Page 32 of The Saint

“Alright, time for the rifle.”

She clicked the safety before she handed the shotgun to me.

“This is heavy too.” I handed it off, and she held it like she’d seen enough American action movies to know how it should be handled. Without waiting for me to fire, she directed her gun toward the targets and sprayed them with bullets, left to right, denting the steel fence with all the ammunition.

She fired until the magazine was empty. “Ooh, I like this one.”

I smirked then handed her another magazine.

She reloaded effortlessly then clicked the safety before she handed the gun to me.

“That’s my girl.” I pulled her in for a quick kiss then gave her a playful smack on the ass. “Alright, now I’m going to teach you a couple maneuvers.”

“Like, fighting?” she asked.

“More like self-defense.”

All the excitement she’d shown a second ago disappeared. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

I stared her down and let my confidence comfort her. “No. You’ll probably never need any of this, but I would be an asshole if I didn’t teach my woman this stuff when I had the chance. There may come a time when I have to fight and you need to run, and I want to know you can get away if you need to.”

“Like I’d ever leave you…”

Whatever pride I would have felt was masked by anger. “You bet your ass you’ll leave me.”

She stilled at the venom in my voice, clearly stunned I could be so affectionate and then so ruthless in a split second. Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine, treating me like an opponent at that very moment.

My words had clearly made an impact, so I let the topic die. “Ready?” I set the guns on the table before I turned back to her, seeing her breath continue to come out as vapor even though she was bundled up in her coat.

“Yeah.”

“These are the three ways a guy will grab you. I’m gonna show you how to get out of all of them, alright?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be easy now, but then we’ll practice for real.” I faced her head on then grabbed her by the upper arm so I could drag her away. “Always twist away and then hit.” I moved her armto show her what I meant. “My hand will have to release. Otherwise, I’ll break my wrist. While this is happening, hit the nose with the heel of your palm. This all happens at once.” I guided her hand to my face, showing her the way the heel of her palm should strike. “Okay, let’s try this for real.”

“I’m not gonna hit you.”

“Pretend you are.” I grabbed her by the arm hard, as hard as I would if I were truly trying to capture her.

She panicked at first, clearly surprised by my grip.

“Twist.”

She turned her arm, hooking her forearm around and breaking my hold.

“You’re supposed to hit me at the same time.”

“Oh shit.”

“Again.” I grabbed her again and watched her twist. This time, she struck her palm up, tapping me on the shoulder rather than hitting me in the face. “Good.” I showed her a couple more moves, making sure she knew how to handle herself if she were attacked from the front or behind. I also showed her how to get a gun out of her face or take it from an opponent. Without regular use and practice, I feared she would forget the instructions. Maybe she wouldn’t need it for five or ten years, and by then, she’d forget.

But hopefully, she wouldn’t need it ever.

When we finished, she didn’t seem cold anymore. Even unzipped the front of her coat to let the heat leave her body. “Does your mother know this stuff?”

“I doubt she remembers it now, but she did at some point.”

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