Page 95 of Angels & Whiskey

As we drove awayfrom Autumn’s house, my heart rate returned to normal. When she came back into the house with the guns, I became nervous. I wasn’t uneasy as I fought off Remo—he was slow like I’d thought. What made me tense was Autumn having two guns in her hands and the possibly of hurting herself. She’d told me before that she’d only been to the range once. There was no way she’d be able to aim both guns and hit Major Dick and Remo if something were to happen. Using one gun with little experience was bad enough.

I’d expected Rich to follow us. Instead, as I looked in the rearview mirror, there were no cars behind us. I hadn’t realized that Autumn had her gun with her nor that she’d find the one I put in the glove compartment. I was prepared to knock both Major Dick and Remo out and then leave with her stuff. I was certain I could take Remo. Yeah, he was big, but one cheap shot in the nuts and a right hook and he would have been out.

I was hoping that was the case because I really wanted to kick Major Dick’s ass. Autumn went all Lara Croft on us instead and now Jackson sat silent in the backseat, I was silent and Autumn was silent, each of us probably thinking how crazy the situation was.

“You okay, angel?” I asked, reaching for her hand.

She only nodded, not saying anything and not looking away from the side window. She let me lace our fingers and I couldn’t wait to be home and wrap her in my arms. Major Dick was a complete asshole and said things that shockedme. I couldn’t imagine what was going through her head and I had no idea how she wasn’t crying or at least yelling. I’d be yelling, hitting shit … probably would have shot him in the nuts instead of kicked him.

We drove in silence until we arrived at my house. Jackson and I grabbed Autumn’s stuff while she went to her room and closed the door.

“Should I go in there?” I asked Jackson as we set her stuff down in the living room.

He shook his head. “Just give her time.”

“Right.” I nodded.

We sat on the couch, both of us with our heads back. I was replaying everything over and over in my head. The moment I heard Major Dick’s voice when I was packing Autumn’s clothes, I became angry. And for him to accuse me of seeking out his wife to get to him was downright idiotic.

“Do you think Autumn thinks we planned this so we could get back at Major Dick like he said?” I asked, staring up at the stark white ceiling.

“Nah man. She knows he’s a liar.”

“I hope so. I really like her.” I sighed.

He raised his head and looked at me and I looked over at him. “I know you do.”

We were quiet again. I knew what it felt like to want to have time alone. After Alyssa had died, I didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even Jackson. It was as though you needed time to process everything. Of course Alyssa dying was a different situation, but I’d think if she were to tell me she’d never loved me, it would have been worse.

“I have a date tonight,” Jackson groaned. “I should cancel and stay with you two just in case.”

I shook my head, looking up at the ceiling again. “We should be fine. Nothing links us to this house. The lease is under Saddles & Racks.”

“All right, but if you need me, you call me right away.”

I nodded. “I will.” I paused for a few seconds and then said, “Speaking of work, I think I’m going to tell Doug that I’m out.”

Paul sat up fully. “You want to quit?”

I sat up, my arms on my knees. “You know I just did this to fill a void.”

“I know, but what are you going to do?”

I smiled my first smile in hours. “What about some sort of self-defense course, but we also teach them how to use guns properly?”

Jackson turned his head, looking past me as if he were thinking. “When you say “we”—”

“Yeah. You and me.” I motioned between us.

“Hmmm …”

“Think about it. You don’t even have to quit S&R. But if I want this to work out with Autumn, then I need to have another job. I could always go back.”

“That’s true. Look into it.”

Ever since Autumn told me how she’d bought a gun and I promised I’d bring her to the range to teach her how to use it properly, I’d had the idea of teaching women how to shoot. Of course, I didn’t get the chance to show Autumn. If I hadn’t been there today, I couldn’t imagine what would have happened. Maybe she did it because Iwasthere—made her feel safe, but not knowing how to use a gun properly could have turned into an atrocious situation.