Fall into Fire (Shamans of the Divide, Book 2)

Chapter Fourteen

Halliday's turned out to be a shooting range.

"You've never fired a gun?"

Cody asked me the question for the fifth time that morning as we grabbed a donut from the convenience store on the way.

"No," I said. "Never."

No matter how many times I tried to tell him that I was a firearm newbie, he couldn't wrap his outdoorsy man-brain around the fact that I had yet to pull a trigger on a live round.

"How is that possible? Even for you?"

I frowned at Cody. We were sitting in his Jeep outside the range finishing a late morning snack. He had two donuts and an energy drink. I picked up an orange juice and a granola bar.

"I'm from suburban Denver," I said. "Opportunities didn't exactly pop up to go shoot things."

Licking chocolate glaze off his fingers, he shook his head one last time.

"And you?" I asked. "Let me guess? Shooting things since you were in diapers?"

"Mostly," he said. "My dad's been taking me hunting since I can remember. We go out to Montana and to the Dakotas a couple times a year for some big game."

"I imagine your room is full of big dead animal heads stuck to the walls?"

Cody laughed.

"You'll have to come see what's in my room for yourself sometime."

The juice slid down the wrong tube and between my cheeks blazing hot and the orange juice trying to come back up, I nearly choked to death.

Cody laughed.

"God you're adorable when you blush," he said before chugging down the last of his enormous can of green drink. "Ready?"

He reached back and grabbed my cane, carrying it with him as he came around to help me down.

"How much longer are you going to have this thing?"

I didn't know.

"I'm supposed to use it less and less over the summer," I explained. "Mostly as it hurts less to walk."

We approached the door to Halliday's and Cody stopped, pointing to the nasty red scars on my leg.

"Does that have anything to do with the kid who showed up at Leonard's yesterday?"

I'm pretty sure he meant Renn.

"Did he do this? No," I said, trying my best not to lie to him. "Does it involve him? Kind of."

Cody sighed and put a hand on his hip.

"I'm going to get the answer out of you before long," he said, but cracked a smile. Something told me he wasn't lying. He seemed determined to figure out what Renn and the others were doing at the ranch and how I figured into the group. He probably felt the same way they did--that I didn't exactly look like I belonged with them.

"You might," I agreed. "But maybe this isn't a story you really want to hear. It's a mess and it's obviously ugly. Maybe you're smart to steer clear of the drama."

I managed a weak smile after, but Cody didn't seem moved.

"I'll decide for myself, thank you."

He pulled the door open and led me inside.

I had nothing to compare it to, but Halliday's was like a country club for weapons owners. There were secure lockers in a huge room in the back. Folks who had parked their guns were free to have lunch in the huge cafeteria, complete with a salad bar and a pizza shop. There was a gift shop with camouflage everything in it.