xv. Fire
He gets to the range at oh-five thirty with the intention of being there before her. Of course she's there before him, though, as he realizes when her quick burst of five bullets sprays down the range before he gets a chance to put on his ear protection.
"Fuck!" She exclaims and immediately unloads her Glock 17 when she notices the door slam behind him. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."
He shakes his head as if that would help him restore his temporarily-damaged hearing. She approaches him and raises her hand before dropping it uselessly. He notices that she doesn't get any closer than what would be considered a professional distance.
"My fault. I didn't realize you were going to be here so early." He's nothing if not observant, and he notes the three paper targets with their centers blown out next to her bag at the shooting lane she's been using. The target clipped at 15 yards is littered with bullet holes straight through center mass.
"Yeah, I thought I would get some extra practice in before your evaluation of my skills," she says and clears her throat almost nervously despite her brazen words.
He knows he's been harsh on her, downright mean at times, if he's being honest with himself. The glares that JJ sends him when he's less than friendly to her don't go unnoticed. Since it doesn't seem like she's going to be leaving any time soon, he figures he should try to clear the air. In a poorly-designed attempt at a joke, he gestures at the used targets and mutters, "They noticed."
She benefits him with a small smile and a light laugh, then shakes out her right hand. "My hand did too."
"How many magazines have you gone through?" He's genuinely curious. And it's an easier question than asking how early she got to the office. Far easier than asking who and what she has when goes home at night.
"Five or six, I guess," she lies and steps back into her booth. She slips her shooting ear muffs back on.
He steps up to the lane next to her and loads his own paper target onto the hanger then sends it down range at the same distance as hers. Her shooting abilities really are impressive. He's beginning to doubt the necessity of asking to meet her at the range. He hasn't thought it through before now. Her ability to shoot isn't just a back-up plan as a law enforcement agent. It might be the only thing that kept her alive on her undercover missions.
"Are you good?" She pops her head back behind the lane divider between them and cocks her eyebrow in an almost sassy way. She's confident and has ever right to be. She might just be better than him.
"Fire away."