“Open your left hand … like this.” Stepping up behind her, Malik took hold of Jenna’s hand and spread her index finger and thumb. He then pushed the grip of the pistol into the web of skin between them. “Keep your thumb on the grip, and the rest of your fingers curled securely around the other side of the trigger guard,” he continued. “Relax your grip a little, Jenna … it should be firm, not tight. If you grip the gun too tightly, it’ll shake … and you won’t be able to accurately control your aim.”
Unclenching her jaw, for the feel of his hand on hers was doing wild things to her pulse, Jenna nodded.
“Now, keep the pistol steady with your other hand … hold it underneath, supporting the weight of the weapon.”
Jenna did as bid, trying to ignore the way his fingertips trailed down from the back of her hand to her wrist as he guided her.
Despite that the life-support inside the cabin was on the cool side—cyborgs and droids clearly didn’t feel the cold—she was sweating.
“Okay … now place your index finger on the bottom of the trigger guard … or in front of it, if you prefer.”
“Right,” Jenna murmured.
“Your firing stance is important,” Malik continued. “Bring your left hand forward, about a step past your right foot … that’s good. Lean forward slightly with your knees bent, making sure you’re balanced properly.” His hand splayed across her back, in between her shoulder blades, pushing her forward into the correct position.
Jenna sucked in a breath; his palm felt like a brand, even through her clothing.
And then to make matters worse, Malik’s fingers curled around the crook of her left elbow. “This needs to be almost straight,” he murmured, “while the arm steadying the gun should be bent … like this.”
“I had no idea I had to contort myself,” Jenna muttered, trying to dredge up irritation to mask the fact she was now flustered. She wished he’d step back and give her some space.
Concentrate. Don’t think about him … think of the host of Mir-Ferrin soldiers standing between you and your brother.
The reminder galvanized her, and Jenna focused on what she was doing.
“Okay, now we’re ready to aim,” Malik continued. “Align the front sight with the rear sight … it’s easier if you close your right eye so you can focus with your left.”
“All right,” Jenna replied, doing as bid. “What now?”
“Level the pistol at the center of the target … take a deep breath and hold it. Let your body relax.” His tone was soothing now. “You’ll see the laser sight is moving … tracing a figure of eight … that’s your heartbeat.”
Indeed, Jenna had marked the movement, and had thought it was due to nervousness. It was a relief to know it was normal.
“When the sight comes to the bottom of the figure eight, pull the trigger … slowly, in a smooth, controlled motion.”
He released her arm then, and she felt him step away. “Ready?”
Jenna squeezed hard, and a stream of laser hit the top edge of the target screen, causing a red splotch to flower across it. The screen emitted a dull bleep.
“Shit,” she muttered. “That wasn’t great.”
“Maybe you should let the rest of us do the shooting on this mission,” Vic quipped.
Jenna cast him a quelling look.
“You’re holding the pistol too tight.” Malik stepped close once more—and she felt the heat of his body burning into her back, even though they weren’t even touching. Then he reached forward, his hands lightly gripping her arms. “You’re pointing it too high … here, that’s better. Squeeze the trigger more gently this time.”
Jenna drew in a slow breath and held it.
Pushing aside her awareness of the man who was still holding her arms in place, she gently pulled the trigger.
The laser hit the second ring of the target—and this time the screen gave a much brighter chirp.
A grin spread across Jenna’s face. “I hit it.”
“Well done,” Malik murmured in her ear. “Now, let’s try that again.”
Leaning against the archway, Malik folded his arms across his chest and watched the distorted streaks of light that flew toward him through the cockpit window. Obsidian was still seated in the co-pilot’s seat, its claw-like hands moving across the console.
