How does he know I’m not Celeste? Did his father tell him? His sheer arrogance makes me abandon my pretense. I pull my face from his hold and drill him with a hard stare. “Are you that delusional to think I’ve carried a torch for you all this time? You ruined my life and destroyed my self-worth. I despise the sight of you.”
“Really?” He tightens his grip on my arm, the angry slant of his mouth curving into a knowing smile as he moves closer. “That’s not how you acted at the club. That wasn’t you despising me, Cass. I know different. To be clear…you were just a stand-in for me, and that’s all you’ll ever be.”
He really isn’t hearing me. “And you’re just a selfish, molesting prick. And that’s all you’ll ever be.”
Jake snorts and shakes his head. “Ben is so clueless. I don’t know why Gregory and Dad are asking you to continue masquerading as her. She’s never coming back.”
As pissed as I am right now, his comment stops my racing heart. Does he know something about Celeste? “How do you know that?”
“Because she always belonged to me.” His tone turns sharp once more and he squeezes my arm painfully. “You need to stop this bullshit.”
“What is wrong with you?” Beth says as she approaches. Yanking Jake’s hand off my arm, she looks at him like he’s lost his mind, then glances at me, concern in her gaze. “Are you okay?”
I nod and rub my arm as she cuts an angry gaze his way. “Get over losing to your brother. If I see you treating my sister disrespectfully again, you’ll be banned from our house permanently.”
Jake opens his mouth to say something, then shakes his head and mumbles, “Sorry,” and walks away.
The second he turns into the dining room, Beth exhales and shakes her head. “I guess he’s taking losing Celeste to his brother a lot harder than anyone thought. Speaking of which, Calder and Ben are in the foyer having a tense conversation as to whether or not you should go to the shooting range.”
The need to claw at my wrists is worming its way through me. I blink to focus on what she just said. “Ben and Calder? Ugh.”
Beth nods, her curled hair bouncing against her light blue sweater. “I think you should go. Jake needs to cool off. I’ll cover for you with my father and fill you in on your duties for the night when you get back.”
Nodding my appreciation, I leave the hallway and head straight for the foyer.
Calder and Ben are facing off, nearly nose to nose. Ben is clearly annoyed. “You don’t dictate her itinerary. The appointment is set. I’ve arranged everything.”
Calder folds his arms, an unruffled look on his face. “Today, I do. She’s not going. Cancel it.”
Feeling like I might explode, I stalk right past both of them and fling open the door, calling behind me, “Let’s go, Ben. Today is a great day to learn to shoot.”
Ben steps outside, gesturing to my jeans and lightweight sweater as I head toward his Audi sitting in the drive. “The snow might be gone, but it’s freezing. Don’t you want to grab a coat?”
“Do you have an extra in your car?”
He flashes a wide smile and steps forward to open the car’s door for me. “I have one in the backseat.”
Nodding, I lean on the door and turn to see Calder standing on the other side, his jaw muscle tense. “We’ll wait for you, so you can follow us there.” I pull my cell phone out to show him I have it with me, then let Ben close the door behind me.
“You ah, seem to be in a mood,” Ben says once he pulls onto the Parkway to head into the city.
“Do I?” I say, thrumming my fingers on my phone.
Calder: You’d better fucking have underwear on under those jeans.
I glance in the side mirror and see Calder’s black Dodge Charger right behind us.
Me: Stop texting while driving.
Calder: Voice text. Answer the question.
I’m wearing my new underwear, but I shut my phone off. In the mood I’m in…I’ll be tempted to antagonize him and that won’t be good for anyone.
Ben looks at me, a half smile tilting his lips. “Want to talk about it?”
I rub my sore arm and shake my head. “Not really.”
His dark eyebrow hikes. “You’d rather just shoot at a target instead?”
I nod, hoping shooting will release the tension. “Pretty much.”
“Never say I don’t provide the best entertainment,” he says, chuckling.
The rest of the way there, I stay lost in my own thoughts. I never once thought Jake could hurt Celeste, but based on what he said earlier…I’m beginning to wonder. He seemed pretty certain she wasn’t coming back. One thing is for sure; he was furious over Ben and Celeste’s engagement. Even though he apologized to his brother later…did he do that because he’d already taken his anger out on Celeste? I still believe that Phillip is the baby’s father and could have his own motive for hurting Celeste if she planned to abort his baby. But it’s possible that Jake had something to do with her disappearance instead of Phillip. As far as I’m concerned, both men should be investigated.
What I don’t get is why Jake didn’t correct Beth for calling me her sister and defending me. If his father told him I wasn’t Celeste, he would’ve also told Jake that Beth knows the truth too. Jake obviously knows I’m standing in until she returns, so the fact he let Beth rail at him like I really am Celeste bothers me. It doesn’t make any sense. Ben is obviously still in the dark. Poor Ben. I glance his way, feeling the beginnings of guilt creep into my chest. He doesn’t deserve this deception. Should I tell him? I bite my lip in indecision, unsure what to do.
When Ben pulls into the parking lot, I shove my conflicting thoughts to the back of my mind and eye the building. It’s not as big as I expected it to be. “What’s this place like on the inside? Is there plenty of room?”
“The target area obviously has depth, but there’s not much room in the shooting area. Only a handful of people can shoot at a time. I had to get special permission to be able to instruct you, but since I’ve taught classes there in the past, they allowed it. They let me store my practice guns there, so we’ll use those.”
“Sounds good.” Turning my phone on, I send Calder a message.
Me: Stay outside. You won’t be allowed back there with me anyway.
Calder: Not a good plan.
Me: I’ll be fine.
Before he can argue, I step out of the car.
Ben comes around the backside of his car and holds his fleece jacket out for me. “Some people feel it’s a little bit chilly in there, so you’ll want to put this on.”
Calder approaches as Ben hooks the zipper on his coat and zips it all the way to my neck. “This will keep the hot brass from flying into your cleavage.” When my eyes widen, he smiles and touches my chin. “Trust me. Keep this zipped. I’ve seen it happen.”
“I’ll escort you in.” Calder’s tone is clipped. I don’t have to look his way to know he’s ticked.
Once the older man at the front desk checks Ben and me in, he holds his hand up when Calder tries to follow us toward the door. “Sorry, young man, but you’ll have to wait here or outside. Only those with appointments are allowed in.”
“Then make me an appointment,” Calder counters, frowning.
The man shakes his silver head and points to the register book on the desk. “Sorry, but we’re all booked up for the hour. And as you can see there’s a group coming in right behind this one. You’ll just have to do as I said and wait here.”
Calder cuts an accusing gaze to Ben, beyond displeased. “We’ll be out in an hour,” I say to relieve the tension in the room. Once Ben passes through the door, I glance back at Calder and respond to his fierce look. “Yes, for Pete’s sake.”
Ben opens a locked cage and pulls out a gun case, then sets a rifle and a semi-automatic handgun on the counter. “Pick your weapon, then I’ll go over the safety aspects with you.”
When I choose the twenty-two rifle, his eyebrow hikes. “Okay then, Annie,” he says, chuckl
ing. “Let’s go over where the safety is and how to load the weapon.”
After a fifteen-minute tutorial on all the safety aspects I should know about handling a rifle, Ben disappears, then returns from the main office. “Turn around for a sec.”
I do as he asks and jump when he grasps my hair and pulls it away from my face in a ponytail. “What are you doing?” I ask, feeling the pull of a rubber band being wound around my hair.
“You can’t wear your hair down around guns.” He finishes up the ponytail and leans close, squeezing my shoulders. “There’s too much chance it’ll get caught on something.”
Just as I turn my head to thank him for bringing me, he presses his lips to my cheek. “You’re welcome. And now you can go let off some steam.” Handing me a pair of safety glasses, earplugs and sound-suppressing earmuffs, Ben puts on his own safety gear, then carries both guns as he takes me into the target range area.
I’m instantly appreciative of the ear protection the moment we walk in. Several people are shooting and the sound would be deafening without it.
Setting his handgun down on the small shelf space next to mine, Ben stands behind me and shows me how to hold the weapon. “Put the butt of the rifle here against your shoulder and bend slightly like this so you can line your sights up with the target. Be prepared for the kickback as you shoot.”
Once he hooks up a paper target and winds it two-thirds the length of the shooting area, he lightly lays his hand on the back of the shoulder that I have the gun resting against. “Now pull the trigger and see what you think.”
I lift the rifle and rest my cheek against it, lining the sights up like he told me to. Taking a breath, I pull the trigger. The kickback is surprising and I’m glad for his hand supporting my shoulder.
“Now pull the bolt to release the casing, then put it back to load the next bullet.”
The hot casing flies out and pings on the shelf in front of me as I reload. After a couple more shots, I get used to the kickback.
Nodding his approval, Ben releases his hold on my shoulder and points to the bulls-eye target. “Not bad for your first few tries. The goal is to get your shots within a four-inch grouping. If it helps, try to picture whatever is frustrating you and blow holes right through it.”
This time I lean into the shot and really focus on the target. I don’t feel an ounce of guilt that I’m picturing Jake’s face dead center on the paper as I let loose and fire at will.
Ben grins and moves over to his station. I pause to watch him lift his gun and shoot. His movements are smooth and confident as he pops off eight rounds in a tight grouping on the target in the farthest position possible in the shooting area.
I smile and give him a thumbs up, appreciating his point-blank accuracy, then we both spend the next half hour unloading rounds into different targets.
When we’ve used all our ammo, I realize that my wrists don’t itch and the raging tension inside me is gone. I smile at Ben as we put our gear away. “That was a blast. Seriously, thank you for bringing me.”
He grins and hoops his arm around my neck as we head out of the room, but we stop short when a group of seven guys walk in with all their gun cases. Swiveling me around, he says, “That’ll be crowded for a bit. Let’s leave the back way and swing around.”
I nod my agreement and follow him out the back exit. As we step outside, my stomach growls loudly, practically echoing in the quiet alley. My face heats.
Releasing me, Ben glances down at my belly, then meets my gaze, amused. “Are you hungry?”
I give a wry smile. “I skipped breakfast since you came early.”
“Now I feel bad,” he says, then his eyes light up. “Ah, there’s an awesome coffee and hot chocolate stand just a couple blocks from here. They have the best scones I’ve ever had.”
Clasping my hand, he tugs me along. “Come on. We can walk from here.”
I pull back, suddenly aware we’ll be leaving Calder behind. “Let’s drive there.”
He shakes his head and drags me forward, turning down a connected alleyway behind another building. “Vi’s Café stand is a couple blocks away if we cut through an alley or two. On the road it’s five blocks. It’ll be nice to have some alone time for a bit. Don’t worry. We’ll be back before they miss us.”
As we pass a couple homeless people who’ve pulled old newspapers up to cover themselves from the cold, I think about my promise to Calder that I wouldn’t go anywhere without him. We turn the corner and the sound of a glass bottle rolling in the alley behind us makes me jump, glancing back. When Ben’s hand tightens on mine and he tugs me closer, my heart begins to race.
I don’t think Ben would lead me away from protection with the intent to hurt me, but I can’t say the same about others. The sound of crunching gravel around the corner has me pulling my cell phone from my back pocket and surreptitiously typing Calder a message that we went to get scones at Vi’s Café stand. Hitting send, I slide the phone back into my pocket.
I’m ready for a coffee the moment we reach the stand. Ben hands me a steaming cup and then a huge blueberry scone. “Try it. You’ll never eat scones anywhere else.”
While we stand off to the side and use the shelter of the roof to block the cool wind, I scarf down my scone in record time.
Ben laughs and hands me his. “Are you still hungry?”
I hold my coffee cup with two hands to warm them and take a quick sip before shaking my head. “No, but you were right. It was the best scone I’ve ever had, and that’s not just the hunger talking.”
The wind ruffles his short dark hair and his eyes light with amusement. “Told you,” he says after he finishes off his scone. “So, do you think you’d like to go back to the shooting range again, maybe later this week? Next time you can learn to shoot a handgun if you want.”
I hesitate. It feels wrong to make future plans with him, because it’ll be based on my preferences, not Celeste’s. “Why don’t we wait until later in the week to make an appointment?”
His expectant expression falters, but he quickly nods to hide his disappointment just as his phone rings. “Sure, we can do that. Sorry, I need to answer this,” he says and pulls his phone out of his coat pocket.
Now I feel bad. He’s trying to forge a connection and find a common ground with Celeste. I put my hand over his before he can answer his phone. “I really enjoyed it, Ben. Honest.”
He smiles and his brown eyes warm as he lifts the cell to his ear. “Hello?”
Glancing at me, his smile broadens. “That’s fantastic! Thank you so much for your help with the funding. I believe this pilot program can do a world of good for the vets.” He pauses and nods. “Yes, the hospital approved space yesterday.”
While Ben discusses a few more things with the person about the outreach program, the tiny hairs on my neck rise. I quickly glance around the busy street to see if anyone is staring at us, but everyone continues to bustle past, oblivious to others around them.
Ben hangs up, his eyes dancing with excitement as he clasps my shoulders. “I’ve been working on getting this program approved for eighteen months. I can’t believe it’s finally coming together.”
I smile. “That’s wonderful, Ben.”
He yanks me into a tight hug and spins me in a circle. “You have no idea. There were times when I thought it was going to fall through.”
I laugh at his exuberance and hug him back “Congratulations on the success.”
“This is such great news.” Setting me down, he quickly cups my cheek and presses his mouth to mine.
I’m so shocked by his unexpected kiss, I freeze, unsure how to react. Calder’s tight voice right behind us jars me into action, and I pull back. “Miss Carver, you’re being summoned home. Let’s go.”
Ben clasps my hand and turns to face Calder. “I’ll take her.”
Calder slides his phone into the pocket of his leather jacket as he tilts his chin toward his car pulled up to the curb. “Mr. Carver’s instructions were q
uite clear. He wants his daughter home immediately. No delays.”
My nerves are hopping inside me like jumping beans. I release Ben’s hand. “It’s okay, Ben. I should go.” Shrugging out of his jacket, I hand it to him. “Thank you for taking me shooting and for the best scone.”
As I step toward the Charger, Ben follows, tucking his jacket over his arm. “I really wish I hadn’t agreed to take my friend’s shift.”
“You’ll be missed tonight.” I get in the car and push the button to roll down the window. “Now go save some lives.”
Just as Ben reaches for my hand, Calder presses on the gas and pulls away from the curb.
“Calder! You could of taken the guy’s hand off.”
“That’s the least of what I could’ve taken off,” he snaps without glancing my way.
I close my eyes and exhale. While I wait for him to speak, my head starts to throb. I blame tension and lack of sleep, but when Calder doesn’t say another word the entire time, I finally break the silence as he takes the exit. “What does Gregory want?”
“Nothing.”
I gape at him. “You lied?”
He continues to stare straight ahead as he turns a corner and pulls up to the Carver estate gates. “It was either that or deck the prick.”
“That wasn’t what it looked like, Calder,” I mutter.
“What does not kissing him look like?” he growls, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as we start up the long driveway toward the house.
I tense at his accusing tone. “He kissed me. You just happened to pull up at the worst possible time.”
The car slams to a halt, furious green eyes snapping to me. “Because there would’ve been a better time to see him put his fucking tongue down your throat?”
“I didn’t kiss him back,” I say before I open the door and get out. Slamming it shut, I start walking. He’s angry. I get it. I wasn’t happy that he met with Alana early this morning, but the difference is they have a history, one that she appears to want to rekindle. I have no history with Ben, nor do I plan on it. Big difference.
Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) Page 14
