You need to know what to do if you have to use one of these.”

“I suck at it though.”

“You’ve only shot one bullet. Try again.”

“I don’t want to.”

Cash unloaded his weapon and set it down on the little shelf in front of us. Moving in behind me, he pressed close and put an arm on either side of mine.

“You can do this, Clover. Concentrate. Don’t see anything but your target. Focus on where you want the bullet to land.”

Cash’s large, firm body against me sent my thoughts down another path. I let out a nervous laugh. “That would be a lot easier if you weren’t so close.”

His sexy chuckle sent shivers racing down my spine. My entire body broke out in heat that went straight between my legs.

“Take your shot, beautiful. You can do this.”

I did my best to focus on the zombie’s head and nothing else. Cash didn’t make it easy. Especially when he ran a hand down my body to grasp my hip.

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