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“Lara, you need to tell someone.”
She shrugged her right shoulder as she turned a corner. “I’m telling you.”
“No, I mean...great, but you need to tell someone who can watch things for you.”
She bit her bottom lip but said nothing. She turned onto the dirt road that led to the outdoor shooting range.
“What did she look like?”
Lara shrugged again. “I don’t know. Her hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore plain clothes, no make-up or anything. But, she was clean and she smiled.”
Shianne turned to face out the windshield. A quick glance told Lara her mind was spinning.
She found a parking spot and pulled in. They both sat quietly for a few minutes then Shianne asked, “Did she look around?”
“A little. She looked at the baked goods and said they looked delicious. She asked what breakfast bread was and I told her. Then she apologized and left.”
“And you don’t think she was casing the place or anything?”
She swallowed as she stared into Shianne’s eyes. Licking her lips she shrugged. “I don’t think so. She looked at the bakery. She complimented me on the breakfast bread, apologized, and left.”
“And I wonder what was going on while you were there with her. She was likely there to keep you occupied.”
“That’s crazy. Anyone who knows me knows I’m at the bakery every day until around four. Sometimes later than that. I went home after work to get my range bag and nothing was out of place. I had to lift my garage door by hand because I had unlatched it to get out this morning.”
“Hmm.” Shianne opened her door and stepped out without another word. She opened the back door and pulled her range bag out.
Lara did the same. They walked in unison to the office.
An older lady was behind the counter. “Evening ladies. You need to sign in.”
Shianne signed in first. “Are you both members out here?”
Lara smiled at her and pulled her membership card from her wallet. “Yes, ma’am.” She handed her card across the counter to the lady and stepped up to the book after Shianne stepped back.
The lady laid her membership card on the counter in front of her and took Shianne’s card and examined it. Lara tucked her card into her wallet and shifted the weight of her range bag to her opposite shoulder.
“Alright. Go on through.” She held a buzzer which opened a back door for them to step out on the range. The smell of gun powder was strong the instant they stepped outside. The loud popping of gunfire from the separate areas of the range filled the air. Shianne pointed to two empty spaces in front of the targets, and they walked to them. Setting their bags on the table between them, they opened their bags, pulled their guns from inside and loaded a magazine. Lara tucked her electronic ear plugs in her ears and slipped her safety glasses on.
She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. For some reason she always got nervous just before firing. She waited for her body to calm, raised her gun to the target in front of her and steadied her breathing once more. Then, she aimed at the middle of the target, let out a slow breath, and slowly squeezed the trigger. Once the first bullet was fired, she fired again and again, emptying her magazine of twelve bullets then looked at the target. She smiled as she saw her aim was still spot on, then glanced at Shianne’s target and saw her friend was still a crack shot. They’d grown up out here. Practicing weekly after they’d first gotten their guns for their fourteenth birthdays. Both sets of parents had discussed it and since they’d been practicing and had shown responsibility, they’d each gotten pistols. Man, they thought they had the world by the ass when they came out here the first day with their very own guns.
During college, they didn’t practice as much, but they still managed at least once a month. Then they both worked at their respective businesses and time slipped away some days. But, her shoulders relaxed now and her heart beat steady and ready. When she turned to look at Shianne, both women smiled. They were on the same page with this.
Chapter23
Tate and Aidyn found themselves driving up the mountain road closest to the base. Henry and Maya watched them from the trailer. Several shipping containers had been placed this afternoon, more were on the way. It was beginning to look like a fortress. From this vantage point, they could see down into the nearest part of the base, but the trees and brush obstructed much of it.
He looked at Aidyn, “Think they’re waiting for us?”
“If not waiting, they’re watching.”
“I suppose they’ll be all hot and bothered about the containers.”
Aidyn laughed. “Likely. That makes me happy.”
Tate chuckled. “Me too.”
A glint to his left caught his attention. “There they are.”
