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“Care to explain what exactly are we doing in the middle of nowhere?!”
Kartal rolled his eyes. He swore that woman had no patience whatsoever. Bahar had asked the same questions over and over again for the past hour and it was a miracle he hadn’t stopped the car to gag her mouth with the adhesive tape he had in his car trunk.
“Just you know, if you had wanted to kill me, there were quicker ways,” Bahar added.
As he got out of the car, Kartal couldn’t help grinning. His wife never missed a chance for some dramatic lines. He liked that. Wife. He surprised himself to have adjusted to the word so easily.
He had brought her outside of the city. Although he didn’t like the idea of leaving the neighborhood for a few hours with all the murders happening there, it was for the best for what he had planned. Unpacking, he took a look at her. Her arms crossed against her chest as a sign of obvious annoyance, she was making sure to avoid his eyes.
He settled things quickly. He had brought with them just what they needed to start with. It was her first lesson, after all – he didn’t plan on teaching her everything at once. His sister had needed weeks to get the basics and she had been born in this world. It would take more time with Bahar. He suspects she had no idea what dangers could lurk around the corner. Her dad might be a psycho, but he had made sure to cage her in a big house.
Facing her, Kartal clasped his hands. “I brought you here, sweetheart to teach you some self-defense techniques.”
She raised an eyebrow, her arms still protecting her. “I could have given to my gym club for that.”
He handed the gun he had just pulled out. “I doubt you will find things like this at your gym.”
Bahar’s reaction was automatic – she shrieked and made gigantic steps backwards. “What’s that?!”
“It’s a gun, sweetheart. I am pretty sure even kids know about them too.” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
“It was a rhetorical question. I’m not touching a gun, Kartal.”
She sounded genuinely scared. Unusual. He knew she wasn’t fond of violence – the disgusted face she had made at him when he had tried to slap the kid was still stuck in his head. But still. Her father had an army of men carrying them on them. She should be by now used to them.
He winked at her to cool the atmosphere a little bit. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I taught my sister. I’m your best shot. No pun intended.”
“I’m not your sister.” She huffed in annoyance.
He made a weak smile. Kartal leaned forward, inhaling her perfume. She was now very close to him. Roses. She smelled like roses, he realized. It did look like her a lot. Always on the defensive like thorns ready to attack, there was yet something fascinating about her that had captured his attention on the very first night he had seen her. “I can assure you my eyes can tell you apart.”
His body too. His reaction to hers was something else. Kartal hadn’t spent much time with her, but he knew her already so well. He could picture her smile with a precision that scared him, especially at night after a long day.
He had told her she looked cute when she was angry and he had meant it. When she was stunned like now, she looked gorgeous. But what Kartal enjoyed the most, was when she was happy. She looked divine there. Her dimples. Her laugh. Her smile. It happened rarely, though. It was a tragedy. He wished she would smile more often and if the smiles were directed at him, even better.
Bahar remained speechless by his words. Good. He was enjoying the closeness too much for her to put an end to it. After a while, she found her voice back. “I can’t use a gun. I’m wearing a skirt, not to mention high heels,” she whispered.
Kartal seized the opportunity to take a look at her. Indeed, she wasn’t wearing the most suited outfit, but his eyes liked very much what he was seeing. She was dazzling. “Well, if you father’s minions goes after you in the middle of the street, I doubt you’ll be wearing trousers.”
He knew she was pondering his words carefully by the crease forming between her eyebrows. Unlike him, she was a brain and he was sure he had just managed to convince her with that argument. Making a barely visible nod, she sighed. “Alright.”
“You won’t regret it, sweetheart. Let’s start with the basics.”
He began with gun safety first. He wanted her to feel safe with him. Besides, she wasn’t used to being in control and with a gun in her hands, he needed her to be able to stand on her own and unafraid to take action if necessary. True, she owned a restaurant, but it was ultimately her dad’s money behind it. She had been treated like a puppet all of her life, and now was the time to claim her power back.
He was surprised she was genuinely paying attention to what he was saying. She even went as far as asking questions. Not the irritating ones during the car ride earlier ones, but interesting ones.
“Your turn, sweatheart.”
She gazed down at his holding the gun. He got closer and gave it to her, his hand caressing hers. He noticed how hers were shaking a little. “Novelty does that,” he murmured to her ears. Once the gun in her hand, her turned her to the target he had placed earlier. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it. They say practice makes perfect.”
He stood behind her, his hands gently putting her hair behind her ears.
“Kartal…”
“Bahar…” he mimicked her warning. He licked how his name rolled off her mouth.
He heard her sigh. “I told you there was no use flirting with me when my dad isn’t around.”
But he enjoyed it. Very much. Maybe too much. He feared he would pay the price the hard way sooner or later. “You need a clear vision.,” he explained while he angled her small body towards the target. “Now take aim. Don’t rush things. Slowly.”
She did as he asked, but he could tell she was tense. “Relax, Bahar.”
“You’re touching me...I can’t focus properly.”
Kartal made goofy face. He had an effect on her, after all. Interesting. He shouldn’t be feeling so proud right now, but he couldn’t help grinning. A gun in her hands, the woman was still an enigma to him. She was so different from what he knew. But he was also a gentleman and dropped his hands.
“Kartal?”
She had uttered the words with a low tone, but he had caught it. He came back to her, his hands sliding her waist down her hips. “I’m right here. Open your eyes, sweatheart. You can’t possibly fire your eyes closed.”
“I’m not sure about all of this...I’m a little bit scared I have to admit.” She bit her lips as if she had said something wrong. Kartal sighed in relief. Bahar was human after all and not coldness personified. “You should. I am too. But it shouldn’t petrify you. Go ahead.”
Exhaling, she fired. Nothing came out of the gun. “It didn’t do anything.” She sounded so confused and it was lovely to watch. Kartal let go of her. He ran a hand through his hair. “Obviously. You thought I would give you a loaded gun? On your first lesson? You’ve watched too much TV.”
Her mouth shut. She stepped back and faced him. “How many lessons do you plan us having?”
“As much as needed.” And deep down, he hoped she would be terrible at this.
“You know, I might have left the area before we’ve reached the end of your curriculum.”
Kartal flinched at her words. He knew she didn’t mean it badly, but the conversation he had with his sister before the family photoshoot had been haunting him for the past few days. If he was honest with himself, while Bahar needed to stand up for herself in case he couldn’t be there to do it, he was primarily here to test Leyla’s theory. Her words were stuck firmly in his head and he feared for his sanity.
“My sister…”
“...doesn’t like me much. Don’t worry I’ve figured.”
She sounded upset. She probably wasn’t used to people not liking her. Her whole life, she had been surrounded by admirers. Now she was the outsider.
“You and Leyla are very different.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Kartal shook his head. “Although you’re very similar as well. Both of you did study.” One of his biggest achievements. He smiled at the memory of Leyla going to university for the very first time. He had been so proud that day. He still was.
“Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
She lifted her shoulders. “I had no idea. Why is she still living with you there then?”
“Because it’s her home.”
“But she could do much better.”
His heart skipped a beat. Much better. He thought he had misunderstood her, but by the look on her face, she was very serious. He made a bitter laugh, the one he had thought he would never use with her. “You really do think you’re above us, sweetheart.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He waved his hand. “You didn’t need to. It’s all written over your face.”
He realized by the expression of incomprehension she didn’t understand why her attitude pained him. He wondered if she realized she had caused him pain to begin with. Leyla was right. They were not her family. They were strangers to her. Realization hit him like a bullet in the chest. It was not his pride that was wounded. It cut deeper.
“You’re a menace, Bahar.”
“Of course I am. I am holding a gun. Not a real one, but still.”
He wasn’t sure he was talking about guns anymore. Bahar was a menace to him. Her sister’s words echoed him. He would burn for the woman standing in front of him. It was no business and Kartal believed it had never been in the first place. Bahar meant trouble, gun or no gun in her hands.
“What should we do?”
Kartal shrugged, his eyes on her. He didn’t know what he should do. He couldn’t possibly throw her away. He was a gentleman. He couldn’t put an end to this game either. “Depends.”
She frowned, puzzled by his words. “What does it even mean? Are we still training?”
He closed his eyes. Of course she wasn’t discussing their marriage. She had probably erased the last minutes from her memory, while he was still very much disturbed by her words. Much better. He was the dreamer and she was the one with her two feet anchored in reality. Massaging his temples, he admitted his defeat. “Never mind. Try again.”
She stood for a few seconds, but in the end shrugged as her eyes found the target again.
Kartal sighed. He guessed he had his answers. They weren’t just the ones he had been hoping for. Her sister had been right and he had been a fool. Bahar won’t be the only one going out from this lesson learning something.
Her background wasn’t the problem. It was what she made of it. And for now, he didn’t like it. She had left the house of her dad, but it felt she was still trapped in there. He couldn’t help her on this one. He could only sit and watch for whatever comes out of this. Avoiding her gaze, he seized the gun from her. “Session over for the day. Let’s go home.”
Bahar Yöndel Çaka had just shot him in the heart, and she had no idea.