Lifting the Veil by Kate Allenton Page B

for a handout. She just wanted to help, and that was something he admired. Jack took her back to her house and dropped her off. She was surprisingly quiet the entire way. He asked if she wanted to grab something to eat, but she told him she already had plans. He waited until he heard the door lock before he hopped in his car and drove home.

    ****
Sophie locked the door and leaned against the wood. Her mind was replaying the day’s long
    conversations. She’d been quiet when the voices started up again. This time the male voice was insistent that she needed to continue her search. She wouldn’t be getting any more help from Jack. This was
    something she was going to have to do on her own. She needed a plan and clues. She tossed her purse on the table in the foyer and hurried back into her bedroom and kicked off her shoes. She changed into jeans and a T-shirt before grabbing her purse again and heading back out. She was going to need a gun.
    Not only that, but she was going to need to learn how to shoot. She wasn’t about to come face to face with a killer without at least knowing the basics on how to protect herself. Once in her car and driving down the road, she didn’t know where she was going until the images appeared like road signs in her mind, accompanied by the voices giving her directions. She stopped in front of a non-descript white building. There were no signs on the door, nothing to even indicate that she was at a shop.
    “This can’t be right.” She glanced around the building as she got out of the car.
    They will help you.
    “I needed a gun store or a place that can teach martial arts for dummies, not this place.” She
    glanced up to the darkening sky. “And could you be a bit more specific on whom exactly they are?”
    Silence greeted her. No reply, not even a hint of a name. She took a deep breath and left the safety of her old car. She pulled the door open and stepped inside, pausing to take the place in. An old man was standing behind a gun counter. His white beard reached his upper chest. His head tilted. “I think you’re in the wrong place, honey.”
    She stepped farther into a room that held every kind of gun imaginable, displayed on hanging racks.
    She glanced around. A very large window and door separated another room off to the side that looked like a shooting range. “No…I think I’m in the right place.” She waved her hand, gesturing around the room. “You have guns and I need one.”
    The white-haired man planted his hands on the counter and tilted his head. “Is that so?”
    She nodded. “Yeah, that’s so.” She stepped up to the counter and pulled out her already almost
    maxed out credit card. “You take plastic?”
    He leaned his elbows against the counter. “You need a background check before I can even sell you
    anything, not that I would. This is a private establishment; you need a membership just to be in here.”
    She was contemplating his words when she felt an arm slide around her waist. Sophie tensed.
    “It’s all right, Sam. Ms. Masterson is with me. I’m sponsoring her membership.”
    Sophie knew that smooth voice without even having to see his face. “Marshall.”
    Marshall grinned like he had the other day. “Give him your ID so he can start the process.”
    What the hell had she walked into? She slipped her ID out of her purse and slid it across the
    counter to the old man. He picked it up and walked into a back room. Marshall turned to Sophie and studied her. “How did you know about this place?”
    She shrugged. “Doesn’t everybody?”
    He shook his head. “Nope. I thought you were just temping with Jack. What brings you in here?”
    “A girl should be able to protect herself, don’t you think?”
    He let his gaze travel down her legs and back up as if he was studying her. He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Have you ever shot a gun before, Sophie?”
    She shook her head almost embarrassed that she hadn’t. “I’ve never had the