Page 9 of Kilo's Edge

Why was he so handsome? This would be so much easier if he wasn’t so ridiculously good looking.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He cocked his head. “This is my business. Well, mine and Overdrive’s. You met him the other night. Besides,” there was that smile again, “I’m pretty sure that should be my question for you.”

“Oh,” I replied, feeling stupid. It wasn’t really my place to question where he went or what he did. What were the odds I’d walk into his store? “I- Um-” My eyes flashed up to the wall of guns behind him. “Need one of those.”

His brows shot up. “You want to buy a gun?”

I nodded and walked up to the glass case that was separating the two of us.

“What kind?”

“Um-” My eyes darted all around.Ugh. Not that one.I wasn’t sure I could lift it even. The thing was massive. Next I looked at what I was sure was a shotgun.

“How about this,” Kilo said, sensing my unease. “What do you want it for?”

I swallowed as shame, fear, and guilt all vied for top position inside my chest.

“Shooting skeet?” he continued when I didn’t say anything. “You want a shotgun, for example. But it’s got a heavy kickand your shoulder isn’t going to thank you afterward. Rifles,” he pointed to the massive gun, “are good for shooting long distances.” His eyes twinkled when he saw the disdain on my face. “Home protection, the shotgun or a nice handgun are going to be good options.”

“Does a handgun…hurt to shoot?” I asked. I’d never in my life handled a gun. Though I’d seen Dad load his plenty of times over the years.

“It’s got a little kick, but nothing like the shotgun, and no, it doesn’t hurt to shoot it. Well, not you anyway.” He started pulling small weapons out of the glass case and setting them on top. He was rattling off information that was making my eyes want to cross.

“Which would you recommend?” I asked, interrupting his spiel.

“Well, it depends on what you want it for.”

I couldn’t just tell him. Not here. Not…ever maybe. I settled for an easy, half-truth. “Last night a branch fell and banged on the window. It…scared me. More than it should have. I think I would feel safer if…” I let the words hang.

He studied me for a minute, I could feel him evaluating my words, deciding if they were true. But after a minute he smiled and kept talking. He leaned against the counter, and I couldn’t help but admire the tattoos on his arms. “I’d go with this little beauty,” he told me, pointing at a small gun to the left. “It’s a Glock, but made to easily fit inside your purse. Or we can get you a holster and you can wear it on your belt. But, it still shoots nine millimeter so it’ll make an impression.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I told him.

He laughed. “A nine millimeter is the size of the bullet,” he explained. “There are bigger rounds, but they don’t actually have more stopping power. Plus, a nine millimeter won’t hurt your hand or cause too much recoil.”

“Okay,” I told him. “I’ll take it.”

“Just like that. Okay.” He slid a paper and pen over to me. “Fill that out so I can get the background check going for you first. Typically takes about thirty minutes or so.”

My breath caught in my throat as I stared down at the form. “You have to do…a background check?”

He must have caught the slight tremor in my voice, because he looked up at me. He was studying me again in a way that made me want to shift from foot to foot. “That’s right. Laws.” He rolled his eyes. Then pinned me with another intense stare. “That a problem?”

God I hope not.

I shook my head and willed my hand not to shake as I neatly filled out the form he’d given me. I watched with a sinking feeling as he got the process started.

No more than two minutes had passed since he’d entered my information and my cell rang. Pulling it out of my purse, I groaned when I saw Dustin’s name on the screen. “Excuse me,” I told Kilo and stepped a couple feet away.

His gaze was burning into my back as I answered. “Hey.”

“Hi, Camila…” There was silence for a moment, then he continued. “Just had an alert pop up. You’re buying a gun?”

“I am. Is…is that okay?”

“Of course. I wish you’d have listened to me sooner and gotten one a while ago. What made you change your mind?”

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