By the Horns Ch. 05

"It's easy enough," Mike said and took the pistol from her.

He switched out targets and when it was ready he decided to show her some advanced shooting drills. He loaded his magazine and with a series of motions he fired two rapid shots five times. Nadine watched in awe as he seamlessly reloaded and sent another ten rounds down range with ease. He did a speed load and she was blown away by how casual he made it look. One last time he reloaded and this time he did a ten round rapid fire. The speed with which the rounds flew down range was just something else. Once it was done Mike brought the target back and Nadine was stunned. His grouping was the size of a half dollar and in two spots. Thirty rounds were in the center of the body and ten each were in the heart area and dead in the forehead.

Mike turned to her and grinned, "See, simple."

Nadine laughed at the showing.

"If you put as many rounds down range as I have in this lifetime, then you'll be able to do that too," Mike said and patted her back.

"I doubt I'll ever do that,' Nadine chuckled.

"We'll see about that. Next?" he asked.

Nadine nodded and Mike walked to the table with the empty pistol. He selected one of the rentals that happened to be a very fine weapon he was quite familiar with. Turning to Nadine she saw it was a weapon she had seen in a lot of movies. Mike walked it over to the shooting table and set it on the table. Once it was set he walked back to the other table and picked up several magazines for it. He handed two to Nadine and put the other two in his pocket.

Nadine was nervous as they walked to the table. She was eager, but at the same time this was a bigger gun that looked like a rifle, but it was a lot smaller. The butt stock was black and fixed in place. The sights were open and Nadine was nervous as she neared it.

"This is the MP5. It is a selective fire sub machine gun. You may have seen it from movies, and with good reason. The recoil of this weapon is not that bad and it is quite forgiving. Now here's the brief," Mike started.

He took about ten minutes with her to explain it and its functions. Once he was done Mike showed her how to operate the safety and selector switch. He had her hold it and showed her the way to aim it and keep it safe. After Mike was certain she was ready he had her ready the weapon. Nadine was amazed at how smooth it went. This time Mike was behind her and his arms went around her. She sucked in a shaking breath as his arms rested under hers as she held the weapon steady and down range. She loaded it as he showed her and when it was set. Mike had her open fire when she was ready.

The rounds that came from the weapon were smooth and steady. The inner working of the weapon kept it smooth as she sent rounds down range easily. Once the first magazine was expended she reloaded and Mike stayed behind her. Nadine reloaded it quickly and this time Mike had her put it on three round burst. This time the weapon kicked some more. It was still easy to handle, but now the weapon barked louder. She fired off the ten bursts, then was handed another magazine and this time Mike had her put it on full auto. Nadine shook gently as she flicked the switch, and Mike saw it. His firm hands held hers and braced her as she squeezed the trigger.

The smooth recoil of the weapon made her hold it for a few seconds, then she let go. She did that five times, and the weapon was empty. Nadine's heart was beating quickly, but she felt alive. That was so out of her comfort zone, but she was exhilarated by it. Mike's arms left hers and she smiled up to him. Mike took the weapon from her and walked it over to the table.

"That was cool!" Nadine beamed.

Mike chuckled and turned back to her and noted how eager she was for more. He handed her his Colt .45 and Nadine was more than ready for it. Mike handed her five clips and she rushed to the table. Mike watched as she handled it so well. The operation of it was the same as the Sig and Nadine was ready for it. The only thing that caught her off guard was how hard it kicked. Nadine's rate of fire was slower, but this was a bigger gun that needed more work to use.

All thirty five rounds went through the big gun and Mike smiled at how quick she was at getting it. Mike turned back to his table and picked up a newer gun that the shop had just gotten. He smirked at it and was eager to work it out himself. Nadine came back to the table with the empty pistol and magazines and Mike smiled at her as he held the odd looking weapon.

"OK this weapon is new to me as well, so I'll show you first, then let you rock it," Mike said and Nadine nodded her head.

"This is called the P 90. It's a Belgian made assault weapon that is used by many support troops that find a full on battle rifle not necessary. It fires a different round from a unique feed system," Mike explained and went on.

He showed her the odd round and Nadine nodded. When he showed her how to load it, she was blown away at how easy it was. The simplicity of operation was apparent for use by conscripts. He also showed her that it was a selective fire weapon and she nodded. He picked up the four magazines he got for it and pocketed two of them and handed the other two to her.

Nadine was amazed at how easy it looked to shoot and the weapon seemingly just did it's job without effort. Mike burned through the magazine, then the next pretty easily. She saw the target he was shooting at was a plastic humanoid shape. She also saw that he shredded it with very well placed shots to the chest and head. As he stepped to the side she walked up and gingerly took the weapon. Mike stayed behind to make sure she was all right with the weapon.

For a few seconds Mike's body was flush against hers and Nadine felt it. Her breathing was shallow, but she couldn't help but focus on the task at hand. Once Mike was certain she was going to be all right, he handed her the magazine and made sure she loaded it properly. Once the magazine was set she racked the charging handle and was ready to go. Mike gave her the last few instructions before he stepped back.

The fire that spat out of the P90 was awesome! Nadine fired a few short bursts and on her last magazine Mike smiled as he set it on full auto and she got to rock and roll. The way she was able to control the weapon made her come to like it. The ease with which she hit the target was also something she was amazed at. The red dot sight aided it, but she could tell that even without it she could do all right.

Once it was dry Mike took the weapon and cleared it. Nadine was almost bouncing as they went back to the table. Mike saw the eagerness in her eyes to keep going and smiled at her.

"So I take it someone's enjoying the fun?" he mused.

Nadine's wide eyes blinked a few times and she nodded her head with a Cheshire like smile. Mike's amused face was all apparent as he was right about this yet again. Desiree and Tamara, Melina, now Nadine. Mike finally picked up the last weapon and Nadine saw it and was eager to go. He explained that it was a modified version of the Colt Carbine that the Special Forces used. He explained how the M4 that most used had many problems, chief among them jamming. The explanation went on with him saying all he did was fix the bolt and tweak a few things, then he pimped out the outside. He showed her the fore grip and red dot sight, as well as the easy way it handled with its grip.

It took about ten minutes of him showing her how to operate the weapon, and how to hold it properly for firing. After Nadine showed she was ready once again they went to the line. Nadine was blown away by how the weapon handled and how simple it was to shoot. Mike explained how they had tried to make it "Idiot Proof" and Nadine almost fell over laughing.

"You do know that there are a lot of people that join the service that are....rather thick. So they make things that even a complete moron couldn't fuck up,' he explained and Nadine shook her head.

They spent the rest of the afternoon shooting the various weapons and having a blast doing it. Mike showed her a few tricks for the rifle and Nadine picked them up rather fast. He could see that in truth, she was a natural at it. The last of the ammo was expended and the piles of spent brass were swept up and loaded into a nearby trashcan. Once they were certain no more ammo was on the table or in the weapons themselves, Mike and her packed them all up. His were put in their cases, Nadine helped him carry the rentals back to the office.

Mike had a chat with the owner and they laughed about a few things as Nadine looked around the store. As she did a display case came before her and as Nadine looked into it she saw it was a display case with a collage of pistols. Her eyes went over them and quickly she found Mike's and a few others she had seen on TV and what not. As she looked along she saw one that caught her eye. It was small and chromed. It looked different than the rest and she couldn't help but look at it.

Mike saw her eyeballing the weapon and smirked. He slowly walked up to her and put his arm over her shoulder. Nadine unconsciously leaned into him as she stared at the piece.

"What's that?" she asked.

Mike looked to where she was pointing and smiled as he recognized it right away.

"A Walther PPK. It's a smaller weapon made back in the twenties in Germany. It's the same gun that James Bond uses in most of the movies," he replied.

Nadine looked closer at it and as she had seen a few of the Bond movies, she saw it was indeed the same.

"Desiree has one, so does Tamara," Mike informed her.

"They do?" Nadine asked back shocked.

"Yeah, they have matching weapons for home defense. Tamara also carries hers at all times,' Mike said, then he realized he may have said too much.

Though he spoke, Nadine wasn't paying attention. Instead she was looking at a few others and saw a certain pistol that caught her eyes. It was a mid-sized piece that looked like it could fit her smaller hands. Mike saw the weapon and nodded his head.

"That's a good one," Mike said as he pointed to the pistol and the attendant opened the case.

The man reached in and took the pistol out. He pulled the slide to the rear, locked it, and then handed it to Nadine.

"That's the H&K P30, it's a .40 caliber, semi auto," The clerk said as he handed the weapon over.

Nadine took the pistol in her hand and looked at it close. It was all black, had a great grip, but something about it screamed it was a good choice for her. The pistol fit her hand so well it was if the grip was built for her. She looked down the sights and the white dots on both ends made it easy to see them. Mike actually showed her something that made her eyes widen. He put his hand over the weapon and the dots glowed under them.

"The paint is a night glow that makes it so you can aim at night," he explained.

Nadine looked up to him and her eyes were half pleading, but also he could see she was interested in it.

"How bout we test fire it?" Mike asked the clerk.

"No problem,' the man said and took them to the back.

Nadine was actually giddy to go back, but she couldn't explain why.

Like earlier she took the pistol and loaded it like Mike had shown her. Set her target down range with no issue. Then with a deft hand she fired all ten rounds. Mike explained that the gun could actually fire fourteen, but due to gun laws only ten round magazines were allowed. Nadine sucked in a shallow breath and was shaking as she held the gun in her hands and as she was about to set it down the clerk came up to her.

"Miss?" he asked as he held up his hand for the weapon.

Nadine handed him the gun and lamented doing it. She really wanted it and it was obvious in her eyes. Mike grinned behind her and they left the range. As she went back into the front office Mike slipped to the side and had a chat with the owner. The whole talk lasted less than a minute and Mike came back to the case.

"Dinner?" Mike offered.

"Can I choose where?' Nadine asked.

"Of course," Mike said smiling.

He hefted the bags over his shoulder and with a nod from the owner Mike smiled as he was handed a separate bag. Nadine didn't see it as she was leaving the store. Mike picked up his other cases and walked to the car. Nadine got in and as she sat down Mike loaded the weapons into the car. They drove away from the range and back to his house. On the way back Nadine made her choice of the Tex- Mex restaurant from the first day she met him.

Luckily it had a drive through so they got it to go and went back to the house. Nadine carried the food in as Mike went to his office to put away the weapons. As he got to the office he suddenly called out to her.

"Bring it to my office, we can eat in here," he said.

Nadine followed him down the hall in the office she saw Mike take each weapon from its bag and set them on his desk. Nadine broke out the food and they began to eat. During their meal Mike set about cleaning the weapons while he ate. Nadine watched as he easily broke down each one and cleaned out the barrels and internal mechanisms through eating his meal.

"What's all that black stuff?' Nadine asked as she saw the black residue come from the weapons.

"It's carbon. See when the powder explodes it deposits this on the weapons. It's a bitch to clean out if you leave it in too long, but you have to or the weapons will jam up and not work properly," Mike explained.

Mike went on to explain how after they would shoot in the teams how they would spend hours cleaning and adjusting their weapons after. Nadine ate her meal and the stories he told of the times he had jams made her come to understand why he took such care of things. He also explained how the M-16 had such a bad past from all the false information given about cleaning it.

After a while Mike was done, and the weapons were put away. Nadine and him enjoyed the last of their dinner and as they were watching a cool show about weird things in history, Mike got a call.

"Oh god what now," he grumbled as he answered.

Mike listened to the first few seconds of the conversation, then his eyes got wide with anger. A few more seconds of it was all he could stomach.

"What? Wait, wait...slow down. He did what?!" Mike exclaimed and Nadine looked at him curiously.

"Jesus H Christ, it's my fucking week off and he chooses now to be a little bitch...." Mike growled and Nadine sat back at his outburst.

Mike collapsed in his seat, then as if pulled by invisible strings he rose to his feet suddenly.

"Oh no! You tell him to get his act together and be at work by the time I get there. If he ain't, then he's gonna get his fucking ticket punched!" Mike said harshly into the phone.

Mike stormed from his chair and mouthed several swear words as he stalked to the cabinet. He punched in the codes and made sure his weapons were locked up. Suddenly Mike hung up on the call and his fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose as his eyes closed.

"Can't a guy just have a day off without people being completely useless?" he complained, then his head snapped back so he could look at the ceiling.

For a few seconds he stared at the ceiling as if looking for an answer, then when none came he shook his head.

"You're testing me again aren't you?" he said loudly to the ceiling and he had an insane gleam in his eyes.

Nadine was wide eyed and a nervous chuckle came from her lips. Mike's eyes panned over to her as he shook his head painfully. A sigh escaped his lips as he gazed upon her cute face.

"I need to bounce to work for a bit. Seems I have a "Star", he said using his fingers in quotations, "That needs an attitude adjustment," Mike explained.

"Oh, well can I use your computer? I need to check my emails," Nadine asked.

"Yeah!" Mike exclaimed seemingly from a happy part of his current mood, and it seemed to calm him down a bit, "Let me set you up a profile so you can get in or you'll be stuck on my load up."

Mike punched in a series of passwords and got to his load up page. He logged out of his page and set her up a profile for her own use. He turned his head as she typed up her password and user name. Once that was done Mike explained that he had a six layer system set up on his computer for his companies' safety. Nadine nodded as he showed her how to access things and when she was good he gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled.

"You get lonely, just let the dogs in and I'm sure Thor will play with you for a bit, I hope I'm not out that long,' Mike said smiling.

"OK, maybe I will," Nadine said thinking of the fun she had playing with the big lug.

She watched him leave and went to the computer. Nadine sat down and sighed as she tried to put the feeling in her down. As much as she enjoyed the night before, she couldn't act upon it as she was still married. Her shaking fingers typed in her email and she read them all. A few were spam, but a few were important. The rest were just not worth her time. One that caught her eye was a new one from Trevor. In it he tried to explain that he was sorry. He said he made a mistake and he wanted her back. A part of her believed that, but then she saw the email ahead of it with his video on it.

Nadine deleted his emails with two quick clicks. She sat back in the chair and a tear slid down her face. The anger that began to well up in her made her sit up and type out a new search in the finder. She typed up his email and as she knew his password from a time she saw him type it out, she plugged it in. Nadine saw his many emails and clicked certain ones. In several she saw pictures of three nude women, all of them white and plain looking. She also saw several more pictures of him engaged with them in sex and on most of the dates were times she recalled he said he was working late.

Nadine's anger washed over her like a storm. Her nose breathed in and out several times as she began to cry, but the tears were not sad. It was pure frustration and anger that welled up in her stomach making the tears come down her cheeks. For a long time the emails mocked her by just being there, then she had an idea wash over her. With a fervor that was riven on by her anger she highlighted every one of his emails with the pictures of him and his tramps, and had them forwarded to her own. Once they were there she sent them to the email Tamara had given her that belonged to her divorce lawyer. Once all the emails were sent a dark look passed over her face and in one act of much needed anger, she changed his password and closed out the screen.

As she sat in Mike's chair feeling anger, she looked over to the pictures on the wall. She saw the ones of him and a feeling of jealousy washed over her. How she longed to have met a man like him in her life. More and more anger began to fill her, but suddenly it was replaced as she saw a picture of him and Desiree. In that picture she saw them at a function and he was dressed up nice as was she. They were arm in arm smiling at the camera and Nadine couldn't help but stare at her.

In Nadine's eyes, Desiree had to be one of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her curves were in all the right spots. She had a nice bust line and her face was just perfection. Her large brown eyes sparkled like diamonds and as Nadine remembered the times she had spoken to her she was just lost.

A large part of her wished she was just half as pretty as she was, then maybe Trevor would not have gone off and cheated on her. Nadine stood up and looked at herself in the glass case. She was shorter than Desiree by almost six inches. At five four she was normal height for most women. Her hips were thick as were her thighs. She had a curve in her tummy that made her want to suddenly go on a diet, but there was something she couldn't deny, she had a cute face and nice eyes.