Free Edge of the Heat 3 by Lisa Ladew

he pushed her gently off of him and motioned for her to get in the truck.
    “So what happened?” she asked, once they were driving.
    Craig relayed everything he had been told.
    “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe they could be so stupid!”
    “I know. I’ve been having a hard time with it all day.”
    Emma looked around. “Where are we going?”
    “We’re here actually.” Craig turned into a parking lot.
    Emma read the sign. “Rifle and Gun Club. What are we doing here?”
    Craig pulled into a stall and killed the engine, turning to Emma. “I talked to the Chief of Police and got you a concealed carry permit.”
    Emma watched him, her brow furrowed. “You think Norman is going to come after me?”
    “I’m almost positive he is. Don’t you think so?”
    “No, I think he’s halfway to Mexico already, or Canada, or anywhere but Westwood Harbor.”
    Craig sighed. “I’d like to believe that, but we can’t count on it. You have to protect yourself.”
    Emma nodded. “Ok.”
    “And Emma, this time, shoot to kill OK?”
    Emma just looked at him, chewing on her lower lip slightly, and obviously making up her own mind.
    Inside the gun club, Craig pointed out all the guns that would be best for a concealed carry, and asked Emma to pick one. He could sense her excitement. She was a crackerjack shot for sure, and just like anyone who is naturally and exceptionally talented at something, she was drawn to shooting. But she’d never pursued it. Craig didn’t have to wonder why. Guns are taboo in many facets of society, especially in cities, for some reason. Especially in liberal cities like Westwood Harbor. People judge people who carry a gun or shoot a gun as a certain type of person. He just wished it didn’t take a madman hunting her for her to loosen up about what could be a perfectly innocent hobby.
    She picked a compact Beretta storm. Craig paid for it and several boxes of ammo and took her into the indoor fighting range to get good with it. As she reloaded and fired over and over again Craig stood in awe of the shooting skills of his girlfriend. She hit the bullseye on the man-shaped target almost every time. Even after firing over 100 rounds, she was still hitting center mass almost dead-on.
    She burned through all her bullets in 45 minutes, and Craig knew she could shoot Norman anywhere she chose if he stood still. Maybe this weekend they’d head out to the mountains and try some skeet shooting at moving targets. He had no doubt she’d excel at that too.
    Back in his truck, Craig explained they needed to go to the police station to pick up her concealed carry permit.
    “We also should head by the fire department and see what needs to be done so you can carry at work.”
    “Carry at work? Wait a minute, I can’t carry at work. I’m a paramedic, not a cop.”
    “I get that babe, but you’re in danger. Norman might decide that while you are working is the best time to get to you.”
    “I don’t think so. There’s so many people around all the time. And cops and firefighters.”
    “Emma, you don’t have cops at 50 percent of your calls, or more. Someone has to have a gun.”
    Emma fell silent. Craig could tell she was upset, and thinking hard.
    “Look Craig, I won’t carry at work. You can’t imagine the kind of ethical dilemmas that could put me in. And it would make my patients more aggressive if they saw it. And what if someone tried to take it from me? It’s just too much of a powder keg. But you don’t have to worry about me, I’ll be fine. Norman is probably not even after me, and if he is, he’ll try to catch me off guard, alone. Not at work.”
    Craig thought hard. What Emma was saying made sense, but she was wrong about Norman. Norman was smart, and Norman probably knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t carry at work. If Norman was going to come after her, he would almost certainly do it while she was working.
    He glanced at Emma and could tell her mind was completely made