The Academy

Part Two: Chapter Three

I pace through the SWAT department a few days later, staring at my phone in my hands. Text me back, Lindsey. Please. Come on.

I texted her yesterday, simply asking if she wants to meet up sometime for drinks. The amount of time I spent worrying over that single text message is embarrassing. I feel like I'm in high school again.

Chris sits nearby at a table in the gear room, cleaning his rifle. He's laughing at me. I have to admit, I am acting immature about this, but it's important. He can laugh all he wants as long as I get a second chance with Lindsey.

Damn it, I need to get my mind off her for a while. I glance around, finding Kian in the weight room. I head over to him, and he stops what he's doing to give me his full attention. Just another perk of being the boss.

"You up for some sniper work?" I ask.

He only frowns. "You think I need to practice more?"

"No, you're doing great. It's just, it has been way too long since I've used a sniper, and I'm in the mood. Want to come?"

"Since when are you a sniper?" He stands, wiping his face and walking out of the room with me towards the gear room.

"There's a lot you don't know," I shrug, smirking at him.

"Why don't you tell me, then?" He suggests, picking up his go-to Remington 700. "Which model you want?"

"I don't talk about my past. It's in the past, it needs to stay there. Um, hand me the .50 caliber."

He looks impressed by my selection, but reaches into the safe and pulls out the sniper system I selected, placing it in my hands. I run my fingers along the cool metal, memories from the academy resurfacing. First good ones, then bad ones. I push them all away and load up the gun.

We quietly make our way out to the training grounds, starting up the moving targets and taking our place in a tower a good distance away. I can't see the targets with my naked eye, but through the powerful scope on my gun, I can see them perfectly.

"How long has it been since you've done this?" He asks, setting up his own system.

"Three or four years?" I guess.

"Shit. Okay then, let me show you how it's done." Kian replies cockily, and I watch as he focuses as fires off four rapid rounds. Through my scope, I can see he hit all of the targets, though only one bullseye.

"Fifty says I can put two in the bullseye." I raise an eyebrow at him, suddenly feeling confident like it was only yesterday that I had been a sniper.

"You're on. Show me what you got, Boss."

I take a deep breath and look through my scope. We already took wind, temperature, and distance, so I just have to put everything together to figure out the perfect time to pull my trigger.

It happens quickly. I pull once and quickly move to the next target, followed by the third and fourth. When I pull back, both of us peer through the scopes.

"Damn!" Kian exclaims.

"Still got it!" I laugh. "You owe me fifty." Not only did I put two in the bullseye, I put three. The fourth shot missed by an inch.

He shakes off the loss and we stay out here, changing our settings and challenging ourselves to see who's the better sniper. It's great training, and it's really fun. Being a sniper is no easy job. There's a ton of variables that come into play, on top of the immense pressure that if you're so much as a centimeter off you could ruin everything. 

That's the kind of pressure I thrive under, partially why I'm doing this job so damn well.

By the time we walk back inside, it's getting dark out. My stomach rolls as I remember my text to Lindsey, hoping she's responded by now. We put our guns away and I start towards the locker rooms to clean up. Passing the conference room, the door opens and I hear a voice I know all too well.