Page 84 of Say Yes to the Death

Claire flinched.

“Sorry. The night of the incident, you were attacked from behind, weren’t you?”

“Yes, from behind.”

“The favorite attack method of cowards. Okay.” He held her shoulders and stood behind her. “Depending on how someone grabs you, there are several different ways to defend yourself. Let’s say someone comes up behind you and—because you are so small, no offense—puts you in a chokehold.”

He hunched down so he was more at Claire’s level. In one swift motion, his right arm whipped out and squeezed tight around her neck. His biceps bulged into her cheek, squashing her jaw. She fought the urge to dig her nails into his skin and scratch furiously. As the panic rose, she flashed back to the dark hotel hallway, where she had walked, unaware and with mashed potatoes still staining her dress, directly into Barney’s waiting arms. While Barney hadn’t had Sawyer’s strength, he did have chloroform.

Claire glanced across the field. Officer Schiccitano had set up a folding chair at the edge of the baseball diamond. He licked his thumb and turned a page on the paperback he was reading. Mindy had sat up underneath her tree and had slid her sunglasses down her nose, watching their encounter intently.

“Now this feels pretty terrible and effective, doesn’t it?” Sawyer asked.

Claire found that she couldn’t speak easily, so she tried nodding instead.

His arm relaxed and drew away from her neck.

She rubbed her neck and took several deep breaths.

“When you feel someone coming in for a chokehold, the best possible thing you can do to defend yourself is to tuck your chin. When you tuck your chin, you prevent the attacker from getting a firm hold around your windpipe.”

She tucked her chin obediently. Oh good, a double chin. She would hate to look her best when her ex-boyfriend showed up. Was her foundation rubbing off too? Not that she cared. She wasn’t trying to impress Luke. If he even showed up.

“Now grab my wrist and take a step to the side.”

“Which hand?”

“Whichever is closest. Good,” Sawyer said. “By stepping to the side, you’ve thrown me slightly off balance. Next you’re going to take the hand that was grabbing my wrist, and smash it right into my groin. But please don’t actually do that.”

Claire giggled in spite of herself as she brought her arm down in a slashing motion, stopping just before she made contact with his gym shorts.

“Great, now, assuming that your attacker is a male, this is going to hurt like hell and cause him to crumple a little bit. When that happens, take that same elbow and smash it up into my face like you’re pulling the cord on a lawn mower. You should feel it in your shoulder blade. Perfect. Step-groin-nose. Now do it quickly. Your attacker isn’t going to allow you to take your time. Good.”

A sense of calm grew within her even though a 250-pound man held her in a choke hold. She was capable. “But what if my feet don’t touch the ground? What if someone like you who can throw me around like a sack of potatoes attacks me? I can’t take a step if I can’t reach the ground.”

“I’m glad you asked. I’m going to lift you, but just tap my arm twice if anything feels wrong or too uncomfortable.”

When her feet left the ground, dangling uselessly, her anxiety spiked. Her hands tightened around Sawyer’s arm. So much for being strong and capable.

“Move one leg like you’re going to take a step, then swing it back and kick backward as hard as you can. Again, please do not actually kick me in the groin.”

“What the hell?” a very familiar voice asked.

The bottom dropped out of Claire’s stomach. That was Luke’s irritated voice. She had last heard it when he had nearly flipped a table while putting together a one-thousand-piece puzzle of the Grand Canyon.

Sawyer swung around, still holding Claire off the ground. “Oh, hey, Luke. I was just showing Claire some self-defense moves.”

She squirmed and tapped his arm twice.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, quickly releasing her. Her knees nearly crumpled when she hit the ground. Sawyer and Luke both reached out to steady her, then stepped back and stared at each other. The tension in the air was palpable.

“Thanks for showing me that, Sawyer. So basically, always aim for the groin.”

“Congratulations, you have just mastered ninety percent of self-defense.” He laughed and crossed his arms and planted his feet wide, as though he was planning to stake a claim on that particular patch of grass.

She laughed nervously and turned around. The macho energy was exhausting. “Oh, it looks like the bride-to-be needs my help,” she said loudly, taking a step toward the table Nicole had set up.

“No, I don’t,” Nicole called out firmly.

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