Page 44 of What Started In Deception

“You can’t close your eyes, Lyd.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

He grinned as he stepped closer, fixing her stance. “Look right here through the front to the rear sight.”

“Okay.”

He stepped off to the side again. “Now keep your eyes open and fire.”

She did, entirely missing the target.

“Try again.”

She squinted, moving her arms to make adjustments, then pulled the trigger. “How did I not hit it this time, either?”

“It takes a lot of practice.” Stepping up behind her, he bent his knees to be more at her height as he nestled his head closer to hers, then put his hands over hers, helping her aim. “Try now.”

She pulled the trigger, hitting near center mass.

He stayed behind her. “Try it again.”

She did, hitting nearly the same spot before he gave her some space.

“Give it another shot.”

She pulled the trigger, hitting nothing. She did it again with the same result. “I’m starting to get the feeling that the shots I fired with you are going to be the only two bullets that actually hit the paper.”

He laughed. “So we’ll keep trying.”

She nodded, determined to hit the target without Ty’s help. Pulling the trigger again, she nipped the very corner of the paper and beamed. “I got it.”

He nodded as he smiled. “Good job. Keep your focus on center mass.”

She nodded again, lining up her next shot, feeling confident now. Pulling the trigger, she hit the very left edge of the sheet.

“Adjust a little to the right. You’ve got this.”

But it was clear that she didn’t, as she made the correction and tried again, then two more times, missing all three shots.

“Keep going.”

She shook her head, ready for a break, putting the gun on the table, making certain that the barrel pointed the way that he’d told her. “You do some more.”

“But it’s still your turn.”

“I like watching you. What else can you do that will impress me?”

He shrugged. “We have to shoot one-handed and qualify with both hands.”

She frowned. “How come?”

“If we get shot in our dominant arm, we still need to be able to return fire.”

She nodded, not liking just how dangerous his job had the potential to be. “Show me your one-handed shots. Hit both shoulders on the target.”

He picked up the gun, shooting with his left hand, then his right, hitting both of the shoulders dead-center again.

“That really is impressive, Ty, especially now that I understand how hard it is.”