Page 52 of Wrecked By You

“You bet.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ll be right back.”

I was going to follow him and ask him if he needed help when Damon’s father appeared. “Psst,” he said. “Isla, can I speak to you for a second?”

I was a little bit taken back. “Sure.”

His father led me to a room in the back, and I realized it was his den. “Just for a minute.” He shut the door behind him, turned toward the closet, and pulled out what I now recognized as a thirty-eight pistol. He held it out to me.

I was confused. “What’s this for?”

He smiled grimly at me. “Take it. I want you to have it. Damon is police chief, and he can’t know about this. But I know he taught you to shoot tonight. I worry about your safety out at that ranch. Please just take this gun for your protection.”

I took it, and my hands were shaking. “I was going to register and get a gun the official way.”

His father shook his head. “I hope you know we have all been concerned about this ex of yours. And as far as I’m concerned, you belong to the Armstrong family now. I’m asking you to do something you won’t want to do: keep this gun for your protection. And don’t tell my son. He likes to do things the official way, and there’s a time and place for that. I like to do things that need to be done.”

I stared at the gun, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know if I feel comfortable with that.”

His father gave me a pointed look. “You need to put your safety first.”

“I want to.”

“I’m going to give you the gun when you leave, and you’re going to keep it at the ranch with you and not tell my son. Atleast, that is the official line that you say if anyone asks you.” He must have seen that I was still confused, because he put his hand on my shoulder. “That doesn’t mean you can’t tell anyone. It means that if you are ever asked how you got the gun, you tell them that I asked you to take it and not tell my son. That’s important if you ever go to court. You tell them what I officially asked you to do. Do you understand?”

Finally, I got it. “Yes.”

He nodded. “Let’s get in and have dinner—but I need you to remember one thing about shooting a gun.”

“What’s that?”

“If you shoot at someone, you be prepared to kill them.”

My heart raced. “I don’t understand.” Or I didn’t want to understand.

He squeezed my shoulder. “If someone is putting your life in danger, you kill them.”

I nodded, thinking about how Kyle might try to hurt me again. Determination pulsed through me. “I understand.”

Twenty-Four

Damon

The best part of family dinner was having Isla with me. All of my siblings were gathered around the table, and the conversation was jovial. Jason and Trent were antsy to go to the fireworks in a little bit.

Dylan smiled at us. “I always thought you two would be good together.”

I didn’t really want to start this whole thing in front of my family.

Kayla grinned. “We all did.”

“I think I would be good with you, too,” McCrae said to Isla with a grunt.

Canyon laughed. “I think I would be the better one for you.”

I put my hand up, unamused. “That’s enough.”

Everyone else around the table laughed.

Noah shrugged. “Damon, if it makes you feel better, I didn’t think I would be good with Isla.”