Chapter Twelve
Berkleigh
“Why do you have a shooting range all set up in the woods? You know this is creepy, right?” My question comes as Tanner places me on a tree stump like fine china after carrying me from his truck.
“Are you going to ask questions all afternoon? You know that’s tiring as fuck, right?” The corners of his lips turn up into that trademark smirk as he raises his brows. Without waiting for an answer, he heads back to his truck, pulling a dark brown briefcase-sized bag from the trunk.
Hidden among the trees, there’s no direct sunlight and I can feel the chill now that we’re out here.
I’m not entirely sure my suit jacket is going to be enough for whatever it is we’re doing.
It’s pretty though, the way the trees sway lightly in the wind, a few amber leaves falling to the ground, twisting and turning with the breeze.
We’re surrounded, with what seems to be only one main way inside, which is where the truck is currently parked.
The highway isn’t far away, but it feels like we’re in a whole other world. No buzz from the general hubbub of day-to-day living. Just us and nature.
I know beautiful places like this exist, and it reminds me of the walks I used to take around the wooded areas on campus when I was in college.
Of course, I’d always be alone because my peers were generally out drinking or partying and my invitation was always non-existent, thanks to Taylor Frey.
She was a mean girl in high-school, and continued to be so in college, spreading rumors about me from something as ridiculous as shitting myself while getting fucked up the ass, to as serious as me not being able to take no for an answer.
She made my life hell. It was my terrible luck that she ended up in the same college as me, even worse luck when they decided to make us next door neighbors in our Freshman dorms.
She was just one of the many to make having any kind of social life impossible for me, but she was by far the worst. So, again, I concentrated on my academics, spending my spare time exploring by myself or holed up in my room studying. Fun times.
I have never taken the time to explore Blue Hills, though, and I know exactly why.
I have learned enough about my own psyche to understand I should absolutely see a therapist because I have issues a plenty.
But I’m the only one in town and my nights out dancing are my therapy.
It’s a comfort zone thing. I stick to the places I know I won’t find those blasts from the past, to the routine I know will only involve some verbal sparring with Tanner… because it’s safe.
Well, until now.
“Hey.” Tanner is suddenly blocking my view, his hand sprawled across my neck and cheek as he wipes beneath my eye with his thumb. Pulling his hand away, his deep brown eyes remain locked on mine and he sucks his thumb into his mouth. “You’re beautiful when you cry.”
Am I crying?
He takes his time wiping the other side, both hands cupping my face, and he doesn’t move them away as he leans forward to lick my tears off of his other thumb. His entire focus is on me, his eyes watching me as if he’s ready to pounce at the slightest movement I make.
“Have you always been this intense?” As I speak, trying to lighten the mood, my lips brush against his hands and it’s really fucking hard not to poke my tongue out and lick him.
A smirk is his response and he backs off, picking up the bag he took out of the trunk.
“Ooh, toys to play with?” Getting myself comfortable on the stump, I completely shove aside any and all negative emotions and shuffle back a little so he can place the bag beside me.
He continues to not speak as he unzips the bag with a steady hand and opens it up.
Inside are several very sharp looking daggers, some leather things that could be straps, maybe…
? There are also a couple of fancy cases.
He pulls one of them out and unclips it before lifting the lid, and inside is something I never thought I’d hold in my hands.
I won’t lie, I’ve always been a little curious, but I pushed that aside because why would I need one of these?
Well…silly me, I guess.
My nerves are beginning to surface because my heart is practically pounding out of my chest. Am I really going to do this?
Up until this point, the conversations with Tanner about this whole Karma thing haven’t truly registered as reality.
It has all felt like silly ramblings that you just simply talk about and never actually follow through with.
Like when you replay the thing you should have done over and over in your mind but you know you would never have acted in such a way.
But we are following through…
Because here we are, in the middle of the woods, and Tanner is loading a gun.
“I’m going to shoot first, but I want you to feel it. Spread your legs.” The way he is waving the gun around has me doing exactly what he says, but my eyes are wide and I can’t tell if I’m scared out of my mind or completely turned on.
Turning to face the targets, his back is to me, he sits on the edge of the stump, between my now-open legs.
“Put your arms around me, reach for my wrists.”
It’s impossible, he’s a giant compared to me.
The farthest I can reach from here are his biceps, so I shuffle around and get to my knees, albeit slowly because my ankle still hurts like a bitch.
I can, at least, reach his elbows in this position as he holds the gun straight out in front of him, aiming for one of the targets on the hay bales.
On my knees, I can see over his shoulder, the way his arms are bent ever so slightly and his hands are steadier than I thought possible.
He inhales and I expect him to hold his breath there, but after his exhale, the small movement of his finger pulling the trigger causes a recoil that I can feel in his muscles as they tense, relaxing again just as quickly.
Then he does it again, and again, and again…
each one hitting the center of the targets as he works his way along the row.
The way he shoots is full of confidence and, strangely, a kind of grace.
He turns his head toward the shoulder I’m peeking over, his face so close to mine that I can count his eyelashes.
“You can let go now, Sweet Bee, unless you wanna cling on to me like a monkey all afternoon, but that would defeat the purpose of us being here.” Of course this asshole makes things awkward.
“Smartass.” Unwrapping myself from him, I maneuver back into a sitting position because my ankle is beginning to throb a little.
“A smartass who’s teaching you to shoot.” That smirk he so loves to give is firmly in place as he reloads the gun. Although, looking at the clip, it wasn’t empty.
I can’t see how many bullets fit, and I’m honestly not that interested. I know I should be, this is literally a deadly weapon, but for some reason I trust Tanner to not steer me wrong here.
“Take it.” He hands me the gun, which is still warm from his grip. It’s also a lot heavier than I thought it would be. “Swing your legs off the side of the trunk. You’ll have to do this sitting down for now.”
I do exactly as he instructs, lifting my arms as I face the targets.
“Don’t ever use a weapon without checking it for yourself first.” Grabbing the gun over my hands, he brings it back down to my face.
“This is the safety. It’s on right now. Check the clip like this.
” He takes the gun and shows me, focused on the task at hand before giving it back.
“Don’t anticipate the recoil when you fire.
Shooting to the left and down is a common mistake for beginners.
And open your fucking eye, you’re not a pirate. ”
The information is going in one ear and out the other, but I nod and smile, pretending I’m listening.
“Can I shoot now?” Twisting my head to stare at him, I keep my arms outstretched toward the first target.
“Do it.” He raises a brow like he’s challenging me to keep eye contact.
Okay…challenge accepted.
I pull the trigger without looking, my best attempt at badass. However, a badass I am not. It feels like a tiny explosion has just gone off in my hands. I may be exaggerating, but I was not expecting that.
Tanner smirks—a-fucking-gain—and shakes his head. I could almost imagine him rolling his eyes, but he’s not me.
“Do you feel big and clever now?”
“Yes. I do, actually.” I fire a couple more shots in the general direction of the targets with no idea whether I’m hitting any or not.
“Maybe we shouldn’t start with guns.” He reaches to take the gun away. Probably a good idea, to be fair. I have definitely thought about pointing it at him.
I wouldn’t shoot, of course. For starters, my ankle is too fucked to drive myself or walk home from here. No other reason.
“What’s next, Sir?” Saluting him, I flutter my lashes and smile sweetly.
His expression turns dark, dangerous, and it’s accompanied by a growl so animalistic that I almost check around me to look for a beast. He holds the gun at face level and inspects it, looking from the metal to me and back again.
My eyes widen because I have read enough dark romance novels to have an inkling as to what could be going through his mind and I think it’s exciting me. Is that fucked up? Yes. Do I care? No.
“Do you want me to fuck you with this?” His voice has a deep rasp to it with a direct link to my nipples, but I’m frozen.
Do I answer honestly? If I do, will he judge me?
Huffing a laugh, he puts the safety back on and places the gun in his large bag. “Noted.”
My skin prickles with heat and a little embarrassment, but I push that down as he pulls out a leather pouch. He unrolls it to reveal a selection of daggers, quickly removing one and tossing it at a tree. It sticks, solid in the trunk, then he passes one to me.
“Throw it.”
“Did you leave your manners at home today?” With the dagger now in my hand, I’m full of confidence that I have no right to feel. I’m pretty sure it’s the result of Tanner rather than the dagger, but I’m going with it.
He doesn’t answer, just continues that glare, making me sigh and face the direction I want to throw.
I mimic the way Tanner shot the gun, inhaling first, concentrating on my target, then on the exhale…
release. The dagger flies through the air and I’m almost hopeful, but it bounces right off the trunk and lands on the ground.
I liked it, though. More than firing a gun. I can totally do this. I’m about to become the badass of all badasses.
“Another.” If Tanner won’t use pleasantries, then neither will I. But I will learn from him. Everything he has to teach, even though I’m well aware of how wrong it all is.
The world fucked with me, turned my monotonous life up on its axis, so I’m throwing all the rules out of the window.
May as well go all in.