Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I swallow and nod as the footage continues.
I hit every damn target. It’s like having an out-of-body experience. I don’t even recognize the woman on the screen. She looks— capable. Confident.
Badass.
Finally, it’s as if someone hits a thaw button on the room and everyone springs into action.
Viktor curses reverently. Ekaterina’s eyes dance. Polina stares, her jaw unhinged.
Nikko grins. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my fucking life.” He shakes his head. “We’re having a contest. You all can place bets.”
“My money’s on Harper,” Lev mutters. He looks at me with newfound respect. “Who taught you?”
I lick my lips. “Um, no one.” I shrug. “It’s just… it kind of came naturally.”
Disbelieving murmurs go up, though no one’s bold enough to challenge me in front of Aleks. Kolya, however, chuckles. “I knew one man in the military with such precision. When the military caught wind of his prowess and skill, he became one of their most beloved weapons.” His eyes cut to Aleks. “Advice, Aleksandr. Please consider keeping your wife’s exceptional talents between us alone, and no one else. No one.”
Aleksandr’s eyes harden. “Absolutely.”
“This is stunning, Harper,” Mikhail says with obvious admiration. “Would you object to aiding our family if we have need of your skill?”
I’m seriously kind of touched he asked me instead of just assuming. I clear my throat. “This is my family now,” I say. “Of course.” But do I really know the full extent of what I’m agreeing to?
“Oh my God,” Polina breathes. “Can you teach me?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a single clue how to teach someone.”
“Which is exactly why you know her skill is natural,” Kolya confirms.
I like this guy.
“There’s something I’d like you to keep in mind, Harper.” I look up to the screen to see Mikhail’s serious gaze on me. “Please.”
I nod, swallowing, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of everyone’s focus on me. “Yes?”
“There’s a big difference in knowing how to shoot and knowing how to kill,” he says. The quiet in the room underscores the gravity of what he’s telling me. “We could be under attack right this minute and you’d likely be able to shoot to kill and be successful.” He leans forward. “It’s something entirely different knowing it was your bullet that took someone’s life.”
My stomach turns. Aleks squeezes my hand. I nod wordlessly.
“Get acquainted with your weapons,” Mikhail says. “We’ll keep your skills between us. And Harper?”
I nod.
“Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” I clear my throat. “I have something to say.”
Mikhail nods. Aleks watches me, his blue eyes on fire.
“There are…situations… that might need something other than a deadly kill, am I right? Like… warning shots or maybe you need someone to disable a weapon, or, or… a camera or something. I could…disarm explosives or something. Incapacitate without causing a fatality.”
Aleks nods emphatically. “Absolutely.”
“Noted,” Mikhail says. Behind him, a baby cries and Aria stirs in bed.
“Aleks, she’s more skilled than any of us, but there’s a world of information you can still teach her. Are you ready?”
Aleks nods. “I am.”
“Excellent,” Mikhail says. “And just in time.” He sits up straighter. “I just got notification that there’s a mysterious drone flying over your house and three unmarked vehicles driving around the perimeter of your estate.” He looks at me. “Harper, ready to showcase those non-lethal skills?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Harper
Ekaterina stands, a faint smile in her eyes as she gives me a wink. She’s the very picture of grace, her clothes unwrinkled, not a hair out of place. I’m still wearing the clothes I wore for practice earlier, and I’m in desperate need of a shower. I feel awkward, disheveled, and woefully unprepared.
Polina turns to Ivy and takes her hand. “Come with Auntie, Ivy. We’ll have some fun. Mama will be back soon.” She reaches out to squeeze my hand. “Show them what you’ve got.”
That didn’t put any pressure on me at all.
I realize my hands are shaking and remind myself of what Aleks said earlier. A woman who holds a gun like it was carved into her hand…
I steady the trembling and turn to Nikko, who tells me, “This way.”
I follow him down a hallway, Aleks close behind us. “Take her to the holding,” he says in a low voice, presumably so only we hear.
Nikko nods wordlessly, takes a sharp turn down another hallway, and stops in front of a door. I definitely need to spend more time figuring out the layout of this place. It feels like a labyrinth.
I watch as he punches in a passcode, slides a finger along an identification strip, and opens the door. When we enter, my jaw drops. Meticulously organized in a way that is all Aleks, I’m immediately struck by the harmonious arsenal of weapons.
I take a look around. The walls are gunmetal gray, soft lighting showcasing a glass stand outfitted with handguns and pistols, knives, and other things I can’t quite identify but which look lethal at first glance. Items for close combat.