"He treated me like I was something precious and something he wanted to devour at the same time." The memory sent heat pooling low in Giana's belly, warring with the pleasant ache already there. "He was... God, it was so much better than I thought it would be. I mean, don't get me wrong, my vibrator has been a loyal companion…"
"Been there," Frederica interjected.
"It doesn't have hands. Or that voice. Or the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the entire world that mattered." Giana heard herself gushing and couldn't seem to stop. "And his mouth…Dio mio, his mouth."
"Okay, we don't need the play-by-play," Athena said, but she was grinning. "Though I'm glad Rodrigo's got skills to match that ego."
"Skills to exceed that ego," Giana corrected. "Multiple times. Enthusiastically."
"Good for you, girl." Athena pushed off from the table, genuine pleasure in her expression. "About damn time it happened. The sexual tension between you two was painful to watch."
Giana's brows shot up. "Was it that obvious?"
"Honey, it was like watching two magnets trying not to slam together," Frederica said dryly. "The whole compound's been taking bets on when you would finally cave."
"Fantastic. So my sex life is public entertainment?" Giana groaned.
"In a mercenary compound during lockdown? Absolutely." Frederica handed her a pair of safety glasses and ear protection. "Now, let's see if you can still shoot straight while walking like a cowboy. We've got work to do."
The rifle range was simple, but a well-maintained fifty meters of clear ground with paper targets at varying distances.The weapons table held an impressive array: handguns, rifles, even a few specialty pieces that looked like they'd been designed specifically for killing people in creative ways.
"Ever fired a gun before?" Athena asked, loading one with swift, practiced movements.
"I had lessons until my parents died, so I know the basics, but it's been a while."
Frederica nodded. "Okay, let's see what you remember and go from there."
They spent the next hour on fundamentals. Stance, grip, sight alignment. Frederica was a patient teacher despite her sarcasm, correcting Giana's form with gentle adjustments and demonstrations. Athena provided running commentary that ranged from helpful to absolutely unhinged.
"Breathe out when you squeeze the trigger," Frederica instructed, standing behind Giana and adjusting her elbow. "You're tensing up."
"I'm holding a weapon designed to kill people. Tension seems appropriate."
"Tension makes you miss. Missing makes you dead." Frederica's voice was matter-of-fact. "Again. Focus on the target, not the gun."
Giana fired. The shot went wide, kicking up dirt a foot to the left of the target.
"Better," Athena called from where she was field-stripping a rifle with disturbing ease. "At least you hit the same postal code this time."
"Your encouragement is overwhelming."
"You want encouragement, get a cheerleader. You want to stay alive, learn to shoot straight."
Three more rounds, each one closer to center mass. The recoil traveled up Giana's arms, the sharp crack of gunfire punctuating the morning air.
This was about survival and protecting herself in a world where violence was currency and weakness got you killed. She couldn't always rely on other people to rescue her.
"Good," Frederica said when Giana finally put three rounds in the target's chest. "You're learning fast. Now let's work on speed."
They cycled through a Glock 19, a smaller Sig Sauer P365 that Frederica recommended for concealed carry, even a sleek little Beretta that Athena said was 'cute but still deadly, like a stabby kitten.'
"Bullets work on most things," Athena said, adjusting Giana's grip an hour later. "But if you ever face something that doesn't go down with a body shot, go for the head. Or the heart. Or whatever's glowing."
Giana lowered the gun. "What do you mean by glowing?"
Frederica and Athena exchanged a look before the latter said, "Magic shit can sometimes glow. Destroying the head or the heart seems to work on everything I've encountered so far."
"You're fucking with me, right?" Giana asked, but they both wore deadly serious expressions.
