CHAP 2: THE CHALLENGE THAT CHANGED THE ENTIRE RANGE
Dylan leaned closer.
“If you’re so good,” he said, “try shooting.”
The tent held its breath.
Sophia looked at the spilled coffee.
Then at the firing lanes beyond the glass.
Then back at Dylan.
“Okay.”
The single word landed harder than the slap.
Laughter followed her as she walked out of the VIP tent.
The crowd turned.
Phones rose.
People expected a joke.
A humiliation.
A disaster.
Dylan followed, eager for witnesses.
“This should be fun,” he announced.
At the rifle station he offered her his expensive custom rifle.
Sophia barely looked at it.
“I don’t need that one.”
Instead, she pointed toward an old competition rifle sitting unused at the far end of the range.
No sponsor logos.
No custom parts.
No celebrity branding.
Just a plain rifle.
The range officer frowned.
“Have you ever shot long range before?”
Sophia checked the chamber.
Adjusted the bolt.
Positioned the rifle with calm precision.
“Once or twice.”
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Something about the way she moved made the range officer stop smiling.
And from across the range, Harrison Cole suddenly felt twenty years of memories crashing back into his mind.
