Page 112 of The Devil's Fire

I placed my crutches aside and paid close attention to what Arianna was about to show me.

“When you pick up your gun, keep your index finger straight and position it right here on the ring guard. You’re a newbie, so if you position your index finger on the trigger, you might accidentally put pressure on it and shoot.” Arianna explained firmly.

“This button here is the magazine release button.”

As she pressed the button, the magazine smoothly ejected from the grip of the handgun. It was empty, and she showed me how to fill it up with cartridges before pushing it back inside.

“… And here you just pull the slide all the way back until you can’t pull anymore and let go. So, this is a semi-automatic gun, which means that every time you pull the trigger, the next bullet is ready to be fired without you having to slide it back. You’re all set now.” Arianna finished.

I slowly nodded, trying to take it all in.

“Are we not supposed to wear earmuffs and security glasses?” I asked, which earned me a blank look from her.

“Right, because you have time to put on earmuffs and security glasses when you’re out on a real battlefield. You might as well get used to the sounds while you’re learning.”

“Oh, um, okay.” I wasn’t a big fan of the sounds, but I guess I just had to get used to it.

“If it gets too much for you, earmuffs are in the cabinet.” Arianna smiled when she saw my distress.

“No, it’s fine. I want to try without first.” I decided.

“Great! Now, let’s see how you do.”

Following Arianna’s instructions, I picked up the gun and positioned myself behind the line on the floor. With a determined grip, I pulled the slide all the way back, my eyes fixed on the target ahead. Despite feeling a little nervous, I could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I fired a shot, and the powerful recoil made me stagger backwards. I let out a whistle. This was more powerful than I had imagined.

“Don’t keep your feet in line. Place one leg slightly behind the other for support.” Arianna helped me with my stance and had me fire again. This time, I barely moved and stayed in place, so I continued. It was fun, and I was actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.

I lowered my gun to see how I did and scowled when I saw the result. I hit the paper, just not anywhere near the lines.

“This is harder than I thought.” I muttered to myself. I watched Arianna and Cara when they started and huffed when I saw they hit the center perfectly.

“It’s not that bad. You’re doing better than most people for the first time.” Cara tried to make me feel better while looking at my paper.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Let me help.” She chuckled.

They both helped and gave me advice on my stance and how high to hold the gun and where to aim. Every time I thought my aim was somewhat decent, my shots would miss by a long shot. It was a lot more difficult, but I wasn’t giving up. The competitive side of me couldn’t handle watching Arianna and Cara hitting the center. It made me feel like a loser.

“This sucks!” I groaned when I once again didn’t hit the target mark.

“Relax. This is your first time. Did you expect to nail it the first time?” Arianna chuckled.

“I was hoping I had a secret talent or something.” I sighed and placed the gun back on the table to take a break.

“Looks like we gathered an audience.” Cara said, and I followed her gaze to where a wide window was at the top of the wall.

Damiano and Raffaele were watching us, and my heart skipped a beat as I looked at Damiano. His intense gaze was already on me, and my stupid body tingled. He wasn’t wearing his typical dress shirt, but a black t-shirt that hugged tightly around his muscles.

I sucked my teeth in annoyance at how freaking hot he looked right now. But I was still annoyed with him, and I scowled to let him know his presence was still unwanted.

“How awesome would it be if I could shoot his dick from here?”

Damiano raised a brow at me, and Raffaele broke out in a laughing fit next to him. Out of the blue, Arianna stood in front of me, blocking my view of them.

“Listen, I know you’re pissed, but joke or not, you’re talking about shooting a mob boss. And that shit gets you killed.” She said seriously, but her eyes twinkled with amusement.

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