Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1)

by Gemma Pennington

  “Do you remember that?” He snapped me out of my daze.

  Shit! What had he just asked me? “Can you repeat it again to make sure?” I asked quickly.

  Using my body, he touched and pressed each pressure point, labeling them as he did, and boy, did it send electric pulses through my body. I was aware my breathing had quickened at his touch, and I hoped he hadn’t realized.

  “Foot.” He stood on top of my foot gently.

  “Groin.” He indicated to himself, and I smirked. I couldn’t help it!

  “Ribs.” He touched the bottom of my ribcage.

  Again, heat flooded through me. I swear it was getting hotter in here.

  “Solar plexus.” He placed his closed fist underneath my breasts in the center point.

  I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his, and I began to bite my lip. I realized this as his eyes lowered to my mouth. I thought about what it would be like to kiss him.

  His eyes met mine again. “Close your fist,” he said quietly. His voice was less firm now.

  I did as he asked, and he clasped his hand over mine then pulled my hand to his solar plexus, indicating where it was on a man’s chest, sans breasts.

  I couldn’t believe I was touching his chest. Holy hell! It was solid. I could feel the quick rise and fall of it as I pressed against it. Yet, he appeared calm.

  I looked up to meet his eyes again. “I need a drink,” I croaked. My voice was hoarse and my throat was dry. I took a big swig of one of the cups of water he had brought in with him then set it down and walked back to stand in front of him.

  “Temple,” he continued, and put his hands on either side of my head, lightly putting pressure on it with his thumbs. After a few seconds, it started to make me feel fuzzy. “You feel that?” He noticed me wincing.

  “Yeah.” I remembered the feeling all too well, when my dad’s hands were round my neck, pressing tightly before I passed out. I blinked the memory away and focused back on him. His fingers gently slid down the side of my face before settling into position on my neck. Ashamedly, I started to breathe out quiet, short breaths of air—or at least I hoped they were quiet.

  “And neck,” he said, as he gently pressed his thumb into my neck where Dad gripped me. I knew the touch from Jamie was different. He wasn’t trying to hurt me, so I felt safe. I felt more than safe. His eyes left his thumb that was still placed on my neck, and he looked me in the eyes for a few seconds before I saw him swallow. “Let’s try some blocking.” He broke contact and released his hand from my neck.

  My emotions were all over the place. I was supposed to be taking in the self-defense moves, but I was too distracted by him to concentrate. I was standing here in the cage for a reason, to learn how to protect myself from my violent, aggressive father, and I needed to get my head and my priorities straight.

  “How rough do you want?” he asked, with a look on his face that I couldn’t place, because I could never read him. But the corners of his mouth were turned up slightly, so I guess that was his crack at a smile. I couldn’t help but worry at his comment. I didn’t want him being rough with me at all. “I don’t want you to hurt me.” I shook my head.

  His look dropped instantly and he raised his eyebrows. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I was just gonna throw you around a little,” he said, before giving me a gorgeous grin.

  Heat instantly went to my nether regions. That smile was pantie-dropping, and it was doing crazy things to my lady parts. I tried to keep my cool and make out like his stunning grin hadn’t affected me at all. I gave him a playful warning look, and he put his hands up defensively.

  Back in serious mode, he demonstrated some moves jutting out his arms in different directions, as if to fend off imaginary punches being thrown at him. “Right, I’ll throw some punches, and you block them.”

  This, I was good at. I had plenty of practice blocking Dad’s. Jamie punched and I blocked the best I could, and he sometimes stopped and lifted my arms higher to where they should be.

  “Good,” he praised.

  Putting his arms down, he took me through the next part of training. “Right, if a man was to attack you, one thing you could do is jab them in the eyes.” He demonstrated the move with his fingers. The thought of doing that to someone, especially my dad, made me feel sick. “Then kick them in the balls and run,” he added.

  I nodded. Jab then balls. Got it.

  “I’ll take you through some wrestling moves to show you how to overpower someone.”

  As soon as he said that, panic set in. I was a wimp, and I didn’t want him to launch me to the floor. I’d just told him I didn’t want him to be rough with me.

  He walked back over to the center of the cage and lifted his arms out in front of him a little. “Try to take me down.” He beckoned me with his hands.

  I widened my eyes in shock. “What? You’re six feet of pure muscle,” I pointed out, stunned as to why he would even have me try to ‘take him down’.

  He pursed his lips, shook his head, and beckoned me over again. “Just come at me.”

  I did as I was told and walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to pull him over, but he didn’t budge. His scent filled my nostrils; he smelled amazing, despite the fact he had been in the gym most of the day.

  “You’re huggin’ me.” He puffed his chest out so he could look at me.

  I released my arms, taking a step back, and crossed them over my chest. “This is stupid.” I felt awkwardly embarrassed. I didn’t know if he was doing this on purpose just to make me look like an idiot.

  “Will you think it’s stupid when a man is pulling you to the ground to rape you?” he said bluntly.

  That question silenced me. I knew he was right. The thought of that happening made me want to vomit. I wasn’t even thinking about how I could get attacked by just about anybody. “No,” I said sheepishly.

  “Right, then come closer to me.”

  I stood in front of him again, and before I could blink, he managed to hook a foot behind mine and pull me backward onto the floor in one swift movement. A shocked yelp escaped me as I was put flat on my back. Jamie still stood in the same position like he hadn’t moved a muscle.

  I lay there, catching my breath for a few seconds, while my heart beat furiously in shock. Jamie watched me, somewhat amused. When I was confident I wasn’t going to have a heart attack, I started to sit up. Jamie quickly knelt down next to me and put his palm on my stomach to still me.

  “Stay there,” he commanded.

  I did as I was told, and he walked around to stand at my feet then slowly lowered his body over mine, resting his hands on either side of my shoulders so he was planking over me. The way he did it was almost enticing. I lay there paralyzed, watching him. He looked down at me in a way that made heat spread between my legs. We were in quite an intimate position. I didn’t know why he was doing it. I’d never seen this being done at a class before, and I’m pretty sure Kal wouldn’t have done this.

  “Fight me off,” he said sternly.

  His look had hardened, but my head was no longer in training because of the last few minutes. I had the urge to test him and see what he’d do if I refused to do what he asked. I wanted to see what his reaction would be. Even if it meant him yelling at me. Maybe it was the sudden mix of feelings I had for him. I didn’t know.

  “No,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

  He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at me, confused. His eyes searched mine, silently questioning me. My heart was pounding against my chest as I kept my eyes fixed on his.

  “Fight me off,” he spoke again. His words caught in the back of his throat, making them sound softer.

  Not wanting to give him any further reason to question me, I decided to just try to move him off me. I placed my right hand on his T-shirt at the side of his ribcage. His breath was deep and quick as he watched me. My left hand went to his hip and instantly connected with his exposed skin, where his T-shirt had gaped away from him be
cause he was hovering over me. I let my thumb brush his taut skin, which felt like silk.

  I regretted doing it immediately because he reacted to my touch. He quietly sucked in a breath and his body jerked slightly. Realizing the stupid thing I had just done, I quickly started to push him off me, but he didn’t budge. I tried several more times, but he just didn’t move. I let out groans of frustration and wondered why I was even bothering attempting to. His weight had a full advantage over mine, again. Looking up at him, he had that same look in his eyes, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He hadn’t told me to stop trying to move him, but I couldn’t carry on because it was no use. A playful thought entered my mind, one I knew would definitely get him off me. I shot my leg up in between his, nearly catching Jamie Junior, and he buckled in reflex, sending the lower half of his body crashing onto me. I made a strangled, gargled sound as the force of his weight fell on top of me, winding me. Being crushed in the process hadn’t occurred to me.

  He raised himself back over me and shook his head with a defeated smile on his face.

  When I could breathe, I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

  “Yeah, you win, barely.” He quietly laughed.

  Now that we’d broken the ice with each other, I hoped he would stop keeping his distance from me and would be friendly to me like the rest of them.

  “Ahem!” Someone cleared their throat from the side of the cage.

  We both quickly turned to where it came from to see Kal frowning down at us through the cage, hands on his hips. He didn’t look impressed. I wondered how long he’d been standing there.

  Jamie shot up from over me, scratching the back of his head. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was half past six. “Holy shit, I’m late.” I scrambled to my feet. Dad would be wondering why I wasn’t home.

  Jamie walked over to where Kal was, and I could hear sharp, hushed voices as I slowly walked out of the cage, trying to hear what was being said.

  “What was that?” Kal sounded pissed.

  “Self-defense training, you know, like she wanted,” Jamie snapped back.

  “Cam was doing it, not you.”

  “He couldn’t do it tonight. Why you so pissed?”

  “Not you, Jamie. You’re the best I’ve got.”

  I wondered what Kal meant by that. He was the best he had? I hoped I hadn’t gotten him into trouble. I seemed to do nothing more than get them in trouble at the moment, which was the last thing I wanted.

  “There’s nothing there. You’re making shit up in your head, Kal,” Jamie growled quietly.

  Then there was silence, so I listened harder as I passed them.

  “You don’t own me.”

  I winced at how awkward all this was, especially because I was still in earshot—although clearly, these two thought otherwise.

  “I put you where you are. Don’t forget that.”

  Jamie never replied, but Kal carried on. “Go out, get it out of your system. Not here.” He shook his head.

  Wow, he was angry. I never thought he would react this way to him training me. It made me wonder why Cam was okay to do it and not him. Unless he was more at risk of injuring himself, and then he would be out of training. That would make sense. I knew Jamie was one of the best fighters there; I’d overheard Kal many times talking about it.

  I walked to the back room and quickly grabbed my purse from the locker, pulling out my cell and checking for missed calls from Dad. Luckily, there wasn’t any. Setting my stuff down on the desk, I pretended to mess with the computer so I could carry on listening in. The music had been shut off and they had stopped whispering, so I could hear most of what they were saying.

  Really, I should’ve been running home to Dad, but I was too intrigued by this whole problem I’d caused, enough for me to risk the consequences to find out.

  The door suddenly opened, and Cam came walking in. “Hey,” he greeted us.

  I briefly smiled.

  “Where have you been?” Kal turned on him. He was overreacting and it wasn’t fair.

  “Out.”

  Jamie’s arms were folded across his chest defensively, and he looked really agitated. Poor Cam looked like he didn’t know what was going on.

  “I had plans.” Cam shrugged, looking from Kal to Jamie, confused. “What have I missed?”

  Kal hissed and walked away. I took the opportunity and quickly walked over to them. “Did I get you in trouble?”

  Jamie shook his head at me, the hard look back in his eyes, and I prayed to God he wasn’t angry at me or was putting the distance back between us.

  “Golden boy,” Cam teased. Jamie shoved him and exhaled.

  I grabbed my purse and left them all to it. I’d obviously caused enough of a stir for one night. It was my last shift there for a week, so hopefully when I returned, things would be okay with Kal. I hoped he wasn’t angry with me too.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I walked the few blocks home and noticed that Rod’s car was in the driveway behind Dad’s broken one, which had taken up residence there the last four months because we couldn’t afford to fix it.

  Rod was kind of Dad’s best friend. They didn’t see each other all too often, which was a shame in some parts because Dad really enjoyed his company and was certainly happier when he was around, which made my life easier. I hoped that now he wouldn’t be too bothered by the fact I was late coming home. I opened the front door, and hearty laughter came from inside.

  “Here she is,” Dad’s voice joyfully boomed from the kitchen.

  I didn’t respond to it. I hated how he played the nice guy whenever anyone was around. “Hi, Rod,” I said, ignoring Dad.

  “Hi, sweetie,” he greeted. “How have you been?” he asked politely.

  Rod had a mop of thinning red hair and pale skin with sunken brown eyes. He reminded me of Shaggy from Scooby Doo and even dressed in a similar way, which I had always found odd.

  “Busy with school and working.” I smiled.

  “You’re a good kid.”

  His compliment touched a nerve with me. While it was nice, I could only think that if he really knew what I had to put up with, maybe he would think differently. I wasn’t just a ‘good kid’, and I didn’t just go to school and work like a normal, carefree kid does. His friend had ruined my childhood and forced me to grow up too quickly. I worked my ass off while trying to study, all while being physically abused by Dad on a regular basis. I had to put my dresser in front of my door every night so he didn’t attack me while he was drunk. He’d done that once when I was twelve. He came into my room and yanked me out of bed by my hair and gave me a beating for no reason. I had bald patches for a while because he used so much force. Trying to explain that to the kids at school was hard, and they used to taunt and bully me for it. Ever since that night, I pulled my dresser across. I wanted to say those thoughts out loud to him, but I didn’t. I made my good kid excuses and went to my room to shower.

  Standing under the hot streams of water, I let my stresses melt away and watched them disappear down the drain, never to return again. If only! Soaping up my body with my favorite vanilla body wash, I couldn’t help but think back to Jamie during our session tonight. How his hands had practically been all over my body, pressing and touching me, and the way he hovered over me was something else entirely. He had the most gorgeous brown eyes when he wasn’t glaring or being indifferent, and that grin of his, which was as rare as an eclipse, had certainly won me over tonight. I think it was safe to say I had a tiny crush on him. At least he’d thawed a bit toward me now, or at least I hoped he had. Maybe Cam was right; he just needed to get to know me a little bit.

  Finished in the shower, I quickly dried and changed into my gray slacks and black ratty T-shirt, leaving my hair to dry naturally before heading into the kitchen to make dinner for myself. Dad and Rod were having takeout and were currently discussing the latest new signings to some big football team. Pouring the pasta into a pan, I lit the burner, poured hot water i
n, and gave it a quick stir to stop the pasta from sticking to the bottom. A heavy-handed knock came from the door, and I turned my head, intrigued to see who it was. It wasn’t the takeout guy because they’d just ordered.

  Dad walked to answer it. “Who the hell are you? Why d’ya want my daughter?”

  My head jerked at Dad’s tone of voice; he sounded irate, and it didn’t take much to get him like that. I wondered who the hell it was too.

  “Don’t narrow your eyes at me, you little punk.”

  My blood ran cold, as I had thought who it could be. Cam. He jokingly said he knew where I lived. I silently prayed it wasn’t him, but no one else I knew would come here except for Taylor, and she always told me first. I quickly ran to the door and was shocked to see Jamie there, squaring up to Dad. I didn’t trust Jamie or the look that was on his face, and I didn’t trust Dad either. What on earth was he doing here, and how did he know where I lived?

  I took a step out of the door, and Jamie glanced at me as I did so. Dad’s eyes stayed fixed on Jamie. “Go in Dad, please,” I begged. But he didn’t move.

  Like me, he too looked ratty in his old gray slacks and dirty red polo shirt. I tried to gently coax him back in the door, but he was having none of it. “Rod!” I shouted toward the house as loud as I could.

  A few seconds later, he came to the door with a beer can in his hand, and I wanted to die. We looked like utter trailer trash. Jamie’s head was turning from me to Rod then Dad and back again. God knows what he was thinking, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know.

  After much persuasion, Dad went back inside with Rod, and when they were inside, I turned to Jamie. “What are you doing here?” I folded my arms across my chest protectively.

  “You left your cell. Figured you would need it.” He smiled briefly.

  I looked down to see my cellphone in his hand and remembered setting it down on the desk with my purse before I left. He handed it to me and smiled again like nothing had just happened.