“It’s a gun, Jewel.” His voice was quiet. “And, if it will make you feel better, it’s not a gift, it’s a loan, all right? I went to the gun shop at lunch the other day and filled out the paperwork. The waiting period was up today, so I bought it.”
Her throat closed up and she couldn’t speak.
“If you’re going to work in public, you need to protect yourself.”
She nodded, torn between wanting to run away and the opposing desire to turn into his arms and let him hold her.
Her wolf snarled.
“A gun,” she said. “An honest-to-goodness gun.”
“Yeah. Let me get it for you.” Moving slowly, carefully, he crossed the room to the metal box and clicked the latch. Inside, nestled in a bed of foam, was a shining silver pistol, with a wood handle.
The weapon looked both beautiful and deadly.
Drawn, despite herself, Jewel forced her feet to move. A loan, not a gift. Still, the wolf inside shifted restlessly. “What kind…” Clearing her throat, she tried again. “What kind is it?”
“Smith & Wesson revolver, .45 caliber.”
She couldn’t look away from the weapon. “I thought you preferred an automatic.”
He shook his head. “You said you didn’t want one. After thinking about it, I realized you were right. Personally, I’ve always preferred a good revolver. When you handle a gun like this, you know you’ve got something solid and deadly. Take it out, see how it feels in your hand,” Colton said. “It’s not loaded.”
“Good.” But she didn’t move.
“Go ahead, touch it.”
Tentatively, she stroked the cold metal. “Will you teach me to use it?”
“Of course.”
“Then what? I take some test, so I can be licensed to carry?”
“You have to complete the course.” He smiled. “Luckily for you, I’m certified to teach it.”
Her shock must have shown in her expression. He hadn’t mentioned this the last time they’d discussed her getting a license.
“I took the instructor course,” he told her. “It helped that I was a crack shot.”
“Once I get licensed, I can carry it with me all the time, right?”
“Yes. You’ll need to keep your concealed weapon permit with you, too.”
Only in Texas. For the first time, her smile felt real, instead of as if her face were cracking. “I’ll need to carry my own bullets. I won’t use them to practice, but I need to keep them with me.”
“Your own—?” Whatever he’d been about to say, he cut off. “Not the silver-bullet thing again.”
At her nod, he sighed. “I’ve never seen them, not at any gun store here or in Dallas. And finding them in the right caliber? You have to make sure they’ll fit.”
“I know.” She smiled glumly. “Luckily, I kept a box or two of .45 caliber bullets. That’s what I retrieved from my glove box. They appear to have survived the wreck. Those will work, right?”
“Right. But what happens when you run out?”
“I won’t. I only need to use them in special situations.” She prayed he wouldn’t ask.
Evidently, he’d learned his lesson. “But when you need more, what will you do? They won’t be easy to find.”
“They never are. The Internet can be helpful. I can have them custom made.” She shrugged, avoiding meeting his gaze.
“And people make them for you, without question?”
She nodded. “The ones that do know what they’re for.”
Crossing his arms, he studied her. Now he did ask. “And that would be?”
“They’re for special hunting.” Something must have flashed in her eyes, a darkness that turned his expression hard. Still, she couldn’t help that. Even if she could explain, he’d never understand.
“You know, a horrible thought just occurred to me. These silver bullets you have, you didn’t get those from your husband’s arsenal did you? They weren’t cop killers, were they?”
“Cop killers?” She frowned, not familiar with the term. “Yes and no, though I’m not sure what you mean. I got these from his stash, but I’m not familiar with the term cop killer.”
“Body armor–piercing bullets.”
When she shook her head again, he sighed. “What are you not telling me?”
Even to herself, her laugh sounded forced. Hollow. “Please. No more questions.”
“For now, I’ll let it go.” He took a step closer, but didn’t touch her. “You should know I’ll keep searching and digging, until I have answers.”
She stared. “Why?”
Now his smile matched her earlier laugh. Completely and utterly false. That smile hurt worse than any blow.
“Why? Because.” He shrugged. “Reporters are like that. I’m a reporter. Nothing personal. I just can’t help myself.”
Chapter 8
An hour later, Colton drove Jewel to self-defense class. Since she’d paid a month in advance, she didn’t have to worry about the bill. At least for now.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared when she and Colton walked in.
“Small town,” he muttered. “Keep your head up and don’t let it bother you.”
“Okay.” She swallowed. “You could leave now, you know.”
“No. I’m going to spar a bit, too,” he said, doing a much better job than she of pretending not to notice the attention they were getting.
At the end of the lobby, he glanced down at her. “See you later.”
Something in his expression made her catch her breath. She couldn’t reply, couldn’t speak. All she could do was nod and stare helplessly after him as he headed back toward the men’s dressing room.
From the other side of the room, a woman screeched. “Yoo-hoo! Jewel!”
Suddenly realizing she was standing in the gym entrance, Jewel raised her head. Reba. Making a beeline for her, the other woman looked intent.
“Come here, girl,” she cried, grabbing Jewel’s arm and practically dragging her toward the women’s room. “Spill all.”
“All what?”
“What on earth is going on with you?” The other woman’s eyes sparkled with interest.
Jewel pretended ignorance. Shaking her head, she sighed. “I’m surviving.”
“I’ll say. Since our phone conversation was so short, and then I had to take that other phone call, we didn’t get to finish talking. Tell me everything.”
“Everything? You already know everything. Have you heard any word from the owners of my rental cabin?”
“Not yet. They have more money than they know how to use.” Reba dismissed the entire incident with an unconcerned wave of her many-ringed hand. “And since you appear to have survived the car crash, I’m more interested in what’s happening with you and Colton. When I talked to you last, you were just staying there short term. Now I hear around town that you’ve moved in.”
Jewel sighed. Small towns never changed. East or west, north or south, they were all the same. She should have known she couldn’t get away with any secret for very long.
“Nothing’s going on.” Though she spoke truth, her denial sounded weak, even to her own ears.
“You’re living with him.” Reba stabbed a scarlet nail at Jewel’s shoulder.
Instinctively, she flinched. Marriage to a man like Leo did that to a woman. “I’m only staying with him until I figure out what to do.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Gripping her arm, Reba led her over to the two chairs in the ladies’ room sitting area. “I know better than that. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
Preferring to stand, Jewel searched the other woman’s heavily made-up face. “What do you mean?”
“Whenever he’s around, you go all dreamy-eyed. And he watches you like a hawk. Remember that story I told you?”
“About his wife and daughter? He mentioned that.”
Reba’s eyes went big. “He did, did he? Everyone says Colton Reynolds never talks about his past.”
Jewel shrugged, letting that one go. “He did to me. Anyway, he was kind enough to offer me a place to stay until I figure out what to do. I lost everything in the fire. He’s just helping me out.”
With an inelegant snort, Reba disputed that. “Right. But listen, there’s something more about Colton you need to know.”
“Stop.” Jewel held up her hand. “No gossip.”
“This isn’t gossip. It’s fact.” Reba leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. “The man’s dangerous.”
“Reba.” For the first time, Jewel let a hint of her savage other self show in her gaze. “Enough.”
Reba gasped and took a step backward. Then, recovering her equilibrium, she snagged hold of Jewel’s arm. “Are you sure you—?”
“I’m sure.” Jewel continued to stare until the Realtor dropped her hand.
“Fine. If you want me to drop it, I will. For now.”
“Good.” Jewel turned to go. The class would be starting soon.
Reba cleared her throat. “Let me say this much. As long as you aren’t involved with Colton, I don’t think you’re in danger.”
Danger. As if. The woman had no idea where Jewel had been. “I’m not involved with him.”
“Whatever you say. But I don’t believe you, you know.”
Jewel sighed. “It’s the truth.” She turned to go.
“Come on, Reba. The class will be starting soon.”
“I know, but I need to tell you about the fire. Since I rented the house to you, I needed to know what to tell the owners when I did reach them. I’ve talked to the fire department. Have they called you?”
“No.”
“The fire was definitely arson. Whoever started it used an accelerant, gasoline.”
“I was inside, sleeping.” Jewel shook her head. “If Colton hadn’t seen the smoke and gotten me out, I would have died.”
Reba gasped. “Seriously? No one told me that.”
Jewel nodded, waiting for the woman to make the connection. A second later, she did.
“But if it was arson, and they knew you were asleep inside…Are you saying someone tried to kill you?”
“That’s what it looks like at this point.”
Reba grabbed her arm, her scarlet nails standing out like fresh blood. “But why, honey? Why would anyone want to do that?”
Surprised, Jewel eyed the other woman. Maybe the small-town gossip wasn’t as efficient as she’d thought. “Because of who I am, what I did.”
“What did you do? Who’d you piss off?”
“I’m…” She couldn’t go on. Jewel tried another tack. “You don’t recognize me from television? Several other people around town did.”
“Really? You were on TV?” With a bewildered expression, Reba studied her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall seeing you. Who are you and what did you do?”
While Jewel tried to decide how best to answer, the bathroom door swung open and two other women strolled in, chatting. They caught sight of Reba clutching Jewel and hurried over.
“We’ve heard the most delicious gossip.” Brown eyes sparkling, the older woman with the tight gray curls grinned. “We had no idea we had a celebrity in our midst.”
“I’m not a—”
“You know who she is?” Looking from one to the other, Reba sounded dismayed. “I guess I should, but I really don’t have any idea.”
The second woman tittered. “Tsk, tsk.”
“I was about to tell her,” Jewel protested weakly, the woman’s heavy perfume making her nose twitch and her eyes water. She tried to smile, all the while wishing she could break and run for it. Sometimes being a wolf was much simpler.
Except when the wolf wanted to break free of the unwanted cage.
Blinking, she realized both Reba and the other woman were staring. She patted Reba’s shoulder. “I’ll let her tell you all about it. Maybe we can get together after class.” With that, she hurried off to join the other students, leaving Reba and her friend to trail after her.
After the class, she avoided Reba, not wanting to rehash her sad story, and went to meet Colton, stretching her pleasantly aching muscles.
“Are you ready?” Colton smiled. Jewel smiled back, wondering how his every smile could affect her so.
Instead of heading home, he drove them to a local shooting range.
“I thought you might practice,” he said, pulling into a parking spot near the front door. “I brought the gun.” Opening the glove box, he removed the metal case and held it out to her.
Jewel stared, an unreasonable trepidation filling her. Hesitantly, she took the case, swallowing hard. “Okay.”
“Don’t look so scared. The sooner you can protect yourself, the better. At least for now you can get a feel for the pistol, the weight of it, the way it fires.”
He was right, of course, but she hated feeling so unprepared. She wasn’t ready, yet in another way, she’d never been more ready.
Though Leo had hired someone to torture her, she knew it wouldn’t be long before he decided to kill her. “You’re right.” Holding the case gingerly, she got out of the car.
“You don’t have to carry that as though it’s going to break,” he pointed out, smiling.
“Oh? I guess I’m more afraid I might accidentally set it off.”
“No bullets.” His grin widened. “It’s not loaded.”
Signing them both in to the firing range, he snagged ear protectors. Once they were in their stall, he showed her how to load the gun, how to remove the safety and how to sight the target.
“Now squeeze the trigger and be ready. There’s a bit of a backlash when it fires.”
As Jewel did as he directed, she felt an icy calm steal over her, similar to the way she felt when, as a wolf, she’d had prey within striking range.
“Steady,” Colton murmured. “Now shoot.”
Aiming for the paper outline’s heart, she complied. Despite his warning, the recoil surprised her, though it wasn’t painful.
“Direct hit.” He patted her shoulder. “Now go again.”
So she did. She shot again and again, learning how to reload the chamber, developing a comfortable familiarity with the revolver. One box of bullets, gone. She took a break, lowered the gun, before asking for another.
Without question, he handed her the second box of ammunition. “You’re pretty good at this.”
Sighting the revolver, Jewel smiled grimly. “I’d better be.” She squeezed the trigger, hitting the paper target at just above its heart.
“Natural talent.” Colton sounded pleased. “But you’ll need to finish up. We’ve got to go.”
“Go?” She glanced at her watch, surprised to see it was nearly seven. “You’re right. I wasn’t aware so much time had gone by. We’ve got to head back. I need to get dressed for work.”
“Another full shift?”
Was that censure in his voice? Jaw tight, she nodded. “I’m working as many hours as they’ll let me.” Checking the safety, she handed the gun to him, butt first. “Thanks. That was intense. I enjoyed myself.”
His expression shuttered, he placed the pistol in the case. “I could tell.” His tone was bleak, making her realize she’d confused him further.
During their ride home, rather than trying to explain, she stared out the window until they reached his house.
As she got out of the truck, he called her name.
She waited while he crossed to her.
His dark gaze searched her face. “Tell me the truth. Have you used a weapon before?”
So that was it. The tightness around her chest lightened. “Honestly, no.”
He didn’t move. “I know about your husband’s reputation. There are rumors about how many people he’s murdered.”
“Ex-husband.” A spark of anger flared. “His actions had nothing to do with me. Up until the end, I didn’t even know what he did. You don’t understand—I was Leo’s prisoner, not his partner.”
He kissed her then, slanting his mouth across
hers in a ruthless, hard way that would have cowed a lesser woman. But she was a shifter and strong, and she met his urgency, deepening the kiss. As her arousal grew, she realized she welcomed him the way she would have welcomed a long absent mate.
Mate?
The thought was like a dash of cold water in the face.
Ripping herself away, she ignored the flash of hurt in his face. “I’ve got to get ready to go to work.” She ran for his house. He followed at a distance.
Stepping aside to allow him to unlock the door, she tried to slow her breathing and calm her racing pulse.
Fumbling with the door and his key, Colton didn’t look at her. His breathing sounded loud and harsh, as erratic as hers, telling her she had the same effect on him. As soon as he turned the lock, she dashed inside.
Alone in her room, she closed the door and, panting, sat down on the edge of the bed. Her hands shook, little tremors that both infuriated and frightened her. How was this possible, that Colton Reynolds affected her so violently?
She didn’t need this sort of complication in her life. Staying alive would take every resource she had.
Pulling on the microscopic, stretch miniskirt, along with her black heels, Jewel smoothed down her referee shirt, dropped her silver wolf necklace inside the neck, and peered at herself in the mirror. She looked like someone entirely different from the woman she’d once been. More confident, less soft. Leo had made her timid, ripping her natural confidence from her like a leaf from a tree.
She liked to think she’d regained herself. She would believe it, too, if only she could change.
Inside, her wolf snarled in agreement. This inability to allow her other self force must be why, despite her marksmanship lessons with Colton, she didn’t look at all like the fierce and excellent huntress she’d once been.
She wanted to be that huntress again.
Worriedly, she realized her wolf had been especially restless lately. Perhaps simply licking her wounds, but she knew that when the wolf made another attempt at freedom, the urge would be a powerful one. The more time that passed, the more the urge would gain strength. Soon, she would have no choice but to try again.
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