That earned me a small, reluctant smile. And an eyeroll. “Well if you’re just gonna use the fact that I trust you to make me trust you, what can I do?”
“Just keep trusting me. And listen to me,” I told her before I set a 9mm on the little shelf in front of us, along with a box of ammo. Nothing fancy. Reliable. Manageable.
Macy stared at it like it was a wild animal.
“Pick it up,” I instructed, nodding at the black metal.
Macy hesitated, debating whether or not she could do it.
“You can,” I told her, breaking through her doubts. “You can do it.”
She picked up the gun and placed it in her left palm, lowering and raising her hand while staring at the gun as if it might come to life. “It’s heavier than I expected.”
“That’s what everyone says. That weight lets you know it’s real.”
“It’s colder too.” She finally wrapped her fingers around it the right way, still testing the weight in her grip.
“Squeeze the trigger.”
Her jaw clenched and her gaze shot to mine. “Um, why?”
“That’s kind of the point, Mace. Squeeze it. Now.” She still didn’t. “There are no bullets in it. I promise.”
She nodded and slowly her grip tightened and her index finger found the trigger. “Just pull the trigger.”
“No, justsqueezethe trigger.” I stepped behind her, close enough that my chest hovered near her back without applying pressure. Close enough she could feel my support without my weight. “Hold it out,” I said. “Two hands at first. Dominant hand high on the grip.” I showed her what I meant by placing her hands on the gun. “Yeah, just like that.”
“Okay, that’s not so bad.”
“Now, squeeze. Just get a feel for the movement and the sound.”
She nodded again and did as I said. Her shoulders tensed and relaxed afterward. “Okay.”
“Next up, we’ll do it with bullets in the gun.” She tried to pull away but I kept her there while I loaded the gun. “You have to get used to the sound and the recoil, Mace. Trust me.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Okay Sarge, show me what to do.”
“I just did,” I whispered in her ear, letting my arms fall to her hips. “Do it.”
She nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she lifted the gun. “Arms loose,” she whispered to herself and tucked her finger around the trigger for several long seconds before she squeezed the trigger. The sound ripped through the silent alley, and she let out a loud shriek. “Holy shit that was loud.”
“Again,” I encouraged, smiling each time because she was slowly but surely getting comfortable with it. “How do you feel?”
“Still terrified,” she admitted as she set the gun down. “But less terrified than ten minutes ago. But I did it.” Her eyes lit with pride I was sure matched my own.
“You did it. Now, let’s try to hit a few targets.”
She went stiff but nodded, so determined to push through the fear. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”
“Keep it centered between the sights,” I instructed, resting one hand on her shoulders. “Put it on the target where you want the bullet to go.”
Her breathing picked up.
“Deep breath,” I said, voice lower. “Exhale as you squeeze.” I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You got this.”
She followed instructions to the letter, growing more comfortable with the weight of the gun in her hand and the sound of the shots. The bullet hit the paper each time after thefirst few shots, not the center, but it was a start. “Holy shit, Drew!” She spun around with a wide grin. “Wow.”
Her smile was so full, so happy I couldn’t help but steal a kiss. I could tell the move shocked her, but she sank into me, gripping my shirt in one hand as if she couldn’t get enough of me. When she moaned into my mouth, I pulled her closer so she could feel what she did to me. “How do you feel?” I asked when I pulled back.
