Page 48 of Toxic Revenge, Part Two (Mafia Omegas #2)

Chapter

Forty-Three

TALIA

The next morning, West got me out of bed at an ungodly hour, telling me to get dressed. Conrad held us up by bringing me a massive breakfast—much to West’s annoyance—but eventually we made it out of the house and into the back garden, just the two of us.

With Conrad hanging back an appropriate distance in case of emergencies, of course.

West’s hand covered my eyes as he urged me to keep moving forward. The ground beneath my feet was soft—grass, maybe. From the breeze brushing my cheeks, I knew we were still outside, which eliminated carpet as an option.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“You don’t get to know until we get there.”

“Well, are we almost there? I’m going to trip eventually.”

“And I’ll be there to catch you, little omega.”

I sighed. What could I say to that? I trusted him. I just wanted my surprise sooner than he was willing to give it to me.

Less than a minute later, he kissed the top of my head and moved his hand so I could see. “We’re here.”

‘Here’ was the shooting range at the far end of the estate. Targets lined the far side of a field, all various sizes and distances from the shooting line. A gunshot-riddled cement wall backed the targets.

Directly in front of me was a table laid out with a small pistol and ammo, a sheathed knife, and a blue velvet jewellery box.

I turned to West with one eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot.

“I know it’s not exactly a typical courting gift,” he said.

“But I’m hoping you’ll like what I meant for it to symbolize.

I can’t stop you from using yourself as bait for Benjamin.

It’s your choice. What I can do is make sure you go in prepared, knowing that I trust you wholeheartedly to take care of yourself, even when it doesn’t seem like I do. ”

He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he picked up the gun. “You’ve already learned to use one of these, but I was hoping you might let me give you a refresher?”

Taking one step forward so we were chest to chest, I wrapped my arms around him.

He was the most resistant to the plan, for good reason. It was risky. So many things could go wrong, and he was jaded.

Yet the man who probably never wanted me to touch a gun was gifting one to me. He was going to teach me to keep myself safe for when I inevitably put myself in danger alone.

I bet it took a lot out of him to give me this.

“It’s a perfect courting gift,” I murmured against his chest.

He put the gun back down before grabbing me in a tight hug. “Only the best for our perfect omega. This pistol is top of the line?—”

I went up onto my toes and shut him up with a kiss. State of the art or a relic from the past, the sentiment was the same. He trusted my choices and wanted to help me be safer when I made risky ones.

West deepened the kiss, his scent going smokier as his cock hardened against me. His hands rested on my hips, and I was about to jump up to wrap my legs around him when he broke away with a soft groan.

“This place isn’t private enough for what’s in your head right now, little omega.”

Breathing heavily, I glanced around. Sure enough, guards melted into the foliage around us. I’d been too focused on my table of gifts to notice them before, but it made sense. This was a far edge of the property. My fathers wouldn’t want us out here without an entourage.

There was also Conrad milling around with the guards, but I would have been happy to have him watch.

“Guess I’ll have to save my thank you for after the lesson,” I said with a sigh.

“You don’t need to thank me like that.”

I rolled my eyes. “I want to. It’s not every day you act so sweet.”

He tried to look grumpy about my statement, but the more time I spent around West, the more I thought that expression was just pouty.

“Let’s get on with it, then,” he grumbled.

With practiced ease, he explained how every piece of the pistol worked. He showed me how to reload and eject the magazine quickly and efficiently. He drilled me on how to eject it one-handed, so I could disarm the gun if it was about to be taken and used against me.

The sun beat down on our training session, and soon I was sweating despite the chill.

“You’re a tough instructor,” I complained, wiping sweat off my forehead.

West laughed. “Tougher than Nico? I doubt it.”

“Nico always went easy on me because he knew I didn’t want to be involved in the family business.”

“Ah, so that explains why you’re so bad at this,” he teased.

I scowled, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m better than the average person, thank you very much.”

“I’ll give you that, sweetheart. Let’s take a break.”

He draped an arm over my shoulders, leading me away from the range and into the wooded surroundings. I leaned against his side, basking in his warm wool and smoke scent. He was only wearing a t-shirt, putting his muscular arms on display.

I expected us to head back to the house, but he veered off the main path and led me into a clearing instead. A picnic basket was laid out on a blanket in the centre of the space, along with a small cooler.

The guards were so discreet I barely noticed them, except for the occasional rustle of a bush, but they must have helped him set this up and protected it from being disrupted while he gave me part one of the lesson.

“Figured you might get hungry out here,” he grunted. “Sit.”

Having these guards around was really cramping my style. I would much rather push him down onto this blanket and sit on him .

I plopped down cross-legged onto the blanket, and he sat beside me. His calloused fingers undid the ribbon bow on top of the picnic basket, revealing a silk-lined interior full of small sandwiches and other finger foods.

“Before you get nervous, your chefs made this up. Not me. I just told them what to put in it.” He grabbed a cinnamon scone and handed it to me.

“Why nervous?”

“Do I look like someone who can cook?”

“Stranger things have happened.” I shrugged, taking a giant bite of the scone.

He popped open the cooler and handed me a bottle of iced coffee. With a sip of that to wash down the scone, it was heavenly.

I’d never imagined that I would end up with a mate who in one second was teaching me how to use a gun, and in the next was spoiling me with a forest picnic. This was every woman’s dream. It was hard to believe I’d almost missed this pack entirely.

I could have ended up with Benjamin, who wasn’t even patient enough to let me stop and smell the flowers.

West kept handing me items from the picnic basket until I insisted he eat some of it himself. He nibbled at his sandwich until I was completely stuffed and had stopped eating. Only then did he really dig in.

Laying back onto the blanket, I stared up at the sky, my hand resting on his thigh. Clouds danced past in wispy shapes, quickly revealing the pristine blue once again. I was half asleep by the time West cleared his throat.

“Your lesson was only just getting started, little omega.”

I groaned. “You can’t spoil me with a picnic date and then drag me back to the shooting range. Can’t we do the rest tomorrow morning?”

“Yes I can, and I will. Are you really going to want to tire yourself out with a shooting lesson before meeting Brooks O’Connor tomorrow?”

He had a point. Huffing an exaggerated sigh, I sat up. West helped me to my feet, kissing my forehead. “Only an hour longer,” he promised. “Shoot some targets and we can head inside.”

“Fine, I can accept that. For my safety.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

An hour longer turned out to be easier said than done.

My aim was terrible. West was astounded at how far off the targets I managed to be. Even when he’d pressed himself against me, holding my hands steady and doing everything but pulling the trigger for me, I’d missed.

Although, that time might have been because I’d rubbed my ass back against his groin and distracted us both.

Sue me.

He was insistent I had to hit the target once before we went inside, but I didn’t think that was possible.

“It’s almost been an hour,” I complained. “Learning to hit a target might be a multi-day endeavour. Let’s just head back.”

West ran his hand through his hair, groaning. “Talia, we don’t have multiple days. I’m not expecting you to hit the perfect bullseye. Just hit the target. The edge of it. Graze the edge of the target, and we can leave. Plus, I thought you’d done this before?”

“I’m out of practice. And I was only slightly better than the average person to begin with.”

“Nico really did go easy on you.”

“And you’re a drill sergeant.”

“Only because I love you and want you to be safe.”

Him saying sweet things like that made me soft.

Maybe I could try again.

“One more magazine,” I declared. “I’ll try my best, but then I’m going inside.”

West took the liberty of reloading my pistol for me and placing it in my hand. “Agreed. Do you want me to help you with positioning?”

That would only lead to me trying to get him hard again. Omega hormones were raging—my mate had given me gifts and wasn’t letting me thank him.

The only way I had a shot in hell of hitting the target was if he was at least five feet away.

“I’ll try on my own. You just watch from a distance.”

I shooed him away with my free hand, then resettled the earmuffs over my ears. Planting my feet and settling into the position he taught me, I gripped the pistol with both hands and stared at the target.

My first shot went off to the right.

I didn’t pause for long before trying again. That one was a hint too high.

Closer, though. It had to be closer.

Closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, I tried to block out everything from the rest of the world. The guards in my peripheral vision. West watching with his arms crossed over his chest. Every other target taunting me.

I zoned in on my target, the closest one to the shooting line, and pulled the trigger.

Then, I pulled it again just to be safe.

Both shots tore holes in the upper right edge of the target. About where the shoulder would be, if I was shooting a person.

“Fuck yeah!” West shouted when I slid the earmuffs down around my neck. He rushed over to me with a wide grin, barely waiting for me to click on the safety and put down the weapon before lifting me up in a hug.

“Knew you could do it, sweetheart.”

I clung to him, bringing my legs up to wrap around his waist like I’d wanted to earlier. His hands grabbed my ass to hold me up.

“I’ve hit a target before,” I said, blushing.

“Not with me. This is a hell of a cause for celebration.”

He backed up with me in his arms until he could rest me down on the table with the weapons. Reaching around me, he grabbed the velvet box and held it between us. “Considering you suffered through training with me for hours, it’s about time I give you the other part of your gift.”

“I complained, but I wasn’t suffering,” I reassured him.

He laughed and pressed the box toward me. “I know. Open it.”

I let go of his shoulders, leaning back so I had enough room between us. The velvet felt high-quality, the box larger than a ring box, but not big enough to be a necklace.

Opening the box revealed a gold bracelet laying on blue velvet. It had red gems inlaid in the weaving design. They glittered in the early afternoon light.

I ran my finger along the bracelet, almost scared to touch it. I’d gotten expensive gifts from my family before, but never had I received anything like this from a boyfriend.

The only exception was Benjamin’s bonding proposal, but I hadn’t ever worn that ring. I didn’t even know where it was anymore. I must have left it as his apartment.

“It’s for you to wear when you go meet Brooks,” West said. “And whenever else you want, but I know it’s a bit too much for daily wear.”

When did he have time to get this for me? We hadn’t exactly stopped by a jewellery store in the chaotic days since he’d admitted he wanted me.

You know what, I’m just not going to ask.

“It looks expensive. You didn’t need to get me?—”

“I saw it and thought of you. We don’t need to talk about how much it cost.”

Lifting it out of the box confirmed what I’d assumed. This was no costume jewellery. It had some weight to it.

The pack wasn’t poor. They had their nice, well-equipped pack house, their motorcycles and SUV. But jewellery like this was something the middle class had to dip into their savings to afford.

I presented my wrist to him, though. “Help me put it on?”

He grabbed it, fumbling with the small clasp for a second before successfully putting it on. It gleamed even more out of the box.

“Thank you,” I said, a smile cresting my lips. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed me softly.

I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him again, pressing our lips together more intently. My thighs squeezed around his hips, and his cock started to bulge in his jeans.

He cursed and pulled back. “We’re still out in the open, little omega.”

“Then carry me back to the house so you don’t have to keep stopping me.”

His hands grabbed my ass and lifted again, leaving the gun abandoned on the table. A purr rumbled up in his chest and I melted against him, my head landing on his shoulder as he carried me away.