15. Fifteen

Chase

I’m glad I’m back working normal business hours. Val is meeting me today for lunch. I promised to show her around and tell her more about my work here.

Clara, our front receptionist, an older woman who worked with my dad and watched me and my brothers grow up, buzzes my office phone.

“Chase, your wife is here to meet you for lunch.”

“Thanks, Clara. I’ll be right down.”

As I walk into the reception area, I find Val chatting easily with Clara.

“Hey, Val. I see you’ve already met Clara,” I give her a quick kiss.

“Oh, yes. She’s been telling me all kinds of childhood stories about you and your brothers.”

“And you believed her? Everybody knows Clara likes to embellish.”

“Chase Knight, you take that back. You and I both know you’re the one who put colored dye in the fountain out front when you were ten. It took weeks for the green color to fade.”

“Oh, well, some of her stories may be accurate.”

Val laughs while Clara just shakes her head as I show Val around.

“This is the reception area.”

“I love the fountain outside, though now I’ll be imagining it green,” she looks around with a smile on her face, “I like the modern feel of the place. The granite and steel look is very impressive. And that river view is spectacular.”

“Yeah, that view never gets old. My dad bought this property years before he died. When Carson decided to expand the business, he chose this site because of the river view. My dad would be proud of what Carson has done with the company.”

“I know Carson does a great job running the business, but your dad would be proud of what all of you have contributed.”

I put my arm around her waist as I walk her to the elevator.

“Thanks, Val, you’re right. We all have contributed, but Carson has the bulk of the responsibilities. Since Carson took over, we’ve more than doubled our clients and profit.”

I hit the button for the lower floor.

“My brother is a workaholic and a perfectionist. He needs a life. He hardly even rides his bike anymore.”

We make our way down to my office.

“So, my primary job is to help train the security guards. I also like to join them sometimes when they’re on the job. Mostly to view their work habits and make sure they are performing all the safety checks we require.”

“Your office is nice.”

She looks at the pictures of the Jacksonville skyline and cityscape.

“With no river view because of where it’s located near the training room, I made up for it in other ways.”

I open the door, and we walk down the hall. “This is our training facility. We distribute all the protective gear from here. I guess you could say we rent our gear, as we always want the latest and greatest protection for the staff.”

I take her by the racks of bulletproof vests, flashlights, and other gear.

“With the sometimes dangerous work that we do, our guards deserve the best. Many of the guys have worked for us for years. We’re constantly expanding our services, and that means more and more recruits to train. So, it keeps me busy.”

I continue the tour. “Many of the recruits think being a security guard will be exciting and filled with action. You know, similar to one of their shoot ‘em-up video games,” I say ruefully. “Instead, it can be damn boring. Our guards spend most of their time walking the perimeters of a complex, doing security checks, and looking for anything out of the ordinary.”

Val nods, “Until they find something out of place. Right?”

“Right. I try to teach the recruits to trust their instincts. If they notice something off, they need to call it in.”

I continue to show Val around.

“Last night was a prime example. One of our older guards was on duty downtown. He happened to notice that the building’s back door locks had scratches. He reported it. We sent extra guards to the property that night. The guards caught the guys who were trying to break in.”

I gesture to the room in front of us. “Here is our indoor shooting range.”

“I didn’t know you had a shooting range on the property.”

“Yeah, it isn’t something we advertise. We train all of our workforce right here. That’s why Knight Security guards are the best in the business.”

Val looks up at me with a proud smile. “That means their trainer must be the best, too.”

I can’t help it. I pull her in closer for a long kiss.

We’re interrupted by a gruff voice, “Hey now, you two, break it up; this isn’t the place for– Oh, Chase. I didn’t realize it was you. I thought you were one of the new recruits.”

“Sorry, Charlie. This is my wife, Val. Val, Charlie Sumpter, he helps me train the guards.”

Val shakes the hand Charlie offers her. He’s an older man with gray peppered dark hair.

“Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

“Same here, Charlie. Chase was just showing me around. I had no idea this was all down here.”

“Chase designed most of it. We can provide quality training right here. This is for the new recruits and for refresher training. We have the credentials to train security guards and private security guards.”

At Val’s questioning, look, “Private security guards are qualified to carry firearms.”

“Oh, I didn’t know there were different kinds of security guards.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Not to worry; your boy knows what he’s doing. He was lucky that his daddy had him involved in the business from a young age. Same with all the boys.”

“I’ve known Charlie for years. He used to work with my dad.”

“You ought to let her shoot some while she’s down here.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve never even picked up a gun.”

“We got some .22 calibers. I bet you’d enjoy it.”

I look down at Val. “We have some time. It never hurts to know how to handle a firearm.”

Val bites her lip, “Um... Okay. It’s safe, though, right?”

“Very safe, with the right instructor... Come on, I’ll show you.”

We walk over to the locked weapons. I sign one out and then pick up protective ear coverings for both of us.

“This will protect your ears. It gets loud.”

I show her how to put them on.

“These protect your eyes,” I hand her the protective eyewear.

“Now, the first thing you should always do whenever anyone hands you a firearm. No matter who it is. Seriously, you always check the weapon yourself.”

I go through the motions, “You check to see if the gun is loaded and if there’s anything in the chamber. See? Empty.”

We walk into the soundproof shooting range. I have her pick out a target, and then I fasten it and position it at the correct distance.

“Now, let me show you how to hold the gun. It’s a .22, so there won’t be as much kickback as with larger caliber bullets.”

Val just nods and pays close attention.

I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her so she can see how to line up the shot.

“Okay, now slowly squeeze the trigger. Don’t lock your elbows.”

Val jumps a little as she fires, but she still hits the target.

“That was good. See where it hit? Okay, try again.”

I watch as Val reloads the gun. She seems to be having a good time. She’s stopped biting her lip.

“Look how well your aim is now, after only half an hour of practicing.”

“I have gotten better.”

“Yep, they say women are statistically more accurate than men when shooting.”

“Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever enjoy doing something like this.”

“I thought you might enjoy it. Want to grab some lunch now?”

“Yes, I’m ready for lunch. You know, I’m now riding a motorcycle and learning how to handle and shoot a gun. What’s next?”