AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What he did was beyond protection. He shut me out, kept me in the dark. Of all people, Daniel knew how much I hated the darkness.
I exchanged the old target for a fresh one, the hum as it moved into place giving me a sense of comfort. As small as the noise was, it was part of the process. Something I could count on in the experience.
As I aimed again, this time the target became that minuscule seed of hope Stone had planted six years ago. With every shot it grew, from a sprout into the full bloom of a flower. No matter how many times I hit the mark, it refused to die.
My arms fell to my side and I hung my head, chest heaving. Without meaning to, I’d let him in, and now he wouldn’t go away. I didn’t know what to do with the attraction I could never act on. But he was so easy to talk to, so much so that I’d found myself opening up instead of shutting him out.
Out of everything, he frightened me the most. The feelings he inspired were unfamiliar, and I needed routine desperately. A fragment of my soul wanted him to be part of that routine, but an even bigger part refused to bring him into my hell.
He could help you out of it.
I jammed the clip into the pistol. This time no matter how I aimed, I couldn’t hit the center. That’s what he did to me. He kept me so off balance, I lost who I was.
Or maybe he’s showing you exactly who you are.
No. It was one date. So what if I’d enjoyed our time together? So what if I couldn’t stop thinking of him? So what that he was everything I’d want in a partner? That kind of life wasn’t for me.
My shoulders slumped. The therapeutic sense of control slipped away. The fear I’d shoved into a box seeped out of the cracks, winding its way around me until I was paralyzed.
I’d grown too comfortable with my life. I’d learned very early how quickly everything could be taken away. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten. I wasn’t equipped to handle change, yet I was powerless to stop it.
I clutched the gun, searching for something to ground me, but that something was nowhere to be found.
Desolate, I packed the pistol back in its case and closed the box of ammunition. When I turned around, Valentina leaned against the stall, a sympathetic expression on her face.
“Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it doesn’t.” She shifted the bag on her shoulder, knowing in her eyes.
But she didn’t understand anything about me, which was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I genuinely liked her, but just as I did with everyone, I kept her at arm’s length. For her to see me this way shook me even further.
I straightened and tried to morph back into the person I allowed the world to see.
“It’s difficult to keep the veneer from cracking, especially when what’s inside wants out so badly.” She glanced down at her perfect outfit.
I tilted my head. The woman never had a hair out of place, was always dressed to the nines. She took charge in meetings without making others feel stepped on, yet she was always the first to dig in and do the dirty work no one else wanted to. Not once had I ever considered she didn’t have it all together. To know she might understand what it was like to hide behind a carefully crafted image made me feel not so alone. A little better even.
I held up the case. “I need to return this.”
Her brows dipped. “As accurate as you are, I assumed that baby was yours.”
I shook my head. “I don’t own a firearm.”
Daniel did, though he despised them. He preferred I didn’t have one in my home. I’d never argued because the apartment building had seemed like a safe place for me, until those people intruded and tied me to a chair.
We wandered toward the entrance of the shooting range.
“Do you have time for lunch?” Valentina asked me. “I know a place not far. It’s quiet, a good place to wind down.”
My steps faltered. I didn’t do outings with strangers, but Valentina was an old acquaintance, and I wasn’t ready to go home.
Anxiety prickled at the back of my neck, but I ignored it. I’d already been tossed so far out of my comfort zone, I wasn’t certain I could find my way back in.
I hefted my purse back on my shoulder and discreetly touched the pocket of my jeans. My phone was close. I’d be fine.
“I’d like that.”
Chapter Thirteen
Stone
