Savage Cinderella

by PJ Sharon

  Chapter 22

  Fighting Spirit

  The next morning, dressed in sweats, a tee shirt and her comfy worn boots, Brinn faced off with Cody in the basement gym of the Hathaway’s home. The spacious room was equipped with a weight bench, dumbbells, and several pieces of aerobic machinery. The floors were padded and there were full-length windows that let the morning sun flood the room with warm light.

  Although her father had increased security on the property, Brinn was uncomfortable with the idea of a strange man lurking about as her personal bodyguard. Cody offered his services instead. Since he was currently “free,” he didn’t mind staying with Brinn while her parents were at work. He insisted on spending some time training her in combat techniques. The idea of learning to defend herself gave her a new focus. Justin seemed less than enthusiastic about the arrangement, but agreed with her parents that she was in capable hands.

  “Just hit me.” Cody squared his shoulders and readied his stance, pointing with one finger to the center of his body just below his ribs. “Aim right here, for the solar plexus.”

  Brinn cringed. “You’re not serious. I can’t hit you. I’ll hurt you.”

  He looked doubtful and then smiled, “I’m all healed up, see?” He patted his ribs firmly. “You won’t hurt me. Pretend I’m a big dummy.” His smile was bright, amusement lighting his green eyes. “I need to see if you have a fighting spirit. C’mon, do it. Just hit me.” When she continued to hesitate, he let out a frustrated breath. “I understand that you’re used to being on the defensive, but you can’t stand around waiting to be attacked. If you’re feeling threatened, you have to act.” When her shoulders sagged, his tone softened. “I saw you that night in the bar. I know you have it in you to defend yourself.”

  Brinn couldn’t imagine striking anyone with her hands. The thought brought a wave of fear curling through her insides. “Can’t we just work on knife skills? I can hit a tree from twenty paces dead on.” She pulled the knife from its sheath at her hip, flipping it end to end in her hand. The six-inch blade found a natural balance in her palm, as if it were an extension of her fingers. The familiarity gave her confidence. She wouldn’t be caught without it again.

  With a movement so fast Brinn had no time to register anything but the sharp tingle in her wrist, Cody had knocked the weapon from her hand. He’d barely made contact, but an instantaneous numbness made her lose her grip. The knife flew up into the air and landed a few feet away. Brinn flinched at how easily he’d disarmed her and went to pick up the knife. Before she could fully squat to retrieve her weapon, however, a large black-booted foot pinned it to the floor. In camouflage pants and a forest green tee shirt, he vaguely resembled a tree, his legs as thick as trunks. Brinn glared up at the towering Marine, whose expression was that of smug satisfaction.

  “What are you doing?” She asked, knowing full well what he was up to and not liking it one bit.

  “You have become too dependent on your little friend.” He said, glancing down at the razor-sharp survival knife.

  Brinn stood and watched as Cody lifted the blade with the tip of his boot and kicked it up into the air, catching it by the worn hilt before she could snatch it from the air. He set it onto the table and faced Brinn with a stern expression. “You will learn to fight hand-to-hand if it kills me.”

  Brinn felt the large room close in. Her eyes roved wildly around, taking in every detail at once. Her knife sat on the gaming table that occupied one corner of the room. The weapon lay beyond her reach, useless .

  The focused look on Cody’s hard-edged features sent Brinn’s pulse racing with apprehension. She felt trapped. “I-I don’t want to do this. I’ve changed my mind.” She darted for the door. Her escape from the room was thwarted by the looming presence that blocked the doorway ahead of her.

  Cody smiled mischievously, leaned against the doorframe, and pulled a lollipop from his pocket, sucking it into his mouth. He was ardently trying to quit smoking and had replaced his habit with the pops, his scent now a pleasant mix of fruitiness and soap. “We can do this the hard way, or you can be cooperative.”

  Brinn sidestepped into the center of the room, creating distance between them. She began pacing as she rung her hands together, aware of her desire to clench and unclench her fists again.

  “I won’t hurt you, Brinn. And it’s unlikely that you’ll hurt me.” Cody smiled reassuringly. ”Trust me, this is the best thing for you. You’ll feel much better after you let off a little steam.”

  “So, all you want is for me to hit you, huh?” She slowed her pacing and then stopped to face him. He was obviously too stubborn to give up on this ridiculous idea.

  Cody took a few strides, closed the distance between them, and stood firm in the center of the room blocking her from the doorway...and her knife. “You got it. Now, just a few tips. If you’re going to hit a relatively soft area of the body,” he pointed to his solar plexus, “you can use a closed fist or an elbow. But don’t try to punch someone in the face, because you’ll just hurt your hand.” He eyed her up and down. “What do you weigh, about a hundred pounds?”

  “A hundred and ten,” Brinn watched him warily, dreading what she would have to do.

  “It’s safe to assume then, that anyone who attacks you will be bigger and stronger. So you have to learn to strike vital areas and use your opponent’s weight and size against them. You need to learn to get under their guard; catch them by surprise; do the unexpected.”

  Cody stalked around Brinn. Her nerves fired and twitched as she followed his every movement. For a man his size, he moved with the grace of a large cat, sure-footed and fluid. He pointed out the vital areas as he circled her. “The eyes, ears, and throat are vulnerable to attack with fingers and open-handed strikes.” He mimed the various hand positions she could use to damage the sensitive targets. He pointed again to the solar plexus and then to the groin, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Of course the quickest way to stun your attacker is to give him something else to think about besides hurting you, such as...breathing.”

  Brinn’s face flushed and she couldn’t help but smile a little, despite the electricity that thrummed through her body. “You don’t want me to hit you there, do you?”

  “I’m pretty good at defending my vital organs, but let’s focus on body shots for now.” He motioned with his hands to indicate the target zone was from shoulders to hips. “Just remember, a man has two natural fears during combat—blindness and castration.” He grinned down at her and then stopped circling. Brinn came to stillness as well. “He can’t protect both areas at the same time. But first, you have to get close enough to do some damage.”

  He took another step toward her and Brinn instinctively backed up. She realized all at once that other than her father and Justin, and maybe Mr. Hoffman on occasions of necessity, no man had actually touched her since...her heart began to race as Cody took another step closer. She matched his distance by stepping back again.

  “Stop retreating, Brinn. You have nowhere to go.” His voice was deep and resonated around her, his features sharp with concentration. Brinn felt panic rise in her chest. Her breath grew shallow. Sweat tickled her brow and she suddenly imagined another face and body stalking her. She shook the picture from her mind, focusing instead on Cody’s familiar features.

  “I can’t hit you, Cody. I...I won’t.” Her back hit the wall behind her, knocking the last of her breath from her lungs.

  When he placed one huge hand on the wall next to her and trapped her in a corner with a long muscled arm, Brinn almost fainted. Dark spots flashed behind her eyes. The heat of his body radiated against her in the inches between them. Fear seized her limbs. His voice was barely above a deep whisper, the gravelly tone at odds with the handsome face and the lollipop sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Are you ready?” He bit down hard, grinding the candy and tossing the stick into a nearby trash-can. His cool gaze dropped back to hers. “How would you escape if someone
had you trapped like this?”

  Brinn fought to think and breathe, but her mind fogged with unwanted images. A tingle crawled along her skin. Escape was her only goal. She bent to duck under his arm, but he was too fast. Cody grabbed her, spun her around, and locked her into the steel circle of his bulky arms. He pinned her hands across her chest, crushing her back against the concrete wall of his body. The breath exploded out of her, replaced by sheer panic.

  Cody’s hard body encased her, holding her helpless. Her limbs began to shake with a mixture of fear and rage as she struggled with no effect. His voice whispered softly on her hair, sending shivers along her spine. “Don’t panic. Breathe. Think. React.” Cody said the next words with cold, clear intent, “Or are you too weak to stop me?”

  Somewhere deep inside and far away, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but every fiber of her being felt the fear and rage of being held against her will, and something inside of her snapped. Giving in to the adrenaline that rushed through her system, Brinn let her instincts take over.

  With the force of a hammer, she raked the edge of her boot down his hard shin-bone and slammed it onto the instep of his foot. Cody grunted but didn’t release her. Blood surged in her ears, a deafening roll of thunder that crashed against her mind and escalated her fear. The hands that restrained her brought a flood of images raging to the surface. Memories rose of hard cold hands that held her down and touched her in places that made her hurt inside.

  She went wild. With both knees bent, she sprang upward. The top of her head met his chin with a shuddering crunch as his teeth collided. A throbbing pain shot through her head. She took advantage of the momentary weakness in the vice-like grip that held her hands, wrenched one arm free, and plowed her elbow into his solar plexus with all of her might. As his massive frame gave way and he lost his breath, she pushed backwards with the full weight of her body. His balance tipped.

  When her opponent crashed to the floor, taking down the table and chairs as he went, Brinn lunged for her knife. The world faded into a hazy, slow motion movie in her mind. Her only clear thought—knife. Before rationality could take hold, Brinn jumped on Cody. She straddled his chest, grabbed the short layer of sandy hair on his head, and drew her blade to his throat. A hiss escaped from between her clenched teeth.

  In the next second, Cody latched on to her knife hand. In one deft move, he rolled her onto her back and pinned her arms to the floor, his eyes wild with exertion and intensity. The knife clattered across the floor out of Brinn’s reach. The full length of his body covered hers, stifling any further struggle. Brinn’s hair curtained her tear-stained face.

  Wild with fury, she screeched at him in an ear-piercing, animal shriek until a familiar voice vibrated in the air and brought her back to the moment. Her eyes darted toward the sound, instantaneous relief sweeping air back into her lungs.

  Justin stood in the doorway, his eyes dark with rage. “Get off of her!”

  Panting for breath, Cody looked sheepishly from Brinn to Justin. He climbed to his feet and then reached down a hand to Brinn, who reluctantly latched on. He drew her up to stand, steadying her as she wobbled. “Sorry about that. We got a little out of hand with our self-defense lesson.” He lifted a brow toward Brinn and rubbed his jaw, “I think our girl here is even tougher than we thought.”

  Brinn surveyed the room, still dazed, her limbs numb. Chairs lay overturned and a leg on the table was broken, leaving it propped awkwardly on its side. Blood dripped from Cody’s mouth. A small cut on his throat made her gasp in horror at what she’d almost done to him. She gulped, swiped at the sweat-soaked hair that clung wildly to her face, and forced her breath to deepen, her heartbeat to find its rhythm.

  What grabbed and held her attention next was the expression on Justin’s face as he glared at his friend. It was a look that said, “Mine.”

  Chapter 23

  A Hunting We Will Go

  Uneasy about Justin’s possessive expression, Brinn was more confused than ever. Relationships were clearly more complicated than she realized. For now, she would focus on getting stronger both physically and mentally. If she was going to take on the monster who stole her life, she would have to be ready.

  With each daily training session, she gained confidence. Justin acted as her practice partner whenever possible, and Cody instructed her in self-defense techniques that she practiced even in her sleep. Her parents had hung a heavy bag in the basement for her. Remarkably, every strike and kick seemed to release another binding on her soul.

  The unexpected outlet gave her a place to put the rage that she’d forced down through the years. Emotions with a life of their own threatened to surface and swallow her into a canyon of darkness. But she wouldn’t give in to the desire to fall apart. After her battle with Cody, she realized she could fight. She realized she needed to fight. The battle was just beginning and she had too much to lose to let her guard down now.

  Brinn and Justin had a plan. The upside was that they had a good chance of catching her stalker if he came anywhere near her again. The downside was that Brinn had to leave the house. Though terrified, she faced reporters and withstood the gawking strangers with a firm resolve. When confronted with her fear of people and crowds, she took herself back to that safe haven of her meadow in the hills, and her calm was somewhat restored—a technique her counselor had taught her.

  Nevertheless, Brinn refused to go out unarmed. Though it was illegal in Georgia to carry a blade longer than a few inches, Brinn’s father made an allowance under the circumstances. Committed to keeping her safe, he made arrangements for a special permit. He also assigned guards to follow her wherever she went. They kept their distance, but Brinn felt the surveillance like a cold chill on her neck.

  Wherever they went, Justin and Cody didn’t let her out of their sight. Cody stayed as discreetly hidden as possible with his six-foot, three-inch, two-hundred and twenty-pound bulk. The two friends had apparently come to some understanding, having resumed their easy camaraderie and constant wisecracking. Considering her own barbaric behavior, she figured she should overlook theirs.

  Justin and Brinn made a show of her obvious disregard for her stalker. They went to the mall, attended art exhibits, and even went to the Fox Theater to see a comedy show. Brinn finally let down her guard enough to laugh and snort hysterically, calling additional attention to her and her date.

  Within a short time her fear receded. The ache to belong in the world took hold. Some well-meaning onlookers eyed her with pity, but most people were kind and admired her fortitude in overcoming her ordeal. Surprised to find that there were more good people than bad, she began to engage in conversations and appreciate the experience of being part of society. She did her best to ignore reporters, thankful that Justin was there to handle them. He patiently answered her irrepressible questions, all the while snapping photo after photo of her, smiling, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying her adventures.

  At the same time, the photos were an all-encompassing record of everyone in the background. At the end of the day, they sat down with her parents and went through the slide show of the daily events, looking for a common onlooker or familiar face that she might recognize as her kidnapper.

  ∞∞∞

  "Do you think we could go back to the cabin sometime soon?" She asked Justin as they climbed the trail leading around Stone Mountain. She loved this park best of all, with its huge sculpted generals on horseback standing out in bold relief on the massive stone face of the mountainside. She missed the verdant woodlands and the wide-open spaces of the Blue Ridge range. It had been months since she’d been there.

  "I think it's best if we stay in charted areas until we can draw this guy out into the open." Justin took Brinn's hand and pulled her up a steep, rocky slope.

  She smiled at the hand and took it, allowing him to pull her up beside him. "I want to go before the weather turns. I have some books and drawings that I left behind." She thought of Anne Frank, and the story of the little Jewish girl
who had never known freedom after the occupation and infiltration of her homeland. Brinn felt obligated to retrieve the book. She was determined to put an end to the tyranny that had kept them both prisoners for so long.

  She also missed the solitude of living among the wild things. There was a oneness she felt when she walked among the creatures, both seen and unseen. Here in the woods was the only place she felt the Angel of the Forest not far away. It was difficult to feel it in the city with all of the energy rolling off the steel and concrete—the distractions of people rushing about like ants.

  As part of Brinn’s therapy, her mother agreed to supply her with charcoal of all colors and gave her free rein to draw on the walls of her room. She’d covered one whole wall with a picture that was an exact replica of the inside of the cabin, including windows that looked out over the forest and painted-on shelves with pretend jars of herbs. She drew a picture of her meadow on another wall, and Kitty and her cubs on another. The scenes made her feel a little more at home and her art occupied her sleepless nights.

  Justin broke through her reverie. “I trust Cody’s judgment on this. We have to keep you protected, but we also need to bait this guy with something he can’t resist. Keeping you in the public eye might lure him in, but it should keep him from doing anything drastic out in the open.”

  "It's been two moons—I mean months—since he came to the house. I think he realizes that he can't get to me as long as people are around. Maybe if we go to the mountains where he’s on familiar ground, he’ll think I'm easy prey." The thought made her blood run cold, but she wanted this man caught and put somewhere he could never come after her. Adjusting to her new life was difficult enough. This cat-and-mouse game grated on her nerves. She needed to put an end to it before she could ever truly move on. If it came down to the two of them, she would make sure he would never hurt anyone again.