Chapter Ninety-Six
Jake’s pov
The gravel pit behind the shooting range smelled like cold mud, old copper, and gunpowder.
I hauled two heavy wooden crates of ammunition off the back of the truck, dropping them onto the wooden bench with a loud thud that echoed off the dirt walls of the pit. Bear was down at the far end, setting up the heavy steel targets for our defense drills.
I pulled my thick riding gloves tight over my hands, flexing my fingers and forcing my jaw to relax.
I had made a promise to Ava upstairs. I had sworn on everything we built in that bedroom that I was not going to let Gideon drag me down into the dirt. But standing out in the cold morning air, knowing I had to spend the next three hours running fighting drills with a man I wanted to bury under the gravel, made
