Connor walked in and smiled. “I won’t ask how far you ran today. What time did you start?”
“Just after four-thirty. I slept in.”
“That is a sleep in for you. Is it your best sleep since they took you off the painkillers, or did it take you a while to get to sleep?”
“Um,” Damon remembered back to going to bed. “It didn’t take me long at all. Yeah. Best sleep since…”
“All that work and exercise or helping Emily? Shit, I can’t call her that in front of anyone else. I mean Kat.”
“I think a bit of everything. I think I lived for a reason. I’m meant to help her.”
“You definitely lived for a reason, Sensei Damon. You’re meant to help a lot of people. I know Bethany was too. We all wish we could bring her back. You are still meant to be here! You better go have a shower and put your gi on. You have a class at seven. I’ll help with the sign ins, and if the girls get too much, you can go to the dojo or do weights with the big boys when they get here.”
“Twelve to six. I’ll be back soon.”
Damon walked back up the stairs wearing his gi and black belt, his hair still damp from the shower.
Connor tapped his watch. “Six minutes, princess.”
Damon grinned, “Ten minutes, and I’ll probably turn into a girl.” He looked at the kitchen. “I should probably eat. Want anything?”
Connor nodded. “A piece of fruit if there’s any left. Otherwise, I’ll get some when Laura comes in. Perks of her parents owning a fruit shop.”
“Yesterday’s was good quality too.”
“It always is.”
Damon walked over to the kitchen, which was across from the cardio equipment and on the way to the weights. He grabbed two bananas and two apples out of the fruit bowl. They were free for staff and fifty cents each for members. The loyalty tin sat next to the fruit bowl. So far, everyone had done the right thing.
Damon handed Connor a banana and an apple. “Does the seven o’clock class get as many people as the seven-thirty morning class? Dereck got twenty-two?”
“That sounds about right. We used to do only Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Wednesday is six-thirty and Friday is seven o’clock. We stagger it to suit everyone. The Friday class did the best, but so did all the Friday classes as Sensei Lucas taught them all. The other two were about the same.” Connor peeled his banana and took a bite.
“Dad does teach a great class.”
“True, and you both have your share of groupies.”
Damon almost growled and took a bite of his banana. He smiled as three cars drove in. Two cars were the same. Cliffy was driving the third with Mick in the passenger seat. “I guess it’s his turn today.”
Mick and Cliffy walked in with two karate uniforms on coat hangers.
“Sorry about last night, Sensei Damon. We didn’t make it here till almost eight. Even had to eat in the car. Big day at work. So we’re going to do weights and your class this morning, then head to work. I’ve lent Cliffy one of my gis.” Mick, at five foot eleven, was slightly taller than Cliffy. He had just as many muscles, only one tattoo, light brown hair and hazel eyes.
“Great to hear. Hit the gym, and I’ll see you in class. Three people will slow down the weights session, but I definitely want to train with you two again.”
“You’re on. See you in class.”
Cliffy leant in and lowered his voice as though he were telling the world’s greatest secret. “Ya know, Mick’s been talking ya up. Don’t let me down.”
Damon laughed. “I’ll do my best.”
It was relatively quiet for the next ten minutes until Laura and Dereck came in with a box of fruit. Dereck put it in the kitchen while Laura got ready for aerobics. About twenty girls came in after them for aerobics. Damon avoided eye contact and was relieved that Sasha wasn’t there. He was just about to go downstairs to get ready for his class when Sasha and a few other girls turned up in their karate uniforms. Oh, joy. This is going to be fucking fantastic.
“I loved your class last night and couldn’t wait to see you again. I’ll be going to all your classes from now on.” Sasha leant forward on the desk, trying to touch Damon’s arm, but he took a step back.
“All our instructors are excellent. You should go to as many different classes as you can.”
Sasha licked her lips and smiled. “I just like being around you. I’ve been looking into fitness instructor courses, so I can replace Laura when she takes maternity leave. Imagine working together, just like Laura and Sensei Dereck.”
Fuck no! Damon was about to storm off when the Chase family walked in. Dominique was holding the direct debit forms. “Excuse me, Sasha, I need to fix up some forms and sign our brown belt in.”
Sasha turned to glare at Kat but felt Damon’s eyes blaze at her. The man has a temper! She almost ran down the stairs to the dojo.
“Hey, Kat.” Damon glanced at the brown belt. “It looks good on you.”
Kat blushed. “Thanks, Sensei Damon. I guess my technique is good. I need to work on the other stuff.”
Damon smiled. “You’ll get there.” He grabbed Connor’s attention. “This is Sensei Connor.”
Connor nodded. “Hey, Kat, Mr and Mrs Chase. Um…I’m glad you’re okay and back at karate.”
Kat gave a weak smile. “Thanks. I really liked Sensei Damon’s class last night. I woke up pretty early, although I did sleep in for me.”
“Karate’s been making us all sleep better lately.” Connor smiled at Damon.
“I want to come to as many of Sensei Damon’s classes as I can.” It sounded so much better when Kat said it. “Mum and Dad are joining the gym and may even try karate.”
“We’ll watch Kat at first, but then maybe. We’ll definitely use the equipment. I need to get fit,” Eric said. Like their daughter, both Eric and Dominique looked underweight and sleep deprived.
Damon smiled. “We can certainly help you there. We’ll get these forms sorted out and head down to the dojo.”
Connor grabbed the forms and grinned. “I’ll do these. Our super sensei is technologically challenged. He needs to have one weakness.”
Damon shook his head and smiled. “If you want to do the paperwork, I guess, I’ll let you.”
“Haha. Where have I heard that before?”
Kat bit her bottom lip. “Um, if you ever need a hand, I’m pretty good with computers.”
It wasn’t what they were looking for, but a part-time employee could come in handy, and it may help the girl. Damon looked at Connor who nodded. He hoped they were thinking the same thing. “That’s very kind of you, Kat. We could do with a hand around here. Would you like a job after school?”
Kat’s eyes lit up, and she looked at her parents who smiled and nodded at each other.
“Kat’s home schooled at the moment. We can work school around her job,” Dominique said, smiling. A part-time job would do her the world of good.
Damon’s eyes lit up as he felt like doing a backflip to celebrate. “Kat, have you ever done aerobics?”
“A few times at Sensei Jacob’s, but I preferred karate. Why?”
“Would you consider teaching aerobics? We’d need to sort out the training first, of course.”
“I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess so.” Kat looked at the white board. “Isn’t Laura Sensei Dereck’s wife? You’re not getting rid of her, are you?”
Damon smiled. “I’ll introduce you after class. Laura and Sensei Dereck are expecting their first child at the end of the year. It’s my job to find another aerobics instructor.” Damon looked at Connor and grinned. “Leave the country for a couple of years, and you get stuck with the cr…yucky jobs.”
Kat laughed. “You know you can say crap in front of me.”
Damon smiled and shook his head. “Actually, I can’t. Dad was really strict with me growing up. I seriously can’t swear in front of females, no matter how old or young they are.”
Connor nodded and laughed. “You’re lu
cky. He swears like a soldier when it’s just us blokes.”
Eric smiled. “Your father sounds like a good man.”
Both Damon and Connor nodded. “He is.”
3
Kat hugged both her parents. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just be downstairs in the aerobics room. You two enjoy your workout.”
“You too. We’re just up here trying the equipment if you need us,” Dominique said.
Eric smiled. “Have a fantastic time, princess.”
Kat started walking towards the stairs and turned around. “Mum! Dad!” She flew into their arms for one more cuddle, then ran down the stairs to the aerobics room. Kat hesitated. I’m just doing two classes. I can do this. What if I’m not fit enough?
Several women walked past her for aerobics, then warm, brown eyes peered around the corner followed by an infectious smile. “Hey, Kat.”
Kat stopped herself from biting her lip and tried not to appear nervous. “Hey, Laura.”
“Come and join us. It’s just a body bar class followed by step aerobics. The step session really leaves me on a high, especially with the music I’ve chosen today. You’ll love it. Come on.”
Kat grabbed one of the bars with the lightest weight and lined up for class.
After class, still on a high, Kat picked up her aerobics step and started walking towards the wall to stack it with the others. Laura was right. The music and the class were fantastic. A woman in her twenties with sandy hair in a bun stopped in front of her.
“Fun class, hey?” Kat tried to walk around her.
“I hear you’re going to be the next aerobics instructor.”
Kat bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, I just accepted the job yesterday. Laura’s classes are amazing. I hope I can do them justice.”
Sasha put her hands on her hips. “I could do better. Just remember, you’re way too young for him, kid.”
“Too young for who?”
Laura noticed Sasha with her hands on her hips having a go at Kat and started walking over, about to give Sasha a piece of her mind.
“Sensei Damon, of course!”
“Are you interested in Sensei Damon?”
“Of course I am, aren’t you?”
“You haven’t heard about his partner then?” Kat asked.
Laura was about to say something but stopped.
“Are you saying he’s already got a girlfriend?”
Kat bit her lip. Laura guessed what she was going to say and bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. “He’s not exactly a girl. When Sensei Damon was shot, they sent him home and away from his partner, Alex.”
Sasha turned to Laura. “Is that true? Has Sensei Damon got a partner in Afghanistan?”
Laura nodded. “Alex Harding. He’s special ops like Damon. Gorgeous too.”
Sasha’s shoulder’s dropped. “I didn’t know. All the good ones, hey?”
Damon was oiling one of the treadmills when he heard the aerobics women coming up the stairs. “All the good ones are gay and taken.”
He was about to move to the next treadmill when Sasha walked over. “I’m really sorry, Sensei Damon. I didn’t know about Alex. You must really miss him?”
What did Laura do? “I do. Thank you.”
Sasha bowed and left the gym.
Damon met Laura and Kat as they were coming up the stairs. “Laura, you’re a legend! Thank you.”
Laura grinned. “So you don’t mind if everyone thinks you’re gay?”
“Not at all. I could kiss you, but that could make them rethink.”
Laura smiled warmly and put her hand on Kat’s shoulder. “Kat’s the little genius. Sasha was warning her off you, I was about to intervene, then Kat mentioned your partner, Alex, in Afghanistan.”
Damon smiled and nodded. “I’m impressed, Kat. I do have a partner, Alex, in Afghanistan.”
Kat bit her lip and smiled. “I know I misled her, but you don’t need her chasing you. This gives you time.” Kat’s eyes widened. “Oh no! What if a guy tries to come on to you? I’m so sorry!”
Laura burst out laughing. “Sensei Damon can handle himself around men. Don’t worry. He just can’t put women in their place.”
Kat nodded. “Like the no swearing around women thing?”
Damon smiled. “Exactly!” He glanced at Dominique and Eric, who were moving to the rowing machines from the treadmills. “We’ve still got twenty minutes. Would you like to check out the front desk and learn how to sign people in?”
Kat nodded a little too much. “Yes, please! Dad’s a software engineer, so I know a bit about computers. I’d love to help.”
Damon and Laura started showing Kat the scanners, cash register and computers when the TV caught Damon’s attention.
Jamie Sanders, a male reporter with light brown hair, stood in the backyard of a suburban home. “A family moved into this rental property in Lorikeet Meadows last weekend. On Sunday night, their pet Labrador dug up female remains. Police have identified the body as missing person, Jenny Williams.” The screen flicked to a picture of an underweight woman in her early twenties with light brown hair and glasses. “Results confirm that she was raped, sodomised and stabbed. Shockingly, the cause of death was suffocation. Evidence suggests that her abductor forced her to dig her own grave and then buried her alive.”
Oh, God! The poor woman. Damon glanced at Kat and nudged Laura. “Get her parents now!” He put his arm around Kat, who was dead white and shaking. “I’m going to walk you over to the chair now, Kat, okay?”
Kat didn’t reply. She didn’t seem to know he was there. She took a big breath, then another. Her eyes seemed far away. Her trembling became frantic. Damon took a step with her, but her knees gave out, and she would have fallen to the floor if he hadn’t caught her.
Dominique and Eric ran over.
“I’ll grab her some water.” Eric was about to run to the kitchen when Damon, still supporting Kat’s weight, glanced at the fridge behind him.
“Get one of them.”
All three ran behind the desk. Laura grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to Eric.
Dominique crouched down in front of her daughter, “Can you hear me, baby?”
Kat kept breathing erratically and didn’t respond.
“Come back to us, Kat. We’re here. You’re safe. That should never have happened. I’m so sorry you had to see that.” Eric opened the water. He didn’t know what she had seen but knew from past experiences someone had been violently attacked. “Are you able to drink some water? It will help.”
Kat nodded weakly and took a small sip. “It won’t help. The bastard made her dig her own grave! That poor girl.”
“The police will…” Laura was cut off by Dominique and Eric desperately shaking their heads.
“The police will give them free accommodation for the next ten years, then let them out to murder the next girl. The monsters that murdered Courtney won’t even get that. Most were only seventeen and will be home for their twenty-first birthdays. The two that were over eighteen will be out in less than ten. Fucking good behaviour clause. Courtney was good her entire life. She gets no time off her death sentence! Neither does poor Jenny Williams.” Tears poured down Kat’s cheeks, but she kept going. “I know everyone says they’ve gone to Heaven, but that’s just bullshit to make us accept injustice.” Kat looked at Damon and turned even paler. “Oh, God! I’m sorry. I should never have said that in front of you. Um, maybe there is a Heaven?”
Damon shook his head sadly. “It’s okay, Kat. I agree with you. Heaven is the brief moments of pure happiness we get here on Earth. I don’t know if the soul lingers or not, but I agree with you about Heaven not being a physical place. They made it up to make bozos, like me, go to war for their cause. Most people want the carrot at the end. If you say to people, ‘I want you to give your life for my cause and then you will be gone forever’, most people would laugh at them. I can’t bring Bethany back, but I did get rid of the monsters who killed her. I can get rid of the monsters wh
o attacked Courtney and you when they get out of jail.”
Kat grabbed a tissue from the desk and blew her nose. “But that would be breaking the law. What you did for Bethany was legal. It was war. Society believes Courtney’s attackers got what they deserved.”
Laura shook her head. “No, we don’t. All of Australia was outraged. I’m not usually one for vengeance, but with Damon’s military skills…”
“No! I don’t want vengeance! I know it sounds stupid, but I don’t. Well, not really. I want Courtney, Bethany, Jenny Williams, all of them back. I know that can’t happen. I want the monsters to not be monsters anymore. If they still are, they should be destroyed. I just want people to stop getting hurt, stop dying too young. How can someone even think of making someone dig their own grave? I want to stop that thinking.”
“I want to stop it too, Kat, but I don’t know how,” Damon said.
Kat’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know either.”
Laura spoke up. “I don’t know how to stop it, but I know how you can help, Kat. Your traineeship with us will give you a diploma in fitness. Your diploma will get you into uni. There are so many girls like you who survived but are still in pain. You could help them.”
Kat nodded. “I had to see a victims of crime counsellor. She told me to forgive my attackers. I told her to go to hell.”
Damon grinned. “Yeah, I said something like that too when they said it to me. You wouldn’t make that mistake.”
Kat smiled. “No, I wouldn’t.”
4
Kat sat in the back of her parents’ white Outlander. “I’m nervous. Sensei Lucas is at least as good as Sensei Jacob, and I’m not at my best. What if he thinks I’m not good enough? I’ve never taught aerobics. What if he thinks Sensei Damon should give my job to somebody else?”
Dominique twisted around in the front passenger seat to allow her to see her daughter. “You are perfect for this job. That’s why Sensei Damon offered you a traineeship. The paperwork should be ready soon, and you’ll be able to officially start. I know that will make you feel better. As far as Sensei Lucas is concerned, just be yourself. He will love you.”
Our Cause (Let the Monsters Live in Fear Book 1) Page 3
