Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

around that way, not to mention the fact that he’d personally verified it after she’d pulled it on him the other night. So he handed her his identical weapon then gestured for her to proceed.

“Go ahead. Check the safety then pick it up. Always point the barrel away from yourself.”

She curled hesitant fingers around the grip then did as he instructed. “It’s always heavier than I expect.”

“Yeah, we’ll get to that in a minute.” He mirrored her actions with Rob’s gun. “Now, press this little switch here to release the magazine.”

The metal container hit the surface of the shelf and spilled bullets. “Damn!”

She grabbed for them and, in her instinctive reaction, tilted the barrel.

“Stop.” The stern tone shocked her since he used it so rarely.

She froze. When she realized her mistake, she grimaced. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes. It’s the same way Rob and Mason taught me. Your focus has to be on the gun at all times. Everything else is background.”

“I understand.” She collected the scattered ammo while keeping the barrel aimed straight down the range. He swapped their pistols, feeling odd about having his out of reach.

“Perfect. There’s one more critical step. The top of the gun slides back to chamber the first round in the magazine. Once you start firing, the action of the gun will take care of this for each remaining bullet.”

“How many will it hold?”

“If you use .40 caliber in this gun, you get twelve shots.”

She nodded, still keeping the barrel aimed away from them. She learned faster than he had.

“To be sure the gun isn’t loaded you can make to chamber a bullet while the magazine is detached. This will eject the loaded bullet, if there is one.”

She mimicked his action but nothing happened. “It wasn’t loaded.”

“Right.” He beamed. “You’re doing great, little one. To load it, we’ll fill the magazine.”

He cupped her hand. Together they shook the cartridges into the hopper.

“Then snap it back in. Now you’re ready to chamber the first round, switch off the safety and shoot.” He set his gun on the shelf then moved behind her. “For the first few, I’ll guide you. Then you’ll try it on your own.”

“Do I need to shoot it to know how? I mean, I know enough now not to hurt someone, right?”

“If you don’t plan to use it, there’s no point in toting it around. It’s not a paperweight, Lace.”

She released the tension in her shoulders with one long exhale. “Show me.”

Tyler squatted to adjust her stance. “Keep your legs spread, one slightly in front of the other.” He put his arms around her then extended her arms. “Lock your elbows. For now, you’ll use a two-handed grip.”

His hand blanketed hers as he folded it over the top of the barrel then slid it back to chamber the round with a smooth action. Then he guided her thumb to the safety, flicking it over to the other side. He aimed their joined hands toward the closest target. “Curl your finger over the trigger. When you’re ready, go ahead and fire.”

A shot echoed through the quiet morning. The peaceful twitter of birds morphed to angry squawks as they took flight. The power of the firearm awed him like it was his first time. His cock bulged against the seam of his jeans. Damn, he should have put on some fucking underwear. He always had this reaction to target practice. Having Lacey tucked against him increased the effect exponentially.

“Did I even hit the target?” She sounded glum.

“Nah. No one does their first time, little one.” He nuzzled her fragrant hair under the pretense of realigning their aim. “Let’s empty this magazine together, then you’re going to try it by yourself. Ready?”

The gun fired in rapid succession. He controlled the kickback, guided her closer to the target and counted the shots. When the gun clicked, he didn’t even have to remind her to verify all the bullets had been disposed of. She released the magazine and chambered air like a pro.

“Jesus, woman.” He stepped back to keep from throwing her to the ground and ravaging her in the wild grass.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No. You’re amazing, remember? Want to try it solo now?”

She grinned. “I wish I’d done this a long time ago. It’s empowering.”

Tyler swallowed hard at the sight of her wicked grin and confident but cautious posture. He had to clear his throat, twice, before he could talk. “This time, try counting while you’re shooting. Remember, you have twelve bullets. Technically, you could chamber the first then load one more in the magazine for thirteen but don’t worry about that now.”

“Right.” She gave a crisp nod then set off on reloading the weapon. “I’m going to hit the target, even on the edges, with each shot this time.”

He didn’t want to rain on her parade but, at this distance, he doubted it. “Remember how you mentioned the weight? When you shoot by yourself you’ll have to aim a little higher than you think you should because the gun will tend to sag in your grip. You also have to brace yourself against the kick. Take it slow…”

The bang of another shot drowned out the rest of his direction. This time, she hit the target about a third of the way in. Impressive. With a slight pause between rounds to adjust, Lacey emptied the magazine once more. Not only did every bullet penetrate the target, but each shot came closer to the center. When she finished, she made sure the chamber cleared then set the gun on the shelf with the barrel pointing away from them.

“Nothing to it.” She dusted imaginary lint from her sleeves then tossed a spectacular smile over her shoulder.

His heart lurched.

“One last note, little one.” He had her full attention. “Never point a gun at someone unless you’re prepared to pull the trigger.”

She nodded.

“Good job, kid.” Mason’s deep timbre filled the range.

They both turned, startled. He’d snuck in undetected.

“You’re a natural. Now get your asses over here