Page 71 of Stars and Scars

“Well, let’s take karate for example. An inside crescent kick is a very effective move.”

He demonstrates, looking a lot better than I did.

“The only problem is, you need to keep your heart rate relatively low, and manage your emotions to use a crescent kick effectively. If your body is flooded with adrenaline, you will lose enough of your fine motor skills that karate becomes next to impossible.”

“Wouldn’t that be the same with…whatever the hell you’re talking about?”

“No. The close quarters system is designed for everyday people who are guaranteed to have too high a heart rate and adrenaline levels to complete complex martial arts moves. It uses gross motor skills rather than fine motor skills.”

I laugh and shrug.

“All right, sign me up, sensei.”

Grayson’s lips pull back in a small smile. He’s pleased I’m willing to undergo this training. I guess it can’t hurt to learn a few things.

“First things first,” he says, squaring off with me. “Most of the time, an attacker isn’t going to try and strike you. They’re more likely to try a grapple first, particularly against a female opponent. Try to grab me by the shoulders.”

“Okay.”

I reach out for him and grab his shoulders. He doesn’t move.

“Not like that,” he says. “Like you mean it.”

“Well, okay.”

I pause for a moment, and then try to take him by surprise. I reach out to grab his shoulders. Gray lifts his arms up and deflects my hands away with a simple movement that isn’t much more than a shrug. Yet, my hands fly out to the side.

“Do you see what I did?”

“Um, sort of. You moved really fast…”

Gray demonstrates again for me, a little bit slower.

“All right, your turn.”

He reaches out for me and I attempt the move. I’m a little bit too slow and he catches hold of me.

“Not bad. Your technique is sound. You just need more speed, and maybe more power. Try again.”

He tries again, and this time I smack his arms out to the side. I’m surprised at how easy it is.

“You were going easy on me, weren’t you?”

“No,” Gray says, shaking his head. “I was not. It doesn’t matter how big or strong you are if you use the principles of leverage and momentum.”

I tilt my head to the side and regard Gray in a new light.

“You’re a hell of a lot smarter than you want people to think, aren’t you, Grayson?”

He chuckles, the sun highlighting the loveliness of his silver eyes.

“It’s always better to be underestimated than overestimated. Besides, smart people get saddled with extra work. It’s a proven fact.”

We practice the move. A lot. So much that my forearms grow sore. I think we’re done, but Gray has more tricks up his sleeve.

“Another thing that tends to happen to women is a hand around the throat.”

He pantomimes the move, clutching his own neck with his big-veined hand.

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