They stood a few feet away from the fence he’d littered with liquor bottles. He pulled out his .45.

“Before I teach you anything, we have to go over a few base rules. First, treat every weapon as if it’s loaded. Second, don’t point at anything you don’t intend to shoot.” He laughed at her shocked expression. “My old man took firearms seriously. I was properly trained and shooting regularly by the time I was twelve. This isn’t some point-and-shoot sideways shit like you see on TV.”

“So this is common knowledge?” she asked.

“To anyone properly trained it is. Rule number three, keep your safety on until you intend to shoot.”

“Roger that,” she said.

“Have you ever held a gun before?” he asked.

“No.” She shook her head.

“Okay, let’s go over it first. This is the safety.” He touched the metal tab near the hammer. “You flip this to arm it.” He flicked it and she flinched it at the click. “I know this is a lot, but you need to get used to it to shoot effectively.”

“I know; it’s just…disconcerting. This is a life-ending instrument.”

“It’s good to have a healthy dose of respect for a firearm, but you can’t fear it.” He clicked the safety once more. “And now it’s off. You can’t see the red dot. When the safety is off, you know the gun is ready to fire. Here, I want you to hold it.” He offered the lightweight weapon to her. She took it gingerly, wincing.

“This feels awkward,” she said.

“It will be for a while. How does the weight feel?” he asked watching her emulate the hold he’d showed her.

“It’s not too heavy. I thought it would be.”

Hawk remained silent, watching as she shifted it from one hand to the other. “Hold it by the pistol grip.”

“The what?” she said.

“The handle.”

“Oh.” She did as he requested.

“All right, now we’re going to work on aiming. Plant your feet a few inches apart. Good.” He moved up and pressed his front to her back. “Now lift the gun.” He wrapped his arms around her, guiding her arms into the proper position. “Are you right-handed or left-handed?”

“Right.”

“Okay, get a high, firm grip, like this.” He positioned her hand. Now use your left hand as a base. You want to form a triangle.”

“Oooh, okay, I get it.” Her muscles loosened slightly.

“Now I want you to use the rear sight and line it up with the front.” Her ass pressed into him and he held his breath. Holy shit, she’s built like a brick house. “I’m going to let go now, you ready?”

“No.”

“Trial by fire, babe. Let’s take the clip out. Clear the weapon like I showed you.”

She pressed the button on the side releasing the clip.

“Now, it’s not loaded so you’re okay. We’re just going through the motions.” He released his hold on her wrist and the gun, grateful for the space. He put a stranglehold on the blood flowing straight to his dick and forced his attention back to the lesson. “Aim and I’m going to show you what the recoil will feel like, so you’re not taken completely by surprise.”

He walked around her and knocked the barrel with his open palm. “Aim.” He hit the barrel again. “Aim.” They repeated the process until she flinched. “See, you’re anticipating the kick back. What you need to do is get used to squeezing the trigger, nice and slow, keeping your gun straight, and your sights set on the bottles. Right now you have the luxury of time. In real life, you need to be able to act instinctively.”

“How do you get used to this?”

“Practice, girl. Now load the clip. We’re going to take the safety off now and actually fire.”

“I’m not ready, Hawk.” Her eyes grew as round as dinner plates.