Not Even In Your Dreams, Alpha (III)

Chapter 34

34

Emma

Kathrine gulped and her hands shook terribly. "Y-you sure this is a good idea?" She stuttered.

I gave a hard nod and adjusted my protective glasses. "Absolutely. As my dad had said, a paper can only do so much. Now, take your stance and relax." I gently placed my hands on her arms and stood close to her to help her situate herself.

"Take a deep breath and keep your eyes on the target." I calmly told her as I helped keep her hands steady. "He won't wait for you to calm down so you can take the shot. Act on instincts. Rely on your senses. Let your energy flow through you and focus on the target. Pretend nothing is here but you and your target..." I slowly stepped away as she took a deep breath and exhaled.

She took a sharp intake of breath just as she squeezed the trigger. My ears rang a bit even with the ear plugs and headphones covering them.

"Good." I complimented her as I gazed down the field to where the target stood twenty meters away. "Aim is a bit off, but it still would have given you time to escape."

She gave a weak smile. "This is my first time ever holding a gun. This is... something different... kind of fun."

I chuckled. "I'm glad. Why don't we put a few more rounds in the target and see what we can do to help your aim." She nodded, took her stance again, and took a few calming breaths.

She shot five more rounds before she lowered the gun. "How was that?"

I held up my hand to have her give me a minute as I went to grab the target from the post it was on. I came back with it a few minutes later and pointed to each hole. "So, your aim keeps going either more to the upper right or mid-to lower left. Don't be afraid of the gun when you pull the trigger. Keep calm, keep centered, and keep focused."

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to start with the big guns." We looked up to see Rorie walking towards us. "Literally."

I rolled my eyes. "Ha, ha. It was more of her idea, anyway."

"Be that the case, she still shouldn't try to shoot yet." He held his hand out and she gave it back to him. "Do you know how to defend yourself if he grabs you?"

"I, uh...." She looked away and shook her head.

"Then we'll start with that." Rorie waved his hand for her to follow as he started to walk away.

She looked back at me, her eyes full of fear. "It's okay, you'll be fine. Dad and I will be back for you in a couple hours. I promise." She nodded and jogged to catch up with Rorie. I walked from the shooting range back to meet up with my dad.

He and grandma looked up when thy saw me approach. "You ready, Ems?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "Yup. I leave her in their care. See you later, Gram. Be nice to Kathrine; she's a gentle soul."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "I'll whip her into shape. She'll be an independent little spitfire before you know it. Kester won't know what hit him."

I laughed and gave her a hug. "Alright, whatever, Gram. We'll be back in a couple hours." She waved to us as we got in the car and drove back home.

I slumped in my seat. "I feel so bad for Kathrine. It must be so awful to have to deal with someone as abusive as her ex..." A heavy cloud of tension drifted between us.

"Erm, everything okay?" I asked as I sat up.

"So, that's what's going on..." He gnawed on his lips and tightened his grip on the wheel once in a while.