Page 110 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
“Come on.” We walked to one of the lanes. He stepped behind me, sliding a pair of noise-canceling earmuffs over my head before I could finish. Then, he reached around me and positioned my hands on the gun.
“Relax.”
Easy for him to say.
The weight of the weapon in my grip was heavier than expected. He adjusted my stance, guiding me as he moved in closer. His chest pressed against my back, steadying me.
“Feet apart,” he instructed, nudging my leg. “Balance your weight.”
“Now focus.”
I narrowed my eyes at the target ahead, the black silhouette perfectly still at the end of the lane. My pulse raced.
His hands smoothed over my arms, steadying me. “Don’t overthink it. Just breathe. Aim.”
I tightened my grip.
“Now pull the trigger.”
I hesitated for a minute and did as he asked.
The gun kicked back, jerking my body and arms. My shot landed wide and to the left, barely even hitting the paper.
Emir adjusted my grip again and kept his voice calm. “Try again.”
I inhaled. Exhaled. Fired.
This time, I actually hit the target, just off center.
A rush of excitement and satisfaction shot through me.
I turned and caught the way he watched me. His eyes bounced to the target, then back to me. “You did that shit, Bay.”
“I could get used to this.”
His eyes darkened and he smiled. “I know but that’s not why we’re here. I don’t need you being a shooter.”
“So why teach me?”
“Just in case. Now let’s go, run that shit back.”
I nodded and placed my focus back on the target. We moved through a few more rounds with him coaching me before he took the gun and I watched him get his own round in. My mouth dropped watching the skill and ease with which he landed perfect shots centered in the head and heart of the target. After another hour of us going back and forth, he pushed off the wall and took the gun from me for the last time.
“We’re done here for today.”
“Here?”
He walked up on me and pulled my body to his. “Yeah, done here. We have a full day.”
“Where to next?”
“You’ll see.”
I leanedback in my seat, watching Emir as he drove us to our next location. “Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?”
“No.”
I sighed dramatically, but inside, I loved that he took the initiative and planned a day for us. I also loved that he was pulling me away from the chaos of everything that had happened recently and into something that was just…us.
