“Kinda.” Sitting back with flushed cheeks, she takes my hand and traces the inked patterns on the top. “I dunno. Obviously you need sleep, but I guess I never really thought much about it.”
“Are you rested?”
She shrugs. “I worked hard all day, so just regular tired.”
“You worked hard to put me away, but you had my cock in your mouth this morning – doesn’t that feel a littleodd?”
Her arm predictably swings out and smacks my stomach. “Don’t be such a pig, Bishop! You’re lucky I kinda like you, or I’d work harder on your case.”
Laughter rolls through my chest as I twine our fingers together. “Instead of working harder, why not work smarter? Here’s an idea, you could just ask me questions.”
Her head tilts to the side. “Like what?”
“Anything you want. I know you have a billion. I know who your ghost is.”
Her eyes light up. “You do?”
“Mmhmm. I already told you his name before.”
“You did?”
“Uh-huh.” I drop a kiss beneath her ear. “I described his ass, too, I think.”
Her eyes narrow. “Jay?” She pulls back until our eyes meet. “The guy that was…” She coughs. “You know.”
“Fucking?” I chuckle. “Yeah, him. Jay with the white ass is your ghost. But don’t be scared of him. I promise, he’s not a problem for you.”
“Who is he? Who is he to Abel?”
“He’s my best friend. He’s my brother. He’s what I am to Abel.”
“And what exactly are you?”
Sitting back, I pull the seatbelt across her lap and buckle her in. Pulling out into the street, I stroke the back of her neck and start moving toward the gun range. “Enforcer. Fighter. Product tester. Logistics. Purchaser. Auditor. We’re anything Abel wants us to be.”
“Doesn’t that scare you?” With watery eyes, she scooches as close as her seatbelt allows. Placing her hand on my thigh, she digs it in under until her fingers are crushed between my leg and the seat. “You nearly died the other night, Kane. Doesn’t that terrify you?”
Jay’s face flashes through my mind. “It does. Abel’s never done that before.”
“Did he do it on purpose? Was he trying to kill you?”
“I dunno. He’s capable and often willing to kill the people around him, but maybe this particular time was an accident. I doubt he’d be sad if I died, but I’m not sure he did it on purpose.”
“I’d be sad if you died.” Unbuckling her belt as we cross the tracks leading out of town, she pulls my arm over her shoulder and presses her face to my chest. “I got kinda attached, you jerkoff. And I might actually be heartbroken if you die.”
I press my lips to the top of her head. “Don’t be sad, Jessie. You’re strong enough. I promise you are.” I pull across the grate that leads to the range and park in the dusty lot. “We have work to do.”
“Why are you teaching me to shoot? Do you think I’ll be in a gun fight sometime soon?”
“No, I don’t think you will.” The very thought makes me sick to my stomach. “But it’s my job to make sure you can protect yourself, just like it’s your fighter friend’s job to make sure his wife can fight. It’s what we do.”It’s what we do for the people we love.“Come on. I like that you wore your jeans today. Gives us an extra ten minutes to shoot things.”
With a scoff, she pushes away from me and scoots along the bench seat. Opening the door, she slides out and lands on her sneakered feet as I round the hood. “Are you gonna buy me a gun for Christmas?”
“No. I already bought you a gun.”
She digs her feet in and slides in the gravel. “What?”
“I got it yesterday, but you can’t have it till I say you’re ready. I’ll be fuckin’ pissed if you shoot yourself with the gun I bought you.”