Page 28 of Carter's #Undoing

“Return to the cabin, yes. But it would be no point in calling for help when we’re so deep in the woods. A better option would be to find a gun.”

“Where would I find one?” I asked.

“I have thirty on the property and I’ll make sure I show you where a few are.”

“That’s a lot,” I said. “And somehow, not surprising.”

“There’s one buried in this area we’re standing in. Where do you think it is?”

I glanced around and tried to focus. He was still circulating around me and I couldn’t deny it was making my heartbeat quicken. “Is it in that tree stump over there?”

“No.”

I continued to look. “Under those smaller bushes?”

“Nope.”

I turned in a circle, my eyes scanning for anything that looked like it didn’t belong. “What about the base of that large tree?”

He shook his head before bending down right between where we were both standing. “A lot of people look for a weapon in someplace they feel doesn’t belong. When outdoors, I like to bury my weapons in a place that may seem obvious, but is always overlooked.” He dug up a handgun and handed it to me. “This is a 9mm Glock 43. A simple, but effective gun.”

“Is it loaded?” I asked.

He nodded. “Always.”

“How many more guns do you have out here?”

“Several,” he said, not really answering, “among other things. Ever shot a gun before?”

“Yes, I have,” I told him, the look of surprise on his face bringing a smile to mine.

He took the safety off and handed it to me. “Let me see what you got. About twenty feet away, you’ll see a target sheet attached to a tree. Get as close as you can to the bullseye.”

I accepted the gun and followed the direction he’d pointed. “Easy.” I barely registered his smirk before I took the first shot, landing it right on the center of the target on the second one. I briefly glanced to him before I took a third shot, this time, landing an even more perfect shot.

“Showoff,” he huffed. I shrugged as I handed him back the handgun. It felt good to surprise Carter for once.

“Clearly, you’ve spent some time in the gun range.”

“It helps me blow off steam,” I professed. “In college, I wasn’t sure how to handle all the emotions I had after the accident and with you leaving. I took a few self-defense classes, but I found my stride at the gun range.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “We can work on more self-defense training with and without weapons, but I’m impressed by how you can handle a pistol.”

“Thanks,” I replied, caught off guard by how warm his comment made me feel in the pit of my stomach. He continued to stare at me, his face unreadable. After a while, I began to get fidgety.

As a much-needed distraction, I glanced at all the wood he’d cut. “Did you need help with any of this?”

“Sure. The logs over there are smaller, so you can start with those.”

I followed his line of vision and began grabbing the pieces of wood that looked light enough to carry. Once I’d piled on a good amount, I glanced at Carter who seemed to be in some sort of staring contest with Colt.

“You do realize if you start talking to him and he talks back, I’m demanding that one of your brothers let me stay with them instead, right?”

Carter frowned. “They can’t protect you like I can.”

“Did you forget that one of your brother’s is a private investigator and another owns a security firm?” I asked, referring to Malik and Micah. “And Crayson always looks intimidating as hell.”

“I didn’t forget.” His eyes stayed on mine. “What I meant was, they can protect the family. But when it comes to you, they aren’t willing to do what needs to be done.”

---