Page 49 of Bound By Water
“Congratulations, you six evaded me,” Quaid says with a grim smile. “But let’s see how you really did.” He lifts a remote and flips on the screens behind him. Images of the city appear. Quaid rewinds the cameras, then plays them forward. The second he spots one of the six, he fast forwards until he finds us in our hiding spot.
The older man hid behind a bookcase in the office. Thin, he barely fit in the impossibly small space, but a camera caught him entering and disappearing behind it.
“Hmph. Never occurred to me someone could fit back there. Good choice, Edward. I’ll be more alert to small spaces next time,” Quaid assures him.
He followed me to the restaurant where I put on one of the mannequin’s clothes, then put my hair up and added a chef hat from another. “Good tactic. Hiding in plain sight. Better to do it in public where you can’t be trapped, but I applaud your decision.”
Quaid continues to find everyone’s hiding place except the young man’s. “Good. You used your powers to short circuit the cameras around you. I would recommend you take out a few more so they can’t use the void to follow you, but you did great.”
He looks at the large watch on his wrist. “All six of you will get a point this time. Next time, watch for the cameras, and do what you can to avoid or confuse the person monitoring them. Okay.”
He claps his hands together. “The rest of you, take a lap.” He points to the track running along the wall, and they all groan, but no one argues as they get up and start jogging along the perimeter. “You six can leave.”
Everyone starts filing out except me. Wringing my hands, I stand to the side until they’re gone.
Quaid looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Question?” His voice is curt, but I can’t detect any anger in his tone.
Raising my chin, I look into his unusual amber eyes. “No, an apology. I’m sorry I asked River to intervene with Beckett this morning. Oliver told me you had to step in and… resolve the issue. I wasn’t thinking at the time, only feeling, but it won’t happen again.”
Quaid grunts. “It will.” He folds his muscular arms, and the tiniest hint of a tattoo peeks out from under the sleeve of his shirt, but I can’t tell what it is. “A lot happened to you in a short amount of time, which kept you in fight-or-flight mode. You’re safe now, but your emotions will continue to run high for a while. Even small things will trigger you.”
He pauses. “My issue is with him. River will do whatever he thinks is best. Unfortunately, that may not be the best thing for you or Phoenix. I laid out our rules to him this morning. It’s up to him to follow them. If he doesn’t, he’s out.”
Irritated at his high-handedness, I scowl at him. “You have to give him time. He’s not used to answering to someone else. He’s been on the run for a long time.”
He lifts a shoulder. “So he says. I’m not buying it. Things aren’t adding up with his story, but I don’t need to know his secrets. He can keep them as long as they don’t jeopardize the security of this facility or the safety of its residents, including you. If he does, I’ll remove him.” He taps his watch. “Don’t you have Jax’s class next? He hates when students are late.”
I open my mouth to defend River, but I know it won’t do any good. From the minute Quaid met him, he hasn’t liked him. I don’t know why, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t be involving River in my disputes in the future. Tossing a glare at Quaid, I spin on my heel and head out the door. This isn’t over, but Jax did warn me not to be late.
CHAPTER25
WILLA / GREER
I’m actually running by the time I enter the shooting range for class. How in the world did I walk so far earlier today without even realizing it? I know I was lost in an emotional storm, but that had to at least be a mile. Entering the area, I see a long tan wooden structure portioned into sections at one end of a dirt field. Huffing and puffing, I join the group standing in another bare bones wooden stand, barely arriving a second before Jax blows the air horn he’s holding in his hand. What is it with the horns? I’m tempted to plug my ears, but the sound cuts off.
Dressed in the same scruffy attire that seems to be his signature look, he ambles over to a nearby table and sets the horn down on it, then turns back to us. With one hand, he shoves the thick swath of white-blond hair on top of his head back. With his features and attire, he sort of reminds me of a surfer, but his attitude is intense and a little unnerving.
Like Quaid, Jax walks the line, but his entire focus is on our hands. Mine are resting beside my thighs. My neighbor on the right is restlessly tapping hers. I look at the person on my left and find large hands in a half curl.
Jax stops at the woman on my right. “It’s okay to be nervous. Guns are dangerous.” He keeps walking until he gets to the man on my left. “Or excited.” He moves back in front of me. “Have you ever shot a gun?”
One corner of my mouth lifts in a wry smile. “Tried, but it didn’t fire.” Several people laugh, but I’m not joking. Although I’m incredibly grateful I didn’t shoot River at the gas station, I’d like to learn why.
Jax sweeps a cold look at the people who are laughing. “Laughing at another student in my class for any reason will not be tolerated. I don’t care what experience you think you have. Here, everyone is a plebe until I say you’re not. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I murmur along with several others, fighting a smile at his defense.
Jax freezes, then shouts. “I didn’t hear you. Do you understand?!”
“Yes!” we answer in unison this time.
“Good,” he replies with a sneer. “Next time, tack on a sir to that answer. I’m a fucking Sergeant in the United States Army and the best damn sniper you’ll ever meet.” The man next to me flashes a wide grin, and Jax comes up to him. “Don’t get excited. I’m not going to teach you how to be a sniper. I doubt you have the capacity to learn all the shit I know.”
His grin disappears. “What are you going to teach us?”
Jax narrows his eyes at him. “First, I’m going to teach you manners.” Locking eyes on the guy, he waits until he turns his head to continue. “Then, I’m going to teach you how to pick up any weapon in reach and confidently…” he pauses for a second, “use it to defend yourself.”
He waves a hand to the cover behind us. “Today, you will learn to shoot a handgun. Why? Because they’re the most common weapon you’ll come across.” Walking over to one of the sectioned-off areas, he jerks a thumb behind him. “At every gun range, this is called the firing line. When I tell you to line up at the firing line, you will pick one of these booths and line up.”
