Chapter 629 Chapter 629
Asher knew he was standing there with his mouth hanging open, but he couldn’t help it. He had never seen this many weapons together in his life. The room was around twenty feet long, and he guessed fifteen wide, and weapons hung on every inch of the walls. Guns, bows, knives, and some he was going to say were spear, because, in his mind, they were too big to be labeled a knife.
Jesse walked in. “I didn’t,” he looked around the room, “expect this.”
Asher nodded. “Right.” He motioned to the knife wall, “We have to keep Amari out of here.”
Jesse grinned. “Agreed.”
“Too late.” Tripp came in, “I almost had to carry her out of here.” He stopped and looked at the handguns sitting on the table. “She wanted one of everything.”
“No doubt.” Jesse chuckled. “You better check your ride. She’ll have them stashed somewhere in it.”
Tripp opened his mouth and then sighed. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Everything is signed out.” Raymond ducked under the door frame and came in. He pointed to a book on the counter beside the door, “I’ll know if so much as a bullet is missing from here.”
Asher looked at the book and wondered if things were being signed out, they must have even more than are on the walls.
“This room,” Raymond looked around slowly and then smiled, “I’ve always wanted one that was set up like this.”
“The headquarters armory isn’t?” Asher had never been in it and, honestly, had no desire to see it.
“No.” Raymond went over to the wall and got one of the rifles, “everything there is in a locked case, not on display.” He lifted and looked through the sight and then put it back. Turning around, he looked at Asher. “How much training have you had?”
Asher shrugged, feeling very inadequate with Raymond and Tripp in the room. “Handguns mostly, a shotgun.”
Raymond smirked. “Shotgun gets the job done if you’re close enough.” He pointed to the rifle he had just put back, “Sometimes you can’t get close.” He glanced at Tripp, “I think we should send him with a Browning 308.” He nodded and looked back at Asher. “It’s bolt action, so it’s a game of focus, not just aim and spray.”
Tripp snorted. “Pretty sure aim and spray is only in the movies.”
Raymond leveled him with a hard look. “I meant they’re better in a firefight.”
Asher looked from one to the other. He didn’t know much about Raymond, aside from being a very large bear when he wasn’t in his large two-legged form. His entire demeanor screamed military and made him wonder what the man had done before he was part of the Alliance.
“I want you to go over proper handling and care with him.”
Tripp nodded, “can do.”
Jesse stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. “Is this for if they’re being followed or—” he lifted his arms and looked from Tripp to Raymond.
“Sometimes,” Tripp glanced at Raymond before he continued, “it’s a good idea to find a perch somewhere higher than the landscape and just take a look around,” he motioned to the weapon on the wall, “the scope on this is good for that.”
Asher wanted to exhale in relief but didn’t want to look like he was afraid to carry one around with them. Even though he was, he would be responsible for Journee and had to keep her safe, so if that involved bringing a rifle, he would. “Okay.” He said quietly, “I don’t plan on us being stopped very long at any time.”
“It’s better to be prepared, son.” Raymond put his hand on his shoulder and nodded abruptly. “Tripp will make sure you have enough ammo and,” he looked at the other man, “make sure he gets the rest of the weapons kit, maybe two of them, so he has it when we meet up with him.”
Tripp nodded and turned to the wall to take the rifle down. Asher could tell the way he handled it that it didn’t intimidate him in the slightest.
“I’m needed for a meeting with the prince right now, but give me a shout if you have any questions, Asher.”
Asher nodded, still trying to process what was happening.
They watched the big man duck under the door frame and leave.
Tripp held out the rifle to him and then raised an eyebrow when he hesitated to take it, “it won’t bite you,” he grinned, “well, just as long as you keep your fingers in the right places, it won’t.”
Asher took it, and the first thought that registered was that it was heavier than it looked. He turned it in his hand and looked at it. “Do you really think I’ll need it?”
“I don’t know, but needing one and not having it would suck.” Tripp went over to the cabinet under the counter and opened it, “I’ll sign it out for you, Raymond likes serial and lot numbers.” He glanced at them and rolled his eyes, “I will be so happy when we cut the head off all the snakes that are slithering around among us, and we don’t see them.”
Jesse nodded. “This place is going to make that happen faster,” he went over and opened the sign-out book. “Being able to go about what we need to do without having to worry about information being leaked is going to help, a lot.” He brought the book over and set it on the counter in front of Asher and then turned around and twisted the rifle in his hand so he could see the number.
Asher just stood there, trying to get his brain to catch up to what was going on. “I don’t know if I’m the right one to do this.”
“Carry a rifle?” Tripp came over and set two boxes of ammo beside the book.
“No. Yes, that too, I meant to take Journee to find the island.” He scowled at the rifle, part of him unhappy he’d said that out loud to these men.
“Do you doubt you can keep her safe?” Tripp leaned on the counter and watched Jesse writing in the book.
“No. I’m not just good at driving.”
“Then,” Tripp shrugged, “what’s the problem?”
Asher opened his mouth and then closed it. He set the rifle on the counter very carefully, needing his hands free all of a sudden.
“It’s because she’s been sheltered her entire life and knows nothing about clan or life with a clan,” Jesse didn’t even pause in copying the numbers off the ammo boxes, “and he’s her mate and doesn’t know what to do with it, because she knows nothing of normal life.”
Asher stared at him momentarily, then closed his eyes and dropped his chin almost onto his chest, “you went through this with Leah—and Evanna.” He said quietly.
“I went through a gauntlet of what the fuck do I do with both Leah and Evanna.” He set the pen down and then turned and looked at him. “You’ll do what you need to, Asher.”
Asher blew out a breath. He didn’t know how Jesse managed it, but was suddenly happy that Journee was, well, just Journee.
“Amari said it was good that your mate is Journee.” Tripp picked up the rifle. “I’ll get a strap for this.” He walked over to the other side of the room and set it down, and opened a cabinet under the table, “she said,” he glanced over at him, “that Journee is the only one that will understand what you’ve been through.” He leaned down and pulled out a couple of nylon straps. “My question is,” he paused and looked back at Asher, “can you understand what she went through?”
Asher put his hands on his hips and watched him check out the straps. He selected one and then adjust the buckle on it. “I can’t even grasp what she went through that day when she followed them.” He shook his head, “doing that didn’t even enter my mind.”
Tripp clipped the strap onto the rifle. “I suggest you talk to her and find out.” He put the other strap back and closed the cabinet. “I didn’t know what Amari went through, and it uh,” he huffed out a deep breath, “helped me understand her,” he grinned, “as much as anyone can.”
Asher glanced from him back to Jesse and nodded. “I get it. I just feel like one of the girls would be better showing her what she’s missed in life since being gone.” He jammed his hands into his pockets, “I’m not the most up-to-date on things.” He shrugged, “I prefer being on the road or running for days rather than spending time with people.”
Tripp came over and held out the rifle. “I say you have a lot in common with her then. She ran for years to get back here.” He tilted his head. “Or that’s my understanding after seeing where she encountered that rogue bunch.”
Asher felt like a worm. He’d been so stuck in his head that he hadn’t taken the time to find out where that had been. He didn’t have a clue how far she’d traveled. The island could be anywhere. As soon as he got through this lesson, he was going to go track down the information the rogue had given them.
“All right let’s go do this. I’ve been asked to run flank when Journee shifts in a little while and escort you on her first run.”
Asher had forgotten about that. He clenched his teeth and nodded. He needed to get focused and keep his head from flooding with things that right at this moment didn’t matter. How he was going to do that, he had no idea. He glanced at the rifle in his hand and nodded again. “Let’s do it.”