Vain (The Seven Deadly, #1)(38)

“It’s heavy.”

“In more ways than one.”

“What next?” I asked, staring at the cold piece of metal laying flat in my hand.

He fixed my grip and pointed the gun down. His hands were warm and my breath caught a little. “Next rule,” he said, “always keep a firearm pointed in a safe direction,” he explained softly. “If you accidentally fired it, we’d want the bullet to avoid others.”

“Okay,” I wheezed.

He removed his hand from mine and I found I could breathe more easily.

“Next. Always keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard,” he said, pointing to the section of metal that protected the trigger. “Until you’ve made a conscious decision to shoot, keep that finger off the trigger.”

I nodded and gulped. His finger barely touched mine, but the world seemed to have disappeared around us. His breaths matched mine, but I was positive he was only nervous about teaching me how to shoot.

“Anything else?” I asked, breaking the trance.

Dingane shook his head and stuck his hands in his pocket. “Yeah, uh, where was I?”

“Trigger.”

“Yeah, uh, next rule is to always be aware of your target, backstop and beyond. Make sure with one hundred percent certainty that your line of fire is clear of people and property. Don’t take anyone’s word for it. You’re the only one responsible if something should happen, so make sure it doesn’t.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Check, Sophie.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, realizing what he meant.

I handed him the gun and circled my target, recognizing that nothing laid beyond my line of fire for miles besides grass and the occasional tree. I returned to Dingane’s side. He handed me the weapon once more and I pointed it toward the ground carefully and made sure my fingers were nowhere near the trigger.

“It’s clear,” I told him.

Dingane physically twisted my body toward my target stump then stood beside me.

“Since this is your first time shooting, I’d recommend you hold the gun with both hands.”

I positioned my hands the way I thought I’d seen guys on TV held it. “Like this?”

He laughed. “No, uh, like this,” he said, grabbing both my hands and positioning them properly. “You should always grip high on the backstrap. This’ll allow you leverage when the gun fires and it’ll prevent it from recoiling into your body.” My hands started to shake a little and he steadied them with his. “Your other hand should rest on top of this hand, right under the trigger guard and cup the back of your trigger hand.

“You’ll need to stand with your feet and hips at shoulder width,” he explained, moving close behind me, flush with the back of my body, sending electric shocks careening through to my toes.

I spread my feet apart and stood still, staring at my target. Dingane didn’t say a word but slowly used his feet to spread my own a little farther apart. My breath hitched in my throat.

“Comfortable?” he whispered in my ear.

I swallowed. No. “Um, yes.”

Dingane stepped from behind me and the breath I’d been holding whooshed from my lips.

“Let me have the gun,” he said and I handed it to him.

He started loading it and my already rapid pulse beat with unknown intensity.

“Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger, pick an object around you, hold it out at arm’s length and find that object within the circle.” He paused. “Got it?” he asked, still loading.

“Yes.”

I chose his face.

“Keeping that object within sight, bring the circle toward your face. The circle should naturally gravitate to one eye.”

“My left,” I told him and he looked up.

“Mine too,” he whispered. I dropped my hands to my side. “That’s your dominant eye. You’ll use that one to align your sights.” He handed me the gun and stood behind me closely, gripping the gun with me. “This is very loaded.”

You can say that again, I thought.

“Acknowledge me.”

“It’s loaded,” I repeated.

Dingane fixed himself hard against my back and my eyes slid closed at his warmth and the feel of his solid muscles. He fixed my stance once more with his feet and I could feel the blood rush to my belly. His mouth rested against my ear and I could hear every breath he took, slow and steady.

“Align your sights,” he spoke against my ear.

I nodded, my target within sight.

“Don’t press yet,” he teased.

“Why?” I barely rushed out.

“Don’t pull. Never pull. Whenever you’re ready, squeeze the trigger until you feel resistance, but let it surprise you. Don’t prepare yourself for the bullet, concentrate on applying pressure directly and let it show you exactly what it feels like the second it releases from the gun.”

I nodded and took several steadying breaths, keeping my target within sight. Time seemed to slow to a turtle’s pace. The world swirled quietly around me; the only significant sound was the deep rise and fall of Dingane’s chest.

My finger left its reclined position and rested on top of the trigger. My body tensed and I could feel his body cull itself tightly around mine in preparation. Two deep breaths and my lungs held still as my finger squeezed the trigger.