Blaze: A Small Town, Nerdy Girl, Opposites Attract, Protector Romance (Ghost Ops Book 1)

Chapter 23

They wentto nearby Madison and ate Italian food, then stopped at the range on the way back. Ghost was still in the office. He came out to say hello with a curious glance flicked at Blaze, probably for the late hour, then went back inside to continue what he was doing.

Blaze wondered if it had anything to do with Royal Shipping and the cargo container that had arrived today. It’d bypassed inspection and been put under guard. Seth had downloaded all the footage, and Ghost had retreated to the SCIF to report it to Washington.

When he’d returned, he’d said the president’s team was discussing it.

Who knew what they’d decide? Or if it even had anything to do with the top-secret project they were here to protect. Could be a drug shipment for all anyone knew.

The most frustrating thing about this mission so far was the waiting. Ghost had said it was unlike anything they’d done before, and that was certainly true. Blaze was glad to be here, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t itching for more.

The team met in the SCIF daily to discuss the state of the surveillance and to hear any new orders from Washington. Ghost had reported the FBI’s visits and was told it’d be handled.

Maybe it had.

Special Agents Corbin and Ackerman hadn’t been by in days, so maybe someone had reassigned them or given them another case to focus on. Why they’d homed in on the One Shot connection to Royal Shipping in the first place was a bit concerning, but it could also be that Diana Corbin lacked a personality and rubbed everyone the wrong way. She could just be harassing everybody who’d visited the shipper the same Tuesday Chance and Kane had.

But why? Did she know something they didn’t? It would be nice if Ghost could just ask her, but that wasn’t happening.

Blaze went over to the gun safe and chose a Sig Sauer P238 and a P938. He also chose a Glock 19, his preferred weapon, and a Ruger SR1911 9mil Luger. Four weapons, four different experiences. He gathered ammo and returned to the counter where he’d left Emma.

Her eyes were big as she surveyed the weapons on the tray. “I don’t know, Blaze.”

He tipped her chin up with a finger and fixed her blue eyes with his. “Babe, you can do this. We’re going to shoot at targets, and I’ll be with you the entire time. You don’t have to shoot if you don’t want to. But come into the range with me and let me show you how to handle a weapon. Then I’ll shoot, and you can watch. If you want to try, I’ll guide you.”

She swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

He grabbed a pair of hearing protectors that slipped over the ears and had her try them on. After he made sure they fit well, he grabbed a pair for himself and picked up a small stack of silhouette targets that he handed to her. Then he led her through the two doors that opened into the range. First door put them in a small chamber with a sink and a sticky mat for use on the way out again. Second door put them in the range. There were six bays on the side he chose, and they were all empty because the range closed at eight.

The bays were clean because they’d swept up the shell casings earlier, but the smell of spent ammo never went away. It was a comforting smell to him, but Emma seemed a little wild-eyed.

Blaze set the tray of guns on the back table along with the boxes of bullets. He chose the Sig P238 first because the kick was less and the gun was small enough to not be quite as intimidating. He turned and chose a bay, placing the gun onto the carpeted shelf where he would load it. Then he took the targets from Emma, laid all but one on the back table, and pressed the button to activate the pulley that would bring the clip for the target closer. Once he had it secured, he sent the target backward, selecting the ten-yard distance for demonstration. He’d move it to three yards if he got her to shoot.

“I’ll show you how to load it,” he said, motioning her forward. She hesitated a moment before stepping up beside him. The feel of her there, small and warm, seemed right. He knew she was reluctant to use a gun, but the urge to protect her was strong.

He needed her to learn this. Not that he intended to let her out of his sight when she wasn’t at work, but if the team got a go order in the middle of the night, he needed to know she could handle a weapon.

Blaze pushed a couple of .380 bullets into the magazine and then handed it to her so she could finish. She drew in a breath and loaded the rest of the bullets. He’d chosen full metal jacket for shooting, but if he got her to carry, he’d give her hollow points. They did more damage, which he figured she was well aware of, plus there was no danger of them going through a body and hitting someone else.

Brutal, but necessary. When it came to personal protection, he didn’t give a flying fuck about the damage hollow points would do. So long as they stopped the attacker, that’s all he cared about.

Emma handed him the magazine. The P238 was easy to load by hand, but the rest would be harder. Especially the Glock with its extended magazine.

He made sure the gun was cleared then pushed the magazine into the grip.

“You push it in until it clicks.” He ejected the magazine, cleared the chamber—though it was already clear—and handed her the weapon. “You try.”

Emma nibbled her lip. He’d noticed she did that when she was unsure of something.

“There won’t be a bullet in the chamber yet,” he said gently. “And the safety is on. You aren’t going to accidentally shoot anything.”

She huffed a breath. “You must think I’m ridiculous. I swear I’ve loaded and unloaded a shotgun before, but that’s different. And it was a very long time ago.”

“You aren’t ridiculous. Guns should be treated with respect. They’re meant to kill. I don’t care what anyone says otherwise, that’s the ultimate purpose. A gun is a deadly weapon and should be treated with care. It’s not meant for waving around like a toy, or pointing randomly at people or animals, or using it to make yourself feel important. You pick this up with purpose. You get trained on gun safety and you know what you’re doing. And you never, ever point it at anything you aren’t willing to shoot.”

Her brows drew together in concentration as she shoved the magazine into the gun and felt it click.

“Good girl,” he said. “Now eject it.”

She pressed the button to release the mag, and it dropped into her hand. She looked up at him with a grin.

He took the gun from her. “Let me show you how to clear the chamber.”

He tugged the slide a couple of times to show her there was no bullet in the chamber, then pointed the weapon at the target and pulled the trigger. It clicked. He gave her back the gun, took the magazine and set it on the shelf, then had her clear the chamber on her own. It took her a couple of tries, but she did it.

“Now point and shoot. One hand is fine for this. There’s no bullet and it’s not going to bang.”

She did as he said then grinned again. He liked seeing her smile. Emma wasn’t comfortable with guns, and he got that, but everything she did that he told her to do, every smile she gave him in this range, made his heart beat a little harder.

“You ready for some noise?” he asked. “I’ll shoot and you can watch.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“All right. Hearing protection on, then I need you to stand back here, to my right, so you can see. I’ll walk you through the steps.”

They both put the protectors over their ears. They could still hear, but it was muted. Blaze explained everything as he inserted the magazine into the gun, demonstrated the process of getting a bullet into the chamber, flicking off the safety, the proper way to hold the gun—though he was capable of single-handed firing, he used two because that was how she was going to hold it—and how to line up the sights. Then he fired a single bullet into the X in the center and another into the target’s head.

“Oh my God,” Emma said when he placed the gun on the shelf, barrel facing the range, safety on, and turned to her. “That’s impressive. And a little bit frightening, really. That kid at the Gas-n-Go has no idea how lucky he was.”

“I wouldn’t have shot him unless I’d had no other option. It’s never the first choice, by the way.”

She nodded. “I’m glad to hear it because you are dead-on accurate with that thing.”

“Lots of practice. You don’t just pick up a gun and hit what you aim at. You want to try it?”

He hoped she would say yes. She nibbled her lip again, uncertainty stamped on her face. Just when he thought she was about to tell him no, she nodded.

“Yes. I do.”

He pressed the button to bring the target in and changed to a fresh one in case she wanted to keep it. Some people did after their first time. When he sent it back, he set it at three yards.

“Okay, stand over here.”

He showed her where to put her feet and how to face the target. “Now pick up the gun, keeping the barrel pointed downrange. The safety’s on, so it’s not going to fire.”

She did as he said. He adjusted her hands, explained the best way to hold the pistol, then helped her use the green dots on the tritium sights to line up the shot.

“Use your thumb to push the safety down. Either side because it’s made that way. Then keep your focus on the sights and what you see through them. When you’re ready, squeeze the trigger softly. Don’t yank, just squeeze. The gun’s going to jump a little in your hand, but it’s nothing to worry about. I’m right here with you.”

Emma drew in a breath and moved the gun a little. He could see her concentrating on the target. And then she squeezed the trigger and the bullet exploded from the barrel. Emma squeaked but didn’t let go of the gun. She kept her firing stance and glanced up at him. The bullet had missed the target entirely, but he wasn’t telling her that. She’d dropped the barrel when she’d squeezed which was why she’d missed.

“Can I do it again?”

“Yes. Don’t shut your eyes when you pull the trigger. Don’t anticipate. Just do it softly, like it’s an extension of your body, and pull that trigger back toward you. Don’t move anything else.”

She adjusted herself and tried again. This time the bullet hit the target, but not the silhouette. An improvement, sure, but shooting accurately took work.

“I think I probably suck at this.”

He stood behind her so close the back of her fitted to the front of him, slid his hands along her arms, and sighted down the barrel. He put his lips behind her ear where she’d be able to feel his words and didn’t miss the shiver that stole through her.

“You don’t suck, Emma. Did you do any surgery the first day of med school?”

She shook her head, the perfume of her shampoo invading his senses. His dick was getting hard. Another few seconds and she’d know it.

“It took time,” he growled. “This takes time. We’ll do it together so you can feel what I’m talking about.”

Blaze cupped her hands in his, slid his finger against hers, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit dead center of the target. He moved his hands back to her wrists and adjusted his stance so his erection wouldn’t become obvious.

“One round left. Make it count.”

She took her time, adjusted the gun a hair. He didn’t adjust it back though he could see she wasn’t going to hit center. Finally, she pulled the trigger.

“I hit it!”

Blaze took the gun and laid it on the shelf, then turned her in his arms so he could look at her smiling face. For a woman who’d been uncertain of her ability and scared to pick up a gun, she sure looked happy.

“I’m proud of you, Sunshine.”

“I know I missed the important bits, but there’s a hole inside the silhouette. I think that might stop somebody for a few seconds, don’t you?”

He kissed her nose. “I do. Think you can fire a few more rounds? We’ll move to a different gun after you do another round with this one, see how you like it.”

“I can do that.”

“Eject the magazine and clear the chamber before we load it again.”

She did as he said, then smiled up at him as he handed her the box of ammo. “Thanks, Blaze. I still have mixed emotions about this, but you’re right that it doesn’t hurt to know how to use a gun. Sometimes it’s necessary, though I hope I never have to.”

After she fired six rounds into the target with varying accuracy, he walked her through the next pistol and the next. By the time they were done, another hour had passed and Emma was getting better at putting rounds into the silhouette. He wouldn’t call her competent, but at least she was open to the idea of learning.

They exited the range and he put the guns away while she checked out the merchandise in the cases. He heard her phone ring and then her answering with a cheery, “Hey, Rory.” Her tone changed in the next instant. “What? Are you sure?”

Blaze returned to her side, instantly alert. She was ashen as she stared up at him. The fear on her face made him want to tear Sutton’s Creek apart until he found Simon Marsh and sent him back to the hole he’d crawled out of.

“Okay, thanks. I’m going now.”

“What is it?” he asked.

Her eyes glittered with tears. “Somebody broke into my parents’ house. Theo heard it on the scanner. I need to get over there.”