“I don’t want to do target practice.” Mel’s arms were crossed over her chest as she stood between Cade and Gabe. Her jaw was set and she had that look they both knew. Both were now wishing that one of her brothers, Beau, or Alexander was somewhere near.
“Did I ask if you *wanted* to?” Cade asked. He was tired, hot, and wanted this over with. How long had they been arguing about this? An hour at least. As her bodyguards, ones she’d chosen no less, they were the ones that had been tasked with getting her to once again be able to defend herself. Both he and Gabe bore the bruises from making sure she could do so without a weapon, now came the next part. “Doll, there are four targets. You know you can hit them, then we can go back inside. Stop being so damn stubborn.” Gabe’s teeth ground. He was pretty sure his left ankle had a few fire ant bites and it was fucking hot. He just wanted to go back to the house and forget this shit.
“No. I said when we left the Caribbean that I wasn’t going to pick up another gun and I meant it. That’s what I have the two of you for.” Mel’s oceanic blues turned ice cole and alternated between the two of them, a smile forming on her lips that gave them both chills even in the Louisiana heat. “Are you telling me that the two of you can’t protect me?” There was the edge to her voice that they had been dreading and both of them groaned inwardly but kept stoic looks to their faces.
“And if someone manages to get you away from us?” Cade asked before Gabe could open his mouth and get himself hit. Gabe’s jaw was ticking like crazy which meant his brain might just have shut off. For the moment Cade was the calmer of the two of them. A devious smirk formed on Mel’s lips which made both men want to shift uncomfortably. She had something in mind. If she could get one over on them, they ***might*** just let her not have to touch the gun her brothers demanded that she once more become proficient in. They knew why she didn’t want to, and neither of them really wanted to force it. She had bounced back better than expected, and had barely flinched when reclaiming her life. Now she wasn’t flinching, she was digging her heels in all the way to bedrock.
“Duveteux.” Both men looked confused as Mel said one word in French that neither of them recognized, until Fluffy appeared growling and enraged in front of them. “FUCK!!” Both exclaimed in unison and jumped back. “His name in French is his command to guard. Next question?” Mel’s voice and expression matched and held the same amount of challenge to the men. She was not going to be moved and as Cade and Gabe looked at the snarling beast in front of them, they had to agree that it was better than any weapon and a whole lot less likely to jam. “No, I think that answers everything I had. Gabe?” Cade chuckled now, shaking his head. Leave it to Mel to come up with a way to get around doing something that she didn’t want to do. He was an assassin and mercenary, he was good at his job, but he had never met anyone who was as stubborn as the woman in front of him. Memories of how she had frustrated Nic, Ambrose, and Klaus in Serbia made a wry smile appear on his face. Good times.
“I have a question. Is there any way that he can make the tannerite in the jugs explode? I mean, I was kind of looking forward to the big boom.” Gabe shrugged when Cade laughed and facepalmed.
That got an honest laugh from Mel, something that got a confused look and tilted head from the massive canine in front of her. Giving the men a wink, she leaned over and whispered something to Fluffy that they could not hear, and most likely would not have understood even if they had been able to hear it. Whatever she’d said, his tail began to emphatically wag then he disappeared. The men looked at each other with brows raised. This would be interesting to watch. After she finished talking to her dog, Mel walked back and stood between her two bodyguards with a rather smug look on her face. They were all facing down range with similar stances: feet shoulder width apart, arms crossed over their chest, and attention on the tannerite filled targets. “Is something going to happen?” Gabe leaned over toward Mel and asked in an almost whisper. He was sure she had something planned, but what?
“Wait for it.” She smirked.
Just then all of the targets went off at once, plus some other explosions that neither men on either side of her had expected, causing them to step back. Water from where the bayou backed up to the lawn splashed and a couple disturbed gators hissed and slid back into the murky shallows. When the smoke cleared there were a few craters and some still smoldering foliage around where they’d set up the targets like Francois and Dontanion had requested
Gabe stared; Cade chuckled. “Your dog is too smart and I don’t even want to know what else it blew up. What do you need us for again?” He had to tease her. He knew her fears and insecurities, but he’d never betray that to a soul, Cade respected her too much for that. Anyone that breathed wrong in her direction would find themselves missing, she’d earned his loyalty in all things.
“He’s not much into conversation. And you guys have better taste in beer and pizza. Come on, let’s go. **We’re troublemakin’***.” Mel quipped as they all laughed and turned to head back to the house. The time spent holed up in the hotel with them in Serbia had taught much about the men she was now linked arms with. She trusted them, with her life and more.
***Ready set, ready, set, let’s go!***
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