There Are No Words

Chapter 13

BEFORE

Walker

Fionn and I are unloading the car, while the girls wait by the gun stands. There aren't many people here today so we aren't at risk of losing a place to shoot, but we always feel better carrying the cases over for the group while the girls wait. Cian isn't here at the moment, he stopped to hit the head, but he'll be along soon. Meanwhile, Fionn is helping me get all the equipment out of the truck.

All four of us, Cian, Fionn, Tadhg and myself, belong to the I-S club rifle association, but Jenny, Siofra and Caoilainn prefer to let us teach them ourselves, rather than attend class with the usual crowd of local people. This is fine by me. I would rather teach Jenny myself, and I know the other guys feel the same way, too.

Tadhg and Caoilainn are both working, so it'll be just the five of us on the range today.

"Think we'll get rained out today, Walker?" Fionn asks, looking at the clouds building overhead while he picks up his and Siofra's things.

"Nah, by the time they let loose, we'll be gone." I answer, glancing up. I heft my rifle bag over my shoulder, and grab Jenny's handgun carry case. Fionn grabs the last of the targets out of the trunk before slamming it shut. We walk over to the girls, kicking gravel as we go.

Jenny and Siofra are talking quietly. I see Siofra glance back towards the road. She's looking for Cian to appear, no doubt. Fionn is a good teacher, but I know Siofra is looking forward to spending time with Cian today.

I set my own rifle bag down on one stand, and put Jenny's 9 mm bag next to it. Fionn places his and Siofra's stuff on the next stand. Since we've been here with the girls many times before, we have a routine. The guys and I check all the equipment, safeties, ammo, and make sure the guns aren't loaded, while the girls go down to set up the target 100 yards down range. Then when the girls return, we have them complete the safety checks all over again.

At the moment, I'm busy unloading my bag and starring at Jenny's retreating ass.

"So, when are you going to ask Jenny out, Walker?"

Caught off guard by Fionn's question from nowhere, I drop the box of bullets I was taking out of my case.

"Shit!"

Bending over, and stalling for an answer, I pick up the ones that had gotten away from me. "...' the frig did that come from, Fionn?"

"What? You know you want to. It's getting long in the tooth watching you two drag your feet. We're all waiting for it to happen."

"You are, huh?"

"Yeah, man. You need to grow a pair and do something about it."

"That right, Fionn? What makes you the expert?" I ask, a little annoyed, both with his line of questioning and my own crap excuses of why I hadn't yet.

"Look, I'm just saying. I heard some of the guys talking in the locker room the other day. Word is, Ruari's been checking out your girl over there. If you're really into her, you better make the first move. You don't want Jenny dating Ruari, man, do you?"

"Are you kidding me? That asshole? Jenny would never go for that guy," I answer, my blood pressure rising. When Fionn raises his eyebrows at me, I start to mentally second guess myself. She wouldn't, would she?

"Yeah, well, unlike you, Walker, Ruari's not the type of guy to hesitate, if you know what I mean. Don't risk waiting too much longer. The sharks are in the water, my friend, and they are looking for fresh meat."

"Jenny is not 'fresh meat', Jack-off," I snarl back at him.

"I know. I know." He says, raising his hands in surrender. "I don't see her that way either. You know that, Walker. But a guy like Ruari? He'll be all over that, I mean her, soon.

If you're not there first, well..."

I think about what he said and go back to cleaning my rifle, as Fionn polishes his Smith and Weston. Jenny and Siofra are on their way back at this point. Looking at them, the last thing I want is to think about is Ruari's slimy hands, or dirty mind, anywhere near Jenny.

Dammit.

I let out a breath, and stand up to adjust my sights in the opposite direction of the girls. The air is still today; there's no wind. At least we have that working in our favor. I want to make sure Jenny stays up on her shooting. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she shouldn't know how to protect herself. You never know what could happen. Her grandparents aren't getting any younger. There'll be a time when she finds herself living alone in that cabin. Granted, our own cabin is always nearby, but still. We might not always be there either. Jenny has to have some personal security. Just in case. (And let's be honest, it gives me a better sense of security when I know she has a way to defend herself.)

The next step is to remind Jenny about taking self-defense classes. I mentioned it before, but I'm not sure she wants to. Jenny is gentle, but a mugger will not be. And a gun's usefulness has its limits, especially if you're not carrying it around with you. While Jenny is open to keeping a gun nearby when she's home, I know she'll never get a permit to conceal carry. The next best step will be self-defense classes. Maybe some Jui Jitsu or something. Trying to picture Jenny in a take-down makes me smile. Even better, imagining her landing a swift kick in Ruari's ba...

"You boys about ready, Fionn?" Siofra calls, as she mosies up to our gun stand and brings me back to myself.

"Yeah, just about, Siofra. Just finishing up. Here, you wanna check this one? I already disarmed it, but you can never be too cautious," Fionn says, handing her his 9mm.

"Ok, let me see."

Right about then, Cian rounds the corner and comes into view. Siofra and Jenny exchange looks. Siofra checks the chamber and releases the clip before putting it back together and popping the safety on. She hands it back to Fionn and says, "I'll be right back." She walks away to meet up with Cian, and Jenny joins her.

Fionn sucks on his teeth in disgust next to me, kicking up dust with his feet at the same time. Little pinging sounds trip around us as spent shell casings click against the concrete stands. There's always a mess of them laying around on the ground. The copper ones get picked clean by the range's maintenance guy. He collects them to refill and resell.

"Don't see you rushing Cian to make any moves, Fionn," I comment smugly at him, loading my riffle beside him.

"Shut up, Walker. That's my baby sister you're talking about," he replies, and I laugh. This is going to be a long practice for Fionn. He knows my brother would never take advantage of or hurt Siofra, but in his eyes no one's ever going to be good enough for her. Poor guy. I think the ship has already set sail on this issue, judging by the looks Cian and Siofra are trading.

Maybe I can talk to Cian later and figure out who to bring with us next time from the I-S club. Pearl's a pretty and she has a great personality, very smart. Last time we were at the club, I noticed how Fionn caught her eye from time to time. Although, something is nagging me. I have to ask Jenny about Pearl. I can't remember if she told me Pearl was seeing someone already. If not, maybe we can invite her along at the next practice to distract Fionn. I smile at the thought and turn to finish what we were doing before the shooting begins.

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Copyright Photography 2018 A. F.

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