Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,110
walked away. “Her laptop was the only thing taken. They could be looking for emails between her and Sullivan, something that would help them locate whatever it is they want.”
“Sullivan was in her apartment a couple of times. If he was being followed, they’d know where she lived.”
Castillo mulled that over. “If they come after her, can you keep her safe?”
Ben thought of the torture Michael Sullivan had suffered, and his stomach burned. “You can count on it.”
* * *
Ben picked up Claire after work, but he didn’t take her home. Claire was only a little surprised when he headed for the shooting range.
“Castillo says Sullivan’s apartment was trashed just like yours. That means someone is after something. They wouldn’t have hit your place if they’d found it. That means they might come after you. I want you to know how to defend yourself.”
“I don’t know, Ben. I’ve never shot a gun.”
“You’ll do fine.”
“Are you sure this is necessary? They don’t even know where I am.”
“No, but they might find out. My house has the best alarm system money can buy. You’ll know if someone’s coming in, but if they’re serious about getting to you, they’ll still get inside, and you’ll still have to stop them.”
Claire was nervous, but Ben was determined, and she had to admit, she had always been curious.
“Just relax,” he said. “This is my ankle gun— six-shot, .38 revolver. It’s very easy to use.”
First he showed her how to load and unload the weapon, how to cock it, instructed her in all the safety aspects she needed to know. “It’s only loaded with five bullets, so the chamber beneath the hammer is empty. That way it won’t go off if you drop it. When you cock the weapon, the cylinder turns and the gun is ready to fire.”
She worked with it for a while, then they were ready to shoot. Her hand shook as Ben showed her how to hold the weapon, then moved behind her to steady her aim. With that big hard body and all those amazing muscles pressed against her, she could barely concentrate. She shifted against him and heard his soft curse.
“You make me crazy, you know that?”
“What?” She looked at him over her shoulder, saw his mouth curve up and his eyes dancing. She gasped as he leaned forward, let her feel his erection.
Claire laughed.
“You think that’s funny, huh? I’m trying to teach you to shoot.”
“It isn’t my fault. Well, not exactly.”
“It’s exactly your fault,” he teased. “Now let’s try it again.”
She was still smiling as she aimed at the paper target, relaxed for the first time. She missed the first two shots, hit the third, fourth and fifth.
“Not bad. Let’s try it again.”
She fired and reloaded until Ben was satisfied she could aim and hit what she was shooting at.
Finally he took the gun from her hand and they headed back to the house. She should have felt safer, but she didn’t.
Thirty-One
Though no one knew where she was, Ben was still guarding her like a rottweiler, driving her to work, insisting she have lunch in her office, picking her up after the office closed.
At night, either she or Ben helped Sam with his homework before they ate supper. Afterward, they played board games or watched TV. Once Sam was asleep, Ben would come into her bedroom and they would make love. In the morning he drove her to work and the routine started all over again.
Ben barely let her out of his sight, and the terrifying part was she liked it. She liked being part of a family. She loved having Sam in her life. She loved being with a strong, protective, sexually attractive mate who satisfied her in bed. She loved Ben.
But she didn’t like sneaking around the way they were. It was time to do something about it.
On Friday night, Sam was having a sleepover with his new best friend, Marty James. Marty had been at Sam’s birthday party, and they had grown closer since then. Ben was sitting at the kitchen table after supper cleaning his pistol. Watching him, Claire took a moment to summon her courage, then walked up behind him.
“What kind of gun is that?”
“Nighthawk .45.” He pushed the button and the clip dropped out of the bottom into his hand. He checked to be sure it wasn’t loaded, then handed it to Claire. “You did good with the revolver. I’ll teach you to shoot this one, too.”