Chapter 138 138.Explosive Truths
Tabitha’s POV
I wake up with a bad case of hangover. It’s my fault. When I chugged down my first few shots of tequila last night, I thought that I could take over the world and now I am paying the price.
I drag myself downstairs for water while my head is pounding with every step. I spot Greta and Rose setting a bowl of soup on the counter like they already expect me to go here at this exact moment. The steam alone makes me feel marginally human again.
I mutter a sheepish thank you as I sit on the counter and inhale the delicious scent of soup.
“Where’s my mom?” I ask.
Rose hands me a spoon while Greta pours me a glass of water which I immediately take a swig.
“She’s with Alpha Emery,” Rose answers. “They’re talking in his study.”
I frown. Mom is talking with Alpha Emery?
I glance down the hallway that leads to the study, its door closed and quiet, and for a second I consider walking over. But of course I don’t. If they’re in there, then they must be talking about something serious. I wonder what it is. I hope Alpha Emery hasn’t figured out what Mom is really up to.
Though probably isn’t the case, because if he had, this place wouldn’t be this calm. I would have heard shouting by now, or worse… blood spilling.
I mentally shake my head. No, that’s not gonna happen.
I turn back to my soup and eat carefully, taking my time as I nurse the hangover. It takes me almost an hour to finish, moving slowly between spoonfuls while my head throbs. Rose gives me a pill for my headache, and I take it gratefully with a glass of water. But even after almost an hour of my sweet time, my mom still hasn’t come out of the study.
Just what kind of conversation takes this long?
With the maids moving around the kitchen, I don’t want to look suspicious by glancing down the hallway again and again. So, I decide to leave the mansion instead.
I step outside and stroll through the estate grounds, letting the open space pull my attention away from the closed door behind me.
As I stroll around, I find myself near the shooting range where I spot the four brothers having some fun with their guns. Their buddies are lined up with them as well, weapons raised toward the targets like a scene pulled straight from memory.
Reed quickly notices my presence. He lowers his gun and smirks.
“Are you going to kindly ask us to join you for a meal again?” he teases.
I grin as I walk closer. “No. I’m just here to annoy you.”
Jace puts his gun down and strides toward me, his smile easy. He tilts his head, studying my face too closely.
“Rough morning?”
“Crap, do I really look like shit?” I consciously touch my face.
“Nah, you look gorgeous.” He laughs as he strokes my cheek with his thumb. “But you chugged a lot of tequila last night. It’s a no-brainer that you’ll have to pay for that with a terrible hangover once you wake up.”
I’m about to answer when my eyes drift past him. Rye and Wyatt are watching us, their attention fixed on Jace’s thumb caressing my face. I react without thinking and swat his hand away, not hard but enough to stop him short.
I clear my throat and laugh. “I feel better now. Greta made me soup.”
Jace’s hand lingers in the air for a moment before he pulls it back and smiles, the curve of his mouth stiff.
“Cool,” he says.
Reed shrugs and gestures with his gun. “You want to try a piece?” He nods toward the targets.
Luca laughs and shakes his head. He puts down his gun as well to look at me.
“She’s already a handful without a weapon. You sure you want to teach her how to shoot now?”
I smirk. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Reed snorts, and Luca laughs with him. Reed hands me a gun and looks at me expectantly.
“Ever done target shooting before?”
“No. Unless darts count.”
“Well,” Reed says, amused, “this will be fun.”
Evren steps aside and gestures for me to take his spot, lining me up with one of the targets. There are several of them spaced out ahead. They are mannequins with circular marks in the chest already riddled with holes. He takes a headphone and carefully places it over my head enough to cover my ears.
I swallow and lift the gun. “So I just shoot that thing?” I ask, trying to sound cool.
Reed snickers under his breath.
“No, we work on your posture first because guns recoil and you’ll lose control if you’re not set right,” Luca says.
He steps closer and adjusts my shoulders, calm and patient as he guides me into position. Evren also moves behind me and places his hand at my waist to correct my stance.
“Feet wider. Lean forward a little,” Evren instructs.
The touch makes me tense despite how brief it is. I become aware of Rye, Ian, and Wyatt watching the scene unfold. Wilson’s eyes narrow, fixed on Evren’s hand like it bothers him more than he wants to admit.
Luca circles back into my line of sight. “Relax your grip,” he says. “Let the gun do the work.”
Evren withdraws his hand and nods once. “Now aim.”
Luca steps back. “Go on,” he says. “Shoot.”
I squeeze the trigger.
The shot jerks wildly, and the bullet misses the target completely. Jace chuckles from the side, and Reed chortles like he already expected that I suck on this shit. Plus, my temple pulses a little from the gunshot sounds. If I had not taken a rest and a hangover pill earlier, I would have
I bite the inside of my cheek, heat creeping up my face.
“This isn’t working,” I grumble under my breath and about to return the gun but Luca laughs and softly grabs me by the arm.
“Hey now, sweetheart. It’s alright,” he consoles me. “You don’t have to get it right the first time.”
“I did,” Reed declares smugly and effortlessly shoots down the mannequin I failed to even graze. The bullet snaps into the chest target, dead on the mark.
Show off!
“Congrats, dickhead. Want a medal or a parade?” Luca gives his brother a bored look.
“Both.” Reed lifts his gun again. “You’re organizing, right?”
Reed takes another shot and the target jerks slightly as the bullet hits the same spot again. The earlier bullet mark swallows the second one, the two rounds stacked perfectly in the same hole.
“Damn…” I comment half-admiringly and half-begrugingly.
Reed turns to me and winks.
“Stop being a cocky bastard.” Jace kicks Reed in the shin. The latter gives him the finger.
“Now, why don’t you give it another try, princess?” Reed urges and nods at the gun in my hand. “If you’re gonna stay on the island for good, you’re gonna have to learn how to operate a gun or two.”
Luca turns at his brother and frowns.
“I’m not sure if I have talent for this.”
“Forget about talent. Every skill can be learned and shooting a gun is not an exception. Here’s the trick…”
Luca launches into a rapid-fire crash course on target shooting and he talks like I should already understand half of what he is saying. Evren steps in beside him and corrects me when I fumble through the motions or drift off track. Even with just the two of them I already feel like a clueless kindergartner who wandered into unfamiliar territory. Jace and Reed join in soon after and their voices overlap as each of them adds something new.
An hour passes and I am still shooting while they talk over me and adjust my position between attempts. I manage to hit exactly one target and it is nowhere near the center or the painted circle on the mannequin’s chest. The shot lands squarely in its shoulder.
Reed squints at the result and claps. “Congrats. You just maimed a training dummy.”
“I’ll take that as a win.”