A bullet sliced through the air, its echo ringing inside the shooting booth.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqKrXscuMp
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFk7ggjyHC0
Not luck.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBKbJygo8o
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡff3PQJKRwE
Her shoulders were relaxed, but her wrists were steady as stone.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh8nu3DuGg
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTy9QH3zBR
Where had she learned this?160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyelgjGgCl6
This wasn’t the kind of accuracy one gets from just “a few times at the range.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cfsG8dBth
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWhYFJu9uV
“Can I change the distance?” she asked softly.
He nodded and adjusted the panel.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbw2D75dMP
The target slid further back.
It was only then that he realized—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7U8qUZ38ec
he’d been holding his breath.
Not out of shock.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQoALv0Nlp
Out of caution.
And he didn’t like it.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZP6ykbXzX
That sense of unease—he never even felt it around actual villains.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNRf3pgvZ3
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMAy7NSZ8k
Not a spy.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFrGPLVhJ4
Not an assassin.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvllErQaPy
She was… a kindergarten teacher.
Then—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVWld9Igde
Bang.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcV17whB25
The third bullet fired.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO676847uwO
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:160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEmWPGhgnB
Who the hell is she?
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcDDi6aMQj
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7J2detzSW8
Afterward, they cleaned the guns together and packed them back into the case.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzDsVYFaOT
Spent casings rolled lightly across the table, making soft clinks—like the aftershocks of a quiet war.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFxRu8tSU8
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxZAWroNUv
Her shoulders had dropped slightly.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBH9sYgRhZ
She was still gazing at the rifle she’d just used—almost like she was savoring it.
Then Tim noticed—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCmHwyuSdP
her hands were trembling.
Not shaking violently—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FfsB6QPwD
but the subtle, accumulated tremble of recoil and exhaustion.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIExYZ6QlUE
The kind that creeps in after a long time shooting.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q04tSBwbE
Like a soldier finally unarmored.
Well, to be fair—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDg4ztYtjh
she had been shooting for nearly three hours.
He saw traces of gunpowder still clinging to her fingertips.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uLdnCeb1n
Her skin glowed faintly warm with residual heat.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lKTznwJhj
But she hadn’t complained once.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFy0bkq9tJ
Hadn’t asked for a break.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkO3Ys0qYU
As if this kind of fatigue had long been a part of her rhythm.
Good.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1LprUPfpD
At least she’s still human.
Tim let out a breath quietly, as if reminding himself of that helped balance his perspective.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFUZypUscC
He couldn’t let suspicion cloud his judgment.
He’d only stepped up for a few rounds himself.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUHNr64rxU
The scores were decent.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBcOgF3dC5
But none of his shots had hit fatal zones.
And he knew exactly why.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqUJK3PYoo
It wasn’t a matter of skill.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbCiyQlXsO
It was a matter of training.
Batman’s rules were clear:160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoCd5kv5gm
Subdue, don’t kill.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaQUy7VSV5
Be precise, but never lethal.
It was a philosophy.
Nora, though—her aim was different.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHTID1Q0mq
She wasn’t trained by Batman.
She was faster.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1XCj4w4IT
More instinctual.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRn7UbfUpO
And she liked aiming for the head.
Tim had noticed.
Not intentionally, perhaps.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleksF7IYP0
But something in her subconscious always chose the direct hit, the clean strike, the no-loose-ends shot.
That…160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7qk92pOcf
couldn’t be known by the rest of the Bat-family.
Tim’s mouth twitched.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyNz6rUW1z
If Bruce ever found out, he’d be watched—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzcOV4XhXb
drowned beneath that silent, disappointed stare.
Not everyone escapes Bruce’s morality.
He looked over at Nora, who was calmly oiling her gun.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPCnpUqYIZ
Her wrist moved naturally, fluid around the body of the weapon, every action muscle memory.
After a moment, he spoke.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhKBuluXis
“Your aim’s really good.”
Nora didn’t look up.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnfcXDJ8ti
“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...160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BP6f7nd47
Not something an average civilian would say so casually.
His mind raced through possible backgrounds and scenarios,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xfhod7Abo
but Nora didn’t offer any more.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KHMtBJETU
She just kept wiping.
Then—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1TyuUnGu3
she paused.
Cloth still in hand,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPonnCXTUOR
her gaze drifted somewhere distant—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW4hXMUovi
to a time he couldn’t see.
“Actually, guns aren’t my strong suit,” she said quietly.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkZUzRFbaj
“I only used them for a short time.”
Tim held his breath.
That sentence didn’t sound like small talk.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzO2sdR20h
It sounded like a confession—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZYJJA3TLi
like a smuggled thought sneaking out of a sealed memory.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TaJz1JLQS
Each word soaked with invisible weight.
Then she added—
“I spent most of my time… with archery.”
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8FaQCnYIj
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9La4sQs5cP
“Archery?” Tim raised an eyebrow. “So… you like archery?”
Nora gave him a glance but didn’t answer right away.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaMZkFvcU0
Her fingers were still checking the gun bag’s clasps.
“Not really about liking or disliking,” she said simply.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9zvuroUGA
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDugaFxk3h
A gentle curve of the lips—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0DOL7Xtd0
like wind brushing past leaves.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTYbxenK53
No ripples.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoueI0QJx0q
But it lingered.
Then she turned away and put the arrows back,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk41nu3vP7n
her tone a bit lighter:160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVwoiEYSgB
“I used to think—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO2Mo0hUiJ
if I ever quit teaching kindergarten,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprd2mBA8Xt
maybe I’d become an archery coach.”
Tim didn’t answer.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIjDYIp5zv
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUKBIB67gT
No competitions, no licenses, no training certificates.
How much was she still hiding?
He lowered his gaze to the safety goggles on the table,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2T8j8sdsG2
and a more frustrating thought struck him.
If she did quit being a kindergarten teacher…160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStM2475xQT
Finn would absolutely lose it.
That kid basically lived for Nora.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxB8coza2S
Declared he’d marry her eight times a day.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAaWUVSYdZ
Made weekend cards for her.
Tim rubbed his temples.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygNCMVP8Pt
He could already hear Finn’s future wailing echoing through Wayne Manor—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhLlRBNrc5
and then the inevitable call from Europe.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbnHhO68aT
“Tim! What the hell happened?!”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1c43g0wXB
Leila’s voice, sharp and panicked.
…No.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ff3I5ttYF
That backup plan could not happen too soon.
Tim was still calculating the feasibility of buying the entire kindergarten.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kukLNiX8d
Shifting funds wouldn’t be a problem.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pkPDjpqSb
The real issue was how to mask the motive so that neither Finn nor Bruce would catch on.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdeOI4IWGJ
He had already mapped out a few potential shell company routes and plausible justifications—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX6n21Z536
until he heard someone call out:
“Mr. Drake.”
He turned his head.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXNEgiZBkU
Nora had just placed the last rifle into the case, closing the lid with practiced ease.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvWWotv3bQ
After locking the latches, she gave her hands a quick clap—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNo2VWTSBhj
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.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLCCLMKDUx
“Tim, thank you for inviting me today. I really enjoyed it.”
Her eyes still shimmered with leftover excitement—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4wY7Ynpmi
so different from the cool, sharp precision she had while shooting.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6nPM5kvCy
This was human.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGOUaKi1iR
This was joy.
“Let me buy you dinner,” she said. “I know a great Italian place.”
Tim froze.
For once, he wasn’t strategizing.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3Wksz4Y53
He wasn’t analyzing risks.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMZMSJAImg
He wasn’t scanning for background intel.
He just… froze a little—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAovsFbcQZ8
and then nodded.
“Sure,” he said.
His voice wasn’t loud,160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0I0EYOlL0p
but the way the words landed felt like the quiet turning of a page—160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuXBiKtF6z
a new chapter quietly unfolding.
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt1smDmSBI
and then Add to home screen.