Page 75 of Broken Promises

“That’s one way to get a broken thumb. I’m not stupid.”

“You might not be, but a lot of people are.”

She showed me a few moves for basic defense, throwing a few attack moves in too. It felt like a chore at first, but by the end, I was drenched in sweat and having fun.

Thankfully, Beckett was sweaty too, so I didn’t look so bad.

She grabbed us both a bottle of water from behind the bar, offering one to me as she returned.

“You’re not a lost cause. You picked that up fast,” she offered lightly, making me grin.

“I told you I can handle myself.”

“You did. You’re rusty and your confidence is fucked. Practice, okay? Don’t listen to the guys if they tell you they can protect you. Do this for yourself. Don’t be the damsel, be the knight. I know the guys are worried about you getting hurt again, but you can’t live your life with that kind of fear,” she saidseriously, downing some of her water before continuing. “Go get your knife.”

“Uh, we’re knife fighting now?”

“No. I want to see how you hold it.”

I humored her and slipped out of the cage to grab it, knowing she didn’t like how I held it from the way she frowned at me when I showed her.

“I’m holding the handle and the sharp part is aimed at you. How else does one hold a knife?” I asked in defeat when she didn’t say anything.

“Flip it around. No, don’t grab the blade,” she scoffed, grabbing it and putting it in my hand how she wanted. “Now if someone’s coming at you, you can slash better. Don’t poke holes, you want to aim to spill their guts all over their feet.”

It felt weird, but she knew what she was talking about.

She took it from my hands and stepped back, moving fast as she slashed the air a few times to show me. It definitely seemed better.

“Thanks for showing me this stuff,” I said sincerely. “I know it’s probably a pain in the ass.”

“Hey, getting to plot violence and murder is my favorite thing to do with my friends,” she insisted, handing my knife back. “If we’re hanging out, I’d prefer this than listening to you cry about boys.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled, knowing she was serious. “I’ll keep that in mind for next time. This was kind of fun.”

“At least you stopped whining.”

“I hate you,” I grumbled, and she flipped me off.

“Hate you too.”

A door opened, and Skeeter stepped out of what I assumed was the office. I had no idea he was even here.

“Sorry to break up your fun, but you need to leave, Raven.”

I took that as code for trouble was coming, so I climbed out of the cage and grabbed my things from the bar without asking questions, turning to Beckett as she appeared next to me. “Thanks for today.”

“I’m not done with you yet,” she said seriously. “I say we plan a fight for you. Not everyone in our cage on fight night is lethal. We have amateur hour kind of shit too.”

Skeeter snorted, crossing his arms to eye me. “Don’t listen to her. You’d get your ass handed to you. If what I just saw is your skill level, you’d be lucky to fight a corpse and win.”

“Working on it,” I huffed, amusement flashing across his face.

“I noticed. Invest in a punching bag or something before you try to take down the living. You suck, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. You’ll get there.”

He seemed to have a silent conversation with Beckett for a second before he vanished into the office again, and Beckett headed outside with me and unlocked her car.

“Praise from Dad doesn’t come often unless he’s impressed,” Beckett said randomly, making me frown.

---