Page 55 of The Associate

He puts the earmuffs on my head and steps back again, but I can still feel his warmth against my back. “Ok, now you’re ready.”

I have already pulled the slide back and loaded the chamber and, as I look down the sights again, lining up my target, I gently squeeze the trigger.

Bang!

I squeal at the kickback on the gun, which shocks me for a moment. I never expected it to kick back that fast.

I hear Mason laughing to himself behind me. There is no way I am giving him the satisfaction of watching me flinch at using a gun. I may not have used one before, but I will learn and I will be as good as he is.

Now that the first shot has been fired, he steps back from me just slightly. I know what to expect now, pulling the trigger four more times before placing the gun down and bringing my target back.

Mason walks over to where the target has returned and assesses my grouping, as he calls it. “Not bad, sweetheart,” he says, facing me. “A little more practice and you’ll be as good as I am.”

“If not better,” I counter with a laugh.

“Cease fire!” An announcement comes over the speaker. I take the earmuffs off and place them down on the bench, turning to see Mason stalking towards me.

“Keep dreaming.” He walks over to me, pulling me into his chest, kissing my cheek before whispering, “I just want you good enough to defend yourself, in case something goes wrong tonight. Do you still have your knife on you?”

“Yes,” I whisper back. His scent is intoxicating.

“Good. Now, when they open the range again, we will practice your shooting a little more.” He steps back, planting a kiss on the top of my head. “We still have a few hours to wait.”

The next few hours go by in a whirlwind. I am getting better with the groupings and Mason seems pleasantly surprised with how quickly I pick it up. I still need more practice but right now I can hold my own. Which is enough because the range is closing and it is showtime.

We walk out of the range and to our car. We watch as everyone else leaves too.

“Remember what we talked about,” Mason says, placing his hands on either side of my face, bringing it closer to his. “Stay hidden, watch what I do, and if you have any questions, I will answer anything you want to know.”

“Ok.” I nod, and he places a light kiss on my lips.

It doesn’t take long for everyone else to clear out of the area, leaving Mason and I standing around the car, making it look like we were two love-struck teenagers who couldn’t wait to get home. If anyone slowed down, we would just start making out.

I’m not upset about that part. With his lips soft against mine, I completely forget where we are and what we are doing.

He pulls back, my lips feeling bare without him. I open my eyes and watch as he scans the car park.

It’s empty; the only car left is that of Johnny, the owner of this range and the guy who owes my father a lot of money. I look over at Mason and he nods.

Making our way back towards the venue, he puts a hand out in front of me to stop me from grabbing the handle of the main entrance. I glance over to him and he shakes his head before pointing to the side of the building: the one with access to the back living area where Johnny spends his free time. “There is a dark hallway once we go through this door. Remain in the shadows and watch what I do,” he whispers.

I nod and follow his lead. Opening the door, it surprises me with how quiet it is. Did Mason plan that or were we just lucky? It is probably the latter.

He holds the door open as I slide past him, his body pressed against mine. “Shadows, now, over there.” He points.

I do as he says, making sure that I am in an area well-covered by darkness. He walks past where I am standing, moving lightly on his feet. He is like a feather and no man his size should ever be able to move like that. It is probably why he is nicknamed the Viper: he stalks until he is ready to strike.

Johnny sits in his recliner, a bong by his side, watching a porno of a woman being railed by another chick wearing a horse cock-sized dildo. I am slightly disgusted by that scene alone. The other scene before me is Johnny, pants around his ankles, watching his porn and stroking his dick. “That’s the way baby, fuck her good.” He doesn’t know it yet, but he is going to die with blue balls.

I am so intrigued by Mason pulling his gun out from behind his back and sliding a round into the chamber, the noise drowned out by a moan from one of the girls on the screen, that I don’t notice two other guys coming towards me from the room behind.

A large hand clamps over my mouth so I can’t scream and I’m lifted off my feet and carried to the other room. My heart starts to race, confusion flooding my thoughts. I can’t turn around to see who has hold of me.

When I’m thrown to the ground, I try to jump up onto my feet, but another large hand whips across my face.

“Who the fuck are you two?” My voice is like venom.

I can still see Mason out of the corner of my eye. He is stepping slowly towards Johnny. He hasn’t noticed these other two yet, but I know he will glance around to make sure I am there before doing anything else. I can’t scream, even if I want to. The adrenaline is still coursing through my veins.

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