The Cartel

Chapter XVII

The breeze was so soft and gentle that it was nearly absent. Andrew had taken Carly out to his favorite spot for shooting, though he hadn't admitted it. It was an old friend's farm. There were bales of hay spotting the yellow-green grass, both of which were eaten by the cows and horses. For now, the animals were on the other side of the farm from Andrew and Carly. 

Andrew always had one area he particularly liked. It was far enough from the barn and house to provide privacy, but it wasn't all the way on the other side of the farm from the dwellings. Fifty feet was a fence, and just on the other side of that was a small patch of woods. It was a nice view, though sometimes it smelled of cow. 

"Your stance is all wrong," Andrew breathed, making Carly shiver.

"I know what I'm doing," she retorted, lifting the weapon. It was a M1911 pistol. 

"Then you know about the Isosceles Stance?" Andrew grinned, crossing his arms. "Very instinctive. Not so much on flexibility or speed." 

Carly lowered her gun to shoot him an annoyed look over her shoulder. "It also gives me a clearer view of my pistol in relation with my target, but does not help with defensive movements." 

"Did you memorize that verbatim out of a book?" he teased dryly. 

She ignored him, turning back to the target set up against a hay bale. Andrew stepped up behind her, pressing against her. Carly didn't flinched away, but she couldn't look at him. 

"What about the Weaver Stance?" he murmured. 

"I'm not getting shot at," she replied, surprised at how controlled her voice came out. She was shaking fervently innately. "Why would I want to be less of a target if no one is even coming at me? I know what you're doing." 

"Uh-huh, and what's that?" He leaned down to her neck. 

Carly shrugged him away. "You just had me take the Weaver Stance. I could shoot you much more easily now." 

Andrew reached in front of Carly from behind, holding the gun in her hands. "Too bad the safety is on." Then he took the weapon from her. 

Carly turned around and found herself in Andrew's arms. "If I hit the heart perfectly, cleanly on the first shot, I'll give you a kiss." 

"If you get a bulls-eye, I deserve a lot more than that!" 

"Are you saying I'm bad?" Carly knew he didn't, but she wanted to know his reaction. "If I kick you right now, it'll be very unpleasant for you." Being in his arms meant being pressed up against him completely, resulting in one of her legs ending up between his two. 

"Rusty," he joked, arching an eyebrow playfully. "If you hit within the torso, I get a kiss. If you hit your perfect little shot, you marry me." 

"One, we haven't even been dating for a year. Two, I would never marry someone who proposed to me like that," she stated. "Now, my gun, please." 

"But you could hurt yourself," Andrew pretended to worry as he held her gun behind him. 

Carly roughly patted his cheek. "You're sweet, Drew." 

Andrew's grin lit up his face. "Say it again-in your thickest, sexiest accent."

She shook her head. "You're so brazen and immature. Give it back, Andrew." 

"Not until you say it." 

"Drew." 

"Aw, come on. Don't you want your gun, Carly?" he teased, holding it above her. 

Carly didn't bother jumping. It may have been in reach at that moment, but the second her hands moved upwards, she knew Andrew would raise it. She wasn't one to jump for it and look foolish. She could tackle him, but that would just end up with her giving into him. 

Carly crossed her arms. unable to believe what she was about to do.

So embarrassing! she thought, groaning. 

"Drew," she mumbled. 

"Hm?" He titled his head toward her, getting close to her face. 

After a few reluctant, irate moments, Carly brought out her strongest Aussie accent. "Drew." 

Andrew smiled, stole a quick kiss from Carly, and kept the gun behind him. Carly turned red as she realized the trick. Without thinking, she half darted around him and half reached in order to get her weapon. 

Andrew was quick-much quicker than Carly-and wrapped an arm around her. As Carly struggled, they fell in the grass with Andrew laughing and Carly fighting the temptation of happiness. It was still rather surreal to her, after all that had happened regarding The Cartel. 

Carly scrambled to sit up and huffed, "Will you give it to me now?" 

Andrew continued to smile as he held out her gun. Carly, suspecting he had ulterior motives, hesitated before extending her arm. A smirk flashed onto Drew's handsome face as he grabbed Carly's wrist with his other hand then set the gun down to pull her close. 

Andrew kissed Carly, and she knew she would be giving into him in the end.