TROUBLE - peaky blinders

18. revolvers and revelations

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CLARA STROLLED DOWN BARR STREET, which was not the site of a vast amount of stalls set up for the weekly market. A mass of people crowded the street, leaving her to weave in and out of the people that hadn't already scattered at the sight of her razor-edged hat. Her brothers had departed to London the day before, leaving the den to be watched over by Pol and Esme, and leaving the girl a little bit more freedom to roam. The girl had one last free day to do as she pleased without her brothers' watching every move and so she fully intended to put it to good use.

The girl kept her head high, her gun holster around her left shoulder, hidden beneath the material of her jacket. She no longer feared the weapon, yet she was wary around it, often scared that if one slight bump would set it off. Clara had been taught to shoot by John after the Billy Kimber incident, the two had taken a trip out to the countryside a mere week after, and as expected John had been overjoyed to help her.

"You wanna hold that up and focus more on the target," he said, positioning the gun for her. "Then when you're set on your mark, you pull the trigger back."

Clara scrunched her eyebrows together, holding the revolver in front of her. She looked at the target which had been carved into a tree, its bark already marked with two other bullet holes—one from John showing her how to use the gun, and the next from Clara panicking and shooting completely off target.

The girl in a deep breath and lined up the gun, and as she exhaled, she pulled the trigger. The sound resonated around the two, Clara's heart was pounding as she tried to conceal her shaky hands. The bullet had landed in the outer ring of the target, leaving a rather large dent in the wood.

"Better," John sniffed, walking closer towards her. "Now, instead of shooting right away, line it up, take a few breaths and steady yourself. You'd want to learn before you start getting yourself into shootouts."

"As if you lot would let me near a shootout," she joked, yet John's face remained still.

"You were though weren't ya?" He raised a brow, "You were there during the Billy Kimber commotion." Clara sighed, looking down.

"To be fair, I wasn't allowed to be there, Ada dragged me with her." She feebly replied, "Thought she would shoot me herself if I didn't go!"

John chuckled, folding his arms. "Right, c'mon, remember what I said. Breathe, steady yourself, aim and fire." He instructed.

Clara nodded, raising the gun once more. She sucked in a breath before letting it go. She adjusted her grip on the metal, her fingers digging into it. She stared at the target ahead, her lips pursed as she focused. She let her chest rise and fall once more before pressing down the trigger. This time, she didn't flinch at the noise. Her eyes followed to where the bullet had landed and her eyes widened.