Chapter 15 Wren #2
Playing those stupid games of his was probably far more enjoyable for the sadist than just killing us outright. I won’t make the same mistake. The second I get the chance, I’m going to shoot Ivan in his ugly, smug face, which is why I need to learn to shoot.
“You understand?” Elias asks as he offers me the gun.
“Yes.” I point to the safety as I repeat his instruction. “Always keep the barrel pointed away from anyone I don’t intend to shoot. Make sure the safety is on until I’m ready to fire. Hold the gun firmly in both hands and watch for recoil. Squeeze the trigger, don’t pull.”
“Good girl. Now take the gun and aim at the tree.” Nodding, I take the gun, being sure to keep the barrel pointed away from us on the ground as I turn toward the tree he’d already fired a few test shots into himself.
He’d managed to find us a place to practice in a small forest on the city’s edge. There is nobody else around for miles to hear the sound of the gun or accidentally get in harm's way.
The guys are all wearing warm jackets, while they’ve provided me with fluffy black boots that reach the tops of my calves and a matching jacket.
It is cropped, showing off my skirt and fishnets.
It is above zero, and I don’t mind feeling a bit of the cold on my skin.
My fluffy black earmuffs help keep my ears warm and muffle some of the noise.
I raise the gun, aiming it at the tree Elias had easily hit, and aim, looking down the barrel. Remembering the instructions, I hold on firmly and squeeze the trigger.
The impact has the gun shooting upward as I take a step back with a gasp of surprise.
“It’s okay, that was just the recoil,” Elias explains, placing his hand on my arm and helping me to lower it back to face the tree. “Now you know what it feels like, so you can prepare for it next time.”
The next time, my hand only moves up a few inches. After my fifth shot, I exclaim, “I did it!” when my hand barely moves.
“Uh, angel,” Pete says from where he and the other four are hanging back watching us, “I hate to break it to you, but you didn’t hit the tree.”
I turn toward the tree and frown. “No, I’m sure I did.”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Elias says before pointing at the tree. “Try again.”
“But how do you know I didn’t? I demand a better target!” I start to turn before lowering the gun all the way, and everyone yells while dropping low.
Elias grabs my wrist and quickly aims the gun away from everyone. “Wren, you forgot rule number one.”
“Oops,” I say, feeling stupid. I glance over at the others as they stand back up. Pete is even brushing snow off his legs.
“You have to make sure you are always aware of where the barrel of the gun is pointed,” Elias tells me sternly.
“I’m sorry. Are you gonna spank me now?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him hopefully.
He shakes his head, his lips pinch together, and I can’t decide if he looks disappointed or amused. “You’re relentless,” he finally tells me.
“Thank you!” I say with a smile. “Now, where are we on that new target? I want to prove I was hitting the tree.”
“Okay, let me see what I can find,” Elias says, moving back to check our rental car, taking the gun with him.
I take the opportunity to move over to my guys. “You look bored,” I tell them as I snake my arms around Dex’s waist for a hug.
“Watching you is never boring,” Sly says, making me swoon a little.
“Why aren’t you guys practicing?”
“We don’t need to,” Dex answers with a shrug.
I step back so I can see him without tilting my head way back. “Oh, really? You all have perfect aim?”
“Well, maybe not perfect, but decent enough,” Pete explains.
“I could probably outshoot all of you,” I say with all the confidence I can muster as I raise my chin.
“Oh, you think so, do you?” Sly asks with a raised eyebrow.
Nodding my head, I tell him, “I’m sure I could beat at least half of you.”
“Wanna bet on it?” Pete asks with a grin.
“What are you thinking?” Jagger signs to him in interest.
Pete grins at me as he says, “Well, we will all have similar targets, and the last one to hit theirs loses.”
“What’s the penalty?” Dex asks.
“I dunno. What do you want from the loser, Wren? You know, since you’re so convinced you’re gonna win and all,” Pete asks mockingly.
I know I hit that tree, though, so I’m not worried. I’ll only have to have a better shot than one of these five guys in order not to lose. I like those odds. The question is, what would I want from them?
I try not to grin as I think about several things I’d like from them, but most of it, they would probably do anyway if I asked.
“Wren?” Sly asks when I don’t answer straight away. “What do you want from the loser?”
“What are you guys talking about?” Elias asks as he returns with a bag full of empty drink bottles and cans.
“Wren here has challenged us to a contest,” Pete tells him, looking a little too gleeful.
“She seems to think she can outshoot most of us,” Sly adds, sounding amused.
“Is that so?” Elias says, raising an eyebrow as he looks at me.
“Yep. Now I am deciding on the prize for the loser.”
“Be careful, sweetheart. Don’t pick something you aren’t willing to give out yourself.”
I know Elias won’t be the worst shot, nor Jagger. So who would it be? Maybe Dex? He was used to fighting with his fists more than a weapon. Pete and Sly, too.
My mind flashes back to the date with Dex, when he took me dancing, but clearly felt out of place when the music turned sultry. That has me picturing a porno we saw where the pizza deliveryman did a sexy striptease for the woman.
I try to picture Dex or Sly moving like that, my eyes bouncing between the two of them as I smile. They’d never offer to do it without losing a bet.
“The loser has to do a striptease for me.”
Pete bursts out laughing, and Elias raises his eyebrows in surprise. Sly and Jagger just look at me like they’re already picturing undressing me, and Dex… Dex is the only one who has the balls to look nervous.
“And what if you lose?” Sly asks. “Who gets your striptease then?”
“All of us,” Elias declares before quickly turning away.
I follow him as he moves to a fallen log at the edge of the clearing and starts to place the empty cans and bottles along it.
“Okay, I’ve got six here. Wren, you can take the Coke bottle at the other end.
It’s the biggest target, and you are new at this.
” I don’t argue, because I’ll take any advantage he gives me so I can get one of them to dance sexy for me.
“You guys can pick whichever one you like. I’ll start us off on the other end with the iced tea. ”
The guys get in line beside each other, pulling out their own guns and making sure they are loaded before looking down the line at Elias. “Okay, we will each take a shot, one at a time, whoever misses goes to the next round, and so on.”
We all nod in understanding, then he lifts his gun and squeezes the trigger so fast, I’m certain he’ll miss it. Except I don’t even get to finish that thought before his iced tea can is lying on the ground with a hole through the center. “Pete?” he says, turning to the next man in line.
Pete looks at the empty water bottle and raises his gun. He takes a few seconds to aim before firing, but it has the same effect: the bottle flying from the log with a hole right through it. He looks at me and winks, and I narrow my eyes at him. Okay, so no sexy dance from Pete or Elias.
Jagger is next in line, and his movements are smooth and well-practiced. I’m not surprised when his can is hit so easily.
Next up is Dex with another empty water bottle. He looks a little nervous as he raises his gun and takes aim. I hold my breath, and the wait seems to last forever before he finally fires. I watch the bottle, and when I realize he’s missed it, I throw my fist in the air. “Yes!”
His wide eyes turn to me. “Baby! Don’t be mean to me!” he says with a pout.
Pete starts laughing as he pats him on the shoulder and pretends to whisper, “She’s just hoping you’ll lose so you’ll give her a strip tease.”
Dex looks at me in question, and I feel my cheeks heat a little, so I move my gaze to Sly as I point to his can. “Your turn, Sly.”
He watches me with those intense green eyes until I start to squirm, then he turns to his target, lifts the gun, and only waits a couple of seconds before he pulls the trigger, hitting the can dead on.
“Alright, Wren,” Elias says as he comes over and passes me the gun. “You hit this, and Dex is the loser. Miss it, and you’ll both get another shot.”
I nod my head seriously, as I take the gun and aim at my Coke bottle. It suddenly feels a lot smaller than the tree. I hold the gun in both hands to keep it steady as I look down the barrel. Holding on tight, I squeeze the trigger. A loud bang rings out, but the bottle doesn’t move.
“Damn it, I missed!” I say in frustration as Elias takes the gun back, clearly not willing to let me hang on to it yet.
“Alright, Dex, you’re up again,” Elias says, and Dex nods, turning back to his own target as he aims. He spends twice as long as last time, and it must work because when he pulls the trigger, the bottle flies back.
“Okay, Wren,” Pete says as he comes up behind me and starts rubbing my shoulders like I’m a boxer about to head into the ring.
“Make this shot, and you both shoot again. But miss it, and you lose.” He lowers his head and whispers into my ear, “I just hope you’re wearing the matching underwear I bought for you today. ”
My cheeks heat as I try not to react. He steps back as Elias brings me my gun and restates the instructions on how to aim.
I lift the gun with both hands, and as I stare down the barrel at the bottle, a feeling of calm comes over me. Everything else fades away until all that’s left is that bottle, me, and the gun. I inhale, hold my breath, and squeeze the trigger.
It takes me a second to understand what I’m hearing. It’s not the celebratory sounds of them congratulating me on a win, nor is it the sound of Dex cheering from a win. It’s the sound of several grown men laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, making sure to lower the gun this time before I turn to face them.
Sly quickly steps up and takes the gun out of my hand, as even Elias seems preoccupied in his current state of laughter. “No more guns for you,” he says.
“What? Why?” I ask in confusion.
Now he’s the one to frown at me. “Wren, you seriously don’t even know what you hit?”
I glance at where I was aiming and shake my head. “Well, I know it wasn’t my Coke bottle.”
“You hit Dex’s bottle, and it was over five feet away from your target.”
My eyebrows rise as I turn to look at his bottle. Thinking they’re tricking me cause there is no possible way I hit that, I stomp through the light dusting of snow over to it, and when I lift it, I can clearly see it’s been hit twice.
I stare at it in shock until Elias finally controls his laughter to come over and console me. Looking up at him, I ask, “I never hit the tree, did I?”
“No, sweetheart. You were always way off.”
“Then why’d you let me make that stupid bet?” I ask with a frown.
But that just makes him smile. “Why do you think?” His eyes move down to my fishnet tights before lifting again. “I can’t wait to see what you have on under there.”