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Winnie finally huffed and shook her head. “You are so maddening. Can’t I just go to the range with my sister?”
“Maybe if you hadn’t been in a while. What gives?”
“I heard Bear say he was going to watch you two and I want to also.”
Are you freaking kidding me? Like she needed any of the peanut gallery watching them, especially when she had no idea which War she’d end up with. The sweet one who said she didn’t need to be sorry or the ass who was still calling her princess. Unless princesses wore motorcycle boots, he’d need to find another name to call her.
“Fine. You can keep me from killing War if he annoys me.”
“Oh. Maybe we need backup if you’re considering that.” Winnie tapped on her phone and then slid it back in her pocket.
“What did you do?”
“Code Rachel.”
She loved her sisters and she needed to remind herself of that because what Winnie had just done had her ready to be an only child. Now, they’d all be up in her business on the course and depending on if her sisters were with other employees when they got the text, she might have more backup than she wanted. Some days it didn’t pay to get up and get out of bed, and today might be one of those days.
Her plans were to have her and War run the outdoor course and the indoor course separately while the other person watched. She’d given him a couple weeks to heal. Not to pinpoint any errors but to get a feel how their partner acted in any situation. She and Bear had done the same thing before she added him as her partner on security. A couple of their employees had grumbled about having to run it with each of the sisters before their first time on a detail or skip together. She’d sent them packing.
Their jobs required them to stay in shape. Even if they weren’t running through the course because of a new partner, Franks and Daughters Bail Bonds employees were required to put in time, staying in shape and keeping sharp on their firearms. Each employee, besides going through a rigorous vetting process, also had to make it past each sister in the interviews. They each had different traits they were looking for. If anyone didn’t meet a standard by one of the sisters, they were immediately dropped.
Having a rigorous process had cut down on their turnover. She was proud of what they’d built even though some days she dreamed of having a family and taking care of them. She wouldn’t quit her job for her family, but their business had the flexibility of doing both. They’d all met and discussed how they’d handle children when they found their one, their soulmate, and decided to have a family. Sarah and Beth had put together a plan to bump out the house, moving the tech to the outside wall and add an on-site daycare. Because Sarah believed in planning ahead, the foundation was laid and workers were starting even though none of them were dating anyone serious.
She wanted someone serious but not just anyone would do. She and her sisters wouldn’t settle for anything less than what their parents had—their other half, the person they couldn’t imagine living without. Call her corny or living in a fairy tale but she wasn’t giving up on having her dream even though sometimes it was hard to keep the faith. Holding Roam’s twins and snuggling them with their baby smell brought home what she didn’t have. She even considered doing IVF, but she wanted to share a baby with the man she loved, nothing less would do for her. She still had a little time.
War was waiting at the counter of the tactical training portion of the gun store. He honestly looked better every time she saw him, which was maddening. If she had a clue which personality she’d get today, she could prepare. She wanted the one back who was kind and told her it wasn’t her fault. Maybe kicking him in the crotch again would get her the personality she liked best, but it definitely wasn’t a long-term solution.
“You’re going to be so glad you scheduled this today, Remington. I have something special for you to look at after you’re done with the course. I don’t want to show you now because your drooling might affect your time on the course,” Cannon called out as she approached the desk.
He was going to make her jealous. She just knew it. They’d been discussing their favorite guns and ones on their wish lists. She sure as heck hoped he had something for her to buy and not something he bought only for himself. She’d rejoice with him over his new gun, but he’d been looking for a special one for her.
“Should I have brought my wallet?”
His grin as he shook his head had her wishing she found him attractive. He seemed easygoing but no, she had to pant after the big guy next to him with the frown on his face. Guess it was testy War she was stuck with today. She much preferred tantalizing War with his sweet mouth and his dreamy eyes.
“I’m not telling. Good girls have to earn the privilege.”
Holy hotness. Those words from his mouth would have Jesse drooling if she was here. She was constantly reading the romance novels with a dominant man and wanted to find one in real life. Not that Remi didn’t read those romance novels, too. She did. She wanted a strong man but one who saw her as a partner. Too dominant and he’d piss her off.
“Okay. Let’s get started. I’ll run tactical one while you watch from above and then you’ll run tactical two while I watch. It’s not a competition on how fast you run it. It’s for us to learn how the other reacts to situations so we can be a more effective team. Then we’ll do some practice at the shooting range while the scenarios are reset, and we’ll run the other ones. Any questions?”
“I don’t think so. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Now, she was freaking confused. His attitude when she’d walked in and his demeanor had led her to believe she was going to be getting testy War. His tone and words didn’t match. She’d get through this. He was home for good, and she didn’t have choice. She had to figure out how they could work together.
~**~
WAR SCRUTINIZED EVERYTHINGabout Remington as she went through the course. Her form and response time were solid and would have put her at the top of any class at the academy.
The next target popped up. He shook his head. Cannon or whoever set up the course had put War’s picture on the face of the enemy target. Remington paused for a split second, thrown by the image, then shot his picture in the head, missing the child held in the target’s arms. He understood why they’d done it, but he didn’t have to agree with his brothers. Remington and he were going to be protecting a client and needed to be ready for anything. He only hoped Remington didn’t think he’d done it as a joke. He’d promised himself he was going to treat her as a colleague today, including asking her to lunch to get to know her better.
He'd been an ass again at Sunday lunch. He’d still been hurting a little, but he’d also been embarrassed by the whole incident. He hadn’t responded well and had taken out his temper by sniping at Remington. If he could figure out what was triggering his response, maybe he could change it. He had been hurting but honestly, the reason he’d been sniping at her was he felt like an outsider. He was the president of Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC, yet he was constantly being hit in the face with all the things no one told him. He hadn’t been around much over the years so he could see his dad spending the time celebrating and not with business, but he’d been home for three months. Surely someone could have taken the time to update him onhisMC.
Maybe Remington could help him out and, in the process, he could make amends enough to appease his mom along with smoothing over their working relationship. He had no doubt she’d enjoy schooling him on all the things he’d missed out on. She’d irritated him when they were younger because he’d thought she was a little miss know-it-all. He was wondering if his view had been skewed. From what Roam had said, she’d hit every goal she’d ever set and was so freaking smart. He wasn’t sold on her being perfect but maybe he’d reacted and judged her without getting to know the adult Remington. She was gorgeous and having her appear in his dreams last night didn’t help, but he’d ignored his urges before. It wouldn’t be the first time. Bear nudged him.
“She’s solid and great on security. You don’t have any worries.”
Being thirty feet above the tactical course and plexiglass in between them and the course meant they weren’t required to wear ear protection or glasses. If he had on the ear protection, he’d have an excuse for not hearing his best friend. Bear and he had worked in the same divisions but hadn’t been partnered until about six years ago. He wasn’t sure he could have continued if he hadn’t known he could trust the partner at his back. He’d almost quit then, but he’d still been sure he could help people. Their chief had proved him wrong. He’d known it was time to come home.
