Bang! Bang! Bang!

The loud, piercing sound of high-powered artillery echoed around them. It sliced through the silent breeze of the wind.

Except for a few voices and the occasional roar of engines , the explosive sounds of metal striking against metal were the only noise that could be heard from miles away.

"What happened to your investigation?" Oliver asked as soon as they stood at the fully secured facility owned by the Morton Group.

It was acres and acres of barren land, from every direction, that were converted into a manufacturing plant, producing some of the most advanced military weapons in the world.

Besides owning a large portion of the casino business, Oliver had also diversified their family business into legitimate transactions.

Today, his R&D Department would be demonstrating their latest product to some Military Generals so he could secure a billion-dollar government contract.

"Nothing yet, Oliver." He still felt unsettled as he walked alongside his friend toward the firing range. "But I really believe Sophia and Ashley are hiding something."

Although the doctor hadn’t said anything that would truly help his investigation, he still sensed that she was acting suspiciously.

Oliver stopped on the lane reserved for him, grabbed the box of bullets from the table, and started loading his gun, but he did not say anything.

"Ashley knew something, but she’s not spilling the beans." He reported, convinced that the doctor was lying through her teeth. Then, he also moved to the next lane, mimicking his friend’s movements.

Of course, he remembered how her eyes twitched as if she sensed danger whenever he asked a question. He noticed her shoulders tensing and her guarded stance. She was being cautious. Too cautious as if she had been protecting something very important.

But he kept his observation to himself, not wanting Ashley to realize that he was onto her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be alarmed, thus increasing her guard around him.

"She might be a goddamn good doctor, but she’s a poor liar." He had studied her subtle movements, which readily hinted at her determination to hide something. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Can you break her, Jacob?" His friend asked, as a smirk appeared on his lips while his tone carried a challenge that he easily recognized.

Everyone in their circle knew he had a way with women. He had this carefree charm that made women relax and lower their guard. Some even called him the boy next door, because he exuded an easy-going appeal that many women felt comfortable with.

"Give me time." He silently contemplated his new task. "Ashley is not some ordinary woman. It might take more time to break and get through to her."

Some women were easy targets. Smile. Say a few nice words. Flash some money and expensive gifts. That’s it. They would be putty in his hands.

But Ashley belonged to those exceptions. Simple tricks would not work on her. A girl like her needed wooing, more than most.

To get even her attention, and especially her trust, he would require some serious work. It would be challenging, but not impossible. A girl like Ashley always had a weakness. He just had to find and explore that.

"Well, I’ll give you a nice bonus if you can do it in less than a week." Oliver tapped on his watch to emphasize that time was of the essence.

When he nodded, accepting his deal, Oliver turned away from him and started firing multiple shots at the target.

"Fuck, Oliver." He shouted after grabbing a pair of binoculars and checking the human paper target at the other end. "That’s all bullseyes." Seeing that every bullet passed through the X-mark.

But he knew his friend had always excelled in anything he did. So, shooting perfectly would be no different.

"My turn." He aimed his gun at the target and released several rounds. Upon close inspection, he hit one bullseye and had two nines and three eights. Not bad, but not the best either.

Immediately, Oliver reloaded his gun while he also did the same. It was still early. They still had time for a few more rounds before their visitors arrived.

"Do you mind if I join?" Aaron marched toward them with a confident and steady stride. He took the other lane next to Oliver.

After he took his first round, which showed he might be as good as Oliver, he confidently challenged them to a game.

"A thousand bucks." That was the wager.

"I’ll just be the judge." He said, knowing he was no match against the two.

But after the first match, no one won. It was a tie.

"Why don’t we make this more interesting?" Aaron said, his voice laced with mischief and slight mockery. "If I win, I get to go on a dinner date with your wife."

He immediately saw how his friend’s eyes turned hard and cold. Clearly, Oliver didn’t like his cousin’s teasing.

"What makes you think that you can win against me?" Oliver still maintained his indifference, looking unaffected as he calmly questioned his cousin’s ability.

But Aaron appeared unfazed by Oliver’s dominating presence as he answered his cousin with a confident smile. "My skills and luck."

Oliver shook his head as if unconvinced that Aaron would win, but his cousin was determined to rile him up.

"Unless you’re too chicken to lose." Aaron dared to say with brutal sarcasm.

At that point, he knew that Aaron had succeeded in getting on his friend’s nerves as Oliver loaded his gun with a deadly determination.

"Lose?" Oliver directed his question to his cousin. "Never. But if I win, you’ll date my intern, Elizabeth Winston. And you’ll try to get all the information I need from her."

With a mole roaming freely in the company, he believed Oliver wanted everyone investigated. That included all the newly hired employees.

"I guess that is a win-win for me." Aaron smiled with satisfaction as he also picked up his gun for their mini tournament. "Why would I say no to that?"

The game started.

One set.

Five bullets.

The one who got the most bullseyes would be declared the winner.

Aaron went first. He got the first bullseye. Then, Oliver took his turn. Bullseye.

It continued until the fourth round. The score was tied. Three a piece.

Aaron missed for the first time.

"You got this, Oliver." He was so sure Oliver would win.

But Oliver was still human, as he also missed the target by a hair.

Although the bet might not be that much, it was still completely nerve-racking to watch these two compete against each other.

It was as if they were fighting over which one should live and die.

"This time, I won’t miss," Aaron said. Then, he put a solid hole in the target.

Now, it was Oliver’s turn. If he failed, then his wife would be dining with his cousin tonight. Of course, from the look on his friend’s face, he wouldn’t let that happen.

But if luck was not on his side, then Oliver could lose.

At that moment, everyone else had already stopped their activities and had become spectators in the ongoing match.

Not a sound could be heard in the still silence. Except for the steady stream of the wind, he doubted if anyone was even breathing at that point as they all waited for Oliver to take his last shot.

Bang!

This time, he also held his breath as he picked up his binoculars to check the target.

"Damn! Dead center." He excitedly shouted before anyone could inspect that target closely. "So, we are going for a tie breaker."

One last round. One bullet. Now they had to target the center of the head. Then, they had to shoot simultaneously at the green light.

Bang! Bang!

The gunshot sound was electrifying as everyone anxiously awaited the result. Then, not a few seconds passed, and he declared a winner.

"Oliver hit the target, while Aaron missed the mark." The result was conclusive.

"I guess I should go and prepare for my date with Ms. Wilson," Aaron said, acting like a good sport. "But don’t get too cocky, cousin. I might get you next time." He said with a friendly warning.

Soon, everyone went to their business, and they also attended to their arriving guests.

After a few hours of negotiating for their government contract, they finally convinced the Generals to accept their terms.

"I guess I’m the lucky one today, Jacob," Oliver commented when they finished up and sent their guests home.

"Yep! You get to keep the girl and earn a billion-dollar contract." He totally agreed. But he knew if Oliver had lost that bet, there would be hell to pay.

"Are you actually falling for Sophia?" He finally asked that nagging question that had been pestering him all day. "I told you that I caught her snooping through your things, but you don’t seem to be bothered by it."

He had caught her that morning in Oliver’s office. Of course, Sophia said some lame excuse about looking for a pen and paper. But he was absolutely certain that he saw her tinkering with his friend’s computer.

"If she said that she was not doing anything wrong, I believe her," Oliver said, which was very unlike him.

If that had been another woman, he would have had her dragged into their interrogation cell. But since it was Sophia, he was making excuses for her.

"I trust her," Oliver said. "Now, unless you have any other solid proof against her, then that’s the end of this conversation."