A Secret Service [NOW PUBLISHED]

Chapter 37 - "Donovan, just talk to me."

Carter swung the Mercedes into a wide parking spot. Before them was a gray stone building, just on the outskirts of the city. They climbed out, making sure not to hit the two neighboring pickup trucks with their doors. Donovan looked over the building, a note of recognition in his passive gaze. Carter lead the group to the front door and pulled it open.

The burly man, behind the long, glass counter, with a dark beard and a scar down his left temple, didn't blink an eye as he saw her walk in. His surprise showed as Donovan and Link followed behind.

"Hi Carter, where's Steve?" the man asked, in a voice fit for a bear.

"At work," she said, stopping before the counter.

Link's head swiveled from one side of the place to the other. Every inch of the walls were covered in guns, ranging from sniper rifles to handguns. The wall behind the man was an assortment of selected handguns as well as photos.

Carter turned away from the man to Donovan and Link, waving a hand between them.

"Mark, meet my friends. Donovan and Link, this is Mark."

Donovan took Mark's outstretched hand and gave a nod in acknowledgment. Mark narrowed his eyes.

"You look familiar. You been here before?" he asked.

"Few times," Donovan said.

Mark nodded and shook Link's hand, but barely gave him a second thought.

"What will it be today?" he asked.

"Three ear muffs, glasses and two guns. I'll take the usual." She looked to Donovan, silently asking his preference.

"I'll take a M45," he said.

"You got ID?" Mark asked.

Donovan handed it over and Mark checked it before going to work. He pulled out three large ear muffs, that looked like bulky headphones, three sets of plastic glasses, two target sheets and then grabbed two different handguns off the wall.

"How many clips do you want?" he asked.

Carter glanced at Donovan, and raised an eyebrow.

"Two," Donovan said.

Carter tossed Link a pair of headphones and glasses, then grabbed her stuff. She guided them to a side door. Putting on her ear muffs and glasses, she nodded to Link, directing him to do the same. He followed suit.

She pushed into a long rectangle room. One long metal table ran the width of the room. Spaced out along it were metal partitions, dividing the table into stalls. The sound of gunfire rang off the walls, the sound muffled in their covered ears.

Carter moved down the rows of stalls and stopped at the last ones, far enough away from the room's other occupants. She didn't bother setting up her target but stayed with Donovan in his stall. In matter of minutes, the black outline of a human torso was out in the distance and Donovan had his gun in hand. Link and Carter took a step back. Donovan set his stance, loaded his clip into the gun and brought it up.

In quick succession he fired at the target. The shots exploded in the room as the paper quivered as each bullet tore through it. Before the sounds even had time to die off, Donovan was reloading and going through the second clip. He lowered his gun and Carter moved towards him. Link remained positioned against the wall, watching the other gunmen. Donovan turned to her, some of the tension in his body released.

She nudged his shoulder with her hand.

"Are you going to tell me what today was about?" she yelled over the sound of bullets tearing through the air.