Phoenix (10 page)

“I can get you a different weapon,” he said.

“No.” Caroline examined it carefully. “This is fine.”

Thankfully, he didn’t argue with her about it. “I’ll get you a target and show you to your stall.”

“How many spots do you have available at any given time?” she asked.

“Not that many,” Maier said. “We had to rebuild this. The Marines trashed most of their training facilities when they ditched last year. We have four different distances. Max two people in each one. We don’t like to overload.”

“But there’s plenty of stuff that goes on during training, right?”

“Yup. This is just extra practice. I assume that’s what you want?”

She could pull the charm out from time to time, though she hated to use it. If it meant she wouldn’t be hassled about her firearm selection, so be it. “Might have a little rage to work out, too.”

Maier eyed the gun in her hand. “You’ll want something short to medium range until you get the feel for that thing.”

“That’s fine.” Caroline could show him her skills with a 9mm at long distance some other time.

He grabbed a pair of protective glasses and earmuffs from the cabinet behind his desk. “Follow me.”

He took her down a long hallway. No gunshots. She was the only one there. Excellent. Maier showed her around a bit, helped her hang her target, and gave her a minute to reassure him that the stall was to her requirements.

“Well,” he said. “Enjoy. I don’t think anyone has anything booked for a while so you’ve got the place to yourself. You know where to find me.” He pointed at the gun. “Don’t go nuts with that thing.”

She wondered if he knew the whole story about what had happened between her and Buchanan. “Wouldn’t want the guy in charge of the range to get in trouble.”

“No, ma’am.”

Caroline put her protective gear on and loaded a round into the chamber. She went through the first magazine trying to adjust to the gun. Her aim was off. The recoil seemed stronger than when she’d been in the interrogation room. But maybe she was expecting it.

No other way to conquer a fear than by confronting it. She was loading her third magazine when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Caroline jumped forward, removing her ear protection.

“Sorry,” Jack said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

She turned to face him. “You shouldn’t startle people with guns in their hands.”

He smiled. “My mistake.”

She’d forgotten how clueless he was when it came to firearms. He really didn’t realize what a foolish decision he’d just made. “What are you doing here?”

“I have snitches,” he said.

Of course he did. She was surprised she didn’t have someone following her around all the time. Unless she did and hadn’t picked up on it yet. “So you’re checking up on me?”

“Wanted to see how you were feeling. Haven’t seen you in a day or two.”

And the last time she’d seen him she’d treated him terribly. He seemed to have forgotten that. Or was hoping
she
had. Best of luck to him on that front. “I’m getting settled in,” she said.

“I know.” He looked down at the gun on the ledge in front of her. “Is that-?”

“Sure is. Thanks for bringing it here. Very handy.”

Jack pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I want you handling that.”

“And why not?”

“Because of what it almost did to you.”

Fuck his patriarchal protectiveness. “All the more reason to use it.”

“You don’t need a weapon that large anyway,” he said. “You’re much more skilled with a .40 or a 9mm.”

He was always good at mansplaining. “I am aware of my own abilities, thank you.”

“So why use that gun?”

Caroline continued to load the magazine. If she did her best to ignore him, maybe he’d take the hint and go away. “If I’m ever in a situation where this weapon is my only option, I want to feel comfortable with it. Is that all right with you?”

“You’ll have your own handgun issued to you at the end of training.” Jack paused. “We have plenty of firearms that are better suited to your capabilities.”

Had he been listening to her at all? “That’s not the point.”

He sighed. “It almost flew out of your hands when you fired it at me the other day.”

“I wasn’t firing at you. And it did not.”

“I saw it. Remember?”

Caroline slid the magazine back into place. “Oh, fuck you.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “I don’t like having guns like that around. It gives the guys too many ideas.”

If he wasn’t going to leave, she could pump him for information. “Are soldiers able to select their own sidearms?”

“Usually,” Jack said. “Unless there’s some reason a chosen firearm is inappropriate.”

“The ones with tiny dicks pick the big ones, right?”

He laughed. “You’re going to extend your theory about Buchanan to every other man on this base?”

“Just an observation. Might not be based in truth.”

He smiled at her. “It might be.”

Her husband was trying to play nice and she wanted him to leave her alone. How many hints did he need? “What kind of gun do you have?”

The smile faded. “I have a Glock in my apartment. I’m sure you’d recognize it if you saw it. I have our inventory at my disposal, if I need anything else.”

Interesting how she and her friends had to turn over their weapons but he hadn’t been held to the same standard. “You don’t carry?”

He eyed the Desert Eagle again. “Should I arm myself to be safe?”

She shrugged. “Your call.”

“I was kidding,” he said. “You seem to have lost your intuition when it comes to such things.”

So had he, since he hadn’t caught the hint to leave. Maybe she needed to hint a little harder. “You sure you want to test my temper right now? I’m armed and you’re not.”

“You’d never shoot me.”

His confidence was…interesting, to say the least. “I asked Maier for a gray haired target and he said we didn’t have any.”

“That was at my request. People around here can use their imaginations, but I’d rather not see them pointing a gun at a target that looks a little too much like someone they don’t like. Especially if it happens to be me. Silhouettes only.” Jack looked down the range. “How’s your aim?”

“I’ve done better.”

He glanced at the almost empty box of bullets. “You’re almost out of ammo. Once it’s gone, you should call it a day. You’re going to need to save up your energy for training next week.”

“Is that the real reason you came to the range? To tell me what I already knew?”

Jack had done a good job of holding his own temper in check. She gave him credit for that. Still, she didn’t expect that shadow to cross his face. “I’m not allowed to simply talk to you?” he asked.

She put the gun down and crossed her arms. “No.”

“You need to make a decision, Caroline,” Jack said. “Whether you want to be with me or whether you really do want to be treated as another soldier.”

Ah, the reason for his visit to the range became clear. “There’s a difference in the end result?”

“Don’t be a smartass. If you don’t want to do this hand in hand with me, you’re going to have to accept that you’ll be held to a different standard. We don’t just let anyone in here. Everyone has to go through the same training and complete it properly.”

He thought she couldn’t handle the tough shit. Showed how much he knew. Had he gotten a deferral of some sort? “Did you go through it?”

Jack held back a tiny grin. “No,” he said. “I’m special.”

Cocky bastard. “How nice for you.”

“You could be special too, if you’d stop being so stubborn.”

Caroline cracked her neck and straightened her shoulders. He thought she’d back out if given the chance. No fucking way. “I want to be treated like everybody else. I’m willing to go through the training.”

“It’s pretty intense,” he said.

“You think I can’t handle it?”

“I didn’t say that. I just…you don’t have to do this. Whatever you’re trying to prove, it’s not necessary.”

She had everything to prove. “I’m just another recruit. Don’t forget it, either.”

“Caroline-”

“And stop stalking me,” she said. “It’s annoying. I hope you told the training staff no special treatment.”

“I made that perfectly clear. No exceptions save for the limitations placed upon you by your injuries.”

She could only imagine how that conversation had gone, if the advisors she’d already met were involved. “Good.”

He paused, glancing at the gun again. “I hope you do well, Caroline,” he said. “Correction – I
know
you’ll do well.”

All that was missing from that pretty little speech was a paternalistic pat on the head. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said, turning around and putting her ear protection on, not bothering to watch as he left the stall.

*              *              *              *              *

Jack didn’t dread his meetings with his advisors, but he didn’t exactly look forward to them. His perspective and priorities had changed over the past year and any day he survived was considered a minor victory. But he always enjoyed hearing about how soldiers were doing. Each new class meant fresh ideas, dedicated minds, and an increased opportunity to do all the things he and Caroline had set out to do when Santos first led the government astray.

Caroline
. She was a recruit now. A trainee. She’d put in a few weeks with her friends and a few other men, and today was the first update from her trainers. Major Keith Flaherty was as close to a right hand man as Jack had. The man did everything – he covered all aspects of military strategy, oversaw the eight week training program, and did any other number of things that Jack couldn’t quite fathom. He wondered if the man slept. And if the man didn’t sleep, Jack wondered if he’d tell him the trick to staying focused and alert. He’d be more than happy to keep his dark thoughts at bay by staying awake 24 hours a day.

Jack trusted Flaherty and his other advisors. In return they gave him their loyalty. They’d made comments here and there, whispered among themselves…and he knew they held opinions they didn’t feel comfortable sharing with him.

Flaherty would be honest, would verbalize his concerns when the other men wouldn’t. Jack was mildly curious about how his wife was doing in basic training. Even though she was avoiding him like the plague, he caught glances of her when he could. Saw some of the exercises from afar, as he always did during the first four weeks.

Jack had built Caroline up and so had the movement, and since she was there in the flesh it was hard not to feel at least one way or the other about her. Some myths weren’t too far from the truth but others could be quite distant. He knew she had her issues, knew that there was a good chance she shouldn’t even be in training, knew she needed a counselor or a doctor or a
something
they couldn’t provide…but could she hack it when held to the same standard as the other men? After Flaherty covered the basics, Jack jumped in.

“How is Candidate Gerard performing?” he asked.

Flaherty cleared his throat. “Sir, I could discuss the other soldiers first, if that-”

Jack should have known. Even his biggest ally wouldn’t want to wade into those waters right away. He should have warmed him up a little beforehand. “How’s the class as a whole?”

The other man smiled. “They’re all doing quite well. I wanted to see if you were willing to indulge me before I got to the difficult topics.”

Protocol. Jack tried to observe protocol. But things got a little fast and loose when it was just him and his advisors in the room. “You made your point. Just tell me about Caroline.”

“Well, she-” Flaherty cleared his throat again. “Frankly, sir, I don’t-”

“Pretend I don't know her,” Jack said. “Pretend she's another recruit about whom I know absolutely nothing. What would you say to me?”

The major didn’t hesitate. “She has excelled at every assignment she’s been given. Outstanding leadership aptitude. A firm grasp of the objectives of the operation. Her skills in hand to hand combat are rough but effective. And she’s a damn fine shot.”

That was more than Jack had expected. Maybe he needed to have a little more faith in her. Maybe her issues weren’t that pronounced. “Anything else?”

“She is able to connect with almost any soldier, regardless of rank. Makes them feel at ease.” Flaherty stared down at the table. “With the possible exception of the man in charge.”

There was the honesty he expected, and right on cue. “We’ll worry about that later,” Jack said. “It’s time to focus on the second half of training. On the specialized assignments.”

“I’ve considered that, sir.”

Flaherty judged his recruits by their demeanor, their behavior, and their other intangible qualities. Though he gave them standardized tests and conducted interviews, very little of what he did was based on any sort of formula. The man was as esoteric as it came in his decision making, and was rarely wrong.