Page 5 of Covert Operation
The delicate line of her shoulders seems to relax under the bulk of her parka at my reassurance. “Okay.” She peeks my way from the corner of her eyes. “I don’t like keeping secrets from my sister, but...” Her words trail off.
“I understand.” Sadie is pretty fucking great, but she can be a lot. Even for me. She could easily overwhelm someone as sweet and soft as Savannah. “Sadie would make it her personal mission to train you on every weapon in the building.” I almost smile. “Before lunch.”
Again, Savannah’s eyes widen, but this time it’s in surprise and not fear. “Exactly.” She drops my gaze again. “And I don’t want her to be disappointed if I can’t pick it up as quickly as she wants me to.”
I want to say that wouldn’t happen, but it might. When someone you love is broken, you want to help them fix all the cracks as quickly as possible. You want to stop the bleeding. You want to help them get everything they lost back, and you want it to happen now.
But that’s not the way this works. Sometimes it takes years. Decades. Even then, you never get it all back. Some things can’t be reclaimed. Savannah will never be who she once was, andI know Sadie is clinging to the hope that she can. That would make her handle this differently than I will.
Because I know Savannah will never be what she was. And I will never ask her to be.
I pull to the opposite side of the compound from where most people go, avoiding the underground parking garage in favor of a row of parking spots under a carport directly adjacent to the training area. No one uses these spots in the winter, making the location perfect for our purposes.
I park and round the SUV, getting Savannah’s door open before her hand’s even reaching for the handle. She gives me a hesitant smile as she gets out. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I point at the slippery area that nearly took me out yesterday. “Watch your?—”
I don’t get to finish, because she immediately plants one boot right on the black ice and starts to go down. I grab her quickly, managing to keep her upright instead of hitting the hard, cold asphalt. Savannah flails around, her hands grabbing at my coat as she tries to get both feet under her.
I hold a little tighter, supporting more of her weight. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”
Her eyes lift to mine, fair skin pinking up the tiniest bit from the cold as she stares at me.
I’ve worked hard to keep my assessments of Savannah simple. Appropriate. Respectful. But there’s no denying how goddamned pretty she is. And for a split second, I forget myself and get lost in the green depths of her gaze.
Everyone at Alaskan Security has opinions about me. Many of them aren’t flattering. I get it. I can be abrupt. Abrasive. Direct. That means most people are inclined to glare at me more than a smile.
Not Savannah. Even after everything she’s been through, there’s nothing but kindness and warmth in her gaze. And for just a second, I accidentally soak it up. Accidentally take something from her I shouldn’t.
Clearing my throat, I force my eyes from her face before carefully moving her to a safer spot, keeping a respectable amount of space between us while she finds her balance. As soon as she has it, I drop my hands and step back, giving her space. “Better?”
She gives me a little nod. “I think so.” Her lower lip pinches between her teeth as she scans our surroundings, worry creasing her brow. “Are there any other slick spots?”
“There weren’t yesterday, but a lot can change overnight.” I start to step away. “I’ll go first just to be safe.”
One of Savannah’s hands flings out, coming to grip the arm of my coat. “Can I hold onto you to be sure?” Her lips press together. “I don’t like falling. I don’t like the way it feels.” She tries to take another step, but somehow manages to find yet another slick spot. Leaning heavily into me, her other hand grips at my same arm, holding tight. “It’s the feeling of impending doom. It reminds me of—” Her legs flail around again, but she stays relatively steady using me for balance. “It reminds me of the way I felt every day when I was being held captive.”
I’m a little surprised at how quickly she’s talking about what happened to her. It’s a fucking gift, and it gives me hope this will go smoother than I’m expecting.
“Then we’ll make sure you don’t fall.”
I move my arm her way, so she can grip it better. As soon as she’s latched onto me, we slowly make our way to the building. Pausing at the door, I swipe my badge again before reentering the passcode required to get anywhere at Alaskan Security before opening the door and helping her into the vestibule.
Savannah lets out a little sigh of relief once she’s on the rug inside the door, and her grip on me relaxes. After swiping and entering the code one more time, we finally make it inside.
I’ve brought us through the door that leads straight to the arena, but that’s not actually where we’re headed today. I know she wants to start learning how to protect herself, but there’s a much more important step we have to take first.
Savannah gives me a questioning look as I lead her through the arena to the door at the back corner. The indoor firing range is the best place for what we’re doing today. It’s private, but more than that, it’s sound-proof, and I want her to feel like no one but us will hear whatever happens inside.
After closing and locking the door behind us, I pull down the privacy screen, covering the glass and marking the space as occupied. I don’t expect anyone to come in this early in the day, but you never know.
I shuck my coat and hook it on the wall. When I face her, Savannah’s eyes are darting across the line of weapons stored on the back wall.
“I didn’t really expect we would start with guns.” Her throat works as she swallows. “I don’t plan on carrying a gun, so I’m not sure?—”
“You’re not gonna be shooting guns today, Savannah.”
Her shoulders drop a little and she lets out a breath. “Okay. Good.” Her eyes move over me, dragging down my chest before dropping to her coat. “Should I take this off?”