Born to Fight

Chapter 14

Celeste

A few days had passed since my little unauthorized road trip to the cabin.

Jamie hadn’t mentioned the stolen truck again.

I hadn’t mentioned the weapons hidden at the bottom of my closet.

Some things were better left unsaid.

I was sitting alone in the entertainment area, perched on one of the bar stools, staring out at the backyard.

It was a beautiful day.

The kind of day that should have made me feel happy.

Instead, I felt lost.

I’d spent most of the morning trying to figure out how to ask Jamie for the favour I needed.

It was selfish.

I knew that.

I’d already stolen his truck without permission, disappeared for hours and scared the hell out of him.

And now I wanted something else from him.

I was just trying to work up the courage to ask when—

SPLASH!

I jumped.

I looked toward the pool.

Loki.

Of course.

He was happily paddling around as though he’d been born for the water.

I shook my head.

That dog could find trouble in an empty room.

I couldn’t help smiling.

I envied him sometimes.

Loki didn’t overthink anything.

He didn’t lie awake at night replaying the past.

He didn’t worry about what tomorrow might bring.

He simply existed in the moment.

I wished I could do the same.

A few minutes later, the back door opened.

Jamie stepped outside with Freeze beside him.

Freeze spotted Loki.

His ears perked.

His tail started wagging.

Then, without hesitation, he launched himself into the pool.

Another enormous splash exploded across the water.

Loki barked happily.

The two dogs immediately started chasing each other around the pool, splashing water everywhere.

I laughed.

Jamie laughed too.

For a few precious seconds, everything felt normal.

No murdered mothers.

No mysterious killers.

No estranged fathers.

No family I didn’t know how to accept.

Just two idiots swimming in a pool.

Jamie glanced at me.

“Do you play?”

I followed his gaze to the pool table.

“Yeah.”

He nodded toward it.

“Want to play?”

“Sure.”

I climbed off the stool.

“Rack ’em up.”

He grinned.

I grabbed two cues while he racked the balls.

When I returned, I handed him a cue.

“Your break.”

Jamie leaned over the table.

“Ladies first.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Scared?”

He laughed.

“Not even slightly.”

“Good.”

I smiled.

“Because I’m about to embarrass you.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Confident.”

“You have no idea.”

He broke.

The balls scattered across the table.

And just like that, we settled into the game.

For the first time in days, my mind wasn’t racing.

The click of the cue ball.

The c***k of the balls breaking apart.

The quiet concentration.

It was almost therapeutic.

But I hadn’t forgotten why I’d wanted to play.

Eventually, I knew I had to ask.

I waited until Jamie bent over the table for his next shot.

“Jamie?”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

He lined up his shot.

“What kind of something?”

“I was wondering if you know of a g*n range around here.”

The cue stopped.

Jamie slowly straightened.

His eyes locked onto mine.

“Why?”

I shrugged.

“It’s something Mum and I used to do.”

He didn’t say anything.

“We used to go a couple of times a month.”

I looked down at the table.

“I guess I miss it.”

That part wasn’t a lie.

Not even close.

“I miss doing something that reminds me of her.”

Jamie studied me.

“And you want to go with me?”

“If that’s okay.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is that the only reason?”

My heart skipped.

“Yes.”

I held his gaze.

“That’s the only reason.”

He watched me for several seconds.

I couldn’t tell whether he believed me.

Finally, he nodded.

“Okay.”

He bent over the table again.

“Let’s finish the game.”

I let out a quiet breath.

He’d agreed.

That was all I needed.

⸻

Jamie

I’d noticed something about Celeste over the past few days.

She was quieter.

More withdrawn.

She spent a lot of time in her own head.

And I hated seeing it.

So when I walked outside and found her sitting alone while Loki entertained himself in the pool, I decided she needed a distraction.

I wasn’t expecting her to nearly wipe the floor with me at pool.

I watched her line up another shot.

“Who taught you to play?”

“My grandfather.”

Of course.

Everything seemed to come back to her grandfather.

He’d clearly been a huge influence on her.

I smiled.

“Your grandfather taught you a few things.”

“You have no idea.”

She smiled.

It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from her in days.

Then she asked about the g*n range.

And that smile disappeared.

I studied her.

There was something behind that request.

I knew it.

Celeste wasn’t stupid.

She didn’t ask for things without thinking them through.

“I know a place,” I finally said.

She looked relieved.

“Good.”

“It’s run by a friend of mine.”

I picked up my cue.

“Josh and I go there when we need some range time.”

She nodded.

“Can we go?”

“Sure.”

I didn’t tell her that I’d be keeping a close eye on her.

I didn’t tell her that I’d already noticed how restless she’d become.

And I definitely didn’t tell her that I suspected this trip wasn’t simply about nostalgia.

After we finished our game, I motioned for her to follow me.

We went inside.

I opened the g*n safe and pulled out two rifles and two handguns.

Then I grabbed ammunition.

Celeste watched carefully.

Too carefully.

She knew exactly what she was looking at.

I filed that away.

We headed outside.

I motioned toward Loki and Freeze.

“Stay.”

Both dogs remained inside.

I loaded the firearms into the truck.

Celeste climbed in beside me.

As I started the engine, I remembered something else I needed to tell her.

Billy had gone to her school the day before.

He’d spoken with the principal, explained the situation and arranged for Celeste to complete her classes online until it was safe for her to return.

I hadn’t told her yet.

I was hoping she’d see it as good news.

No school.

No gossip.

No teenagers whispering about what had happened.

No questions about her mother.

Just somewhere quiet where she could grieve.

I glanced at her.

She was staring out the window.

I wondered how she’d react.

Then I remembered her expression when she’d asked about the g*n range.

And my instincts kicked in again.

Something wasn’t adding up.

⸻

The range was almost empty when we arrived.

I unloaded the rifles while Celeste grabbed the handguns.

We set everything up.

Then we started shooting.

I watched her carefully.

The first shot hit close to the centre.

The second was better.

The third—

Dead centre.

I stared at the target.

Then at her.

She didn’t even seem surprised.

“Damn.”

She looked at me.

“What?”

“Who taught you to shoot?”

“My mum.”

I shook my head.

“Your mum taught you well.”

She smiled faintly.

But then she turned back toward the target.

And the smile disappeared.

She raised the rifle again.

Steady.

Controlled.

Focused.

Bang.

Another bullseye.

I stared at the target.

That wasn’t beginner’s luck.

Not even close.

Whoever had trained this girl had done an incredible job.

She had natural ability.

Good breathing control.

Excellent trigger discipline.

And an instinct for the weapon that I rarely saw in someone her age.

If I’m being honest, I thought she could outshoot Josh.

Maybe even me, if she had enough experience.

We spent hours at the range.

And for the first time since Tina’s death, Celeste looked alive.

The anger she’d been carrying seemed to have somewhere to go.

Every shot gave it somewhere to land.

I understood that.

I’d seen it before.

Sometimes you needed something physical to keep your mind from eating you alive.

Eventually, we packed everything away.

But as I watched Celeste carefully lock the case, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted from today.

And that worried me.

Because I didn’t believe she’d brought me here simply because she missed her mother.

She was planning something.

I just didn’t know what.

And whatever it was…

I was going to find out.

Because the last thing I was going to let happen was for Celeste to put herself in danger.

Not after everything she’d already lost.

Not when I was starting to realize just how much I cared about keeping her safe.