Page 41 of Dark Secrets

“Anything interesting?”

Clara shared a knowing look with Delaney and Addy before sliding off the stool and lifting it with both hands. “No. I’ll go over bar stock with you if you buy me lunch.”

Mike held the swinging door between the kitchen and the dining room for Clara. “I always buy you lunch.”

The door closing muffled Clara’s reply, but Mike’s laugh carried through and made Delaney smile. If those two weren’t sleeping together, she’d be very surprised. Suddenly aware she was alone with Addy again, the smile dropped from her face, and she twisted to study the woman.

“I didn’t expect any of this to happen. Your friendship is important to me, Addy, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it while I’m here.”

“You say that like you might up and leave at a moment’s notice.”

Delaney swallowed hard. “I just never know where life is going to take me. I try not to look too far ahead.”

Addy shaped the last patty and set it on a parchment square. She stacked the raw burgers and set them into a prep container, covering it with plastic wrap. She looked up at Delaney, the bright blue of her hair turning her green eyes to turquoise.

“James deserves a little happiness after everything he’s been through. And I suspect you do too. Just be careful with each other. Because happiness can turn to regret in a blink.”

ChapterEighteen

James circled the training area where women had paired off and were practicing a series of self-defense moves. One combo after another until their opponent was on the floor. Then they switched off and started over. It was easier now, when their opponents were roughly the same size and strength level. Eventually he, Brogan, or Holt would play the attacker and finesse their form and strength.

It was easy to spot the ones who’d been practicing at home or doing the strength training exercises they’d given them. They moved faster, smoother, and with more direct purpose than the others, who seemed to flail about and hope their punch landed.

“Jade. If you leave your arm like that, your attacker is going to snap it in half. Closer to your body,” he barked across the open space.

Jade immediately adjusted her arm and went into her next move. He watched her finish her set. Her lack of practice was evident in her sloppiness. She pivoted too slowly or made contact with the wrong part of her partner’s body. If she couldn’t get it right on someone about her height, she’d never get it on an attacker who would tower over her.

“Stop.” He paused next to the pair of them and waited for Jade to brush her hair out of her eyes. “You’re too slow.”

Jade gave an exasperated huff. “I’m trying to remember all the steps.”

“You don’t need to remember all the steps. You only need to remember the next one. You’re not answering a test question. Let your body remember the steps one at a time as you need them rather than wasting precious minutes making a list before you even begin.”

James gestured at Jade’s partner to move back. “If someone attacks you from behind, they’re not going to wait for you to remember all the steps to get away before they drag you into the dark alley to rape you.”

Without warning, he spun until he was behind her, wrapping his arm around her neck but not squeezing. “I’m a foot taller than you, my arm is around your neck, you’re alone. What do you do first?” She hesitated. “Stop thinking,” he commanded, tightening his arm around her neck to ramp up her adrenaline. “What’s first?”

“Step forward with my left leg.”

“Good.” He started to drag her backward to throw her off balance. “And then?”

“Drop my right shoulder”—her body lurched as she moved—“and spin away from you.” She shoved at his chest with both hands hard enough that he stumbled back a step. “Push you away from me.”

“And run like hell.” He grinned. “Very good. Even the smallest hesitation gives the other guy the upper hand. And that’s the last thing we want him to have. Run it again.”

He watched them run the sequence through twice more, correcting form for both of them. Jade was already doing better on the second pass. She just needed to get out of her own head.

“Thanks for filling in today,” Reagan said once the students had filed out and it was quiet. “Evie had a last-minute thing she had to take care of with Declan.”

“Not a problem. Pub is closed today anyway, and I don’t mind ignoring all the paperwork I have to catch up on. I’ll have to see if Brogan can keep me out of jail for tax evasion.”

She laughed. “The syndicate has done worse things to avoid prison. I’m surprised I haven’t seen Addy or Clara at one of these classes, though. Seems like it’s something at least Addy would be into.”

Reagan tugged her hair free of its ponytail and ran her fingers through the red strands to smooth them. She looked so much like Maura when she had her hair down.

“Addy’s mentioned wanting to come a couple times. I honestly wish I could get Delaney into a class like this.”

“The new girl you hired?”

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