Seventeen
“Hey, Opry,” I said, dropping down into a chair in front of his desk.
“Fighter, what’s up, brother?”
“Listen, man, I want to get Tish set up with a weapon, then I want to take her down to the range.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You got an idea what you want for her?”
“I’m thinking a Sig P238. It’s small, lightweight, and it should be easy for her to shoot.”
“Excellent weapon choice, Fighter,” he said, standing up. “The ladies like that piece because it’s easy to carry concealed; I got a couple others she can try as well that fit the type you want. Where is Tish, by the way?”
“Here,” she replied from behind me.
“Hey girl, looking mighty fine, sweetheart.” He gave Tish a white-toothed grin. Picking up her hand, he kissed the back before letting go.
I frowned at him, shouldering him out of the way as I said, “Enough with the country boy charm, conman.”
Snagging her around the waist, I pulled her to me, dropping a kiss on her lips. “This is my girl, go get your own.”
He laughed. “I got my own, as if you didn’t know. Tish and Jiji will love her, so lighten up.”
I sighed. “I’m outnumbered. I give, man.”
Tish laughed. “I got your number now, mister: just get a bunch of women to gang up on you!”
“Fuck no! One at a time is enough for me, especially since you’re a handful, babe!”
I followed Opry as he led the way out of the office and down the stairs, with Tish in between us. Walking behind the glass case, he pulled a rubber pad out of a stack and put it on the counter, then set three guns on the pad. I reached for the Sig I asked him for and inspected it. The other two he had put out were a Smith & Wesson M&P, and a Firestorm 380.
“These okay, Fighter?” he asked.
Looking up, I smiled. “Yeah, these will do just fine.”
Opry motioned one of the girls over. “Pack these with some ammunition and bring them to the range, Jane.”
She smiled before saluting. “You got it, boss,” she said, then started packing the guns.
I handed Tish a pair of earmuffs and glasses, put mine on, then led the way through another door into the range. I could tell she was nervous, but she followed me without a word. This range had a twelve-bay setup. Inside each divided section was a counter with an overhead pulley system. A button on the wall activated the pulley, bringing the target forward or backward. Bypassing the shooters, we continued through a door to a second range with just three booths.
Pushing the earmuffs to my neck, I motioned for Tish to do the same. “How much do you know about guns, Tish?”
“To be honest, I’m afraid of them, Jameson.”
I bobbed my head. “That’s because you haven’t been around them or handled them. Your fright is to be expected. Babe, I’m going to teach you about guns; I want you to be able to defend yourself. You did a hell of a job against Aden, but you were damn lucky. I don’t ever want you in that position again, feel me?”
Jane came in, putting a box on the counter. She smiled at both of us. “Opry said if you need anything else just come find me.”
“Thanks Jane, I got it from here.
“Tish, Listen up. There are 4 rules you have to remember about a gun. Always assume all guns are always loaded. Watch where the gun is pointed. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
“Whenever you come to the range, whether you’re with me or not, bring the gun in a case and make sure it’s unloaded. Double and triple check it’s unloaded before you put it in the case before and after you use it.
“You understand?” I asked; she nodded her head yes, so I continued. “Today is just about you getting a feel for holding and shooting the gun. I want you to get comfortable handling a weapon.”
I picked up the first gun, showing it to her. “This is a Sig Sauer P238 semi-automatic pistol. It’s a 380 and holds six rounds in a magazine that slides into the bottom of the frame, plus one in the chamber. There is very little recoil on it, which is one of the reasons I chose it for you.” I released the magazine, showed her that it had no bullets in it, then handed Tish the gun. She expected it to be heavy; I could see her surprise when it wasn’t. “I want you to be comfortable with it because you’re going to be carrying it on you.”
I started pointing out some features of the gun; sights, safety, trigger, slide, etc. I made her pull the slide back a few times, as well as the trigger, to get a feel for them both.
“Tish, this gun allows you to chamber a round with the safety on, but it will not fire until you release the safety; you can then drop the magazine, put another round in, and then you’ve got seven shots total. That’s important, babe.”
I took down the piece, showing her, step by step, what I was doing. Once I had it back together, I loaded the magazine with 6 rounds, flipped the safety on, and put the gun on the counter. I put a fresh target on the holder then sent it out about twenty-five yards.
“Come here, Tish.” I put her in front of me and showed her how to stand. “The gun is loaded, but you need to pull back the slide to get it ready to fire. Pick it up, and when you’re ready, pull the trigger until the gun is empty. Remember what I said: watch where you aim, and keep your finger away from the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Put your earmuffs and safety glasses on now, babe.”
She took a deep breath as she set the safety equipment back in place, then got into the stance I showed her and picked up the gun. She flicked off the safety, pulled the slide back, and pointed the gun at the target. She slid her finger along the frame until she found the trigger, squeezing like I told her. The gun went off, which made her jump, but she recovered and emptied the magazine. She flipped the safety back on and laid the gun down on the counter.
I pushed the button on the wall; the target retracted ‘til it was in front of us. Her shots were all over but there were six, so she at least hit the target each time.
Laughing, she threw her arms around my neck, pulling my earmuffs down to my neck. “Oh my God, that was fun,” she crowed. “Can I shoot the other two now?”
“That’s my girl,” I said, smacking her on the ass and setting her away from me.
I went over the mechanics of the other two guns so she could test each one. After firing both, she watched as I checked that each one was unloaded before putting them back in their cases.
Tish tugged on my arm. “Can I watch you shoot them Jameson?”
“Sure, babe.” I dropped a kiss on her upturned lips, then loaded the Sig. She sent a target out about twenty-five yards; I smirked and reached over, pushing the button to make it go out another twenty-five yards. Taking up my stance, I quickly fired off six shots. Tish pushed the button to bring the target back. She gasped when she saw the small cluster in the center.
“Holy shit, Jameson!”
“Babe, my weapon of choice is a Sig 1911, which is basically a bigger version of the first one you shot. I’ve been shooting since before I went into the Marines. I should be able the hit the target each and every time I aim. You’ll get there, babe, it just takes time and practice.” I checked then repacked the guns so we could take them out to the main counter.
We saw Opry talking to a couple looking through the case. He acknowledged us but continued his conversation with them.
Tish was looking in the cases too.
“Tish, which one of the three you tested today did you prefer?”
She looked up from the case. “I really like how the first one felt in my hand and how it shot, Jameson. I’m still a little scared, but at least I know a little about how they work. It was a blast shooting them, if I’m being honest.”
Finished with his customers, Opry came over to us behind the counter. “So?” he asked, looking at Tish.
I replied for her, “She liked the Sig, man.”
He smiled. “Good choice, Tish. You see one you like in the case, Fighter?”
“Nah, man, I got a particular one in mind, but I’ll get with you about it when you come over for the barbecue later,” I said.
“My mouth is watering for them steaks, Tish,” Opry said.
She smiled. “Good; bring your appetite and bring Sandra. I can’t wait to tell her about today.”
I dropped my hand to Tish’s lower back to guide her out of the building and over to the bike. As I handed her the helmet, she went up on her toes to kiss me.
“Thanks, Jameson, I had a great time.”
Snaking an arm around her waist, I pulled her flush to my side before returning the kiss. “Anytime, babe. I want you to be safe.” I let her go and she finished buckling her helmet so she could get on the bike behind me.
When we got back to the house, I unbuckled the helmet, setting it on the bike seat, then went into the house to find Jiji. She was making a three-bean salad in the kitchen and waved a spoon at me. “Sooo, where did you go, what did you do, get any action?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“Jesus, Jiji,” Jameson said, coming up behind me.
“You love me and you know it, big bro,” she said, coming around the counter with the salad in her arms.
He slid open the door to the fridge so she could put the bowl inside, then kissed the top of her head. “You know I do, squirt,” he replied, “but you can also be a big pain in the ass.” He swatted her butt as she passed him.
She giggled and tossed him a saucy grin, saying, “Bro, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Jameson dropped his head in his hands and groaned. “Don’t say shit like that, Jiji, I don’t want to go prematurely gray for my girl,” he said, winking at me
“Come on, Jameson, don’t you know that girls like a little snow on the roof? Even from here I can see a couple of grays peeking out from your long, flowing locks,” she teased.
“Maybe Breech had it right; I should paddle that butt ‘til you can’t sit down,” he growled.
“You just hate to lose, big bro. Bonus—you just got schooled by a girl,” she crowed.
I chuckled. “Can you go light the grill?” I asked him. “There’s a fire starter in the drawer out there.”
“Nice save, Tish,” Jiji said.
“This is not over, Jiji,” Jameson said, walking to the sliders before stepping out on the deck and shutting the door.
When Jiji and I were alone again, I told her about her brother taking me to the range. Her eyes lit up, “Oh my God, was it fun? How did you feel holding a gun, is it scary, can I go with you next time?” She threw all these questions at me in rapid succession.
Jameson heard the tail end of her questions as he came back in from the deck. “Breech is going to teach you how to shoot, Jiji.”
She frowned. “Aww, Jameson, can’t Danko or Opry teach me?” she begged.
“Not my call, Jiji; Dukes set it up.”
Sighing, she moved away. “Damn, well at least I’m gonna get to shoot,” she said. “You think I can get arrested for accidentally shooting my instructor?” she asked innocently. I stuffed a piece of tomato I was cutting into my mouth to stifle my laughter. Jiji looked up with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “The planning begins,” she said.
“Jiji, behave!” Jameson roared.
My cell rang during their conversation, so I stepped away to answer it, still giggling. I should have looked at the display before I picked it up, but I was distracted.
“BITCH! Didn’t think I could find you, did you?!” It was Aden’s voice.
I screamed, dropping the phone. I could feel the panic setting in.
Jameson rushed over, picking up the phone. “Who the fuck is this and what the fuck do you want?” he barked. I could hear the tones as the caller hung up.
“Babe,” he said. “It was Aden, wasn’t it?” I was trembling so hard he held me, rocking me ‘til I calmed. “Fuck!” he yelled, banging his fist down on the counter. “I need to get ahold of Sonny, see if he can trace the call. Stay here in the kitchen with Jiji, Tish. Do not go outside without me, hear me?”
I nodded my head, but he left already, pulling out his phone to call Sonny.
Jiji came around the island counter, planting herself in front of me. “He’s not gonna hurt us again, Tish. Dukes promised he wouldn’t. Let’s finish up the prep for dinner and get these guys fed, okay?”
I took a few cleansing breaths, trying to clear my mind, giving me a second to focus. This has got to stop. I couldn’t take having to look over my shoulder constantly waiting for whatever Aden had up his sleeve next. I hoped Sonny had some answers.