Chapter 24
-:- CHAOS -:-
Jack arrives at the range and I drag him through to the locker room where he’ll keep his helmet, leathers and anything else he has on his person. “Leave everything here, even your prospect kutte. Put it in the locker. You’ll wear one of our t-shirts, so everyone knows you are staff. Now hurry and follow me.”
Jack quickly removes his outer clothing, throws on a t-shirt and runs his fingers through his hair before looking at me expectantly. Jack has his hair shaved at the sides, short on the back and a little longer on the front swept back and on the untidy side, but styled. He’s a great kid, and he’s going to make a fantastic brother. He’s shown his worth with the Stooges and with Victoria. He showed no fear of anything thrown at him, and I, for one, will be more than happy to put his name forward for full brother when the time comes.
Thinking of how to get Jack started on his journey to being a good weapons trainer, I lay out three different handguns on the table. There’s a Desert Eagle, big and powerful, a Smith & Wesson snub-nose revolver and a regular Glock 19.
Stating that I am role-playing as his new customer and that I have had only limited experience of firearms, I get him to talkme through the weapons in front of me. He is thorough in his explanations of the weapons and their capabilities, but I felt he was lacking in his recommendations on what would better suit me for the scenario I gave him. Explaining this to him, he goes into more detail, and I’m happier with his new approach.
His detailed firearms safety talk is first-class, and I can’t find fault with that. When he shows me how to strip down a weapon, using the Glock for his demonstration, I have to slow him down. I think we’re all guilty of being proud of our speed when it comes to this task, and I know from personal experience that you have to put a mental block in place for speed when teaching. All in all, he shows a good aptitude for teaching, and his natural patience with people should stand him in good stead.
“Don’t get too big for your boots, Jack, but that was a good first step. You could have just found your vocation in life.” I grin at him as he puffs his chest out.
“I don’t know about that, but I enjoyed it. I can see myself getting into this in a big way. I think I could learn a lot from Winter and Target.”
“Oh yeah? You cheeky fuck. It’s not too late for you to get fired on your first day, you know!” Seeing his shoulders shaking I realize he got me good with that comment.
While Jack is having his lunch I head over to the office where I saw Winter enter a few minutes ago. Stepping inside the office, Winter is sitting next to Kimberley who is pointing out an issue with the camera on the south wall.
“I’ll get Target to check that out, Kimberley. It has been moved from its original position. Can you go back and then replay thefeed? Let’s see what happened,” Winter asks before looking up at me with a questioning eyebrow raise.
“Are you still having issues with the supplier?” I ask because if she is, I’ll go see the asshole myself.
Winter grins, “No, I handed it over to Target and he had a diplomatic word with the owner.”
Now, we all know that Target, although lethal, is a calm person. He takes a situation and analyzes it in seconds. Once he has his mind made up on what is happening, why, and how he’s going to deal with it…he executes his plan. But being diplomatic means he will have spoken to the owner in person and his terms laid down. Those terms depend on how the situation played out.
“Do we have a new supplier?” I tentatively ask.
“Nope,” Winter pops the ‘P,’ all the while grinning. “We stay with this one, but we now have a ten percent discount for being such good customers.”
Kimberley laughs low and tries to keep it under her breath, but the huge smile on her face would let her down even if I hadn’t heard her.
“Okay, so you don’t need me to do anything. Cool. I’m working with Jack. Is there anything you think I need to know?” I look again at Winter and she nods.
“Yes. Pay attention to his weapon choices. He is excellent with a bow and arrow and a crossbow. He is a natural archer. His use of other weaponry needs some polishing, particularly his use of a shotgun,” Winter is ticking off on her fingers as she is speaking.
“Okay, I’ll pay attention to non-archery weapons for now. I’ll catch up later. I have to set him up at the reception desk for the afternoon, then I need to leave after I’ve done the two appointments I have on my rotation.”
“See you later, Chaos. Oh, make sure Mrs. Williamson doesn’t overdo it. She’s been trying too hard, and you know she’s eighty-one so watch she doesn’t give herself a heart attack.” Winter laughs along with Kimberley, but I’m grinning too, because Mrs. Williamson wants to do everything she can before she dies. That is what she keeps telling everyone when she’s here.
My first client is a young male who wants to learn enough to get his carry permit. He isn’t one I’m worried about, as he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He answered all my questions quickly and without hesitation. He travels a lot with his job and often has to sleep in his truck cab, so wanting some protection is for that reason. He spends a lot of time on his own and wouldn’t have anyone watching his back, and that has made him nervous after two altercations. After I spoke to him about getting some physical training to sit alongside having a weapon, he was responsive to having hand-to-hand lessons. I set him up with a friend who would do the lessons as and when my client could make himself available. Good lesson, and he’s happy with the way things are heading.
Mrs. Williamson was a pain in my ass. She wanted to touch every weapon that was close to her. She pinched my ass twice and gave me a fuckin’ wink when she did it. I had to sit her down and give her a good talking-to. But at her age she isn’t taking things seriously. Her reply was that she may not be here tomorrow, so why not enjoy every minute, every hour, every day while she can. Now, how do you respond to that? Hence, the lesson wasa nightmare, but I got her to laugh and enjoy the hour so that’s what counts I suppose.
Heading out of the range, I straddle my hog when my phone rings. Taking a quick look, I’m surprised to see it’s Mr. Stonley, the realtor. “Hi, what news do you have?” I quickly get to it.
“Hello, Mr. Styles. The house purchase is complete. All funds have been cleared. The documents are all in order. You can collect the house keys whenever you are ready. Everything in the house is yours to do with as you wish. Mrs. Gowen wishes you all the best and said she hopes you have as much love and joy in the house as she has had.”
“That’s great. I’ll come over now and get the keys. I’m on my way to the clubhouse so can stop on my way.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” I cut the call and fire up my hog. This is a good day, and I’m excited to show Victoria and Corey our home.
An hour later, keys in hand, I’m sitting in the clubhouse kitchen speaking to Wings and Buzz. “So, Wings,” I turn to look at him. Buzz looks at me and then Wings. I ignore him and ask what’s been on my mind. “Were you and Bethy becoming a thing?”
Wings looks at me like I just grew another head alongside this one. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
