BLACKHOUSE [H.S.]

Thirty-Seven

Chapter song:

Bad Machine by Boston Manor

-

"Harry, I don't want to do this," Katie whines, stomping her feet as I drag her up to the podium.

"That's too bad," I chuckle, pulling my hair up into a bun, and securing it with the elastic on my wrist. "You need to know how to protect yourself."

Katie has been protesting ever since I told her I was taking her to a shooting range. She keeps telling me that she's terrified of guns, and although I empathize with her, she needs to know how to use one.

After our meeting with Charles, I've been sick with anxiety over how the hell I'm supposed to keep her safe, because no matter how badly I want to, I also know that sometimes things happen that are outside of our control. This way, I feel better about leaving her alone.

"But why do I need to do that with a gun?" She groans, crossing her arms in front of her chest angrily.

She looks fucking adorable when she's pouting.

"Because I'm not always going to be there to look out for you," I state, grabbing the hearing protectors and placing them over her ears. "I need to know that you're safe, especially now that you're going to be working alone."

She rolls her eyes at me, adjusting the large headphones until they're comfortably situated before facing the practice target.

"Baby," I sigh, grabbing her chin to get her to look at me. Her big brown eyes, no matter how angry they are, always manage to make my stomach flutter. "I know it's scary, but this is the only way for you to protect yourself in these situations, okay? Plus, target practice is actually quite fun."

She purses her lips, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine before she finally sighs.

"Fine," she huffs, pushing my hand away from her face. "What do I have to do?"

A smile plays on my lips as I put my own ear protectors on, and pick up the handgun to show her how to load it. I teach her how to use the safety, and how to conceal it in a way that won't accidentally hurt her or anyone else. She actually seems interested when I'm explaining it to her, and to my surprise, she even asks me if she can try.

"Okay, stand in front of me," I order, grabbing her by the hips to move her behind the podium. "We're going to try a few practice rounds."

Using my knee, I nudge her thighs apart to spread her legs just slightly. "Stand like this, it'll give you a bit more stability," I explain.

She shifts on her feet until they're firmly planted, a little less than shoulder-width apart, before nodding her head. "Okay," she says, turning her head to look up at me with a worried expression.