Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(104)

Adam’s fingers tightened before he released me, his body tensing as he tucked me behind his back. I peered around his shoulder, getting an eyeful of the man putting Adam on high alert. He had a short crew cut and a smug attitude that looked like he could become an * easily with the right incentive.

Adam held me behind his body. “Sidel,” he said tightly.

Another man, shorter, very thin, with a dark, greasy comb-over and pockmarked face came through the door behind Sidel. I thought they might be together as there seemed to be an air of familiarity there, but as soon as he spotted us, he came to an abrupt halt, hesitated while trying to appear inconspicuous, and then with a barely perceptible chin nod, set his gear down at the first booth.

The man Adam addressed as Sidel glanced back over his shoulder; his cocky smile faltering quickly. Adam scrutinized the man at the far end, tilting his head slightly as though there was some recognition.

“Surprised to see you here on a Sunday,” Sidel said to Adam. It was my guess that it wasn’t a pleasant surprise for Sidel, either.

I didn’t need to be a mind-reader to sense Adam wasn’t too fond of this guy.

Sidel was eying me over; his blatant leering made me feel violated. “So, who you got with you? One of your adoring fans?”

I saw the instant when he recognized me. “You! No shit!” He turned his smug look to Adam and then pegged me again with his attention. “You’re the doctor woman we pulled over a few weeks ago. Trent, you sly dog. You actually hooked up with her? Unf*ckingbelievable.”

“Exercise some couth, Sidel,” Adam ordered low.

Sidel ignored him and held out his hand to me. “Brian Sidel. Nice to see you again.”

My manners insisted I greet him back. Adam’s posture was anything but relaxed, making me question whether touching Brian Sidel’s hand would be a poor judgment call on my part.

Adam glanced back at me. “Sidel is in my unit.”

My manners won out after that. “Hi. Erin.”

I swore I heard Adam growl the second Sidel touched my hand.

The weird man at the far end of the range periodically glanced our way, making me slightly uncomfortable. Adam backed up, backing me up with him. He was wearing his Glock on his hip, which he touched briefly. He picked up the gun I was shooting, popped the magazine out, and fished out another from the carry case. This one contained a full row of bullets.

I swallowed hard when he slapped it back in and chambered the first round.

“Teaching her how to shoot?” Sidel asked, doing a poor job at masking his amusement.

I was hoping he’d go off and mind his own business, but no such luck.

Adam handed the loaded gun to me, keeping it pointed down, but he barely took his eyes off the two men while he did it. “Just enjoying some time at the range, like you.”

Sidel nodded and set his gear down on the floor. “Well, let’s see what you got, sweetheart,” he said to me, raising his eyes expectantly. He exposed the gun under his jacket when he put his hands on his hips.

Adam read my hesitance. He stepped back even farther; I presumed so his back would never be vulnerable. I was starting to understand him better, too. Gone was the playful folded-arms posture he had when we’d arrived. Adam looked ready to enter a quick draw contest. I imagined he would win it, too.

“Go ahead, babe,” he said with a nod.

I put my headset back on while Adam floated a new target back out.

All eyes were on me as I lined up my sights. I exhaled and pulled the trigger. I took my time, shooting until it was empty. I wanted to see how well I did but Adam nudged me safely out of the way, putting his body between Sidel and me again.

In one fast swoop, he drew his weapon from his side and without hesitance, pulled the trigger once. He put his gun back in the holster on his hip and locked eyes with Sidel as the target floated back to us.

I could see the light shining through several holes on the paper. When the target stopped, one hole stood out.

It was the one dead center in the target’s forehead.

“Who’s your friend?” Adam asked Sidel, casually noting the direction with his chin.

Sidel glanced down the range, seeming bored with the question. His lips twisted. “No idea. Don’t know him.”

I may not have a PHD in human behavior, but I was cognizant enough to know a lie when I heard one. Adam’s throaty “hmm” told me he thought that answer was bullshit, too.

Adam pulled the target down and nudged me privately. His apprehension was palpable. He made a point of looking at his watch. “Shit, it’s getting late. We need to get going. We’ll come back again when we have more time. Load this empty mag; I’ll do the other one.”

While we worked, I leaned closer to him, taking another bullet out of the box. I knew we had plenty of time to goof around, so I gathered his outward comment wasn’t really meant for me. “You’re going to explain this to me later?” I whispered.

His expression was impassive though his eyes never stopped scanning. “Yep.”

I didn’t question him further. I finished up and put my coat on.

“Leaving already?” Sidel asked, forming his question with a big brush of underhanded sarcasm.

Okay, I was really starting to dislike this guy.

Adam didn’t buy into the baiting. He even smiled at the ass. “Got other things to do before shift tonight.”