2026-08-04 17:43:28
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Chapter 141
Two hours went by faster than Dorian expected.The cold white lights on the ceiling were the same. The smell of gunpowder was the same. But the man standing in lane eight now was no longer the man who had looked at a pistol like an opponent he didn't understand yet.Dorian lowered his weapon, took his finger off the trigger, and pressed the button on the side of the booth. The paper target slid closer with a soft whir.The bullet holes were clustered tightly around the black circle. Some inside it. Some just a finger's width from its edge. None had strayed off to the corners of the paper.In shooting, people who are just starting out are called beginners. Above that is the intermediate level, shooters who can consistently group their shots at close range. Above that is the advanced level, those who can keep their groups tight and steady even under pressure.Dorian wasn't at the advanced level yet. Not as good as Norman, whose shots almost always stacked up on a single point.But he wa
Chapter 140
"Two hours. Lanes six, seven, and eight are open," the bearded man said, sliding a form across the counter. "ID, please. And you'll both need to sit through a quick safety briefing before you go in."Norman handed over his ID without a word. The man glanced at it, then looked at Norman a little longer, like someone who had just recognized the name on the card but chose not to comment on it."Calloway." He nodded slowly. "Welcome, sir."Dorian stood behind Norman with his hands at his sides. He listened to the briefing the same way he listened to everything, fully attentive and without a single unnecessary word. Muzzle always pointed downrange. Finger off the trigger until ready to fire. Ear and eye protection on at all times. All clear, all short.Once the form was signed, the man pulled two sets of ear protection, two pairs of clear glasses, and a black case from the shelf behind him. One standard training-caliber pistol for Norman. Another for Dorian, with a grip size that best fit
Chapter 139
The BMW rolled slowly out of the area around that old fifteen-story building and onto a road that was starting to fill up with midday traffic.In the passenger seat, Dorian stared ahead for a moment before speaking."What are you going to do next?" His voice was flat, but there was a deeper question behind it. "Are we just going to wait to hear from that guy?""Of course not." Norman answered without looking over. "We're going to practice shooting."Dorian frowned."Shooting?""Yeah." Norman smoothly passed a delivery truck. "Have you ever used a gun before?""No." Dorian answered honestly, without trying to hide it."We're going to need one tonight. So before that, we practice."Dorian turned all the way toward Norman.His eyes widened a little. Only a little, but for a man whose face almost never commented on anything, that was the equivalent of someone shouting."Practice?" His tone stayed controlled, but a note of disbelief slipped through. "You mean we practice this afternoon, th
Chapter 138
The BMW pulled away from the Calloway estate grounds and onto the main road, which had gotten busier than it was this morning.Dorian sat in the passenger seat in what had already become his usual position. One hand in his lap, his back not fully resting against the seat, eyes checking the side mirror every now and then without making any noticeable movement."Where are we going?"Norman didn't answer right away. He set a route on the GPS for a moment, then put his hand back on the wheel."Ironclad Investigations."Dorian frowned."Ironclad Investigations." He repeated the name like someone making sure he'd heard it right. "What kind of place is that?""A detective agency." Norman took a route that cut two blocks west. "Their people are extremely good at gathering information. Who, where, when, with whom. Exactly what we need right now." His eyes were on the road. "I need to know where The Black Jack's main headquarters is. The businesses they run. Their most vulnerable points." A sho
Chapter 137
Charles looked at Norman.He'd lost count of how many times today he'd been caught off guard by his own son's words, but it was enough to make a man who thought he knew someone start questioning how far that understanding actually went.But this time, he didn't let the surprise pass without saying something."Norman." His voice came out in a different tone from the operational one he'd been using. Heavier, more personal. "You've done way too many things today that don't make any sense. You stood in front of Victor with your head held high. Went out alone to bait Victor's men. Took them on in a place we don't know well. And now you're talking about going after The Black Jack directly?!"He paused for a moment.Gathering words that were already in his head but needed to be chosen in the right order."I trust you." The words came out not as a concession but as a fact he'd already decided on and wouldn't take back. "I proved that today by letting you go. And you proved that trust wasn't m
Chapter 136
Dorian and Lily had gotten back ten minutes ago.Charles knew because he was the first to hear the engine pull into the driveway, the first to see the car door open, the first to make sure Lily stepped out in a condition that didn't need immediate attention.That was ten minutes ago.Now he stood in the front yard of the Calloway estate like a man who had decided not to go inside, because going inside meant he couldn't watch the gate from the same angle.Norman still wasn't back.That boy...Charles stared at the closed gate with an expression he had never shown in any boardroom. The expression of a man twice Norman's age who still couldn't fully convince himself that the worry was unnecessary.He went alone.One man, into a neighborhood that might not recognize the Calloway name as any kind of protection, with Victor's men already knowing where he was going.In his long life, Charles had seen enough people who were too confident in their own abilities to know that confidence and abil
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