Whiskey: A Reed Security Romance (Reed Security Series Book 7)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

“This is gonna be so great.” I could hear the grin in Sinner’s voice and I prayed that he didn’t kill anyone. Well, anyone other than our enemies.

  “Hurry the fuck up. They’re almost on us.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it. There are so many buttons. I just have to figure out what to press.”

  “Do you have the controller?”

  “Yeah, I’m just trying to figure out how to work it.”

  “Jesus Christ.”

  The trucks were converging on both sides of us and we only had seconds before they would be trying to kill us.

  “Hurry up, Sinner!”

  “I’m working on it. Don’t rush me.”

  The first truck rammed into the front of our truck, sending us swerving off to the side of the road. Luckily, it had been more of a clip than a direct hit. I pushed the gas pedal down and tore down the road. I couldn’t see what was happening behind us. My phone rang and I put it on speaker.

  “I thought you guys had a fucking plan,” Knight shouted through the phone.

  “We’re working on it,” I shouted.

  “Aww, fuck. You’re letting Sinner do it?”

  “Hey! I take offense to that,” Sinner said as he pressed more buttons. The trucks were pulling up alongside all of us, trying to run us off the side of the road. The truck to my left rammed into us, sending Sinner flying in the backseat.

  “Would you hurry the fuck up?” I yelled.

  “Got it.”

  I heard the machine gun start to rat tat tat above us and then Knight yelling through the phone. “What the fuck? Why are you shooting at us?”

  “Oopsie,” Sinner muttered.

  “Oopsie?” Knight said furiously. “You’re supposed to be shooting at the bad guys!”

  “I’ll get the hang of it.”

  “Yeah, well do that before we all end up dead.” Knight ended the call and Sinner cursed behind me.

  “Cap, up ahead at that intersection, pull onto the side road and park it so I can hit ‘em as they drive by.”

  “You won’t get all of them,” I said.

  “I’ll get most of them.”

  I grumbled to myself as I sped past the trucks beside us and prepared to take the side road. “I really hope this fucking works. Otherwise, we’re all gonna be fucking dead.”

  “You have no faith in me,” Sinner said with a smile in his voice.

  I called Knight behind us and quickly relayed the plan, hoping they would all break in time to let the vehicles fly right by.

  I yanked the wheel, turning down the side road as the tires spun on the gravel and threw the truck in park. Sinner was already firing, taking out the trucks as they flew past. I watched as all five trucks drove off the road and into the ditch. The motorcycles had pulled back at the sound of gunfire and our guys were sitting back a few feet from the intersection. The guys on the motorcycles gunned the engines to get out of there.

  “Sinner, we’ve got a few runaways.”

  “On it, Cap. Let’s see how the targeting system works.”

  I turned around and watched as he played with the screen, locating the targets he wanted and then he pressed a button. There was rapid fire for all of five seconds and the guys on the motorcycle fell to the ground.

  “Fuck yeah!” Sinner shouted.

  “You both okay?” I asked the girls as I turned around to look in back. They both nodded, but were quiet. I threw the truck in gear and took off, not wanting to stick around and see if more guys showed up. We had to get to the safe house and make a plan.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Alison

  CHRIS BROUGHT US out to a building on the back of the property. Opening the door, I could clearly see that they used this as a gun range. Chris was going to teach us to shoot and I was a little nervous. As much as I knew that Chris would teach Axel everything he needed to know, I couldn’t help the anxiety that came with him learning something that would bring him that much closer to Slasher’s world.

  “Relax,” Chris whispered as we stood in front of the arsenal of weapons. “I’m going to teach him everything about properly using a gun and when not to use one. He needs to know.”

  “I know,” I said, swallowing hard. “I just don’t like the idea of him holding a gun.”

  “It’s better that I teach him. We’re about to go to war with the Blood Devils. I need to know that you’re both prepared to defend yourselves if something goes wrong.”

  I knew he was right and nodded my agreement.

  “Alright, for starting out, I’ll have you both use a Glock 19.” He went through the different parts of the gun, letting us know the basics. “This is the magazine.” He pointed to the bottom of the gun. “This is where you load the magazine. Then you have the front and back sights and the slide. This is your trigger, which also has the safety. Now, there is no hammer on this gun. It’s built on the inside and I’ll show you how that all works.”

  When he handed me the gun, I took it gingerly in my hands, not really wanting to use it. I let my hand adjust to the weight of it and felt the grip of it. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. He handed me the magazine and I loaded the gun, surprised that I was able to do it with ease.

  “Rack the slide.”

  I did like he showed me. That part was a little more difficult. I looked over and saw that Axel was picking up on this a lot faster than I was. He looked almost natural holding a weapon.

  “Now, when you stand, you want one foot to be slightly in front of the other and stand shoulder width apart.” I did as he said and shuddered when his foot slid between my legs and adjusted the width of my stance. “Good. Now, raise your arms out in front of you and lock your elbows. Shoulders back and lean forward slightly.”

  His arms wrapped around me and he adjusted my arms and pressed down on my shoulders, trying to loosen the tension. “That’s good,” he whispered in my ear. My eyes slid closed as I felt his breath caress my neck. I felt my body come alive when he was near me. It was different than when we were kids. Back then, we had just been crazy in love and letting our hormones run free. Now, his strength and commanding presence washed over me and left me feeling a need deep inside. This wasn’t just hormones or lust. This was my body feeling a pull to his and knowing that I was his and always would be. No matter what happened when this was over, there was only one man that would ever make me feel the way he did. I had missed the feel of him pressed against my back all these years. I had missed the deep rumble of his voice that sent shivers down my spine.

  “Ali.” I turned around to see Chris gazing at me in question. I cleared my throat and tried not to let him see how much he affected me. Now wasn’t the time for us to figure out where we went from here, if he wanted us to go anywhere at all.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

  A sexy smirk curled his lips. “Yeah, I remember that look,” he whispered in my ear. “Not in front of the kid, though.”

  I flushed bright red and cleared my throat, glancing over at Axel, who was concentrating on his stance and how to hold his weapon. He walked over to Axel and adjusted his stance and how he was holding his weapon and then took a step back, nodding as he looked at both of us.

  “Alright, next is sighting your target. You always look at your target first and then follow the line of sight through the front sight on the gun and then the back sight. It’s more natural and faster, so don’t try and do it in reverse. Now, you see that smaller trigger in front of the main one?”

  I glanced at the gun and saw what he was talking about. “Yeah.”

  “That’s your safety. Then, you pull it back about three quarters of the way and the hammer will engage. You’ll hear a small click. If you pull it back all the way, you’ll fire a shot. Never put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot someone. A loud noise or just someone stepping into your line of sight can scare you into pulling the trigger unintentionally.”

  He positioned my finger on the side of the gun and then did th
e same to Axel. “This is where you keep your finger until you’re sure you’re going to fire your weapon.”

  I nodded and looked back at the target. “So, I just pull?”

  “Line up the sight and make sure your body is steady. The gun will kick back, so you need to be prepared for it to jolt your body. Here, bend your knee slightly. It’ll help you keep your balance.”

  I looked down, not sure which knee he was talking about until he bent down and ran his hand along my jeans and bent my knee ever so slightly. He did the same with Axel and adjusted our stance once more before nodding.

  “Next is breathing. You can’t fire a gun properly if you’re breathing chaotically. Since neither of you have been trained to fire a gun, it won’t be natural for you to hold a gun on someone. You’ll be nervous and your chest is going to be heaving from fear and adrenaline. It’ll completely mess up your sight. The key is, you have to control your breathing as best you can before you shoot. Some people exhale and then pause while they fire. Others, inhale and then fire. You can also let out one long, controlled breath and then fire.”

  “What do you do?” Axel asked.

  “If I’m in a controlled environment, I can slow my breathing and keep it even while firing. But if I’m in an intense situation, I like to exhale completely before firing. It’s all in what you get comfortable with and what makes shooting most accurate for you. It takes practice.”

  I fired my first shot, completely missing the target and Chris came over to adjust my grip and my stance. It took several tries, but I finally hit the target, well, a part of the target. Axel was doing much better than I was. He hit the target on his first try and continued to get closer to the center with every shot. He seemed to be a natural.

  “Here, let me see if I can help you,” Chris said as he walked up behind me. His chest brushed against my back and his arms wrapped around mine. His hands lightly held mine around the gun. “Do you feel that?”

  I was breathing raggedly. I could definitely feel that. There was an electric current that flowed from him through me. It was the same as it had been when we were younger. There was always a pull between us. Years of not being together hadn’t changed a thing. “What?” I asked breathily, sure that he wasn’t talking about that.

  “You’re tense. Your muscles are so tight that it’s affecting your shot. You want to hold steady, but your body needs to be more relaxed. Close your eyes.” I let my eyes slide closed and let the feel of him wash over me. His hand moved slowly up my arm and across my shoulder. “Let your body relax. Think of something that calms you.” I immediately thought of his arms around me and stumbled back a step into him, feeling his erection pressing into me. “That thought won’t calm either of us,” he whispered.

  I blew out a breath and tried to think of something that relaxed me. There was one memory in particular that I had. It was of Chris and I before our lives had gone to hell. We were sitting out under the stars, dreaming of what life would be like when we moved out into the real world and escaped the life we were living. I had been lying between Chris’s legs and my head was resting against his chest. His slow breaths and the steady beat of his heart had lulled me into a sleepy state. It was a memory that stuck with me all these years.

  I opened my eyes and lined up my target, still hearing the steady beat of Chris’s heart against my ear, and fired. The bullet tore through the target, almost dead center. My mouth dropped open in shock and I stared at it in awe, barely hearing Axel next to me, cheering me on. I had done it.

  Chris bent down and placed a soft kiss to the corner of my lips. “That’s my girl,” he whispered and I melted right there. He stepped away and went to help Axel for a little longer while I continued to practice. I felt stronger each time I hit the target. Chris couldn’t change what had happened the last seventeen years, but he was certainly trying to make up for it now, giving me strength the only way he knew how.

  Knowing now that Adam had taught me self-defense and Chris was teaching me to use a gun, I was more confident in my abilities to protect us. I hadn’t felt this strength in so long. It was coming from within me, but also through Chris’s eternal love for me.

  When I was tired of shooting, I unloaded the gun and set it down where Chris had gotten it from and sat back watching him teach Axel. I wished that I had been able to get away sooner. It had been so hard when Axel was younger. He wasn’t able to do a lot for himself and it made for a more difficult escape. After my first two attempts to escape, I decided to wait until Axel was older. Slasher had started threatening Axel’s life and I just couldn’t risk it. But as Axel grew older and Slasher started taking his rage out on both of us, I knew I didn’t have long before our only choice was to escape or die.

  “Hey,” Chris said, walking over to me and taking a seat. “What’s on your mind?”

  Axel was still practicing and he looked good. “He’s gonna be good.”

  “Yeah, the kid’s a natural. That’s not what you were thinking though. You had a far off look, like you had some bad memories floating around in there,” he said, tapping my head.

  “I was just thinking about how long it took us to get away. I wish it could have been sooner. I wish that Axel didn’t miss out on so much time with you.” I looked into Chris’s eyes and smiled. “You would have been a great father to him.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Chris. Life happens. I hate that my life went the way it did and I really hate that Axel grew up in that environment, but I don’t blame you. I’m glad that you never joined the Blood Devils. I never wanted that life for you. And Axel and I survived. We got out just in time.”

  “Ali, I have you back now and I’m never letting either of you go. I never should have walked away all those years ago and I’m certainly not going to now. I still love you. I never stopped.”

  My heart leapt in my chest at his words. Was it really possible that he still wanted me? Even after he knew everything that I had been through? I wouldn’t blame if he walked away from me. I was dirty, damaged. He was this great guy that had achieved so much. In my own right, I had overcome a lot, but the way I had been living…I just couldn’t imagine him still wanting me.

  “I want all those things we dreamed about when we were kids. I want you beside me every night and I want to put that ring on your finger that I promised you all those years ago.”

  Tears filled my eyes at his words and I had to look down so he wouldn’t see how heartbroken I was. There was so much he didn’t know yet. “Chris, Slasher is my husband.” His face turned lethal and his nostrils flared. I could barely see his dark eyes under his cowboy hat, but I knew they held the promise of murder. “I didn’t want to, but it was the only way to keep Axel safe.”

  “Well, you won’t have to worry about that much longer,” he said angrily.

  “Chris, there’s no way that Slasher will give me a divorce. He would rather see me dead first.”

  “You’re not getting a divorce. I’m gonna kill him and every other Blood Devil so you never have to worry again.”

  “That’s a nice sentiment, but-”

  “It’s not a fucking sentiment,” he barked. “I’m highly trained and so are the men I work with. There’s no fucking way that any of them will ever see the light of day by the time I’m through with them. That asshole took what was mine, took years from us and I won’t let him get away with that.”

  I bit my lip, not sure if I wanted to say the rest. Seeing how he reacted to the marriage, I was sure this would make him explode. “If you really feel that way, then there’s something else that I have to do. I need to go to a clinic and get tested.”

  He dropped his head in his hands. Taking his cowboy hat off, he ran his fingers through his hair, tightening them around the silky strands. I could see how his forearms clenched every so often as he tried to control his anger, but he wouldn’t let me see his face. When he finally looked up at me, his face was controlled and calm. “We’ll take care o
f it as soon as this is all over.”

  “Thank you.”

  He wrapped his hand around the back of my head and pulled me in closer to him. “I’d do anything for you,” he whispered before he crushed his lips against mine. His tongue slipped inside, caressing mine and possessing me completely. His other hand slid to my cheek, his fingers running along my neck and eventually wrapping around my back, pulling me even tighter to him.

  “Um, not that I’m not happy for you two, but it’s kind of weird to see my parents making out.”

  I smiled against Chris’s lips as he let out a small chuckle.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Maggie

  I WOKE UP to the feeling of my arms being wrenched and nausea rolling through me. It took me a few deep breaths before I was finally able to pry my eyes open. Darkness surrounded me, but I was able to make out two other figures in the room with me. Squinting, I still couldn’t see, so I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from my eyes.

  “Hello?” I said hesitantly.

  “Maggie? It’s Kate.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked around the croak in my throat.

  “I’m okay. My wrists are a little sore, but I think I’m fine other than that.”

  “Who else is in the room with us?”

  “Vanessa. She hasn’t woken up yet.”

  I leaned my head back against the wall and tried to take stock of my body. I was still in a fog and I was having trouble concentrating on anything. My arms were behind my back, handcuffed, but the rest of me was able to move around. My head was pounding and I vaguely remembered being struck in the head as I was shoved in the car. Caitlin. Panic ripped through me. I didn’t know if she was safe. Had Sebastian gotten to her? I glanced around the room quickly, hoping I didn’t see her small frame tucked in a corner, but there were too many dark spots wherever we were.

  “Are we the only ones here?” I asked nervously.

  “Yeah. It’s just us.”

  “Caitlin isn’t here?”

  “No. I was awake when they brought us in. It’s just the three of us.”