Page 54 of The Associate
“Not intentionally!” I hated to use that on him, but I need this.
He ponders my crazy scheme for a moment, his eyes staring out the window. The longer he takes to think about it the more I wonder if it had been a good idea to ask him.
“You know I don’t like this idea.” He finally looks at me.
A quiet sense of satisfaction fills me.
“I’ll have to arrange a meeting with him at some point, and let’s just hope he doesn’t kill me on the spot after what I did to his brother. But, until then, I am going to be teaching you how to shoot and how to fight.” He taps his hand on my leg. “Strap that holster on and let’s go training.”
* * *
There aren’t many people training at the range. A few from rival Underbellies; they look at me like I am their next meal, then they see Mason trailing behind me and their eyes quickly divert back to whatever it is they are doing. I am grateful to have someone as well-known as Mason behind me, acting all tough and macho, being a good guard dog. I will never call him that to his face but thinking it makes me giggle to myself.
Looking back over my shoulder at him, I smile. “So where are we going?”
He points to the spot at the far end of the range. “Just over there.”
I make my way down towards the end. The feeling of the holster on my right leg with the gun strapped in was strange at first, but I start to feel more comfortable with it there. Knowing that it is in an easy place to reach if I need to access it quickly.
“Put these on.” He hands me a pair of earmuffs and I slide them over my ears.
I hear the sound of an announcement muffled by the muffs. “The range is open, please stay behind the safety lines.”
We continue to walk to the other end of the range, stopping at the booth we have been allocated. I place the target and the ammunition onto the counter. Mason walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “You look so fucking hot standing there,” he says in my ear, lifting the earmuffs up slightly. “Instant fucking turn on.”
Heat floods my cheeks and a smile crosses my lips. “Stop it.” I slap his hands playfully.
He laughs in my ear, deep and gravelly, before putting the ear protection back down again. “Let’s get training.”
He steps back from me, making his way over to the bench, pulling his gun out from behind his back and placing it on the counter. It is bigger than the one I have been given, but then, I don’t want anything that is too powerful.
He clasps the target to its holder and then he hits the button, sending it out to the twenty-five metre distance. Pulling out the magazine, he loads five rounds in and slides it back into the grip of his gun. In a quick motion, he pulls the metal piece on the top across, loading the first round into the chamber, aims, and releases the five shots in five seconds.
Looking back at me, he grins.
His target comes back towards us. All five shots are in the centre of the target.
I raise a brow at him and smile. I’m not going to be that good, but if I get all my shots on the target, then it is a start. I have grown up around guns and violence, but I am the complete opposite of that. I know how a gun works, I have just never put it into practice.
“Ok, your turn sweetheart.” He walks past me, slapping my butt.
“Believe it or not, I don’t really have a lot of experience with a gun,” I say as I walk over towards the target and press the button to send it out. I take the earmuffs off so that I can hear Mason.
“Ok, well let’s start simple.” He pulls my gun out of the holster and holds it out in front of him, aiming down range. He points to the two small bits of metal that are protruding upwards on the top of the gun. “These here are your sights. You line the back one up with the front one and then line those up with the centre of your target.”
He hands the gun back to me, placing the grip in my right hand and moving my left hand to sit underneath. His arms are around me and his hands are placed on top of mine. “Place your hands in this position, you have better control of the gun and any kickback.”
I can feel his heart racing as I am encased in a wall of muscle. It is comforting and feels safe. I can feel his breath tickling the back of my neck, his breathing slow and calming as he steps me through all the parts and how to pull the trigger for maximum control and straightness. “So it’s as easy as that?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. “I just push the magazine in, pull back the slide to load the gun, and then gently pull the trigger, slowly firing off the shots to keep it controlled?”
“Exactly.” He steps away from me and folds his arms across his chest. “Now just put that all into practice and let’s see how you do. Eventually, you will be able to fire as fast as I do without missing.”
The sudden cold that surrounds me after he steps away has me realising just how comfortable I am around him. My body shivers and I’m instantly greeted with his warmth again. “I know you’re nervous.” His voice is a deep whisper in my ear. “Let me help you.”
“Show me every single thing there is to know about firing this piece of metal.” I roll my head back onto his shoulder. I can feel him growing harder against my back. I have butterflies in my stomach and they aren’t from the nerves of learning how to shoot a gun.
I look down through the sights aimed at my target, about to pull the trigger.
“Wait.” His voice is normal again as he reaches over to pick up the earmuffs, but all I want is his arms wrapped around me again. “Put these on, we don’t want to damage your hearing.”
