I slid the second magazine home, and held the pistol at my side, waiting. The owner knew what I was waiting for, and after a few seconds, called out "NOW!" I quickly put the pistol in firing position, and popped off a couple of rounds, listening as the cases hit the floor with a 'tink-tink', before putting the weapon back at my side. Several seconds later, we did it again. Then again, and again. With the pistol empty, I set it next to the last loaded magazine as the agent got the target back – this time with only a single, bigger, hole in it's center. He looked at me again, and put a third target up, then sent it down the range again – this time, all the way to the end – fifty feet, or so.
I slid the last loaded magazine into the pistol, and then put the pistol in the holster. I turned sideways to the target, and waited. And waited some more.
Finally, the owner shouted "BANG!" – and in a single, fluid, motion, I drew the pistol, and emptied it into the target as quickly as I could before letting my arm fall to my side.
Through the cloud of cordite, the FBI agent got the target back, and removed it. He laid it on the wooden shelf that made up the firing line, and whistled.
Then he looked at me in awe before using the palm of his hand to cover all eight holes in the target's x-ring.
I removed the last magazine, and put it and the pistol on the shelf before removing my glasses and hearing protectors. The owner looked at the target, and simply said "Yup. Figured you'd remember which end the bullets came out of!", before laughing quietly. As I reloaded the magazines, the owner pulled out a cleaning brush, and ran it through the barrel as I watched. I nodded in thanks to him when he finished, and told him "It's a nice weapon. Trigger's a little gritty, though." He smiled and said "I'd take care of it for you, but I just don't have the touch for it any more", before showing me his arthritic hands.
Then he told me "I reckon you'll be okay for tonight; Mike down at the office can polish that up for you in about ten minutes, tomorrow." I thanked him again, and he just laughed, saying "Pleasure's mine. Nice to see someone that can shoot a proper gun – instead of those damn popguns these kids carry!", that last at increased volume, and aimed at the FBI agents, who just smiled.
With all the magazines reloaded, I slid one back into the pistol, then cycled the slide, putting a live round in the chamber. I removed the magazine, and replaced the round with one of the two that were left over from the box before sliding it back into the pistol. The owner watched me with a smile, not saying a word as I put the pistol in the holster – which had a nice pair of pockets on it to hold the other two magazines. The whole thing was surprisingly light and small, and the waistband of my pants kept it neatly tucked against my back, where it was less likely to be noticed.
As we left the firing range, Lucy and the girls were looking at me in wonder – the girls more so than Lucy, who at least had SOME idea that I could shoot.
When we got back into the store proper, I saw the other agents looking at the two that had been on the range with me – and saw the nods and thumbs-up they got in answer. I also saw that the agent that had taken care of the targets for me had brought them along, and was showing them to Agent Gallery as he explained what I'd done. He came over to where Lucy and I were standing and said "That's a nice bit of shooting. It'll make my people feel better, knowing you hit what you aim at". The owner was standing nearby, and said "Oh, yeah, he'll make 'em count, all right!" before laughing again.
We all started to head for the door, and I thanked the owner for his time and trouble; he just said "Use that thing well, if you need it, and that'll be thanks enough. My age, it's nice to know that there's still decent people in the world, and meet some of 'em every now and then. You just watch out for those girls, you hear?"
I assured him I would, and he let us out; we all waited patiently until we heard the door lock, and saw him wave to us.
Back in the car, Lucy hugged me, and said "I never thought I'd be saying this, but watching you shoot like that made me*so* horny. Uh, was I seeing things, or were those FBI people kind of impressed?"
"Might have been impressed, I suppose. More relieved to know I wouldn't shoot them by accident, more likely" I told her. She gave me a playful pinch, before I reached back to hand the remaining loose bullet that had been left over to the girls. Each looked at it in curiosity, then looked at me. I asked them "If I threw that at you, it would probably hurt, wouldn't it?" They nodded, and I asked "If I threw it really fast, it would hurt more, wouldn't it" Again, they nodded, and I went on "Now, when a bullet comes out of a gun, it's going at LEAST a hundred times faster than I could ever throw those. That's why it's so dangerous. So you know why I'm telling you that you are to NEVER, EVER touch the gun without my permission. I mean it. If I*ever* see either of you even TOUCH this pistol, I WILL spank you senseless. You understand?" Both nodded solemnly, before Robyn spoke up, saying "Dan, I was pretty scared when you had to get the gun, and I almost wet myself when you shot it the first time. But I saw how those people acted when they saw you shoot, and how good you hit the target. I'm still scared about what might happen, but I know you'll protect us.
I just don't want YOU to get hurt, either, okay?"
I smiled at both of them, and said "I won't, short stuff. Remember, before*I* get involved, the bad guys have to go through the FBI agents. Protecting sex bombs like you two is their JOB, and they're very good at it. Okay?"
Both smiled back at me, and I turned around to watch as Lucy took us to the mall – noticing along the way that there were a couple of cars keeping pace with us, if at a distance.
Once at the mall parking lot, one of the cars pulled up next to us; I saw Lucy start to get nervous, and patted her hand to reassure her. When the window on the other car rolled down, she could see that it was Agent Gallery, and she rolled her window down, too, to hear him say "We've been kind of holding a parking space for you, so if you'll follow me, we'll be all set." She nodded her agreement, and stayed with him as he led us to a spot that was fairly close to one of the entrances, and almost directly under one of the lights. I think all of us were surprised when we got out of the car, and saw how many other people were getting out with us – there were a full dozen of them, not including the ones with Agent Gallery.
Lucy looked at me, and asked "All this for*us*?"
I chuckled, and said "yeah, all this for you – and the two ragamuffins, of course."
This time, the girls realized I was teasing, and didn't rise to the bait, opting instead to fairly radiate Dignity at me.
Agent Gallery approached, and said "We've got a nice mix of agents tonight, so there shouldn't be any problems. Uh, ladies" – Lucy and the girls turned to face him, and he went on "this is kind of delicate, but don't be worried if someone follows you into the bathroom. At least one of our female agents will be with you all the time, and they'll just be there to make sure no one bothers you, okay?"
Lucy and the girls got surprised looks on their faces, then went through mild embarrassment, before he went on to tell them "Other than that, there's nothing for you to worry about. We'll be watching out for you from a little ways off, so you don't have to worry about drawing attention, or anything like that. Just go ahead and do what you'd normally do, and everything will be fine. We're here to make sure you're okay, not get in your way or cause you any problems."
Lucy and both girls nodded at that, then shared a look that plainly said "I'll believe it when I see it." Agent Gallery didn't seem offended; only confident in his people.