A Surprise Favor – Chapter 19

I’m not sure what to expect at a gun range on Laguna, but I shouldn’t be too surprised. As much as I hate weapons, the rich have a fascination with them that goes all the way back to Old Earth, especially the area of North America the original settlers came from. And learning how to handle guns on a spaceship is a good idea. One wrong move, and we could all be dead.

We wave our wristlets to sign in and acknowledge the waivers. Nina has a conversation with the range owner that has them laughing and slapping each other on the arms. It must be about us because she keeps looking over her shoulder and smiling.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Saif whispers to me. “We can always sell the guns on the black market.” He looks warily at Nina.

“No. We should do this. Hijacking incidents are up across both systems. We have to ensure the safety of our Flyght passengers as well as ours.”

Nina wraps up her conversation and the two approach our group.

“This is quite the crowd,” the owner says, looking us over. “Has anyone here used a gun before?”

Declan, Takemo, and Kalvin raise their hands. I’m not surprised about Kalvin nor Declan. But Takemo?

He shrugs. “My dad is into this stuff.”

“Okay. The three of you will go first.”

We all gather around as the owner starts a briefing on gun safety. He goes over the basics — how to handle and check a weapon safely, what to do in an emergency situation, and how to secure a firearm properly when not in use. Everyone listens intently. Carlos’s eyes are wide with questions, but he’s too afraid to ask them. Lia’s smile is so broad I’m actually worried about her. Nisrine declined to come. I don’t blame her.

Once the owner is done, Nina steps forward. “Okay, everyone grab eye and ear protection and line up. I’ve picked out a range of handguns, shotguns, and rifles to shoot with today that are the same or close to the same models we already have on the Amagi. Let’s head back to the range now,” she says.

I’m nervous as we file into the rear of the range. There are six lanes along the length of the room, each with dividers and paper targets out in the distance. Declan, Kalvin, and Takemo are each handed a pistol. The guns look intimidating, but the men handle them like professionals. Nina demonstrates how to load the guns, check them, and release the safety. She points out the stance Declan, Takemo, and Kalvin use and how to hold the gun properly.

“Take it slow if this is your first time,” Nina shouts in order for her to be heard through the ear protection. “The first shot is always a bit shocking once you realize how loud the gun is and how it will kick if you’re not ready for it.”

It’s hard not to see the military in Nina. I flash back to when she and her team confiscated the Amagi right out from under me. She walked around the ship as if she owned it, with her military fatigues and giant gun. I hated her then. I still don’t like her all that much. I’m glad Vivian isn’t here. She would be shitting a brick right now.

“Good aim is about breathing and trigger control. Control your breath and squeeze the trigger smoothly.”

She steps back from the guys.

“Have at it, boys.”

I jump as they each shoot several times, their targets fluttering and shredding with each hit. Each of them empties their gun, engages the safety, and sets it on the counter in front of them. The paper targets come forward, and they unclip them. Takemo shows his target to Kalvin. Takemo’s shots are all in the body. Kalvin divided his shots between the body and head. Declan’s shooting is deadly precise, all in the heart.

Fuck me. What the hell am I doing here?

“Nice,” Takemo says, bobbing his head at Kalvin. “I won’t be messing with you anytime soon.”

“I should hope not,” Kalvin replies, turning his smile up to the heartthrob setting. They both look at Declan’s. Kalvin points at him. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

Nina leans over to me. “You picked such interesting men,” she says, her eyes gleaming for Kalvin and I sigh. He probably missed his calling flying for the military, but this is where he is now. “Are they sticking around?” She tries to keep her voice even, but I hear doubt in there.

“What do you mean?”

Her eyes meet mine. “I saw the news stories, same as you. You really get around.”

Flames shoot up inside of me. “None of those stories are true.”

“Sure.” She doesn’t believe me.

“It’s the same situation as before,” I assure her. “Jealousy.”

“I’ve learned that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, too.” She turns from me and lifts her voice. “Who’s next?”

Fuck. Now Nina is turning on me? I’m not sure. But looking at the gun in her hand, I know I don’t want to start an argument with her about this now. I just have to hope she sees the truth after spending more time with me.

Lia jumps forward, and Saif joins her.

Watching Lia handle a gun makes me feel incredibly guilty. I remember when she was an awkward pre-teen working on Vivian’s farm, long before any of this happened. Her family let her come with us, Vivian and me, on the condition we would take care of her and teach her how to become a woman with her own network one day. Is this what they had in mind?

“You’ve got this,” I tell her, giving Lia a thumbs up. She returns it with a nod and readies her stance.

Saif follows suit, standing beside her in perfect form. He is silent and still, but his gaze speaks of apprehension. He’s a pacifist at heart, not even eating animals. The gun sits in his hand, but it doesn’t feel right.

Lia takes aim first, squeezing the trigger slowly as if she’s done it a thousand times before. The shot rings out loud and clear, echoing off the walls of the range, followed by Saif’s shot right after hers.

She lets out a little yelp as she looks at her target and then turns to me with an expression of awe at what she just did. They both turn to me, their faces wide with excitement.

Uh oh. We’ve set something aflame here. I wasn’t expecting that.

Both of them are surprisingly skilled in handling the guns, showing no fear or hesitation. Lia takes her time with each shot, squeezing the trigger slowly and taking a few deep breaths in between shots to steady her hand. Saif follows suit, though I think he’s more focused on impressing me than anything else. He’s quick and effective, his shots centered around the bullseye.

Nina’s eyes are wide as she takes this in. “How does this happen? You all are excellent shots.”

“Yeah, well, none of them are aiming the guns at people or standing on a ship that will lose air if you puncture it with a bullet,” I point out.

It’s one thing to be confident at the range, and another when you’re scared for your life in space.

The targets are brought forward again, and both did remarkably well. A few bullets went astray to the side, but hell, they’re both naturals.

Looking down the lanes, Declan, Takemo, and Kalvin are shooting rifles and shotguns now. This is not my idea of a fun afternoon activity, but everyone else appears to be enjoying it.

It’s finally time for me and Carlos to shoot. I nervously hold the gun in my hands, the weight of it sinking into my core. The power this weapon possesses scares me, but I’ve faced other fears and come out stronger. I can do this too. My heart races as I steady my breathing and begin to aim. Remember, Skylar. This is for self-defense.

I take my stance and concentrate on Nina’s directions. Every bit of advice she gave me enters my head as I squeeze the trigger. The gun jerks, and the sound of metal smacking metal resonates in my ears. Holy shit. I did it.

Okay. I can definitely do this. I shoot again and again until my magazine is empty. Wow, that was intense. I look downrange to see if I hit anything. Two bullets in the bullseye — not bad for a first-timer!

Carlos only hits the target three times, but he doesn’t seem too discouraged. Instead, he smiles widely at me, proud that he got any shots on target. “That was impressive,” he says before looking downrange one more time with a satisfied grin on his face.

A burst of pride swells inside me as we stand there admiring our work. We may be newbies at this, but we’re not helpless.

Nina smirks at me. “That’s the expression of someone who’s found a new hobby.”

New hobby.

My face falls and my mind races backwards in time.

I was nine.

Dominic was furious with me again.

“I’m sick of this hobby. We told you not to read. You’re only allowed to teach the curriculum provided by the duonet school. That’s it.” He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and hauled me down the hall to the utility closet. I didn’t even bother to kick or scream for help. No one would come for me, and he never stopped. “You’ll spend a week in here thinking about why you’re always defying me.”

He opened the door and threw me in. I fell on a bucket and bruised my side, the pain blinding me for a short moment. It hurt so much, but I only winced.

“Don’t bother calling for help. Since you won’t be around to do your jobs, I’ll take the boys and Jukia down to Sonoma for a few days.” He threw a box of protein bars and three water bottles in and closed the door.

Mom was gone with Miguel, my father was away, too, and Cameron and Nolan hadn’t been born yet.

“What about Ana?” I yelled at the door. Even then, I worried about her constantly.

“She’ll figure out how to live on her own,” he yelled back.

She was five years old.

I remember that week of terror in the closet so vividly. Once he had left, there were no adults on the ship. We were lucky nothing happened while Dominic was gone. If the ship had been struck by debris or boarded by pirates, that would have been the end of me. Ana cried outside of the closet every day, but she couldn’t open the door. Dominic was the only one with a key.

He had warned me again and again not to let reading get in the way of my duties. But how could I resist? Every book was like an entire world waiting to be explored, full of mystery and adventure and places I never knew existed before. My mind would wander through those pages, dreaming of a life far away where anything can happen.

“Skylar!” Someone shakes me and my head wobbles like a broken doll. Nina is staring into my eyes, past the eye protection, her face a mask of concern.

“What happened?” Kalvin asks, coming up next to her.

“I don’t know. She just spaced out,” she yells over the constant shooting.

Kalvin turns me and directs me out the door, back into the relative silence of the front office. He takes off his protective gear and then mine, leaving them on the counter.

I’m silent, unable to talk.

Kalvin touches my face and I jerk away. “Hey,” he says, gently. “What happened? Did the shooting spook you?”

“I…” I lick my lips and try to put the memory behind a wall. If it’s behind a wall, I can look at it and not really experience it, right? “Nina said I had found a new hobby, and…” I press my hand to my lips. “Remember the memory I exchanged with Takemo on Rio?”

He nods. “The closet.”

“I just… I suddenly remembered it all.” My skin prickles, and a shiver races up my spine. Seeing the memory again made me a little nauseated.

Dominic. What a fucking prick. No one would believe he had done that, left two little girls on a space ship for a week without supervision. But it’s what happened. Only Ana and I were witnesses… except for the cameras.

All I know now is I can’t let Dominic have those backup drives. If they have anything on them to prove I was abused, I have to do everything in my power to get them. In his hands, they’ll never see the light of day.

The door to the range opens, and the sound of voices spills out ahead of everyone. I try to really see their smiles and hear the happiness in their voices, but I’m far from okay.

Still, I plaster on a smile and wave as they join us. No need to make a big deal out of this. I’ll live. I always have.