Slade (The Protectors #6)(10)

“Yeah,” Slade remarked, trying not to show too much interest in anything Jill did.

“Steve looks like he’s having a damn seizure every time the gun recoils.” Jax frowned, then rolled his eyes when Steve turned the gun sideways like a gangster. “What the f*ck is he doing?”

As Jax left to chew Steve’s ass out, Slade glanced back at Jill, who was already bringing her target in. She had pulled her empty clip out of the gun. When she glanced back, he waved her over. Adam had also finished and was bringing his target to the table. Slade took both targets, laying them side by side. Steve quickly brought his over.

“Damn, Adam.” Steve stared at one of the targets that had every shot straight to the heart, each bullet hole easily spaced so you could count them. “You’re freaking Rambo.”

“That’s not my target.” Adam glanced at Jill, surprised.

Jax picked up the target, staring at it, then looked at Jill. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

“My dad made sure his kids knew how to protect themselves,” Jill replied with a proud tilt of her head.

“Yeah, well, let’s see how well you do this next go around.” Jax shoved a new target at her, and then picked up Adam’s target. “Good job, Adam, but you need to relax your stance more. All of your shots are left of center. Adjust your stance. Keep it at the same distance.”

“Yes, sir,” Adam replied, taking the new target.

Slade kept his mouth shut as he watched Jill frown at Jax’s treatment of Adam compared to her. Grabbing Steve’s target before Jax could, Slade looked at it. Only three of Steve’s shots hit a vital part in the target. “You need to control the recoil of the gun, Steve, and definitely stop the gangster hold shit you have going on. Keep it at the same distance.”

Steve nodded, grabbing his new target, but kept looking at Jill’s. “Didn’t know girls could shoot like that,” he said low to Adam as they headed toward their lane. “Remind me not to piss her off when she’s got a loaded gun anywhere near her.”

“How far do you want my target?” Jill asked Slade, but Jax stepped in and went toward her.

Nudging her out of the way, he pushed the button sending her target down the lane; he kept going and going. Finally, he stopped the target. “Let’s see how good a shot you are at a distance.”

Jill stared at him for a second with her brows furrowed in confusion before slipping her earmuffs on. Snapping in a loaded clip, she positioned her body, her head turned slightly to glance over her shoulder at Jax. Slade was surprised at the hurt look in her eyes. He was even more surprised that Jax’s treatment of her pissed him off more than anything had in a long time.

Once again, the room erupted in gunfire. Jax turned, catching Slade glaring at him. “What’s your problem?”

Before Slade could answer, Jill stopped shooting, brought her target in, popped out her empty clip and calmly walked over, putting her target on the table. Each shot placed with strategic accuracy, but this time to the head.

Neither Jax nor Slade said a word as they stared at the target. Adam followed, laying his target down as did Steve.

“What the hell?” Steve reached over, putting his finger in one of the eye holes made by Jill’s bullet.

“I’m better with a shotgun,” Jill shrugged, staring at her target. “We did turkey shoots all the time. We never had to buy a turkey because one of us always won.”

“She’s better with a shotgun,” Steve snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Can shoot the balls off an ant at one-hundred paces.” Jill grinned at Steve’s expression.

“Wait a minute.” Steve’s eyes went from impressed to narrowed. “An ant doesn’t have balls.”

Jill cocked her eyebrow at him before grabbing a clean target. “Really?”

Steve took a target. “No, I mean I’ve never seen an ant with balls.”

“And you’ve looked?” Adam frowned at Steve, following him to the lane.

“No, I haven’t looked for ant balls, but I’m sure if an ant had balls, you’d see them hanging and I’ve never seen hanging balls from an ant.”

“If you guys are done talking about f*cking ant balls…” Jax started, but stopped when Jill laughed then shut up real quick at his glare. “I want you to set your targets a few yards further than the last time. Slade is going to call out what shot to make. You will have only four shots this round.”

“After I call out the area to shoot, you will have seven seconds to take your aim and fire,” Slade instructed, watching as they all set their targets. “This is an accuracy test and will be counted as a score.”

“But we didn’t get to practice much and we all can’t be like Annie Oakley over there who can shoot the balls off an ant. Can’t we get a little more practice?” Steve looked worried.

“We don’t have time to stay on one thing too long,” Slade responded, looking at each of them. “We have too much to cover. It will be up to you to practice in your own time as we move ahead. If you need help with anything, help each other or grab a Warrior who is free and can help you.”

“I’ll help you, Steve,” Jill called down from her lane.

“Oh, thanks, Jill,” Steve called back. “Having a girl teach me how to shoot shouldn’t make me look like a loser.”