Jax pulls in the target and flashes her a big smile. “Slightly to the left, but excellent shot. Make sure your grip is tight and completely squared up before you pull the trigger. A centimeter off can change the trajectory.”
Maybe I should practice the positions a few times before the next class.
One by one, the rest of the class takes a turn. At the end, Jax calls out a couple of names for displaying excellent marksmanship. The young woman pumps her fist when he calls her name.
He dismisses us, and I watch her stride up to him.
“Where did you learn to shoot?” he asks her, as she reaches his side.
“My dad was a cop,” she admits with a sad smile. “He taught me. I wasn’t very good, but circumstances force you to get better in a hurry.”
Hopefully that will be me in a couple of weeks… or months. I’m not sure. To be honest, the gun scares me, but I like Jax. He’s blunt but also really passionate about learning to shoot the right way. Although his personality is a bit intense, his handsome, relaxed surfer looks help balance it out.
As I leave the range, I see the big red sign Gabe pointed out earlier today, and I can’t help but laugh. It’s huge. No wonder he was so pissed off. After getting to know Jax a little better this afternoon, I’m surprised he wasn’t, though. I glance back at him and see his bright blue eyes staring directly at me. Blushing, I duck my head and turn back around. There are way too many good-looking men here. It’s almost annoying.
CHAPTER26
WILLA / GREER
Dinner tonight consists of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Having skipped lunch to stay in my room, I’m starving. Tray in hand, I stand in the middle of the cafeteria and scan the room until I find River, who’s seated at a back table by himself. I walk over and stop beside him.
“Is this seat taken?” I tease with a smile.
He looks up at me and grins, but my smile immediately drops when I see the bruise around his eye.
“That’s one hell of a shiner. Who did that to you?” I ask, dropping the tray on the table and reaching for him.
He grabs my hand and pulls me down beside him. “I’m fine. You should see the other guy.” When the line doesn’t get a laugh, he sighs. “Seriously. I threw the first punch. Quaid was only defending himself.”
Quaid, I fume. This is about me.
“I’m so, so sorry, River. This is all my fault. I should never have asked you to stop Beckett this morning.” Whatever happens, I need to face up to my reality and stop hiding from it. “Do you want me to get you some ice?”
He shakes his head. “Oliver gave me a bag when he lectured me. It’s all good.” He squeezes my hand. “Are you okay? What happened in there? Nobody would tell me. Patient/doctor shit. And you don’t have to get into the details. I just want to know if you’re okay.”
Not really. The whole thing is emotionally exhausting and frustrating. With a sigh, I lift a shoulder. “Sort of. Beckett told me my powers likely woke during the accident that killed my parents.” I stop and take a breath for courage, then tell him what I remember from the accident and the realization Beckett pushed on me. “I’ve always carried this guilt around with me because I survived and they didn’t, but it never occurred to me that I might have been able to save them. Everything about the accident and that night is murky because of the gaps in my memory. I don’t know what to believe, but the possibilities are torturing me.”
His arm comes around and squeezes me tight. “Or your powers might have already been depleted. We don’t have much juice when our powers first activate. Barely anything, really. It’s likely you used up your reserve creating the pond. Maybe it’s best you don’t know.”
“Part of me wants to know,” I murmur, wiping away the tear sliding down my cheek. “I’ve got so many questions about that night. Why were they after my dad?”
River snorts. “They were after you.”
I shake my head. “My dad had Lionel change my birth certificate. They wouldn’t even think I had powers.”
“Plenty of people were doing the same thing at the time. It didn’t help,” River insists. “My mother stole our original birth certificates, and the copies, from the hospital and courthouse records, and yet Raven still knew about us. They’re always searching, forcing us to run again and again.” Bitterness coats every word.
Is that what I’m going to feel after years of running? “I’m sorry you didn’t have a normal childhood. All I could think about was my parents. I never realized I was lucky to have gotten away. But why didn’t they come after me when I was with Lionel?”
“Lionel was in the Army, right? Maybe it has something to do with that,” River speculates. “What was his rank?”
“Colonel,” I murmur, taking a bite while I think about it. “Sorry, starving.” Chicken is a little dry, but not bad. It’s free food, and I’m realizing how valuable it is.
He takes a bite too. “That’s a good rank, but not sure it would help. Maybe he knew someone higher up?”
Not wanting to reveal Lionel’s missions with the special forces, I lift a shoulder. “I told you Lionel knew Jack Harrison. Former Army buddy. Senator. Head of Phoenix. Maybe that helped?”
“Probably,” River concedes. His voice lowers an octave. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
