Page 4 of Finn
CHAPTER TWO
FINN
The firing range was quiet,just as I’d hoped. I’d woken at dawn, figuring no one would be around this early.
Good. I needed space. Time to sort through my mistakes, think over everything that had gone wrong.
After last night’s mission, Jake hadn’t wasted a second telling the squad leader exactly how I’d screwed up.
And, of course, our squad leader hadn’t held back either, his brash voice still echoing in my head: “Peterson, you’re a liability! You’ll never amount to anything with that soft heart of yours.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and now, standing here, I couldn’t shake the sting of them.
I adjusted my stance, gun pressed tight in my grip, and glared at the target downrange. It was a human-shaped silhouette with crosshairs over the vital spots: head, heart, center mass.
My breathing was erratic, chest tight with anger and frustration as I aimed.
The shots echoed, one after the other, sharp and relentless, but none hit where they were supposed to.
My bullets scattered wildly. Not a single one struck a vital spot.
Useless, like Jake said. I wished I could be more like my brothers, or like my cousin.
They never missed. They had the Guild’s respect; they weren’t the family failure.
I emptied the clip, only realizing I’d run out when the gun clicked uselessly.
With a sigh, I took off my earmuffs and set the gun down, trying to release the tension knotting my shoulders.
“Thought I’d find you here,” came a voice that sent a chill down my spine and made my pulse kick.
Gabriel. Strong, steady, and beautiful in that way I couldn’t quite explain.
He was leaning against the wall at the back, arms crossed over his broad chest. How long had he been watching me?
I swallowed, my eyes tracing over him, lingering on the strands of golden hair that had fallen across his forehead.
Most hunters kept their hair short, Gabriel included, but once, offhandedly, I’d told him I liked seeing him with longer hair.
He’d let it grow a bit since, and every time I saw it, I felt a warmth spread in my chest, though I was sure it wasn’t because of me.
“So… you heard?” I asked, a little wary.
Gabriel pushed off the wall and nodded, coming closer, and I could feel my cheeks heat up. I looked away.
“You wouldn’t understand,” I muttered.
“Wouldn’t I?” he replied, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine.
He closed the distance between us, and suddenly, he was standing just a breath away.
It was like the air shifted, thickening around us. I couldn’t quite pinpoint when my feelings for him had started.
But lately, just being near him made it hard to breathe.
“You’ve never failed,” I said.
Gabriel, he was the perfect hunter. The very definition of a human weapon.
