Although I'm having a wonderful time dreaming about them, the characters here are all JE's property, not mine.
Chapter 11 – Vince's Story
Of the five Merry Men I was to pose as girlfriend for, Vince was the one I knew the least. He had worked on many distractions with me and I have talked to him briefly in the office, but I did not know much about him. And, after spending three days constantly by his side I can't say that I've learned much other than that man loves guns.
The first day he took me to the range downstairs and had me unload clip after clip into targets. I got moderate results. I could hit the target easily enough but I couldn't make the bullet hit a specific place on the paper man, or in the bull's eye. Vince taught me to take a gun apart, clean it, reassemble and safely handle it using various holsters. We worked with various handguns, revolvers and semi-automatics. I did everything he asked of me but I couldn't honestly say I was enjoying it.
The second day I showed up prepared for more of the same, but he grabbed two long cases and told me to follow him. We drove for half an hour out of town to a training facility RangeMan keeps for urban warfare practice. There are three buildings which are empty and isolated making them perfect for training exercises. Vince taped several paper men in the bushes, against the doors of the smaller building and he even put two inside an office near the window. Then we took the stairs (seriously, is taking an elevator a crime to these guys) up to the roof of the main building.
Vince then sat the cases down and talked me through assembling a sniper rifle. It felt huge in my hands since my only experience had been with handguns. He sat up a tripod and had me lay on my belly at the edge of the roof. He then had me get in position with my eye to the sight and asked me to line up a perfect head shot to the target in the bushes while listening to his voice. He talked me through clearing my mind of distractions and how to focus only on that one person – my target. He then stopped talking for perhaps thirty seconds before saying "sniper one fire." I was so in tune with his voice I pulled the trigger without thinking and nearly immediately heard Vince exclaim, "Damn Steph, you got a perfect kill."
He had me rotate the rifle and take out the target at the door. Then I switched guns and shot the two subjects inside the office. Every time he talked me through the shot and then told me to fire. Each time had the same result – a perfectly executed shot. I was beginning to have fun.
On the way back to Haywood, Vince, the man of few words, surprised me by pulling through the McDonald's drive through and getting us each a chocolate shake. When I asked what the contraband was for he actually smiled, "You finally got a feel for a gun and I felt the need to celebrate. Chocolate has always been my preferred method of celebrating when it's too early for beer."
I didn't think it was possible for Merry Men to like chocolate. I assumed it was something they were given vaccines for.
I heard Vince chuckle. "Did I say that out loud?" I asked.
A single nod was my only response.
Unfortunately the celebration was short lived as he took me back to the range to capitalize on my morning success by taking me through all the same work as yesterday. Today I managed to get the first three clips exactly on center but after that my arms were tired and my hands were feeling shaky so I could get a few perfect shots and then had to settle for the rest being in the neighborhood.
Vince must have been pleased because when he told me to stop he added, "You've gotten much better. You are only off now because your arms are tired and you are tensing up. You have to be able to relax to have perfect control every time. Tomorrow, you will see I'm right, when you are fresh you will hit them all exactly where you want. I don't' see why you hide your gun in a cookie jar, you are a natural. I've never seen someone go from virtually a beginner to a great shot in a matter of a few days before. You owe it to yourself to keep practicing. RangeMan may have a new sniper to give me a run for my money." Then he did the unexpected. He winked at me.
Vince has deep brown eyes that complement his Mediterranean skin tone. He is handsome if you are into that rugged, manly thing. He is drop dead gorgeous if you are into chiseled muscles, broad shoulders, and long dark hair. He has a scar on the edge of his right cheek that leads to the top of his ear. It is slight and faint, but it screams to be touched. His voice is naturally soft and deep but it is his eyes that have the most to say. I think we could hold a conversation with him never opening his mouth if he would look directly in my eyes. Because there is only three inches difference in our height looking at his face is one of my favorite activities when we are together.
With his quiet nature I was concerned about running down my skips, but that turned out to be an unwarranted fear. As with all things Vince was efficient. I banged on the door and gave them the "let's go down to the police station to reschedule" speech. When they tried to run Vince gave them the "you are coming with us now" speech only he didn't use any words and they always ended up in the back of the SUV.
Friday morning we were boarding our plane to head to Traverse City Michigan and although I was comfortable about being with Vince I was anxious that convincing his family we were dating was going to be a challenge.
I gripped the armrests on either side of my window seat convinced that would somehow assist the pilot in taxing us down the runway. The next thing I knew Vince tapped my shoulder and pointed to a tablet in his hand. I shook my head no, and told him, "I don't need any paper."
He then smiled at me and said, "I wasn't offering you paper I was giving you the chance to go first."
"What?" I asked. Then I looked at the tablet again and saw he had drawn a tic-tack-toe board. Did big army guys play children's games?
After the twelfth game with no winner he said, "I think since we are up in the air we can declare it to be a draw."
I realized he had completely distracted me with something so unexpected and I relaxed a little knowing I had missed my least favorite part of flying.
"Does anything scare you?" I asked when he offered me a piece of gum.
"Yes," He answered without elaborating.
I rolled my eyes. Why did these guys make getting information so difficult? "Would you care to expound upon that lengthy answer?"
"This weekend scares the crap out of me," He replied. Not exactly reassuring but information just the same.
"Can you tell me what to expect?" I asked hoping to get more than one or two sentences this time.
He took a deep breath, and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling. "I don't talk a lot and my family is all big and loud."
"Alright Vince, I'm going to be honest. I'm worried about the weekend with you. I know very little about you and I'm not sure I can pull off the part of happy girlfriend without saying something to embarrass you. You are going to have to open up a little in order for this to work." I warned him.
"We are going home for my baby sister's wedding. I have three younger sisters and the last one is getting married on Saturday. The rehearsal dinner is tonight. My family doesn't understand why I haven't settled down with a wife and family of my own and they are vocal about insisting that I do." He explained.
That gave me a little to work with. "Why haven't you settled down?" I thought I should get the main point of contention settled first.
"I don't want to. I am still in the reserves and in addition to my regular weekends away I end up running five or six missions a year of varying degrees of danger. I am pretty comfortable in my own skin and haven't felt the need to include a wife in my world. It wouldn't be fair to her to marry me and then have me disappear for long periods of time with no guarantee that I will return." He explained.
Suddenly I felt my face flush with the anger that built up in me. I felt like I just had this conversation but with Ranger instead of Vince. "Don't you think that should be her decision? I mean, if she got to know you and understood who you are and what is required of you it would be her choice as to whether or not she could live with that. You are just assuming all women are fragile and would fall apart if you died. I'm not saying she wouldn't be consumed with grief for a period but if you really loved her I can guarantee she would say it was worth the pain if she was able to have all of you even briefly."
"Are you angry with me?" Vince was a quick study.
"Yes. No. Not really. It's just that I've already had this conversation and I find it hard to believe that there are two men who feel that they know better than all women what we could handle. I think a more honest answer is that you aren't in a relationship because you don't want to go through the work of opening yourself up to somebody. But don't pretend that you are being noble and saving the female gender from the hurt they would experience if something happened to you."
"I'll consider myself on notice." He said. I'm almost sure he was joking.
"Do you get lonely?" I pressed.
"Being alone and being lonely isn't the same thing. When I feel the need for … companionship," his carefully selected word told me it meant more than just conversation or a card game. "I go out and hook up with someone. But it is never the same person twice. I think my lack of conversation keeps them from pushing for a second date."
"Do you ever want a second date?"
"A few times I've wondered what it would be like to sit and talk with a woman instead of the guys, but then I remember that she would want to know what I do and would want details I can't give. Despite my stance on relationships I do believe that if you are going to be in one there needs to be total honesty. Since I can't be totally honest it isn't fair to try." He explained.
"I understand you can't give details about your government work – it's classified. But you could explain that and just give details about the things you can share: who you are, your past, your dreams for the future, or your favorite sports team. What ever you can share you should. Why can't you be honest?" I sincerely wanted to know.
"I don't want to see the look in her eyes when she hears some of the things I have done. Even if it was for a good reason nobody wants to love a killer," He confessed.
"You aren't a killer." I quickly defended.
"What else do you call a sniper who pulls the trigger and watches the life drain from a person?" He countered.
"I call you a hero. You don't take a life because you enjoy the gruesome nature of the act. You do the job few others can, but must be done. You can't look at what you do like that. I can't listen to you speak about yourself as though you are unworthy of love. If anything you deserve it even more." I knew he wasn't fully buying my explanation but I had to try.
Vince looked me directly in the eye and held my gaze for a few moments. I think he was trying to judge my sincerity. Apparently he believed I meant what I said as he finally leaned closer and said, "Thank you."
"Okay. What else can you tell me?" I decided to change the subject.
"My family knows a little about your bounty hunting escapades and how much I admire your resilience. They will like you from the very beginning so you don't need to worry about them. My sisters will be suspicious because I've not brought a girl home with me since I left for the army. They will probably want to know why you would be interested in a relationship with me. They consider me quiet and they may have trouble believing I've communicated enough for us to be close."
"I can't believe they would think of you as quiet. It's so out of character." I replied sarcastically.
"Wiseguy." He cracked back with a half smile.
"My parents want me to retire from the reserves and come back to Michigan. They don't understand why I continue to go on missions. They want me to be safe, just like any parents would so that is a topic I try to avoid when possible. I'm hoping your presence will help with that." He continued.
"Why do you continue with the missions?" I asked in the hope of keeping him talking.
"I'm good at it and I enjoy it. I like the rush of the danger and I feel like I can help the other guys and my country by playing a small part in a team. There aren't many people who will do what is asked of us on these special assignments so I continue to go while I can. I know eventually I won't be able to continue but as long as my skills are sharp I want to keep going."
"I can understand that. And for the record, thank you." I told him.
"For what?" He asked.
"For keeping us all safe. I understand about wanting to do something because you enjoy it even in the face of people you love telling you to stop. I know you can't give any details to me or them about the jobs you have done, but I know if you hadn't gone some dangerous people would still be wreaking havoc in the world, so thank you for doing the jobs without ever receiving the appreciation you deserve." I explained.
Vince looked away and didn't comment.
"So what kind of behavior are they going to expect of us?" I asked.
"They assume we've been dating for a little over a year and that our relationship grew out of a working one that developed into more over time so there isn't an exact anniversary date that we need to rehearse. We will need to look close. I'll need to hold your hand, put my arm around you and there will need to be the occasional kiss. I'll try to be as gentlemanly as possible, but the physical stuff will need to look real. Will that be a problem?" He wondered.
He's asking if I have a problem being touched and romanced by a good looking guy. "No, that won't be a problem. I'll just follow your lead and we will get through it." No need to mention that I'm looking forward to seeing the quiet Vince treat me like his girl friend.
He chucked when I jumped and gripped the armrest again as the pilot began his descent by turning the plane what felt like a right angle.
"You face criminals without flinching but a little extra movement in a plane makes you nervous," He stated with amusement. "Come here," he finally offered his arm as a better source of comfort than the plane's seat.
I was all too eager to accept his offer and wrapped my arms around his and put my head on his shoulder. He was right, he was a lot better to hold on to than the armrest. "Thank you," I murmured with my eyes shut tight.
Vince reached over with his free hand and stroked my hair. He didn't say anything but I got his message clearly. I was safe with him nearby.
When all the movement stopped he lifted my chin with his index finger. "You can come up for air now, Steph. We're here."
I gave him a sheepish smile and let go of my security hold on him.
We exited the plane and as we approached baggage claim he took my hand. It caught me off guard so I looked up at him. He nodded his head in front of us and I saw a family standing there with signs reading "Welcome Home Vince". I assumed this meant they were the welcome wagon.
Vince slowed us down and placed a kiss on my curls before he whispered, "For the record, my favorite team is the Red Wings – I'm a big hockey fan"
At least we could discuss sports even if his choice of teams was in direct conflict with my own. If I could get him to talk I think it would be fun to watch a game with Vince.
Now it was time to put aside our Stanley Cup dream differences. There was a sea of smiling faces looking at us and calling out greetings. It was show time and the expectant look on their faces told me they were going to be looking for quite a show.