Page 5 (1/1)

Chapter One

Mac

“You ready?” I look over at Violet as she pulls her long, dark chocolate hair into a ponytail It’s eerie sometimes, how much she looks like her brother Myas I’m the only feeant-at-ar a fed, they’d let him in easy Well, maybe not so easy He did have to break a fes to keepto everyone that he’s always chosen me first My Vincent kneit, too And he had and does still For the last sixthat it would always be that way

“Hell yeah,” Violet answers, shooting hts are on tight so they don’t knock against her or slide all around “Those things are fucking heavy” She lifts up each foot one at a ti back and forth, wars Violet actually looks to be fitter than ht, both on the shorter side, but I’ve probably got about twenty pounds on her Vincent’s Italian ho to go complain about that I still know I can th to carry the rifle for long sprints

“Yep, but they work,” I reassure her, standing up Running with ankle weights is a bitch, but you’ll thank yourself for having trained with them the first time your feet hit land that isn’t so solid Sand andyour strides hard and heavy This way, you’re always prepared for the extra weight And when you are on solid ground and you take off in a sprint, you er periods

I pick the rifle up off the ground and hand it to her

“All right, so you’re the first I’ve gotten to try this out on Pres knows I’ve been working on so out here, but I haven’t told hiht you’d be a perfect fit to try it out”

For a feeeks, I’ve been putting together a practice field out on the land beside the range It’s a place where people can do drills or maybe even have paintball tourna to expand business for the range as I own part of it with the club president, Lucias Ion active duty

Out here on the course, it feels like old times I know not all my brothers look at our ti filled with blood and pain, but ed I fought with theether The saether, but noe just do it for the club instead of the government

Now I’ her practice shooting for weeks in between her classes She’s good and learning fast She also wants in the club so bad, and I’m keen on the idea because soon I won’t be able to be the club’s eyes in the sky anymore At least for a few ot a pregnant belly in the way But that’s a secret I haven’t shared with anyone else yet

I also know Violet to be loyal to a fault It’s how all of Vincent’s family is It’s the way they were raised I’m just not sure how happy they’ll be when they find out all the little things she’s been doing at night She’s the youngest, the baby of the fa like Vincent’s other four sisters who are always going on and on about e and babies and the latest fashion and what everyone should make for the next family barbecue She has a taste for adrenaline, like me

She’d talked about enlisting, but I’d talked her out of it I’m sure Vincent would rather her be here than a whole other country away and in harm’s way

“Let’s do this,” she says and stops ju around

“High noon at all times” I point to the rifle “That’s the fast way to move with that one”

She nods, doing as I say

“We’ll start off easier Around the lake and up that hill When you get to the top, you’ll see your target”

She nods again

“Feel it V” I dropup I snuck out of bed on Vincent early on a Sundayup soon I want to be done before we get busted “Feel the wind Feel it as we et heavier, and it will affect your shot Think about it every step of the way Think about your breathing If you’re running too fast, then you’ll be out of breath Hoill that affect you when you hit the ground to take your shot? Feel it all because all of it counts Every Little Thing”