Page 72 of Knot So Broken

Olis’ eyes widen in surprise as he takes the four of us in, “Congratulations my boys. It's great to meet you, Kennedy.”

We make a bit of small talk with Olis about the current training that he is doing with the soldiers. As Capo, it's his job to oversee the soldiers and their training. What I do learn is, it’s not only physical training that he does with them, there is also a lot of mental training. As a soldier for the family, there’s a risk that a job they could do sees them being captured by a rival. They need to be able to handle being interrogated and not break.

They don’t need to elaborate on the interrogation side of things thankfully. I have seen enough to know at least partially what that would mean. I don’t need it spelled out for me.

Eventually, we leave Olis behind, agreeing to have dinner on Sunday night as a family. The thought brings a warm feeling to my chest. It has been years since I have been at a family meal, let alone one that was enjoyable. Dinners with my father weren’t something I was ever privy to unless he had some use for me. To show me off to his friends that he has an unmated Omega in his arsenal.

Moving through the rest of the warehouse, Victor shows us the armory where practically every weapon known to man is well stocked. I run my hands over one pistol in particular that catches my eye. Diamonds cover the grips of the gun. They sparkle under the overhead lights which was originally what drew my eye. I run my fingertips over the marvel detailing that runs up along the slide and frame.

I feel Ledger come up behind me, “You have a fine taste in guns, Little Omega.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper under my breath. I never thought that I would find a gun breathtaking. They are such a violent weapon yet in this light, it doesn’t feel that way.

Ledger picks up the gun before placing it in my hands.

“It's a 92FS Beretta. Encrusted with over ninety carats of diamonds from Botswana. There are only five of these beauties made in the world.”

Ledger talks about the gun with as much awe as I currently feel for the weapon. I can tell that this is his domain: weapons and fighting. It suits him. I can’t see him being the suit and tie type like I can Theo and Jax.

“I like listening to you talk about guns,” I murmur as I look back at Ledger who has his head over my shoulder.

Jax chooses that moment to walk up next to us, “Careful Angel, if you get Ledger talking about weapons, he won’t know when to stop.”

I just chuckle, “That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”

“And that is why you are so fucking perfect for me.”

Ledger kisses my cheek before turning me around in his arms. Picking me up, he spins me, making me chuckle before putting me down. He didn’t seem to pay any mind to the fact that I still had the gun in my hand. I gasp as I check the weapon over, ensuring that I didn’t damage it, before putting it back down in the case.

Turning around, I frown at Ledger but he just laughs. How the hell could he be so careless? I could have dropped it!

I check my hip with his as I walk away from him, not bothering to give him any more attention. Instead, I find Jax who is loading some bullets into a pistol a similar size to the Beretta.

“What are you doing?”

Jax looks up at me and smiles, “I was just thinking that we could take you down to the range and give you some lessons. It would make me feel better if we at least know that you can work your way around a gun.”

Excitement instantly fuels me. After my adoration over the Beretta, I want to actually feel what it's like to shoot one. To feel what it's like when I pull the trigger, letting free the bullet. It kind of feels like another step to getting control of my own life.

That and I agree with Jax. If I know how to shoot, I can protect myself. Something that I understand is a need, more than a want, in this lifestyle.

Once the gun is fully loaded, Jax grabs an extra pack of bullets and leads us down to the basement of the warehouse.

It's darker and creepier down here compared to the upstairs. Much more Mafia-core if I was to put a label on it, which makes me giggle quietly.

The walkway is entirely made of cement. There are chips missing from the surface after what I am sure is years of use.

Coming to an intersection, we take a right. Banging comes from the left and I pause as I hear screaming coming from the deserted hallway.

Theo grimaces as I look up at him questioningly. Instead of giving me an answer, he just puts a hand on my lower back and pushes me along.

Eventually, we come to a door halfway down. Jax opens it up with a key and guides us in.

When Jax said there was a range, I didn't think he meant an honest to God firing range that has been built under the warehouse. A range of guns line the walls behind the ten booths.

I follow Jax as he walks over to a table at one of the booths. Finding a pair of earmuffs, he puts them over my ears before grabbing a pair for himself.

“Okay, I’m going to give you a basic rundown of the gun, assuming that you have never shot one before?”