Page 26 of Wreaking Havoc on my Heart

“A lot has happened while you’ve been gone, including Eydis going dark on us.”

My brows shoot to my hairline in actual surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to be the one to bring her up, but now that he has, I have to be careful.

“She always finds her way. I’m sure if that was the choice she made, then she made it wisely. We are the ones who trained her after all.”

“So you’re not still pissed at me for sending her there?” The way he watches me makes me feel uneasy.Does he know something?

I shrug, turning to watch the fight so I don’t have to look him in the eye.

“She’s your niece. Whatever you have to do, that’s on you.”

He nods then sits back down to watch the fighters in the ring along with me.

“Hey, how’s E’s program been going? Is the team still here?”

He lets out an annoyed growl. “They refuse to leave. Since she hired them, they won’t go until she dismisses them.”

I chuckle and he huffs.

“So they are just as stubborn as she is then? Shocking.” I mock him while secretly being proud of E for going after the things she wanted no matter how much he tried to sway her otherwise.

I go through the moves, easily falling back into my old routine as I make my rounds with the recruits and offer advice to those fighting. I walk a few of them through warm-ups and fall into step for as long as it takes Adrik to leave. When he exits after giving me a nod, I feel like I can take my first breath since arriving back here.

I put in a little more time with the people I know, not wanting them to get suspicious. Once I’m confident it’s all clear, I make my way to the gym E trained in with her recruits. She had her training center set up with dorm rooms on the outside of the gym, but kept all the doors visible to anyone who would be training. I don’t think she did it to keep them close to work, but more to create accountability and to help everyone feel more safe after some of the shit that happened to her here.

I knock on the door, doing what I can to respect their privacy but also feeling awkward as hell since there’s no protocol for this. A tall woman with short, curly dark brown hair and dark skin answers the door. I only met her a handful of times, but she remembers me instantly.

“What are you doing back here, Havoc?”

“It’s good to see you too, Lizz. Can we talk?”

She eyes me with skepticism. I’m sure Adrik hasn’t been kind to any of them since E left, and I know she’s wondering just whose side I’m on.

“It’s about E.” I don’t want to say too much out in the open, but I want her to know she can trust me, just like E does.

She nods and steps aside just enough for me to see a few of the other women who have chosen to stay. Donna, Maritza, and Tammy all sit on the couch in the gym area watching some fighting techniques. I knew E set them up with a program and had helpful videos for when they needed to learn something new, but they seem to be genuinely struggling right now.

They were all well-trained fighters when they arrived. However, if E was here, they would be miles ahead than they seem to be.

“How have you guys been getting by since E and I left?” I have been on nearly back-to-back missions since E was sent to the university, so I haven’t been able to check in nearly as much as I would have liked. Lizz scoffs while walking by me.

“You and I both know Adrik thinks less of us than a damn toothpick.”

I nod in agreement. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here to help. Has he got you running any missions?”

The eye roll I receive in response is enough for me to make decent assumptions.

“Hey, Havoc,” Lizz says, ducking into the ring. “Why don’t you show us a few moves before you leave us again.”

With a grin, I duck under the ropes. “You sure you can handle me, Lizz? I’d hate to hurt that pride of yours.”

Shaking her head, she smiles back at me. “Bring it on, big guy.”

???

We spend hours training. I work with everyone who’s still here and get them as close as I can to their expected progress mark according to the instruction journal E left for Lizz. When we’re done, I grab us all bottles of water, and we start some cool-down stretches. I can tell Lizz is itching to say something, but she will wait until everyone has left to shower.

Once we are the only ones left, Lizz doesn’t hold back.

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