Page 32 of The Veteran
We stepped onto the sunlit street and her shoulders relaxed slightly, as if being inside the prison had emotionally weighed her down. Perhaps it had. She was a sensitive soul. I didn’t believe in mumbo jumbo, but she had a knack for tuning into the mood of a place, and the prison atmosphere had been oppressive.
On the sidewalk, she stopped walking. Ronan and I turned to face her.
“Was Jessica tortured?” she demanded.
I exchanged a glance with Ronan, who nodded. “Yeah.”
Tears filled her eyes and her mouth trembled. “How?”
Ronan grimaced. I moved closer to Sage and wrapped an arm around her.
“Do you really want to know?” I asked. “Would it help?”
She sniffled. “I don’t know. No, probably not. But I…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s all my fault.”
“No,” I said firmly. “It isn’t. It’s the fault of the men who tortured her. Their actions are not your responsibility.”
“I brought them into her life,” she argued.
“They brought themselves into her life,” Ronan countered. “They should have been behind bars. You couldn’t possibly have known they’d escape, and you shouldn’t have to spend your life keeping a distance from everyone just in case someone from your past comes back to haunt you. No one would expect that of you.”
I nodded, grateful he’d put my thoughts into words more eloquently than I’d have been able to. “He’s right.”
“But—”
“No buts.” My tone was firm. “None of what happened to her is on you.”
She gave a slight nod, but I could tell she didn’t agree. For someone who talked about peace and acceptance, she was holding onto a lot of self-blame. I wished I could ease the load.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” she asked.
I thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. King?”
Ronan shook his head. “Nothing important.”
Her forehead scrunched in consternation, but after studying him for a few seconds, she seemed to take his answer at face value. “Okay, then.” She dabbed her eyes. “What now?”
Ronan glanced at his watch. “I need to return to the office, so I’ll leave you in Kade’s capable hands.”
Sage hugged Ronan, obviously catching him by surprise. “Tell Willow I love her.”
He smiled. “I will.”
Ronan walked away, and I mentally ran through our options. We could go back to the cottage, but Sage was emotional and sitting around would do nothing to help that. I couldn’t take her anywhere busy because it would be high risk, but surely, we could find some way for her to let off some steam. I shifted, and my holster moved on my hip. An idea slowly took hold.
“Let’s go to a shooting range,” I suggested. “You keep telling me you’re licensed to carry a gun and I want to see what you’ve got.”
Her nose crinkled. “Will that be safe?”
“We’ll go to the one I usually use. It’s secure and will give us privacy.”
She hesitated, then agreed. “Sure, but I might need a refresher.”
“No problem.” We returned to the car and I drove us to the shooting range, which was housed in a nondescript industrial building on the outskirts of a commercial area. Inside, I asked her to wait while I sorted out bullets and requested the most private space they had. The range wasn’t busy, so everything was organized quickly.
Sage looked nervous as we went to the lane furthest away from the others. I loaded my personal handgun, which I preferred to use since it was what I’d rely on in emergencies, and put on my earmuffs, gesturing for her to do the same. She stood back while I lined up the target in my sights and fired twice in quick succession. Both hit dead center.
“Come here,” I mouthed, and Sage inched forward. I carefully handed her the gun. She gripped it warily, as though it might bite. I lifted my earmuff and she followed my example so she could hear me better. “Have you used one like this before?”