Page 10 of Maverick
“Larry, when’s the last time you took an inventory of your complete stash?”
“Inventory? You trying to take more from me? I only agreed to one.”
I held up my hands. “No, sir, you know we’re all about the second amendment here.” I winked at Kat. “I meant for insurance purposes and whatnot. It’s good to have a list of each gun you own and the serial numbers, that way if someone steals one, you can file a claim and get your insurance money. Or report it stolen and not have to worry if it’s found at a murder scene.”
Kat made a grab for her necklace. I’d never been attracted to a pearl clutcher before, but I was starting to see the appeal. Especially if she had nothing but pearls on, and I was the one who got to clutch them. I blinked back the image of Kat on all fours and turned to Larry. “I got some new pieces this morning, wanna try them out?”
Larry rubbed his hands together and his eyes lit up. “Oh yeah? Fresh from the box?”
“You know it!”
He turned to Kat, his eyes electric. “Come on, Katie girl. You’re going to love this.”
“That’s debatable, but sure.”
I let Larry take the lead. He knew the place well enough. I fell in step with Kat as we followed. “How is it that your dad acts like he fell straight from the wild west, but you’re skittish around guns?”
Kat snorted. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept with one under his pillow.”
She thought she was joking, but most of the men I knew slept with their favorite gun. I placed my hand on the small of her back and guided her through the door to the range.
“Thanks.” She smiled, meeting my eyes briefly before looking down. Yeah, I bet she didn’t get many doors held open for her in the city. “My mom hated guns. Her uncle was killed in an accidental shooting when she was young, so she couldn’t handle being around them.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. She refused to allow any guns in the house. Probably why their marriage didn’t work out. I guess she passed that fear on to me.”
I nodded. “Makes sense, but you know, the best way to conquer a fear is to meet it head on.”
The shooting range consisted of several firing lanes. I taught gun safety courses here on occasion, but mainly it was to allow people to test out the guns before buying them. When it was slow, sometimes the staff and I would compete.
Larry put on a pair of earmuffs and grinned. “What you got for me, big guy?”
I laughed and pulled out a brand new Sig Sauer P356. It was lightweight and small. Larry would hate it. He’d shoot it, but there was no danger of him wanting to take it home. And that would keep him preoccupied while I talked to Kat. I placed a pair of electronic muffs over her ears, letting my fingers trail down her neck. Her breath hitched. Yeah, she was feeling this, too.
With these muffs, we could hear each other speak but the louder noises would be muffled. “The reality is, you are living in a house with guns. You need to know how to handle them.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”
“Kitty Kat.” My voice lowered as I looked into her eyes, “I’m not letting you back into that house without some basic safety instructions. That gun I found in the bathroom was loaded with the safety off.”
“That sounds… bad?”
“A gun should never be left like that. Imagine if Noodle had gone in there chasing her tail. She could have knocked that gun on the ground and then stepped on the trigger. She wouldn’t be the first dog to shoot her owner.”
Her eyes widened. “Jesus.”
“But I’m going to show you how to release the chamber and remove the bullets.” I placed my hand on her shoulder, rubbing her softly with my thumb.
She swallowed hard and nodded once. “Okay. You’re right. I need to learn.”
I smiled, pride welling inside for this woman I hardly knew, but desperately wanted to. “And while we’re here, you can take a few shots at the target. Just to get a feel.” I squeezed her shoulder and stepped back to grab something for her to shoot.
“Oh, I don’t know about that part.” She jumped and turned her head as Larry fired three quick shots. She let out a long breath and turned back to me. “I don’t think—“
Larry fired another two shots. Kat stilled but didn’t jump. Progress.
“Woo hoo, Katie girl! I got one right in the chest.”
