****
“With the risk of hunters, I want you to be able to use this,” Val said, holding up a shotgun.
Amelia shook her head.
“Don’t even fucking mess with me on this, Amelia. I’m a damn bar on the outskirts of town. I know you don’t live close to the pack either. You will do something to protect yourself.” Val had pulled her around the back of the bar, in the yard.
He shoved the shotgun into herhands, and Amelia glared at him.
Last night, Wolfe had been at her apartment, asking her all kinds of personal questions. Some had been a little hard to think about, let alone answer. She sounded like a damn doormat. He must think she was a real piece of work. Living in a pack that turned her into an outcast.
She hadn’t meant to bring up the deer petition. It was the final nail in her pack coffin. Some of the pack used to be able to abide her. A couple of packmembers would greet her, talk to her, and pretend she wasn’t a social pariah. After the deer thing, no one did. They all openly avoided her.
She could deal with it.
Telling Wolfe she broke pack law was terrifying.
They didn’t have any vets or doctors. They had a Shirley, the healer, but that womandidn’t like her either. Yet again, another skill she learned for herself. How to heal her own body.
Val stepped away from her and moved toward the long table he’d pulled outside, and lined up used beer cans and bottles.
She hated guns.
“Val, you know we have other weapons, right?” she asked.
Big wolves that would come out when truly called to protect.
“We’re dealing with humans, Amelia. Humans that don’t need to know we’re wolves. We can scare them off with our big shiny guns.”
“This seems a little extreme. What if we just let them have a drink and then leave?”
“Then they’ll come back.” Val shook his head. “Not having that. They need to know not to come back.”
“Don’t you think we just need to … I don’t know, wait and see what the trouble is?”
Val shook his head. “I haven’t chased down bunnies, Amelia, or rats. I’ve got a couple of empty beer cans and bottles. If you don’t want to lose your job, you’re going to prove to me that you can do this.”
Amelia gritted her teeth, annoyed. She liked her job. It was the only job she could get. There was not going to be another one for her. Pissing off Val was not an option.
“Now, I’m going to talk you through what you have to do. I know youhaven’t shot a weapon before in your life—”
She didn’t let him finish his statement.
The shotgun was already loaded with two shots. She fired both shots, opened it, loaded the case, and took another two shots. She did this until the can and bottles were gone.
All she needed was a single shoton each item. She’d taken them all down. Lowering the shotgun, she stared at Val’s shocked face.
“I don’t believe in violence, Val,but it doesn’t mean I’m not capable of taking care of myself.” She had learned to fire a weapon after her father had taken her out. He’d gotten so angry with her because she refused to follow his methods.
Amelia had come to realize that she could learn without it harming anyone. Her dad had wanted her to shoot things. Not happening. Maybe that was when her parents started to lose patience with her.
“Wait a minute,” Val said, coming toward her. “Are you … you’re weak. You can’t defend yourself.”
“Okay.” Amelia handed him a gun. “Can I go and restock the fridge?”
“No. No. You can’t go anywhere.”
She stood, waiting.