Kapitel 17: Use me for practice

"Are you fucking serious?"

Davi walked towards him and extended his hand. "Give me the gun."

"So you can fucking shoot me?"

Ivo tried to step away from him but Davi stopped him with one hand on the collar of his shirt. "No, so I can teach you."

"By shooting at me?" Ivo asked, incredulous.

"If you want to work with us, you'll have to get used to people shooting at you."

Ivo let his shoulders slump with a sigh and extended the gun towards Davi, who, instead of taking it, wrapped his fingers around Ivo's wrist and stilled his arm in place.

"While we're here, I guess I can also teach you how to properly handle guns." He frowned. "Never give someone a gun muzzle first. Hold on to the top of the barrel at a downwards angle, away from your body, and let the other person grab the grip."

Ivo dis as he said, shifting his hold on the gun.

This time Davi took the gun from him with an economical nod. "Good," he used the gun to point at the cans on the edge of the railing. "Now stand there with a can on top of your head."

Ivo shot him one last glare but dragged his feet towards the railing. It was hard not to feel dizzy with the sheer height of the building. If Davi shot him anywhere, his arm even, the force of it would send him toppling over the railing and into the dark streets below. A cursory glance down made it obvious there would be no pool breaking his fall this time.

He was terrified, but he didn't want Davi to notice it. Ivo had meant what he said back at the apartment. He wanted to know just what the fuck he was doing in that box, and he wasn't foolish enough to think he could navigate the city on his own. Davi and his crew came with resources he would never have access to otherwise.

If he needed to prove his worth then he could swallow his panic and stand still while a crazy bastard shot at him.

Besides, Davi was probably right, this was just going to be the first of many.

"Hurry up," Davi snapped.

Ivo almost crushed the can in his fist. "Why don't you let me shoot at you, and then we see how fast you move?"

One of Davi's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "As soon as you can shoot worth shit, I'll let you use me for practice."

That was surprising. "Wait? For real."

Davi snorted. "Don't get excited, that's still a long way away judging by how crappy your aim is right now."

Ivo kept glaring at him while placing the can on top of his head.

He turned towards Davi slowly and spread his arms in a silent 'come at it'.

Davi raised the gun, and shot.

All the air left Ivo's lungs in a shocked gasp. Everything happened so fast he barely had the time to react. He just felt a jet of air over the top of his head as the bullet flew through the can and toppled it over the railing.

"There, that wasn't so bad."

Ivo was inclined to agree, except when he took a step forward his knees nearly buckled. He got his feet under him before falling on his face, but not fast enough to miss the tail-end of Davi's smirk.

He took the gun from Davi without a word and steeled himself to shoot again. He didn't want to give Davi the satisfaction of seeing him fail again.

Ivo aimed in the direction of the remaining cans and fired a shot. It went wide. He cursed under his breath and aimed again, inhaling deeply and pulling his muscles taut, he let go of the tension at the same time he pulled the trigger.

The shot still didn't hit its mark. Ivo lowered the gun with a frustrated groan.

"You're not holding steady," Davi said, voice suddenly close.

Ivo turned around and found Davi's face scant centimetres away from his own. "Like this," Davi said, standing behind Ivo and holding up his arm. He placed his other hand to Ivo's hip for balance. Ivo tried not to flinch at the sudden closeness.

"Deep breath." Davi's own breath tickled the top of Ivo's ear. He had no idea how this was supposed to improve his aim.

"Hold steady, bring your other hand under the magazine if you need extra stability, or hold the grip with both hands."

Ivo steadied himself with both hands on the gun. Davi's hand cupped his own, holding Ivo's right index finger over the trigger.

"Eyes on the target and nothing else." His voice was quiet, almost melodic. Ivo focused on it and emptied his brain of all extra noise.

Ivo's bare lower back was glued to the front of Davi's shirt. He could feel the rhythmic expanding of Davi's chest with each breath. He matched his own breathing to Davi's. And when he said 'now' next to Ivo's ear, he was already pulling the trigger, anticipating the command from the hitch in his breath alone.

This time the bullet hit the can dead centre, sending it toppling over the railing in an arch.

"Better," Davi said, already steeping away, his voice flat. "Again."

---

They kept at it for hours. There was a stinging pain in Ivo's shoulders from the tension of holding the gun up, and then from holding himself still when Davi shot at him.

He was so tired that night that he got into bed after his shower and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. In the morning, to Alina's disappointment, there were no dreams to report.

Ivo thought he was going to face more target practice, but Davi told him that Alina would be going up with them, to help him practice hand-to-hand combat and fighting knife techniques for close quarters combat.

"If you have a knack for it we can use larger blades," she told him on the way up the elevator. "Most people don't, though." Her smug grin told Ivo she wasn't most people.

Back in the terrace, Davi gave Ivo a long look. "Me and Alina are going to demonstrate a move and countermove, and then you're going to reproduce it with me."

Ivo nodded, already tense at the prospect of getting even closer to Davi than he had the day before.