Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
She doesn’t reply.
Good. I’ve struck a nerve.
I love this woman, but I know how it feels to take another human life. It doesn’t matter if that human was a piece of shit and the whole world is better off with him in hell where he belongs.
It’s still taking a life, and to a person with a good heart, like Aspen? Well, the effects will be long lasting. I should know.
“I’m good,” she says. “I could go for the leg. The shoulder. I know how to stop a person without ending his life.”
“You’re that good? Could you hit a moving target?”
No response again.
“Look. You are good. You hit your bull’s-eye every time. Your hand is as steady as any surgeon’s. You’re almost as good as I am, baby, and that’s a pretty damned big compliment coming from me. But even I don’t labor under the delusion that I can hit a moving target right where I want to.”
“You were a sniper.”
“I was. And I never missed. But I was very careful not to take the shot until the target was standing still.”
She sighs. “You’ve made your point.”
“Good. This firearm is for your protection. Not for you to take revenge on who wronged you.”
“I get it.”
“Good. It’s okay to feel like you want to kill them. You’re human. Believe me. I understand. But to do so won’t make your life better, Aspen. It will make it worse. The best thing we can do is catch these people and make sure they’re put away for a long time.”
“You’re right.”
Does she believe me? I think she does, rationally.
But she’s still so bent on vengeance.
And God…I’ve been there.
“Promise me,” I say.
“I will. I’ll promise you whatever you need. Because that’s how much I love you, Buck, and that’s how much I know, in my heart, that you’re looking out for me.”
I cup her cheek then, run my thumb over her luscious lower lip. “Promise me you’ll keep your head. You won’t let your emotions run wild. That you’ll only use this gun to protect your life or the life of someone else.”
“I promise.” Her voice is strong, her countenance rigid.
She means it.
I just hope, if push comes to shove, she’ll remember.
“I want to see how Katelyn is doing,” she says.
Katelyn and Luke left the shooting range a while ago. We find Katelyn sitting, her head in her hands, Luke with his arm around her.
“What’s wrong?” Aspen asks.
Katelyn raises her head. Tears stain her cheeks. “I’m okay. It was just a lot to process, after everything. Holding a gun. Shooting a gun.”
“The first time is pretty daunting,” Aspen agrees.
“It’s more than daunting.”
“I suppose. I was only ten the first time I shot a gun, and yes, it was daunting, but it was also really cool. I got to be like my dad, who was the coolest person in the world to me at that point.”
“I guess I just never thought of myself as someone who would ever have to use a gun,” Katelyn says. “Even now, which makes no sense at all, considering what I’ve been through.”
“It’s for your own safety, sweetheart,” Luke says.
“I know. And I’ll get better.”
“Of course you will,” Luke says. “This was just your first time. But this is important. I want you to be able to defend yourself.”
“Believe me, I want that too,” Katelyn replies. “I don’t ever want to get taken again.”
“You won’t be, if I have anything to say about it.” Luke shakes his head. “We have great security at home. But just on the off chance…”
Katelyn nods.
“It’s actually a pretty funny thing, Katelyn,” I tell her. “Once you get used to it, and once you realize you have control over the firearm—that it’s not some weapon that will just go off without you knowing it—it’s very empowering.”
“Maybe you should teach me, Aspen.”
“Actually, that’s a really good idea,” Luke says. “She was a little freaked out with me.”
“I’ll be happy to,” Aspen says, “once we’ve resolved everything else.”
“That’s fine.” Luke nods. “Katelyn’s going to be kept out of harm’s way while the three of us find these people.”
“But I want to help,” Katelyn says.
“You will. But you’re not going to be on the frontlines,” Luke says. “Not until you’re comfortable with the firearm.”
Katelyn relents then. “Okay.”
After lunch, I finally get a shower. Then Luke, Aspen, and I meet in his office for a strategy session.
“I feel bad for Katelyn,” Aspen says.
“She’s okay,” Luke says. “She wants to help, but until she’s better at protecting herself—”
“She did a pretty good job of protecting herself when you were in trouble,” I say.
“She did, but she confided in me later that in order to do that, she had to become Moonstone again.”
Aspen bites her lip. “It’s hard for me to imagine the way Katelyn dealt with things on the island. She told me about it once. One time she was punished, and she was…” Aspen shakes her head. “I don’t know the specifics. I don’t want to know the specifics. But the punishment was so harsh that she had to push Katelyn aside and become Moonstone. She made herself over, became something that could survive in that place. She nearly didn’t even remember her own name when we were rescued.”