Slade (The Protectors #6)(9)
Chapter 3
Slade could feel Jill’s anxiety radiate into his body as they hit the road. What he witnessed didn’t surprise him. He’d seen it before. Families torn apart from fear of the unknown, fear of a loved one who had been turned. Though, he felt Jill’s mother was taking it to extremes. He felt bad for her dad who was caught in the middle of his love for his daughter and wife, not a good place for a man to be, especially as his health had suffered for it. Slade knew better than to show any pity toward Jill. She would, without a doubt, throw the pity back in his face, which set her apart from most women he’d known. She wasn’t dependent on anyone, yet he knew she desperately wanted to be loved and cared for. He also knew she would cut out her tongue before saying so.
Glancing down at his watch, he knew they were late. Duncan had rented out the large shooting range a few blocks down from the compound. They didn’t have much time to get the half-breeds trained, so it was pretty much around-the-clock work and training, which didn’t bother him at all. He needed to stay busy, busy keeping his mind and hands off the woman whose hot little body fit perfectly around him as she sat on the back of his bike.
Parking next to Adam’s car, Slade turned off the bike, waiting for Jill to hop off first. Sliding off in one fluid motion, Slade turned, only to see Jill already heading toward the building. Her spine straight, head tilted in her own arrogant way. Cursing himself for being ready to ask her if she was okay, Slade followed her, keeping his eyes up and not on the sexy sway of her hips, a natural sway not intended to attract male attention, and that turned him on more than anything. She had no clue how much her innocent sex appeal attracted him and that made her even more dangerous.
“Fuck!” Slade mumbled loud enough for her to stop and look back at him. At her questioning stare, he shook his head, motioning with his hand for her to continue. Once she turned, he adjusted his jeans; his dick didn’t get the memo from his brain about not being interested. He stood outside the closed door Jill had walked through and cursed. Feeling more in control after a deep breath, Slade grabbed the door handle, swinging the door open so hard the top door hinge broke away from the frame. “Son of a bitch!”
“Having a little trouble?” Jax walked around the corner, eyeing the door without stopping.
Slade cursed again, wedging the door so it stayed upright. “If you only knew,” Slade mumbled, not really caring if Jax heard him or not.
“You’re late.” Jax pushed open a door to one of the rooms with ten shooting lanes.
Walking in behind Jax, Slade kept his mouth shut. He took in everyone, finding Jill standing back with her arms crossed, her stare blank. He knew she was reliving what happened with her family.
“I said you’re late.” Jax stood in his line of vision. “If we are going to get these guys ready, you need to get your ass and that sweet little ass of our only female—”
Slade took one step in Jax’s personal space; his eye narrowed. “I know my f*cking job.” Slade stood slightly taller than Jax, but Jax didn’t step back; instead, they leaned in toward each other.
“Then get your head straight and start doing it,” Jax warned before turning away.
Fists clenching tightly, Slade wanted nothing more than to knock Jax through the wall, but glancing at everyone looking at them, he knew his need at the moment wasn’t the issue. These guys were counting on him. Jax was right. He needed to get his shit straight; something he usually prided himself on. His shit was always straight.
Everyone had picked a gun except Jill, who still stood back. Before Slade could make it to her, Jax stepped in.
“Get your ass in gear, Jill.” Jax picked up a small gun with a pink handle. “I got this just for you.”
“Awww…how cute is that,” Steve snickered, holding his gun, attempting to look like a badass.
Jill ignored the gun Jax held out, grabbing a different one. “I prefer the GLOCK-21 because of its accuracy and stopping power, which would probably even put a full-blooded vamp on his ass.” Jill snapped the already loaded clip into the gun, grabbed a target, and then headed to the lane ignoring the open mouths gaping after her.
Slade’s grin spread as he watched the scene. Not many people could put Jax in his place, but Jill just did and he f*cking loved it.
“What the hell you smiling at?” Jax walked up, grabbing a pair of earmuffs and safety glasses. Without waiting for Slade to answer, Jax turned away and headed toward Jill. “Here! Don’t shoot that gun until you have these on.”
After setting her target, she put the safety glasses on and placed the earmuffs around her neck waiting for instructions, as did Steve and Adam.
Stepping away from the table he had been leaning on, Slade looked at each of them. “Set your targets at a comfortable level. We aren’t looking for distance shooting yet. We just want to see how accurate you are with a firearm.” He nodded toward the lanes. “As soon as you unload the clip, bring in your target.”
Jax and Slade watched closely to see how comfortable they were. Soon the sounds of firing filled the room. Slade’s eyes kept returning to Jill, who looked the most comfortable in her stance and hold. He stepped sideways to get a full visual and realized how attractive he found a woman who was comfortable with a firearm. Feeling Jax staring at him, he turned his attention back to Steve and Adam.
“Looks like she’s shot before,” Jax commented, nodding toward Jill.