Defending Bridget - P.J. Fiala Page 0,2

a long nap. There was something about the smell of gunpowder, then sweating profusely followed by a hot shower and deep sleep. He usually woke, ready to go and eager to take down more vile scum.

He heard his friends and teammates teasing each other in the tack room off the barn and entered the room to see them selecting paintball guns and the colored paintballs of their choice.

Wyatt laughed and said to Gaige, "Isn't Sophie going to kick your ass when you go into the restaurant covered in paint?"

"Fuck you, I'm not the one going in covered in paint. That's for you losers."

Dodge looked over at Axel, winked, then shot Gaige in the thigh, leaving a big blue splotch on his jeans. Gaige howled as the paintball hit. At this close range, those little suckers hurt like a bitch.

"You just earned yourself an ambush, Sager."

Dodge laughed. "We'll see."

Gaige replied, "For the record, your wife is the one who will kick your ass if you go in soaked in paint."

Dodge laughed out loud and shook his head. "Yeah, Jax probably will. But the makeup sex is amazing."

Josh, Jax's twin, yelled, "Stop that. I don't want to hear about you having sex with my sister."

The room full of guys laughed. Lincoln shook his head. "You've seen her lately haven't you? She's carrying twins and looks like she'll have them any day now, so clearly, she's had sex."

Josh pointed his paintball gun at Lincoln, but Lincoln turned and ran from the room, out the backdoor where their guide waited for them.

"Chicken!" Josh yelled. But he quickly burst out laughing.

Axel's mood was already lifting. Yeah, this is what he needed, some fun with his friends, shooting, getting dirty and then eating a delicious meal. Today was looking up.

***

Axel and Gaige ducked behind the large rock they'd found for cover. This game required them to form teams. There was a flag in the ground on the other side of the deep ridge. Each team had to come out 'alive', which meant in paintball terms, not hit during the game. Axel looked over the top of the rock, his eyes scanned the uneven terrain, and he watched for the other teams. A paintball flew over his head to the left and he dropped down immediately. "Fuck. They know where we are."

"Okay, let's move out to the right. That Oak tree over there will provide us some cover."

"Roger. You go first and I'll cover you."

"Roger." Gaige crept low to maneuver to the edge of the rock. Axel looked around the right side of the rock and waited. Slowly pulling his gun up, he glanced around the area, then whispered, "Go."

Gaige took off running to the Oak tree, dove on the ground and made it just as a paintball whizzed by Axel's right ear.

Ducking behind the rock again, he situated himself to the side of the rock Gaige had just vacated, looked over at his friend, who had hunkered down behind the tree and was looking around. The rustling of leaves had him looking up over the rock to see Josh running for cover to a location across the ridge from them and taking fire. Using the diversion to run to the tree, Axel took off as fast as he could and slid on his heels as he ducked behind the tree, still alive.

Gaige smiled then patted him on the back.

Gaige's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he rolled his eyes, "We're caught for sure now."

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he whispered, "Vickers."

"Gaige, this is Mrs. Vickers and it's time to get back for lunch. What are you guys doing anyway?"

"We're playing paintball and you're going to get us killed."

"Well, I'll just say this, if you all make Jax wait another minute to eat, she'll kill all of you and you won't have to worry about being killed by a paintball. She's eating for three and she's hungry as a bear."

"Shit."

Axel laughed and shook his head. "Poor Dodge."

Gaige pocketed his phone, stood behind the tree, and yelled out to his friends and co-operatives.

"Dinner time. Dodge, especially you, your wife is starving and she's getting hangry."

Josh could be heard laughing the loudest but some of the other guys were laughing loudly, too. Then Josh stood first, hands up and said, "Calling it."

But, as guys do, rather than letting him just call the game, they each pummeled him with paint. His howls of pain could be heard over all the shooting, leaves rustling and laughing.

"I'm gonna get you fuckers."

Dodge