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KAI
Later that night, Imani wanted to practice her shooting, so we all went to my place to let her practice in the shooting range. Even Ana came with João and a huge plate of brigadeiros, to watch the security camera footage of Redwood.
Imani stood at the target, steadied her hips, and aimed her gun at the center. When she pulled the trigger, she stumbled back slightly, but the recoil wasn’t as bad as it had been that first night I brought her here.
“You’re getting better,” I said, walking to her.
I placed one hand on her hip, the other on her wrist to help her aim a bit more accurately. She was inches off from the center, inches away from being able to kill someone, if she needed.
“You think?” she asked, a smile on her lips.
“Yes, the only question is …” I paused and glanced down at her. “Are you actually going to be able to shoot to kill someone in real life? There is a difference between a target and a live human being standing in front of you.”
Imani glanced down and nodded. “I know, but if it is to protect the people I care about, then I have to do it.”
“Then, shoot again,” I said.
Imani squared her hips, aimed once more, then pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the air and pierced right through the center of the target, a clean, straight shot. She placed the gun down and threw her arms around me. “Finally!”
“Good job,” I said, unable to hold back a smile.
Because, fuck, hers was beautiful. She was getting so strong, becoming even sexier to me, if that was even possible. Sweet Imani was turning into a woman who could protect herself without the help of anyone else.
After a couple moments, Imani’s smile dropped. She parted her lips, then pressed them back together, looking unsure. Then, she finally came out with it.
“I know something is holding you back,” she said, “but I wanted to let you know that you make me feel so safe and strong, and I … I appreciate it so much more than you will ever know. I’ve never felt this confident before I met you guys.”
It looked like she wanted to say more.
Fuck, I wanted her to say more.
But my fucking phone had to ruin it all, buzzing in my pocket and cutting through the silence. Imani cracked another smile, then turned back toward the shooting range to practice some more.
I stared at her smaller frame for a few long moments, wishing that I could tell her that I loved and cared about her the same way she cared about me. I wanted her to tell me that she loved me too, not just appreciated me.
Another buzz.
After sighing, I pulled out my phone to read a group chat between Poison and Jace.
Jace Harbor: We still on?
João: Pierce Road. Five minutes. Alone.
At lunch earlier, Jace fucking Harbor had asked us to teach him how to shoot a gun. He wanted to be able to protect Allie against his short-tempered killer father, if he ever needed to. So, I had invited him over to my place tonight. I wanted to protect Allie, too, but for different reasons.
“Landon!” I called.
A moment later, Landon appeared at the door.
“Watch Imani. I have something I need to take care of.” I walked out into the main room with all my monitors.
Ana sat on João’s lap and stared up at all the monitors displaying security camera footage from around Redwood. We were still looking nonstop for Akio’s family. They hadn’t shown their faces once. Neither had Vikky Ito.
I leaned against the wall and stared at the cameras, nodding to João. “Jace will be here soon. If I don’t go out there, he’s going to be driving all around these streets to try to find my place.”
After jogging up the stairs, I tugged on a black hoodie and walked out into the frigid fucking cold. A white puff of air drifted out from my mouth. I pulled my hood up and stuffed my hands into my pockets.
Down the street, Jace Harbor pulled up to the curb in his Maserati. When he got out of his car and looked over at me, I nodded to my place and walked back into the house because it was too fucking cold.
