During the rest of the afternoon, Jack Cross went to Human Resources to sign his new contract, Mia Mills introduced herself to her new co-workers in the mailing department, and he then escorted her out of the building to her limousine that was already waiting for her.
Jack opened the side door for her, nodding in response to her smile, and went to the passenger's seat at the front.
The driver asked Mia where to go, but before she could answer, Jack asked, "Is there a shooting gallery somewhere nearby?"
The driver looked at Mia from the rearview mirror, waiting to see what she would answer, only to hear her speak in a curious tone, "I am not sure. I never went to one. Why do you ask?"
"I got a gun for me to use and a chest holder that I now have under my jacket."
Mia blinked a few times, completely blown away. "You have a gun? For what?"
"Your father's idea, probably. The people at Human Resources gave it to me. He probably thought it was better if I was armed, in case some armed tugs go after you again."
"Do you even know how to use a gun?"
Jack shrugged and said, "I think I remember something; that is why I want to go to a shooting gallery to be sure."
The driver made a slight frown and said, "I know one nearby. It is the one I use, actually. Mister Joseph told me to practice ever since he started receiving some threats."
Mia slowly shook her head. "I had no idea things were that dangerous. He never told me anything, besides saying I should stay at home more often and never go anywhere alone! I guess we can go there. It is still soon to get Sophia, and I only start working tomorrow."
The driver nodded and started the car.
After some time, they arrived at a shooting gallery almost within the limits of the city. The driver waited for Jack to open the sliding door for the young, serious woman, and he went to park the car.
She followed the silent Jack to the entrance, and as soon as he opened the door for her, she made a slight frown at the smell inside. It was something that she had never smelled before.
Or that was what she thought at first, but then she got a flashback of her driver getting wounded by the gunshot that hit him in the arm, and she said in a low voice, "Gunpowder... smells like gunpowder…"
Jack entered right after her, and despite hearing her mumble, he didn't realise she was becoming pale. He went to the front counter, and the man behind it nodded at him with a smile and said, "Hello. How may I help you? Do you want some ammunition or a gun? We also have a very well-equipped firing range at the back, if you want to use it."
"I already have a gun, so I want to use the firing range to test it. What do I need to do?"
"I need your ID card, your firearms licence, and how much time you want at the firing range."
Jack took out his wallet and put those two cards on top of the counter with Mia staring at the brand-new licence, and Jack explained, "They also gave me this. I suppose your father took care of everything beforehand."
She nodded in silence, and the man at the counter asked if he could see Jack's gun. He slowly took the gun out of his holster, removed the magazine, and handed it to the man, he analysed everything with a very professional look and said, "A very nice Glock 17. Never used; probably it has the gun sight aligned, but we can check that at the shooting range. May I ask why you are carrying a gun and why you need to use the firing range? I have to ask these kinds of questions for security reasons."
"I suppose it is better if I check the gun and my ability to use it, considering I am now this young woman's bodyguard. Her father seems to think I need a gun, probably because he expects some dangerous stuff to happen. I hope not, but one can never know about the future."
The man gave the gun back to Jack while saying, "I understand. I prefer if my customers never have to use a gun, but if, by a trick of destiny, they have to, it is always better to know what they are doing. Let me just close the front door, and then you can follow me to the firing range at the back. I will also get a pack of bullets for you to use."
Jack and Mia waited, and as soon as he opened the door behind the counter and signalled them to follow him, they found a corridor with doors on each side. At the end of that corridor and after another door, there was a counter divided by panels and an open space ahead.
The man gave them a pair of hearing protectors, put a target on the holder in one of the stalls, and pressed a button, making the holder go forward, all the way to the middle of the large, open space.
He put on his hearing protectors and signalled Jack to shoot the target.
Jack put the bullet magazine in place, thought for a couple of seconds, trying to remember what to do next, turned off the gun safety, and pointed at the target. He shot one time and felt his hand trembling from the blast.
The man told him to put the gun on the counter, and he looked at the target. He gave a slight smile and said, "I might be wrong, but I think you missed. Do you want to try again so that we can figure out if it is the gun sight that is misplaced?"
"I want to try again. I wasn't counting the shaking, but I think I know what I have to do."
The man took a few steps back, and Jack grabbed the gun again. He closed his eyes for two seconds, took a deep breath, and without even thinking, opened his eyes, raised the gun, and emptied the entire magazine.
He put the gun on the counter again, and the man approached with a frown. He said, as he pressed the button to make the target approach, "It seems you were just a bit rusty."
The target got near the counter, and Mia gasped. All shots were in the centre, with only a few millimetres separating the holes. The man put another target in place, pressed the button, and waited for Jack to reload.
As soon as the man went back, Jack pointed the gun at the target and emptied the magazine again.
The man called forward the target, smiled at the holes in the centre again, and said, "You are a pretty good shooter. May I ask what your military background is? Or perhaps you are a former police officer?"
Jack stared at the gun in his hand and answered without even raising his eyes. "I… I am a former UK Royal Marine. I had to quit the military because of my daughter. She needed me. I was in the service when my wife died… and Mia was so little..."
The man said, visibly impressed, "A Royal Marine… one of the best military forces in the entire world, and our country's finest… I was in the army, but I was never that good to make the change to the Royal Marines…" The man suddenly stood straight and made a serious salute. "It is an honour, sir!"
Without even thinking, Jack stood straight as well and returned the salute while saying, "At ease, soldier. We are both civilians now."
With a smile, the man relaxed and said, "I have a few regular customers that were in the Royal Air Force, many civilians, a few police officers, but not even a handful of Royal Marines. Will you start practising here, or was this a onetime visit?"
"I think I will start coming here. I guess I need to practise a lot because I am way rustier than I thought."
"Do you want to shoot a few more targets? It is a calm afternoon, so I can keep the shop closed and be right here if you need me."
Jack glanced at the completely dumbfounded Mia Mills and asked, "What do you say? Can we stay here longer, or do you want to go somewhere for a walk? I can come here another day, so we don't need to stay here until Sophia gets out of school."
"No… I… don't mind staying here… But I need to sit down. My heart is pounding in my ears. I think I don't like guns that much, but seeing you shoot is almost hypnotising. I didn't know you were in the military! I really had no idea!"
With a shrug, Jack said, "Why do you think your father hired me as a security guy? I bet the other guys have some military background as well."
Mia sat on the bench near the wall behind her and asked the smiling man who was putting new bullets in a magazine that he then gave to Jack, "Is he as good a shooter as he seems? I mean, is it so hard to hit the centre of that target?"
The man answered with a broad smile, "You can look at the target back there and try to see the centre. It is a tiny, dark dot at that distance. In his first attempt, the target was closer, but on the second, it was farther away. Now, I put it at the very end. It is difficult, but Royal Marines train a lot to hit targets at more than that distance."
Jack grabbed the gun, put the protectors on again, waited for the man to back down, and pointed at the target.
…
Sophia came out of her school with Emma Pearson at her side and a bunch of kids talking with them, but they all froze when they noticed the dark limousine parked in front of the school's gate, with Sophia's father next to it with his arms crossed over his chest and a smiling Mia Mills next to him.
Sophia approached with Emma and asked, "Now that's a first! No running today? Why did I bother changing to my jerseys, then?"
Mia answered with a big smile, "We came to get you. Your friend can tag along if she wants!"
Emma vigorously nodded and rushed to the limousine. "I don't mind if I do! Come, Sophia, let's get inside!"
Jack opened the door for the two girls, and Emma shouted, "No way! This is so big! Is there a television in here? And what about a music player? Champagne! Limousines always have hidden cabinets with chocolates and tiny fridges with champagne! Where is it?"
Sophia waved the other kids goodbye and entered the limousine, with Mia entering right after her. The three sat on the large seat, and Jack went again to the passenger's seat at the front.
The driver waited for orders, and Jack told him the address, but Mia interrupted him. "What about if we went to a teahouse to have a snack and relax for a while? It is still early, right?"
The driver nodded, and Emma asked, with her mouth already full of tiny chocolates she found hidden in a small compartment in front of her, "Is she your new mommy, Mia? Is she rich? She has to be with a limousine like this!"
"No, she is just a spoiled brat that I have to put up with. She is kind of fine when she is not complaining about the pettiest things."
Mia was about to say something, but Sophia put her hand in front of Mia's face and said, "No one asked you anything, lady! What is this change, father? Wasn't she supposed to go home today? Did her father return her to you because he didn't want to deal with her or what? Now we have to keep her forever? Man, that will be a drag!"
"No, I got a different job. I am now her bodyguard."
Sophia clenched her fists, piercing the now nervous young woman with her eyes, and asked in a harsh voice, "You are what? You have to protect her now? Even if someone goes after her like last time? What about if you die because of her?"