Cut Too Deep (32 page)

H
adley woke in Miller’s arms and carefully slipped out of bed to use the bathroom. She returned to the bedroom and gazed down at the man she loved, who slept soundly. She opted to let him sleep and pulled on her jeans and shoes. After using her fingers to brush her hair in the mirror, Hadley searched her purse for a bottle of pain reliever to soothe the mild pounding in her head. She dumped two pills into her hand and went to the kitchen in search of a bottle of water.

Chattering and laughter filtered down the hallway from the kitchen. Hadley saw Otto, Quinn, and Aggi sitting at the island and Noemi at the stove flipping pancakes. There were also skillets filled with eggs, bacon, and potatoes.

“Mornin’, doll.” Otto greeted her first.

Quinn and Aggi offered a simple good morning, and Noemi asked how she slept and told her to sit down for breakfast. After telling Miller’s mother she slept well, Hadley took a seat next to Otto, who poured her a glass of orange juice and slid it over to her.

Hadley tossed the pills in her mouth and tipped back the orange juice.

“After breakfast, we’re going to shoot,” Otto informed her. “Do you want to come?”

Hadley lifted both eyebrows. “Shooting? Like with a gun?”

The three men laughed.

“No, with your finger,” Otto joked. “Of course with a gun.”

Noemi set a plate of food it front of Hadley, along with a rolled napkin.

“Thank you.”

Miller’s mother smiled and returned to the stove. Hadley unrolled the napkin, set the silverware to the side, and placed it in her lap.

“Where are you going shooting?” she asked. Hadley never shot a gun before, but the thought intrigued her.

Aggi pointed a fork at the window. “Right there.”

Hadley looked in the direction of the hay bales in the distance, suddenly realizing the white circles were targets.

They have a shooting range on their property? Not weird at all.

She didn’t ask any questions and agreed to go.

“I’ll warn you. It’s an addictive hobby,” Noemi said. “I have goggles and ear protection that should fit you, and you can borrow my Glock.”

Hadley’s fork was halfway to her mouth when she set it down and stared at Noemi in shock.

“You own a gun?”

“Damn right!” Noemi released a small laugh. “I carry it in my purse for protection. You can never be too careful.”

Hadley silently speculated what a woman who lived in the middle of nowhere would need protection from. She assumed, though, that the entire Lorino family probably carried a concealed weapon. In their line of work, retaliation was most likely inevitable.

Miller woke to an empty bed and a throbbing headache. He drank more than he should have last night and nearly broke his promise to Hadley. In her wine induced state, her inhibitions had fallen away and he could have easily taken her to bed.

When she left him last night to use the bathroom, he summoned the strength needed to deny her and pretended to sleep when she returned. While he held her in his arms, he decided to tell her who he was. Since Miller shared a name with his father, his family used his middle name to avoid confusion, but Miller had spoken with his mother and told her to ask his family to call him Miller while Hadley was there. He didn’t explain why, but told her it was important. Vito was the only one who knew his reasons. There were several incidents last night where he’d been referred to as G, or Gio, but she didn’t catch on. Miller needed to tell her the truth before she found out due to an unintended slip up.

Miller feared this morning would be their last together once he confessed. Her memories were clouded and most of them from the night her parents died were blocked completely. He worried his confession would bring them to the surface and Hadley would remember. Worse, that she would blame him and never want to see him again. Nonetheless, Miller’s resolve to be truthful remained unfaltering. He planned to tell her he was Giovanni the moment they returned to the city.

When Hadley, Otto, Aggi, and Quinn reached the makeshift shooting range, Quinn handed her noise reducing earmuffs and a pair of clear goggles that looked like sunglasses.  She put them on when the three of them did.

Her hands trembled as her fingers wrapped around the cold metal of Noemi’s Glock. She felt her heart hammer against her ribs. Her heavy breaths filled the hallow space of the earmuffs and echoed in her ears.

“Relax, doll. It’s not loaded.” Otto smiled, his voice barely audible with the earmuffs on. “Get acquainted with it. One of us will go first.”

Acquainted? Right, how does one get to know a gun exactly?

Aggi lit up a cigarette and sat on a hay bale. Hadley was too anxious to sit, and although it had been years since she smoked anything, she considered it.

Quinn stepped up to a waist high stack of hay bales and set down a box of ammunition. Hadley studied everything he did closely. First, Quinn pushed a button on the side of the pistol and released a slim cartridge from the handle.

“That’s the clip,” Otto told her.

Next, Quinn removed bullets from the box and pushed them into the clip one at a time. When he finished, he inserted the clip back into the handle. The loading process seemed straightforward enough. With both hands, Quinn held the gun and extended his arms.

“See how he keeps his finger off the trigger until he’s ready to fire,” Otto’s instructions continued. Hadley nodded.

Quinn gripped the top of the barrel with his free hand and pulled it back toward his body.

Otto pointed. “That is how you load the round.”

“How many rounds are there?”

“In yours, fifteen.”

Hadley noticed the taut muscles in Quinn’s extended arms, but also the light grip of his hands on the pistol as his finger curled around the trigger. Quinn lifted his arms, aligning them with his eyes and then gently pulled the trigger. Hadley never saw the bullet exit the chamber or where it ended up, but Aggi and Otto razzed Quinn about him being a lousy shot. Seconds later, he fired again and again, the noise of the gun drowned out by the earmuffs, but her adrenaline pumped her heart fast enough that it was nearly deafening. Excitement filled her to the brim. She couldn’t wait to try it.

Quinn set the pistol down and then removed his eyewear. He turned to her with a smile.

“What did you think, doll? Are you ready for a turn?”

Quinn was evidently calling her doll too, and admittedly she was growing fond of the nickname. For a brief moment Hadley thought about Miller asleep in the house. Would he be upset she was outside with other men, even if they were family? Her father would have been furious. Her mother had often been scolded for looking in the direction of another man. Hadley pushed the thought aside. She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Hadley filled the spot Quinn exited. She found the button on the side of the gun and ejected the clip. Her shaking fingers made holding the cartridge difficult, but she managed to get it upright and reached for a bullet. As Hadley pushed one into the clip in the same way Quinn had, it clicked into place. When she started to insert another bullet, Otto stopped her and adjusted the direction.

“You want to alternate the angle. It keeps the rounds from sticking.”

Hadley nodded and continued filling the clip. As she brought the clip to the handle, her body zinged with anticipation. She inhaled a deep breath and pushed on the bottom of the clip until it snapped into place securely inside the handle.

“Do you want any help, or are you good?” Otto asked.

She shook her head confidently and lifted her arms, careful to keep her finger off the trigger. Hadley looked down the V of her arms, aligning the weapon with a white circle in the distance.

With a long exhale, her finger curled over the trigger, and she squeezed gently. Her arms jerked and lifted in the air. The guys laughed hard. Otto approached her, pushing on her arms to keep her from turning on him with a loaded gun.

“Okay, doll, take deep breath. That was the kick. Now you know what to expect. ” Otto stood at her side. “Bring your arms up. Do you see the target?” Hadley nodded. “Loosen your grip. You don’t need to white knuckle the thing. Square your shoulders, and use your legs.”

Hadley did as Otto said and he stepped back. She fired again. This time, with the help of her legs, her arms stayed straight. She fired again and again until she emptied the clip and then set the pistol next to the box of ammunition.

An exhilarating feeling swept through her and she jumped up and down, grinning like a fool.

“Damn, Quinn, she’s a better shot than you,” Aggi teased his brother, who promptly told him to fuck off in return.

Hadley felt him watching her and turned to find Miller standing a few yards away with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. His lips made a hard line, and she couldn’t tell if he was angry. As Miller walked toward her, Hadley got the distinct impression he was upset, and that pissed her off. It’s not like she was flirting with his uncles. She balled her fist in expectation.

When Miller reached Hadley, his eyes stayed on hers as his hand glided over her back. His dimple formed before his lips curled. Relief rushed out of Hadley. She questioned if her past would always force her to assume the worst in Miller, even if she loved and trusted him.

“Forget the touchdown, Love. That was by far the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Miller dipped his head and kissed her lips.

“It was amazing,” Hadley said. “I had no idea shooting a gun was such a rush.”

“She’s a natural, G—Miller,” Otto stumbled.

Miller shot him a warning look, hoping Hadley didn’t notice. She didn’t.

“Do you shoot?” Hadley asked.

Miller flashed a cocky smile and walked over to where the bullets were. Otto handed him a gun, goggles, and earmuffs. In a matter of seconds the gun was loaded, fired, and emptied. Hadley’s mouth was on the ground as desire swirled in her intimate places.

“Lucky fucker never practices and he’s still a perfect shot,” Otto whined.

Miller set the earmuffs and goggles down.

“I don’t believe in luck, Otto. Shooting is a skill.”

Hadley flushed. She suddenly wanted to go back to his place and let him show her his other
skills
.