Page 42 of Dagger

Kennedy, Cara, and Iris all huddled together, watching Sophie jump onto the boxing ring, pull the ropes apart, and squeeze through.

I couldn’t help noticing her fit, toned body.

Sophie had a baby recently, but you’d never have guessed it by how her black skin-tight gym shorts and the matching top showed off her slim figure. There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on her toned limbs or surprisingly muscular abs. Her build was much like mine at her age, except she was way fitter, and although she had boobs and an ass, they were smaller than mine were back then, obviously because she worked out way more than I ever did.

My daughter ran her hands through her long, dark hair and slicked it up into a high ponytail, which she secured with a black hair tie from around her wrist. “Ned, you’re pregnant, so I don’t want you training with anybody in case things get too physical. Stay down there and take note of what we do. Elise, Cara, and Iris come up here, and I’ll take you through some self-defense moves. We’ll practice in pairs.”

Iris, Cara, and I hauled ourselves up and squeezed through the ropes Sophie held open for us. Then, she took us through a warm-up until we were primed and ready.

“Self-defense is about making things as difficult as possible for your attacker,” Sophie explained. “We want him to either give up because you’re not an easy target or at least buy yourself time to get away and raise the alarm. Always remember thebody parts that make men vulnerable. Eyes, throat, solar plexus, and dick. Digging your thumbs in an eye socket will incapacitate anyone. Hell, pull out their eyeballs if you need to.” She suddenly charged into Cara, who let out a girlie squeal and fell into a heap on the mat.

“Hey!” Cara snapped, taking hold of Sophie’s outstretched hand and pulling up to her feet. “I wasn’t ready!”

“That’s lesson one,” Sophie stated. “Always be prepared and feel out your surroundings.” She looked at Cara and gestured downward. “Straighten your leg and lock it at the knee.”

Cara did as she was told, and when Sophie suddenly charged at her again, she managed to stay on her feet.

“There!” Sophie declared. “Preparation could save your life. Whenever you’re away from the compound, in a store, or just in the street chatting with a friend, I want you to get into the habit of standing with one leg locked. Atlas told me he’s arranging stun guns for us, and he’ll take us through the training for them.”

“What about mace?” Iris suggested. “That shit stings.”

“Mace is good for indoors but not out in the open air. You risk hurting yourself if it blows back into your eyes or throat. There’s nothing wrong with having a canister by your bed, or even in your car, but I wouldn’t advise using it outside.” A slow grin spread across her face, and she waggled her eyebrows. “I can’t wait to play with our stun guns. It’s gonna be fun.”

Over the next hour, Sophie took us through the basics. She corrected my stance, my footwork, and even how I punched. By the time the hour was up, I was shocked at how much more confident I felt. I’d learned more in an hour with my daughter than I had from years of studying YouTube videos.

Soph went easy on me because of my sore ribs. Even so, by the time she dismissed us, sweat poured from me. My muscles screamed with pain, but my blood pumped, and I wasexhilarated and felt way more confident in dealing with an attack.

A door banged in the distance, and voices floated down the stairs to the gym. Straight away, I recognized John’s deep timbre, followed by Atlas’s chuckle.

I looked up to see my son-in-law come into view with John close behind.

“How’s it goin’, ladies?” the SAA boomed as he reached the bottom of the steps. “Did my Stitch put you through your paces?”

Sophie leaned onto the ropes with her arms outstretched. “They were amazing, but then ladies are much more intelligent fighters than you brawlers. We think on our feet and have to be more creative.”

Atlas came to a stop, planted his feet apart, and folded his arms crossed over his chest. “Bullshit,” he barked.

Sophie smiled prettily. “Shall I prove it, big man?” She beckoned him over with her index finger.

Atlas moved quickly for a big guy because, within seconds, he’d hauled himself up into the ring.

An uneasy feeling prickled through my stomach as I felt a presence next to me and looked up to see John standing close by my side.

“She’s gonna kick his ass,” he crowed.

My mouth gaped, and I jerked a finger toward the ring. “You can’t let her fight him, Stone. He’ll hurt her. Look at the size of him.”

John chuckled softly. “Don’t underestimate our girl, Leesy, she can fight. And if you think Atlas would harm a hair on her head, you’re crazy. He’s protective to a fault—”

As he finished his sentence, Sophie shrieked what I could only describe as a war cry and leaped on Atlas’s chest.

He wasn’t ready for her, so he staggered backward, and his ass hit the floor with a loud thud. The instant Atlas got his breath back, he bucked his hips so forcefully that he sent Sophie flying off. However, instead of falling on her ass like her husband just had, she managed to flip herself so her feet hit the floor as she landed in a crouch.

My jaw hit the floor. “Jesus. She’s incredible.”

“Yep,” John agreed proudly, puffing his chest out. “Sophie’s a black belt in Krav Maga. She’s so damned good that I made her to come here a year ago and train my men in Martial Arts. How do you think she and Atlas got together? It’s not like they ran in the same crowd.”

My breath caught in my throat as I watched Atlas grapple roughly with my daughter. Sophie swiftly turned, ducked under his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder as if he only weighed ten pounds.

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