Page 100 of Vengeful Secret

He walks over and grabs a few cans, placing them on the railing one after the other. One is a paint can, and the others look like they used to contain food.

I tilt my head.

“Do you really think cans will be a better target?”

He laughs. “I’m not sure. That’s why we’re trying. It takes some trial and error to find out your strengths,a ghrá.”

“I guess so,” I mutter.

Part of me wants to just instantly be amazing at this, but I guess it just takes time.

He walks behind me. “Now. Try for the big one first, the paint can.”

I nod, squeezing my eyes shut for just a moment before popping them open again.

I let out a long breath, getting in the stance that Gray keeps putting me in and aiming the gun.

I squeeze the trigger like Gray taught me, and the paint can shows a shot clear in the middle.

I whoop, looking back toward Gray with the gun pointed at the ground.

“Good! That’s good,a ghrá. You hit it right in the center. That’s what you should be doing—aiming for the center. If you’re not accurate enough, aiming for the head won’t be enough. If you aim for the torso, I promise you that you’ll take them down.”

“Or at least slow them down,” I add, and Gray nods.

“That’s all you need. Just a moment to get yourself out of that situation.”

I nod, smiling at his praise.

He gestures back toward the cans. “Now, try again. Remember, aim for the center.”

I turn back, getting focused before I squeeze the trigger again in quick succession—once, twice, three times. I miss the fourth can entirely and huff out a frustrated breath.

I lower the gun, and Gray walks over to pick up the cans since they’ve been blown off the railing.

He whistles, showing me them one by one. “Right in the center, every one. You’re doing amazing, Sutton.”

“I missed the fourth one.” I look over at his row of cans, seeing that he hit all of them.

Gray sighs. “You’ve always been like that, focusing on what you don’t succeed at instead of what you do.”

My face heats up.

I guess I do focus more on my failures than my accomplishments.

“You’re right. You know, I used to think that you kept us a secret because you were ashamed of me.”

Gray stares at me. “Sutton, that’s crazy. I was so wild about you I couldn’t see straight. I just…”

“Didn’t want me to be a target. I know that. I knew it then, too, but something in me just kept saying it was just a fling, and you didn’t really like me.” I chuckle at my insecure younger self, but Gray isn’t laughing.

“I’d never be ashamed of you.” He walks toward me, pulling me into his arms.

I smile, leaning up on my tiptoes to brush my nose against his. “I know that.”

“I wanted to tell everyone in town that you were mine,” he mumbles.

“Yeah?” My heart swells with affection. “That why you always left marks all over me?”

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