about them?”
Jesus fuck.
Time for honesty.
“Tried that. Was in therapy for two years and the nightmares got worse.”
“No, I mean talking to someone who knows, not some doctor who thinks they’re an expert because they’ve learned about shit in a book. Clark would be a good person to start with. I don’t think it happens to him much anymore but he’d understand. And I know Liberty would talk to you. Therapy helped her, but I think her openly talking to her family helped more.”
Nolan Clark was an imposing man with a sharp bullshit meter. I respected him as a boss and as a friend. He was also Hadley’s uncle and I needed to tread lightly talking to him about my concerns.
“Clark might not be keen talking to me about my issues, especially because after twenty years of burying them, I’m willing to face them only because I want my bed to be a safe place for his niece to sleep.”
Drake grinned. “Yeah, I’d leave that last part out. Though the man’s not stupid, and since you’ve worked for him longer than I have, I reckon you know that. But I’d still talk to him. One thing I’ve learned about this family, and since they don’t hide it I know you haven’t missed it, they love hard. And they do it without blinders on. Clark might not want to think about his baby niece in bed with a man, but he also wants her safe and happy. The fact you’re standing here breathing after you’ve claimed Hadley should tell you something. The same way they welcomed me, they’re welcoming you. Only, you’ve been part of their family long before you and Hadley got together and that should tell you something, too. I think Clark would be pissed he knew you were battling demons, ones he could help you with, and you didn’t reach out.”
“‘Preciate the wisdom.” I stood.
“Anytime. Before I let you go, how’s Luke’s progress? Is he almost ready to take over classes with Matt?”
Matt Kessler had been a SEAL sniper before he joined Triple Canopy. Luke was his spotter. Together they made an incomparable sniper cell. Once Drake was unfairly discharged from the Navy, and Trey and Luke were medically discharged, Logan and Matt left the teams as well.
Matt and I had been teaching the sniper course, something I wanted to expand. That meant booking more classes but I could only do that if Matt and Luke took some of the class load.
I nodded. “He’s there. His shot placements are excellent, but he still needs to build confidence, which will come with muscle memory. He still goes to glass with his left eye and when he does, it pisses him off that he’s forgotten he’s now a right-handed shooter. It’s a hard habit to break, so he’ll need time. But with all of that, I feel the best way to get him over it is to put him out there. So next week, he and Matt are taking their first group out to the range.”
“You going out to oversee?”
“Hell no. That will defeat the purpose of throwing Luke into his new role. He doesn’t think he’s ready. I know he is, so I’m tossing his ass into a class as the lead instructor. Matt will be there to take his back, but each of them has a specific skillset to teach and Matt won’t be able to hold his hand.”
“I agree. Luke’s damn good, and losing most of his eyesight in his dominant eye has fucked with his self-confidence. Only way he’s gonna get it back is if someone forces him.” Drake fixed me with another grin. “Glad it’s you, brother, and not me.”
“Don’t thank me. Next week you have a group of weekend warriors coming for tactical shooting 101. You’re gonna hear enough lingo tossed around to wish you were deaf for the afternoon.”
That got a chuckle. “No doubt. Have a good night with Hadley.”
“Plan to.”
Drake left and I finished closing down for the night.
Hadley and her famous pork sandwiches were waiting.
16
I was on my hands and knees clicking a board into place when I heard the knock.
“Come in!” I yelled and finished laying the plank.
“Babe.”
At the tone of Brady’s voice, I glanced around the floor and found my cell five feet away from me.
“If you tried to call or text me and it didn’t go through then your phone’s on the fritz because mine’s right there, and I even made sure the ringer was all the way up