<b>Chapter </b><b>501 </b>
At <b>that </b>time, a young man stepped out and spotted Elmore, his face lighting up with recognition. “Mr. Balton. You’re here again!<b>” </b>the <b>young </b>range owner
eximed.
Elmore smiled faintly. “Yeah, sses haven’t started yet. I’m just taking this chance to unwind a bit.”
The young man’s gazended on Aria<b>, </b>momentarily stunned by her striking beauty. Turning to Elmore with a teasing grin, he said, “Mr. Balton, have <b>you </b>finally found yourself a girlfriend? Is she your girlfriend? She’s stunning.”
Elmore chuckled lightly. “No, she’s not my girlfriend. We just ran into each other on the way to the shooting range.”
The young man beamed and extended his hand. “Great timing. This ce is empty today, so you two can go wild.”
Elmore didn’t move. He turned to Aria with a questioning look and asked, “Mind sharing ane?”
“No,” Aria said.
The two followed the young range owner to the shootingne. Along the way, he asked, “So, what’s your name?”
The shooting range was spacious, its subdued dark gray color sch
lending it a professional air that immediately quelled any urge to fool around.
An array of firearms lined one side of the range. The young man was about to give <b>a </b>rundown when he noticed Aria picked up one of the pistols without hesitation.
The gleaming ck pistol rested in her pale palm, the striking contrast between the dark metal and her skin instantly drawing both men’s gazes.
The young man beamed and introduced, “Ms. Saxon, you have excellent taste. It is a SIG P226 pistol, weighing just under two pounds. It’s my prized possession, and the only one avable at this range.”
Aria said, “I’ll take this one, then.”
Elmore also picked out another pistol and asked, “Aria, have you ever handled a handgun?”
Aria found his tone a bit odd. ‘Maybe that’s just a teacher thing,’ she thought, but let it slide. She replied, “Yeah, I’ve handled firearms before. Not too shabby with them.”
‘Not too shabby? Bet she can put rounds on target just fine.’ With that thought in mind, the young range owner pped his hands together. “Mr. Balton’s also pretty good at this. How about you two have a littlepetition?”
Aria arched a brow at Elmore. “Care for a match, Mr. Balton?”
Elmore’spetitive spirit was piqued. He said, “Why not?”
Aria and Elmore slipped on their goggles and earmuffs, then took their positions at the firing line.
The pistols were loaded and ready.
The young man and the two coaches stood quietly off the side, hardly saying a word.
‘These two are seasoned shooters,‘ they thought./
A metallic <b>click </b>echoed <b>as </b><b>Aria </b>and Elmore chambered <b>a </b>round<b>, </b>their pistols now loaded and ready.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” A steady rhythm of gunfire echoed through <b>the </b>range..
Five shots each, then both stopped in perfect unison.
<b>1/2 </b>
<b>09:27 </b><b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>28 </b><b>Jun </b>Gu
<b>At </b><b>the </b>same moment, both of their scores shed onto the screen.
<b>One </b><b>got </b><b>45 </b>points<b>, </b>and the other 47.
Aria was two points ahead.
The young range owner stared at her in awe.
‘One 8–point shot, one 9–point shot, and three perfect 10s, all three 10sing in thest two rounds. It’s hard not to suspect she was just warming up with those first two shots,‘ he thought.
Despite the pistol’s weight, about two pounds, she held it perfectly steady.
Her shooting form was wless. ‘Such skills suggest at least
five
years
of firearm experience<i>,</i>‘ the young range owner thought.
Elmore broke into apuse with a smile. “Congrattions,
You won.”
Aria ran her fingers over the pistol before setting it down. “Thanks.
Elmore asked, “Another round?”
Not bad yourself<b>, </b>Mr. Balton<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Sure,” Aria replied. She hadn’t touched a gun in a while, so since she was already here, she decided to stay longer and wait for Owen’s message.
Aria ignored Elmore and the range owner, firing a hundred rounds before finally stopping.
The young range owner stared in awe. ‘All bullseyes! She calls that not shabby? With such skills, she could win anypetition,‘ he thought. This girl is something else.‘
Seeing Aria remove her earmuffs, the young man, with a hint of admiration, asked, “Ms. Saxon<b>, </b>calling it a day?”
“Yeah, almost time.” Aria flexed her wrist and walked to the other side. Pulling out her phone, she spotted a new message.
It was from Owen: [All done. Head home.]
AD
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