A bullet sliced through the air, its echo ringing inside the shooting booth.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTSIqknKjD
The sound was muffled slightly inside Tim’s earmuffs, but he still heard the sharp crack as the bullet hit the target dead center. He glanced at the screen showing the impact point—nearly a bullseye.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9x2iWhLTv
Not luck.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oDZxw6Cj2
It was the result of steady, ruthless precision honed through hours of practice.
Nora showed no extra emotion. She simply pulled back the slide and naturally slipped into her second aim, like breathing.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgPTDgESJP
Her shoulders were relaxed, but her wrists were steady as stone.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzO7IxfwSY
The next bullet hit the upper left part of the target—a joint, a disabling zone. A combat-style shot.
Tim suddenly realized he had no idea what kind of training this woman had received.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hJSV09cOt
Where had she learned this?117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3hPXp8Sup
This wasn’t the kind of accuracy one gets from just “a few times at the range.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrLgDdv9Zh
This was the kind born from fear and experience—an instinct forged in survival.
Before firing the third shot, she briefly pulled back her gaze and glanced at Tim.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKZ0DWeC0u
“Can I change the distance?” she asked softly.
He nodded and adjusted the panel.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxxHVZfdp8
The target slid further back.
It was only then that he realized—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTgmWO8h8X
he’d been holding his breath.
Not out of shock.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZskQH3CqIh
Out of caution.
And he didn’t like it.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHg1OghTpK
That sense of unease—he never even felt it around actual villains.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmEakWjM75
But around this supposed “civilian”?
From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, his body had been on edge.
But she wasn’t a villain.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18sgheh14t
Not a spy.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIJjZZFEBh
Not an assassin.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYebJ3dRw8l
She was… a kindergarten teacher.
Then—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr96n8q99ne
Bang.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8PnKI3fRp
The third bullet fired.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3Bm4JGlsB
Another dead-on hit, so clean it made his skin crawl.
Tim took a step back and leaned on the table, pretending to check the gun case.
But what he was really thinking was:117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfpIYc8o20
Who the hell is she?
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIOpXBPoUP
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKaUwztqYm
Afterward, they cleaned the guns together and packed them back into the case.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNBO45Pn3Z
Spent casings rolled lightly across the table, making soft clinks—like the aftershocks of a quiet war.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrsj5cIOE9
Tim picked up a cloth and began wiping down the barrel, each movement precise and cold, the rhythm of someone raised under the Bat's training.
Nora sat across from him.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57Nrg3yXW0
Her shoulders had dropped slightly.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9uZEIYO5M
She was still gazing at the rifle she’d just used—almost like she was savoring it.
Then Tim noticed—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7voD5wriCT
her hands were trembling.
Not shaking violently—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvopDm48tB
but the subtle, accumulated tremble of recoil and exhaustion.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zidsShbOa
The kind that creeps in after a long time shooting.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCa2ZA3Z9r
Like a soldier finally unarmored.
Well, to be fair—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TT2lzd0fR
she had been shooting for nearly three hours.
He saw traces of gunpowder still clinging to her fingertips.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSQDbemXtN
Her skin glowed faintly warm with residual heat.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8JyOgCVtJ
But she hadn’t complained once.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyfUk0rV10
Hadn’t asked for a break.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ooTzA4quI
As if this kind of fatigue had long been a part of her rhythm.
Good.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQajQGAOMjz
At least she’s still human.
Tim let out a breath quietly, as if reminding himself of that helped balance his perspective.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EBJfKe2u8
He couldn’t let suspicion cloud his judgment.
He’d only stepped up for a few rounds himself.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRucLFqgxL
The scores were decent.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja7wSV08JG
But none of his shots had hit fatal zones.
And he knew exactly why.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG6WDEBK15
It wasn’t a matter of skill.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlh5f2Vmt2
It was a matter of training.
Batman’s rules were clear:117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCXlleT4wc
Subdue, don’t kill.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6SDnWq6KJ
Be precise, but never lethal.
It was a philosophy.
Nora, though—her aim was different.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNftF8BngBo
She wasn’t trained by Batman.
She was faster.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx05NC57ku
More instinctual.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXUqPGDTyk
And she liked aiming for the head.
Tim had noticed.
Not intentionally, perhaps.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEts9tpHeJ
But something in her subconscious always chose the direct hit, the clean strike, the no-loose-ends shot.
That…117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgEbaCbZAf
couldn’t be known by the rest of the Bat-family.
Tim’s mouth twitched.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZPusUlEt8
If Bruce ever found out, he’d be watched—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyNh9MSi19
drowned beneath that silent, disappointed stare.
Not everyone escapes Bruce’s morality.
He looked over at Nora, who was calmly oiling her gun.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalB4TQmFfD
Her wrist moved naturally, fluid around the body of the weapon, every action muscle memory.
After a moment, he spoke.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EZhrjbpuP
“Your aim’s really good.”
Nora didn’t look up.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cck3vtjwj
“Thanks. I used to have a lot of chances to practice,” she said evenly.
Tim’s lips parted slightly.
A lot of chances to practice...117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFsMHgfDXu
Not something an average civilian would say so casually.
His mind raced through possible backgrounds and scenarios,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4to4K1670R
but Nora didn’t offer any more.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDi9z3MXfA
She just kept wiping.
Then—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuKjdUneBv
she paused.
Cloth still in hand,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWuSoALKKd
her gaze drifted somewhere distant—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc5GDwTFqD
to a time he couldn’t see.
“Actually, guns aren’t my strong suit,” she said quietly.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY87k3C6otT
“I only used them for a short time.”
Tim held his breath.
That sentence didn’t sound like small talk.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDZ8W8aC3g
It sounded like a confession—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1pkIJjmum
like a smuggled thought sneaking out of a sealed memory.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmm0cQ8BsyF
Each word soaked with invisible weight.
Then she added—
“I spent most of my time… with archery.”
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcPN5SzRfK
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyf4grUAAF2
“Archery?” Tim raised an eyebrow. “So… you like archery?”
Nora gave him a glance but didn’t answer right away.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAhZB1lVNP
Her fingers were still checking the gun bag’s clasps.
“Not really about liking or disliking,” she said simply.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5TIPuocWj
Her tone was neutral, like talking about breakfast options—plain, forgettable.
“It was more like… life demanded it, so I learned.”
She paused, then smiled softly at him.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4WoVMRGDT
A gentle curve of the lips—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vaCo44cSH
like wind brushing past leaves.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCHgO1Myvl
No ripples.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlU2GZbJhv
But it lingered.
Then she turned away and put the arrows back,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE0dDkeuxm
her tone a bit lighter:117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8uAXNxo0J
“I used to think—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo8pbJmb54
if I ever quit teaching kindergarten,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNb6soxZnW
maybe I’d become an archery coach.”
Tim didn’t answer.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ027KxVkLzd
Just watched her back.
So that was… her career backup plan?
Or… was it her real passion?
She’d never listed anything about archery on her resume.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9w4UnzdM6k
No competitions, no licenses, no training certificates.
How much was she still hiding?
He lowered his gaze to the safety goggles on the table,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0QDn7emDp
and a more frustrating thought struck him.
If she did quit being a kindergarten teacher…117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9HitE8Z4E
Finn would absolutely lose it.
That kid basically lived for Nora.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEb8fyvejk
Declared he’d marry her eight times a day.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISIEz494ht
Made weekend cards for her.
Tim rubbed his temples.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFXyf8ADnB
He could already hear Finn’s future wailing echoing through Wayne Manor—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrxoI7Sdk0
and then the inevitable call from Europe.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyUBS6NPj3
“Tim! What the hell happened?!”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUj6C8yDdQ
Leila’s voice, sharp and panicked.
…No.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEsVenUBXH
That backup plan could not happen too soon.
Tim was still calculating the feasibility of buying the entire kindergarten.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2BoxQ5kur
Shifting funds wouldn’t be a problem.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6MEOWRqC2
The real issue was how to mask the motive so that neither Finn nor Bruce would catch on.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpsKG54vlB
He had already mapped out a few potential shell company routes and plausible justifications—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SyRyUQVv5
until he heard someone call out:
“Mr. Drake.”
He turned his head.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQCfUC1O9d
Nora had just placed the last rifle into the case, closing the lid with practiced ease.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKl7Dg8iP5u
After locking the latches, she gave her hands a quick clap—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLga9n02jU
as if marking the end of a ritual.
“Just call me Tim,” he replied reflexively, his voice unintentionally soft.
Nora gave a small nod, her expression unusually earnest.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDpJljdfRT
“Tim, thank you for inviting me today. I really enjoyed it.”
Her eyes still shimmered with leftover excitement—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlSPB66Oqt
so different from the cool, sharp precision she had while shooting.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIZlGxkUDW
This was human.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOe9ZFcsAgQ
This was joy.
“Let me buy you dinner,” she said. “I know a great Italian place.”
Tim froze.
For once, he wasn’t strategizing.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkB5Er402Sv
He wasn’t analyzing risks.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQD5bpewLiu
He wasn’t scanning for background intel.
He just… froze a little—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCDkJpl73K
and then nodded.
“Sure,” he said.
His voice wasn’t loud,117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76glZe9CTX
but the way the words landed felt like the quiet turning of a page—117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCH0gbgr5p
a new chapter quietly unfolding.
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HA9tJM2Gu
and then Add to home screen.