
ARIES.....LITTLE DEVIL
SNEAK PEEK!
From Chapter 8 After leaving Cam, Chris stopped on base to fill out some necessary paperwork
for his medical leave and he met with the doc who told him he was healing well
but not to push it.
That was, of course, not going to happen, but Chris gave the doc credit for
saying it with a straight face. "You can do light PT. Better yet, go to
the range and blow some shit up. That should keep you happy for a while."
"Yeah, sounds good," he muttered, because his gut clenched when doc
mentioned the range. Typically, it was his favorite place to be, and he knew
he'd have to force himself to head there immediately, to push himself over the
initial hump.
This had been the longest he'd ever been away from firing a weapon since he'd
entered the Navy ten years earlier.
He kept most of his rifles under lock and key in the training room - now, he
opened the metal bin and surveyed his choices.
In the field, he used the match grade M25, but today, his first impulse was
to grab his favorite, a worn Parker-Hale M-85 from the UK. Mark had given it
to him years earlier, when it became apparent Chris would overshadow the senior
chief as a sniper. Mark gracefully handed over that position for the good of
the team and worked on being Chris's spotter.
He ran a hand over the long, worn barrel, his fingers instinctively rubbing
the old notches, the deep scars of the metal. The rifle had been used - and used
well, a gift to Mark from an SAS operative he'd worked with in his early days
as a SEAL.
Sentimental value - today, he needed that to be enough as he walked to the open
range set-up toward the west end of the base.

The Marine checked his ID again and his weapon. Said he was sorry to hear about
Mark and Chris nodded, but couldn't get past the gate fast enough.
It was loud and crowded because it was a perfect day for shooting - high visibility,
low wind. Chris put his iPod earbuds in, rather than the standard earplugs, to
drown out the constant, sharp sounds of bullets hitting their targets.
Belly down. Adjust scope. Try to forget his spotter wasn't there.
He brushed it off, because he had to do this. Time to get back on the motherfucking
horse and stay there.
He turned the music to blasting in a futile attempt to keep his mind from running
away from him while he concentrated on the target - a trick Mark had taught him
when Chris found himself distracted...
Fuck. Come on Chris - pull your shit together. Target locked.
The first time his skills had been used in a combat situation, he'd destroyed
three compounds full of illegal weaponry. He'd done so easily - it had involved
no loss of life.
Most of the time, a sniper's biggest contribution was the art of surveillance,
which meant watching and listening without the benefit of actually hearing what
the enemy said. Instead, it was about sensing. Checking hand movements. Gut-instincts.
And sometimes, plain old fashioned luck.
Time to rock.
But his finger didn't move, not when Mark's face, bloodied and battered, flashed
in front of him.
He pulled away from the scope fast, realized he was breathing hard and drenched
in sweat.
He turned over in the dirt and lay, face up, staring at the clouds, attempting
to convince himself that he hadn't just had a panic attack, that his heart wasn't
beating hard enough to come through his fucking chest. Told himself that his
nerves were jangled from the investigation, from seeing Jamie.
Told himself that somehow, it would be all right.
He knew he wasn't supposed to feel better about what happened immediately, or
anytime soon, but the pain was still a hot, fresh jab he tried not to let anyone
see.
_________________
MUAH Amoruci for my banner
JAKE IS HERE
NICK IS COMING
CHRIS IS COMING
DEMON LORE IS COMING