Page 24 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

A soft smile touched her lips, but I didn’t believe she was soft at all. She looked like she kicked ass for fun. Deep down, I wished I could be her. “My name is Rae Dennon.”

She held out her hand to me. I stared at it for a moment, then reluctantly held out my hand, shaking hers. “Beth.”

“Let’s get to work.”

I followed her over to a mat, setting my bag just a few feet away. Glancing around the room, I watched as others continued with the class led by the other men. It seemed Rae was taking me aside to teach me separately. With even a small amount of their knowledge, I might actually be able to escape if those men ever came for me again. I gave as good as I could outside the diner, but it wouldn’t have been enough. Though I was mostly healed, I still felt every punch and my life slowly slipping away.

“Alright, let’s go through some basic maneuvers.”

I nodded and followed along as she showed me how to put up my arms to block a punch, how to form a fist to punch, and how to protect my body. I moved through the motions, but I felt like an imposter. As she led me through a series of maneuvers, I felt like the whole room was watching me, laughing at how ridiculous I looked.

“You’re doing great,” she grinned.

“I look like an idiot.”

“Well, in all fairness, we all look like idiots when we start out. Nobody is just born to do this stuff. It takes training and practice.”

“Alright, let’s try some easy defensive moves.”

I frowned, not sure what she was saying. “You mean, like fighting you?”

“Not exactly. I’m going to pretend to attack you, and then I’ll walk you through how to break the different holds and get away.”

The thought of someone holding me down sent shivers over my skin. But she was here to help me. I had to push past this. Swallowing down my fear, I nodded and waited as she got in position. With her arms wrapped around me from behind, she closed her hand over my shoulder, squeezing just a tad too tight. I barely heard her instructions, but managed to do as she said and break the hold, though I gathered she let me go because she could tell I was uncomfortable.

We worked on it for well over a half hour. My declaration that I could only stay a few minutes was obviously a lie at this point. But I was actually learning something, even if I wasn’t sure if I could put it to use. Maybe I could practice at home or something.

“Now, I want you to practice with Cash. He’ll—”

“Cash?” I interrupted, turning around.

“My boss. It’s fine to practice with another woman, but to get the feel of fighting off a man, you need the real deal.”

I almost told her that I already knew what it was like to fight off a man, but I bit my tongue as he walked over. I looked up into his eyes for just a second before quickly averting my gaze. I couldn’t control the shudder that washed over my body. I knew I shouldn’t be attracted to this man, but my body had other ideas. But that all changed when he stepped closer to me. My brain was telling me to trust him, but my body was itching to run. When he stepped up behind me, I had to force myself not to react to him.

Fear threatened to overtake my body. My breathing picked up as his body pressed against mine. I nearly swayed on my feet as I remembered the men in the alley, punching and kicking me. The pain of my arm being torn from its socket flashed through my mind.

“You’re not using your full range of motion,” he said, taking my left hand in his and pulling my arm in an arcing motion that left me in a state of agony. I wasn’t sure what happened, but it felt like that night, when my shoulder was dislocated. I cried out, tearing my body from his grasp as I gripped my shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut to block out the pain.

“Are you okay?” he asked, starting toward me.

I stumbled for the edge of the mat, all too aware of the stares from the other students. I grabbed my bag and pulled it over my other shoulder as I raced for the entrance. I couldn’t think of anything but getting out of there right this minute. Nausea overwhelmed me as I raced for the door. Gasping for air, I shoved the door open just as vomit rose in my throat and I threw up all over the sidewalk. I slumped against the brick wall, trying to get my bearings so I could make it home. But at the sound of a door opening, I spun around to defend myself, only to find everything going black.

11

CASH

I watchedfrom across the gym as the new woman struggled to do any of the moves Rae was teaching her. I hated seeing women come in here, terrified to even try. It was obvious that she was one of the unlucky, a woman that had already suffered through something horrific.

We’d had a number of women like her in the past, but a lot of our students were just here to learn to defend themselves. They’d never dealt with anything horrible in their lives. They were the lucky ones.

Rae motioned me over, telling the woman I was going to step in her place. I wasn’t sure that was a great idea, but if I could help her out, I gladly would. One of the things I noticed was that she wasn’t really using her whole body. She was just going through the motions, but that would get her injured. I stepped up behind her and gently grabbed her arm, extending it fully.

“You’re not using your full range of motion,” I said, about to show her what I was talking about when she suddenly cried out and yanked her body away from me. I knew in an instant that she was injured, but she hid it well when she was working with Rae.

I was about to stop her when I saw the fear and pain in her eyes. She ran for the door after grabbing her bag, but when she stumbled, I knew I couldn’t let her leave.

“Dammit,” I swore under my breath, chasing after her. As I ran around the corner, I saw her vomit all over the sidewalk, and as I shoved open the door, she spun, but her eyes rolled back in her head. I barely had time to catch her before she collapsed on the ground. Holding her in my arms, I adjusted my grip before hoisting her up.

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