Protector: Silent Phoenix MC Series: Book Four

by Myers, Shannon

  * * *

  “Leg extensions. This machine targets your Quad-Ry-Ceps. Quad-Ry-Ceps. Sounds like a dinosaur,” I mumble to myself as I study the pictures on the machine.

  Doucheface greeted me briefly and then sent me upstairs to run a mile at a gentle five point five pace. I gave him the evil eye from my perch high above as I ran, my body crying tears of sweat the entire time.

  Eighteen minutes later, I came downstairs, somewhat ready for my training session, only to be told to find some leg machines and try to complete three sets of ten. Like I have any sort of idea what I’m doing.

  So far, I’m not real impressed with the free one-on-one training I’m receiving—or rather, not receiving.

  I go back to studying the picture on the side of the machine, pushing my glasses up on my nose as I lean closer.

  “Looks like I just sit right on the seat and hook my legs under the rolly things. My Quad-Ry-Ceps will be big and strong, chasing all the smaller Quad-Ry-Ceps around the gym before I know it.”

  There’s a tap on my shoulder and I turn.

  “You’re on my machine.” Thor points at the seat.

  I snort. “I’m not up to speed on my gym etiquette, but there was no one on this machine when I walked up. Ergo, it’s technically my machine to work out my Quad-Ry-Ceps for as long as I feel is necessary.”

  He leans down and grabs the gym bag underneath the seat and a cup of neon blue liquid in one of those shaker bottles. “My bag. My cup. My machine.”

  My face burns with embarrassment. “Well, Big Guy, I am very sorry to have gotten on your machine. Carry on. Work your Quad-Ry-Ceps.”

  I turn away when his voice stops me. “Cap, it’s quadriceps, not Quad-Ry-Ceps.”

  I look back at him, confused. “Cap?”

  He points at my shirt. I’ve chosen another Captain America shirt, however on this one, the shield appears to be bleeding red. I thought it was more fitting for the torture I’m enduring.

  He laughs, and it’s as deep as his voice. “I figure if you’re gonna call me Big Guy, I might as well call you Cap—you seem really into him.”

  He remembers what I wore yesterday?

  I don’t know what to say. At the moment, my brain is still playing catch up, so I nod politely and turn away.

  “Hey, Cap? It’s Zane.”

  I turn back and point stupidly at my chest. “Dakota.”

  He laughs again. “I know...Kyle yelled it across the gym yesterday.”

  Kyle?

  “Who the heck is Kyle?”

  He points over at Doucheface, who is very involved in training a perky little brunette while I’m over here trying to figure out how to pronounce the names of the muscle groups I’m supposed to be working.

  “His name’s Kyle? I’ve just been calling him Doucheface in my head for the last forty-eight hours.”

  Zane chokes on his blue drink and begins coughing. He manages to wheeze out, “Doucheface? That’s hysterical, Cap…and accurate.”

  We both look over at the sound of Kyle’s voice. He’s resting his hand on the brunette’s lower back as she laughs at something he says.

  I exhale forcefully. “Enjoy your workout, Big Guy. I’m going to see if my trainer might have a few moments to actually train me.”

  He stands up straight and I realize just how tall the man is. I’m barely five foot and he’s at least a foot and a half taller than me.

  He catches me staring and bites the side of his cheek, holding back a grin. “Good luck with Doucheface, Cap.”

  I cannot wipe the smile off of my face.

  * * *

  “I’m telling you, Kate. He looks just like Thor…I can’t stop thinking about him.”

  I might’ve left the gym and driven straight to my sister’s house. I also might’ve woken her up in the process. How was I to know she’d gone out with her friends last night and would be exhausted?

  “And what about Jackson?” Kate takes a sip of coffee, her legs tucked underneath her in the overstuffed armchair, using her soothing counselor voice.

  I give her my best blank stare. “Who?”

  She laughs. “Well, you’ve certainly piqued my curiosity. Given your love for all things superhero-related, this guy’s a goner. What’s his name, maybe we can stalk him online?”

  I stretch out on the living room floor, like some silly teenage girl. “Zane.”

  She sleepily rubs under her eyes and takes another sip. “Last name?”

  I shrug. “I dunno…”

  Kate sets the mug down on the side table and cocks her head to the side. “What does he do for a living?”

  I pick at a fingernail, avoiding her gaze. “He, um, works…somewhere.”

  “Dakota, you’re telling me that this guy has you looking forward to the next time you get to work out and you know nothing about him? Geez, I don’t know that there’s been a person in the history of ever that could achieve what this man has—getting Dakota Quinn to love exercise.”

  She says the last part a little too dramatically for my taste and I fling a throw pillow at her head. The grogginess has slowed her reflexes and it bounces off her face before she can even bring her hands up.

  I fall back onto the carpet laughing at her facial expression. “Oh my gosh, Kate. I wish you could see your face right now. Priceless.”

  She frowns at me. “That was really unnecessary. You could’ve spilled my coffee and I would have killed you. Then you’d never find out if Thor wanted to show you his hammer or not.”

  Now, it’s her turn to laugh at my facial expression.

  “Kate—you can’t say stuff like that to me. Now, I’m going to have a hard time making eye contact with him at the gym!”

  She nods exaggeratedly. “Yeah, I bet he’ll be having a ‘hard time’ too!”

  I try to hide my smile. “You just went there…you really did. Now, I’m going to see him and wonder if ‘Big Guy’ is an accurate nickname.”

  Kate leans her head back and closes her eyes. “While you’re busy contemplating that, see if he has a brother that happens to be single.”

  I smile and agree, keeping my thoughts hidden away. It was pure fantasy. Men like Zane didn’t want women like me—they wanted women like Kate.

  Growing up in Kate’s shadow would’ve been hard for anyone. She seemed to excel at everything she did. Once we moved in with Nan, we were expected to attend church every Sunday. I hated it, only because it meant being subjected to my grandmother’s friends. They would gleefully surround Kate after service to ask if she’d considered modeling while scolding me for sneaking extra cookies from the fellowship hall.

  I could’ve resented Kate for it, but I knew it wasn’t something she invited. My big sister remained humble and was constantly trying to push the spotlight onto me. It was like the compliments never affected her. When I asked her about it, she’d told me that she refused to allow the compliments to build up her ego, because those compliments could just as quickly turn to criticism and have the power to break her down. “If you allow yourself to be fed by praise, then you allow yourself to be starved by criticism.”

  Typical counselor response.

  The problem is that I was the opposite. I chased after praise and affection, like a dog chasing a car.

  I tried to become who people expected me to be—when a popular girl at school told me I looked pretty in blue, I wore blue for the remainder of the school year. When my Nan said that comic books were for boys, I hid the box under my bed and began bringing Sweet Valley High books home from the library. When Jackson told me I would be prettier without the glasses, I made an appointment that same day for contacts.

  I sacrificed so much of myself, trying to please those around me, and it was never enough. I never reached a point where everyone was happy, least of all me.

  No, I never hated Kate, but I did envy her. I envied her ability to pretend to be what everyone wanted, while never losing herself in the process. I allowed myself to be fed by compliments and then star
ved by criticism until I was nothing more than a vessel—emptied and filled on a whim.

  As I lay on Kate’s living room floor, the silence enveloping me, I know I need to see myself as more.

  I just don’t know how yet.

  Operation Fit-ish is a full-length STANDALONE with no cliffhanger. To purchase, simply tap the title.

  Also by Shannon Myers

  From This Day Forward Duet

  (David & Elizabeth’s Story)

  From This Day Forward

  Forsaking All Others

  Standalone Novels

  (Travis & Katya’s Story)

  You Save Me

  Operation Series

  (Dakota & Zane’s Story)

  Operation Fit-ish

  (Kate and Nate’s Story)

  Operation Annulment

  Silent Phoenix MC Series

  (Mike & Lauren’s Story)

  Renegade (Book One)

  Traitor (Book Two)

  (Grey & Celia’s Story)

  Deserter (Book Three)

  Protector (Book Four)

  Savior (Book Five) Coming 9/2019

  Fairest Series

  (Charm & Neve’s Story)

  Through The Woods

  Fictioned Series

  (Hayden & Jake’s Story)

  Protagonized

  About the Author

  Shannon is a born and raised Texan. She grew up inventing clever stories, usually to get herself out of trouble. Her mother was not amused. In junior high, she began writing fractured fairy tales from the villain's point of view and that was the moment she knew that she was going to use her powers for evil instead of good.

  In 2003, she moved to Denver and met the love of her life. After some relentless stalking and a few well-timed sarcastic remarks, the man eventually gave in to her charms and wifed her so hard. They welcomed a son in 2007 that they named after their favorite Marvel superhero, Spiderman.

  Sick of seeing beautiful mountains through their window every day, the three escaped back to the desolate landscape of the west Texas desert in 2009. She welcomed her second son not long after and soon realized that being surrounded by three men was nothing at all like she'd imagined in her fantasies.

  After an unplanned surgery in 2014 and a long pity party, she decided to pen a novel about the worst thing that could happen to a person in order to cheer herself up. She's twisted like that. Thus, From This Day Forward was born and the rest, as they say, is history. Not only does Shannon enjoy stalking people, she also has a fondness for being stalked.

  Find her online at: http://shannonshaemyers.com

  Or in her reader group, The Forsaken: https://www.facebook.com/groups/630229377127363/