“You know, if you didn’t have such a narrow view of what it means to be a pakhan’s daughter, maybe you’d have guessed I had basic training of my own,” I tell him, studying the gun for a moment, recognizing the make and model.
Sergey chuckles to himself and nods while he looks me over. “It seems I’ve severely underestimated you, Mrs. Lukov.”
Glaring at him, I huff out a small breath. “Don’t push your luck. I’m the one with the weapon here.”
This amuses him further, and he puts up placating hands. “I’ll have to figure out what else you’re hiding, then.”
I’m sure he will with time, knowing how persistent he is.
Regardless of the irritation I’ve had for him over the last little while, I let some of it go while we spend the next hour or so taking turns firing. Knowing better now, Sergey stops giving me tips and rather falls into a natural stride of bringing out some of the other guns and asking me my opinions of them.
We compete with each other, and I manage to win best two out of three groupings, which seems to both excite and infuriate him in equal measure. Still, he manages to keep his mood up, and it seems he’s enjoying himself.
To my surprise and what should be my dismay, I don’t entirely mind how things have unfolded.
At one point, our fingers brush when Sergey passes me a loaded magazine, and while I try to ignore the subtle spark that shoots through my hand, I know he doesn’t. I see the look in his eyes. He notices.
I know I should hate him and everything he has taken away from me, but try as I might, there’s something different about tonight. There’s no pressure and no expectations. Instead, it feels like he has given me this time to let go and not think about anything else.
Tonight, it’s just us while our adrenaline pulses in our chests, and for once, I can forget about every reason I shouldn’t want to be near him.
Chapter 19 - Sergey
Katya completely blindsided me.
I should’ve known she might at least have some experience under her belt, given who her father is, but I certainly didn’t expect her to be so skilled. I didn’t think she had that much practice under her belt.
By the time Kat fires her last rounds, I stand up from leaning against the wall behind the lane and cock a brow at her. “Where the hell did this come from?”
She pulls off her ear protection and hands the pistol back to me with a touch of satisfaction in her features. She shrugs. “What, you didn’t think I’d be good at this?”
“Not exactly,” I murmur, watching her closely as more of that interest moves through me. “I didn’t expect you to be better than most of the guys that work for us.”
That earns me a proper, sly smile from her. “It sounds like Roman needs to hire some better shots then.”
There was something so attractive about the way she handled herself and the guns, and I keep seeing her shooting in my mind’s eye like she was born an expert.
Her fingers were quick while her aim was precise, and I can’t get it out of my head.
It shouldn’t turn me on, but it does.
I never doubted the edge she usually had, or how capable she was, but having the chance to see her in this environment, being so controlled and calculated, makes my pulse spike. Even now, I can still feel it.
It has taken a while to peel back her layers and to break through the ice between us, but now, I can see how much I underestimated her without realizing it.
“Maybe you’re onto something,” I tell her, taking the equipment and walking it back to the locked cases. “You’ve officially surprised me.”
“Should I be flattered or offended?” She asks, following some distance behind me.
“Both, probably.”
I catch the small laugh under her breath, and it settles something in my chest that has been running rampant lately, given everything going on.
I’ve been trying so hard to melt her defenses, and it seems I’ve managed to find a common ground for us. At the very least, I’ve given her a small piece of control she has clung to.
“Since you’ve been holding out on me, tell me the details,” I begin, falling into step with her while I guide her out of the range and into the rest of the warehouse. “What’s the story? Where’d you learn to shoot?”
Kat hesitates for a moment, as if wondering just how much she should share. Something heavy moves within her eyes, and even if she doesn’t outright refuse to answer, I can tell it stirs something darker in her.
