by Luna, David
Braden glanced at Cade and knew he was doing his best not to look intimidating. Unfortunately for him, that was fairly impossible. He smiled and raised his hand in a wave of his own. Braden saw unease still reflected back at both men. He understood how intimidating they both could look, but was sad that just the fact that they were big men made these women nervous.
Vaughn continued to speak to the women. “From a personal standpoint, I trust these men with my life and with my daughter’s life. They are the ones that brought Mikayla back to me when she was kidnapped, which was one of the biggest reasons I started these classes to begin with.”
At that, the group of women reacted. Some of them covered their mouths with their hands, holding in gasps. Others looked at Cade and Cooper with more interest and much more trust than before. And Braden smiled to see several of them had blushed and sent them flirtatious glances. Braden knew they’d get nowhere with Cade and knew they wouldn’t fair any better with Cooper, as he’d never hit on women in a setting like this one. However, Cooper was definitely swoon-worthy and that fact was made even more apparent when he grinned at the attendees. “Ladies, I’ve invited my sister Maya here to kick my ass.”
The women laughed, just like he wanted them to, and from that point on, the class was putty in his hands. He talked to the class about his take on self-defense. “Why don’t you all have a seat for a few minutes while I chat with you a bit. After that, we’ll all get up and practice some techniques. I want you to speak up if you have questions, if something doesn’t make sense, or you want me to show you something specific. Some of what I say may be a repeat of the classes you’ve had before, so bear with me, as I know some of you are new, and others have attended before.”
Everyone sat and Cooper had a rapt audience. He made eye contact with everyone there as he continued to talk. “I think one of the best weapons you have in your artillery is your voice. Women are taught from a young age to be quiet and unobtrusive. Get that lesson out of your head. Your attacker doesn’t want to hear you and he sure as shit doesn’t want anyone else to hear you. If you’re in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, say someone gets too close, speak loudly when you tell them to back off.”
He asked everyone to stand up and pair off. As they did so, he asked one of them to get in the other’s space, and have the other tell them loudly to back off. He demonstrated by exaggeratedly walking up to Maya and getting into her space. She blasted him loudly, starting off the classes practice of using their voices. A few times, Cooper approached the pairs, asking them to talk louder. When that exercise was done, everyone remained standing as he continued.
“If you think someone is following you, turn around, face them and yell for all to hear, ‘Stop following me!’ Talking to someone loudly not only shows them that things aren’t going to go as easily as planned for them, but it brings attention to what’s going on for anyone around you and it may be the first step toward making them back off and leave you alone.”
Again, the group practiced yelling at their “attacker.” There was some laughter and the group seemed to relax even more. Cooper asked them to sit again. “Using your voice, though a very effective tool, obviously isn’t going to save everyone, all of the time. So there are some things that you should keep in mind when in a situation that you feel is out of control. You want to keep things easy, you want to be able to do those things quickly, and you want to keep them simple.”
He went on to explain that their best bet was to always go for the soft tissue areas of the body; the center of the throat just below the Adam’s apple, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the ears, the groin, and the stomach. He said the soft tissue was where you get the most bang for your buck and the places that are the easiest to find.
Cooper explained that he was going to show them how to do small, fast moves, moves that could debilitate the assailant to allow the victim to get away. He warned them about trying to perform complex moves because adrenaline would be high and the mind clicks to fight or flight mode where complicated moves would be forgotten. If practiced, the things he was going to teach would become instinctual.
The rest of the session was filled with learning several moves that were quick and could do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Braden ended up being able to physically do quite a bit of what Cooper was teaching, using Cade as his partner. None of it was full contact, just practicing the simple moves over and over. Cooper worked with Maya to demonstrate the exercises and then walked around, checking on everyone’s stance as they practiced. Cade had to correct him several times, and he was incredibly sexy when he was being so completely serious. Braden got a kick out of it and loved the fact that Cade had the confidence in him to learn the techniques and later use them, if needed.
Cooper wrapped up the class discussing what Thursday’s class would entail. Apparently, Maya would be joining the class to ‘kick Cade’s ass’ as well. When he was about to wind down, he looked at Maya and grinned devilishly. “You ready?”
Maya raised an eyebrow, but kept a straight face. “You got your cup on?”
Cooper threw his head back and laughed, along with everyone else in the room. “With you as my practice partner? Always! Mom didn’t raise any dummies.”
With that, Cooper turned toward the class. “Ladies, it’s been great working with all of you. We’re gonna close with me attacking my sister here. She doesn’t know what I’m going to do, or how I’m going to come at her, but I’ve drilled these lessons into her, so she better make me proud. Keep in mind that she’s had a lot of practice, but also keep in mind that I’m holding back, and she will be as well. Our aim isn’t to hurt each other, just to show you some of the moves we did today. If you have any questions after class ends, you can come up and ask me, Cade, or even Maya, if that makes you more comfortable.”
With that, he turned toward Maya. “You ready, little girl?”
“Hell yeah, pretty boy, do your worst!”
They faced each other and then Maya turned around and began to walk away from Cooper. Braden jumped when Cooper went in for the attack and put her in a chokehold from behind. He moved so fast and so quietly, Braden didn’t expect it and seeing Cooper like that was eye-opening. Braden thought for sure he had her. All of a sudden, she swiveled her hips, hooking her left foot behind his right one, twisting her torso the opposite way. When he went to step back, his foot caught on the one she’d planted behind his and he went over.
Braden was so impressed with her, he almost missed what happened next. Cooper recovered and reached forward to grab one of her ankles. She fell and scrambled to her back and he moved in between her spread legs. Braden thought for sure that she was done at that point, but as Cooper wedged his knees by her hips and her feet were on either side of his hips, he leaned down over her and she caught his shoulders in a locked arm grip and he couldn’t push down any further. He brought his hands up to her throat and at that point, Braden covered his mouth as he watched Cooper move to choke his sister.
It didn’t seem to faze her though as she did a series of moves which ended in her arms crossed and gripped over his. She lifted her hips as leverage, brought them back down and curled herself toward him, somehow breaking his chokehold. She swiveled her hips, managed to wedge both feet against him and pushed herself a leg’s length away. Gripping his wrists, she started mock kicking him in the face. He blocked her feet, which allowed her to hop up and make her escape.
The class was silent for a second, all of them shocked at just how fast it all happened and how quickly Maya had reacted. Then collectively everyone started clapping and hooting and congratulating her. She laughed and did a curtsy and Cooper gave in, laughing and clapping for her as well. Braden was so proud of her. He’d definitely be talking to her later. He’d had no idea she could do all that and was surprised that she’d never told him.
Class was over and already Braden was looking forward to the next one. He showered in the locker room with Cooper and Cade, working quickly to get done a
nd dressed again for dinner, his routine taking a little longer due to the cast. They walked toward Maya in the lobby. Braden took one look at her and grinned. She had rosy cheeks and she was fidgeting with her workout bag, all while talking to Vaughn. Well, well, well, his Maya was being flirted with, and by the look of things, she was enjoying it. She glanced their way and Braden could see her take a deep, relieved breath. Interesting. He’d have to talk to her about it later.
Vaughn realized she was glancing behind him and turned to greet them all. He thanked Cooper for helping with the class and then at the last minute, leaned in and kissed Maya on the cheek and told her thanks again for the help. Maya’s rosy cheeks turned into flaming red cheeks as she murmured back that it was no problem. Braden gave her a ‘we’ll discuss this later’ look and she turned and walked out the door. Cooper, eyebrow raised at her quick escape, jogged out the door after her and tossed back over his shoulder that they’d see them at the restaurant.
They reconvened at Lers Ros and chatted about the warehouses. Maya was as excited as Braden at the prospect of working with the architect and interior decorator. After teasing Braden that she’d never be able to get over him not living right across the hall, Maya said she’d be with him to help every step of the way. Cooper even made a few comments about taking over Braden’s side of the house. Maya warned him that if that happened, he’d need to learn how to mind his own business and stay out of her life. Cade and Braden just laughed at the siblings as they railed at each other about the rules that they’d have to set if they were going to share the building.
Braden was feeling a little bit more like himself and attributed much of that to the company at dinner, but also the earlier class. When they arrived back home, Cade turned on the TV to catch the eleven o’clock news. Braden was brushing his teeth when Cade called him in from the bathroom. Braden lost the strength in his legs and sat down on the bed as he watched the newscaster continue her story. “He is wanted for the alleged kidnapping and assault of a local man that he has been suspected of stalking for the last six months. The identity of the victim is being withheld at this time. If you have seen this man, or if you know of his whereabouts, please contact the number on the screen. Do not attempt to confront this man, as he is considered armed and dangerous.”
Braden watched as an older, but very clear picture of Eric came on the screen, alongside the drawing that Sebastian had done earlier that day. He’d known it was coming, so he wasn’t altogether sure why he was so surprised to see it. Only when Cade stood in front of him, blocking the TV, did Braden realize that a commercial was running. Cade crouched down to his eye level. “You alright?”
With his mouth full of toothpaste, all Braden could do was nod slowly, not convincing Cade at all. Cade offered a glass of water and Braden tossed it back, swished, and then spit it back into the cup. Cade handed him the face towel he had slung across his shoulder and he wiped his mouth. He placed the towel down on the dresser and the toothbrush and glass on top of it and kneeled at Braden’s feet, his knees spread to surround Braden. He started to rub Braden’s upper thighs and Braden blinked and then focused once more on Cade’s face. “I’m fine. Really. It was just a shock. I wasn’t expecting it and then there he was. But I’m good. I actually feel somewhat relieved that it’s done and it’s out there. Hopefully something will come of it or he’ll make a mistake as a result and be caught.”
“Until that time, or until we find him ourselves, I’ll be with you, every step of the way. We’re in this together.”
Braden smiled, loving his man for repeating that to him, sometimes several times a day. He knew it to be true, but it was nice to hear it, regardless. He looked down at their joined hands in his lap and nodded. “Together.”
Braden checked his levels and they finished getting ready for bed, both equally exhausted. They whispered their ‘I love yous’ and were both asleep in minutes. Braden woke with a nightmare again that night, but nothing nearly as terrifying as the night before. He was able to get back to sleep almost immediately after Cade brought him some water and pulled him onto his chest.
Tuesday was a fairly restful day and Braden found himself sleeping much of it away again. When he voiced his frustration at that fact, Cade reminded him that he was being ridiculous and that he was doing exactly what the doctor had asked of him. Later that night they went to Vaughn’s and used a private room for Braden to learn some more self-defense moves, but mostly to try to make sure he retained and repeated Monday’s teachings.
Later, as they ate dinner with Nana, she said something to Cade about Jackson and Sawyer and Braden looked up at him in question. Cade caught his look. “I’ve got Jackson and Sawyer splitting up the duties, but they’re keeping an eye on Nana. One of them is with her from the moment she steps out of your front door until she is back here at night.”
Braden was about to ask about Maya when Cade smiled at him and said, “Cooper is with his sister, doing the same. We’re not taking his threats lightly. If I need to bring more people here for this, I will, but for now, I think we’re alright. I don’t believe he’d go after Nana or Maya. He’s too obsessed with you. But I wanted them covered.”
Braden walked to him and pulled him down for a kiss, then hugged him as tight as he could. “Thank you. I love you so much. This means the world to me.”
Cade held him for several minutes, and when they pulled apart, Nana gave them both a beatific smile and started telling them all about her day. They all spent some time chatting and then relaxing in front of the TV for an hour before they went to bed. Braden woke to another nightmare but didn’t want to wake Cade. He lay awake for several hours and then finally drifted back to sleep around 5 a.m. Cade woke him for his insulin, but he dozed back to sleep until close to noon. When he finally got himself up, he got ready for the day and his therapy session. He was looking forward to the appointment because he truly hoped it would help him come to grips with everything that had happened, but he was also nervous to let himself be vulnerable with a complete stranger.
The doctor’s office was warm and inviting. There was a huge, ornate dark hardwood reception desk, behind which was a gorgeous, voluptuous African American woman with a riot of beautiful curls and a dress of vibrant fuchsia. She looked up as they entered and smiled a mile wide. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. How can I help you?”
Braden stepped forward and smiled. “Hello, my name is Braden Cross. I have a 2 p.m. appointment with Dr. Gabriel Price.”
“Braden, welcome. I have a bit of paperwork for you to fill out. Can I get a copy of your insurance card? Also, would either of you like anything to drink?”
Braden told her that they didn’t need anything and handed her his insurance card and quickly filled out the paperwork. When he was done, he handed her the clipboard and went to sit next to Cade on a brown leather loveseat. They faced a beautiful, built in saltwater fish tank that brought brightness and color to the room. He leaned forward, forearms on his knees, and watched the fish for several minutes. He found himself relaxing bit by bit, which probably could also be attributed to Cade’s hand rubbing in slow circles on his back. He heard a chime go off and the receptionist stood and opened the door behind and to the right of her desk. “Braden, you can head on into room number two. It will be the only door open at this time. Dr. Price will be with you in just a few minutes.”
Braden stood. “Can I bring my partner back with me? I’d like him to attend the session.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Cade placed his hand on Braden’s lower back and guided him through the door marked number two. Braden smiled as he walked into the beautifully appointed office with sunlight streaming through the blinds. The ceiling and one wall were painted a striking pear green. The wall opposite was taken up by an enormous bay window, with three sections. In front of each of those three sections were three unique, large bonsai trees. They sat on the butter soft, dark brown leather couch that backed up to the green wall, behind which, was a stunning abs
tract tree of life triptych in bright colors all swirled together in a somewhat Starry Night reminiscent fusion of greens, blues, reds, oranges and yellows.
They were just getting comfortable when a man about Braden’s size knocked on the door frame and came into the office. He was dressed in what Braden would call casual chic, a button up light blue shirt with a cable knit camel-colored toggle sweater over it, pinstriped navy trousers, and a pair of the most beautiful Louis Vuitton double monk strap brown leather dress shoes Braden had ever seen. For some reason, the fact that Braden appreciated the man’s sense of style immediately had him feeling slightly more at ease.
The handsome man smiled at them both. They stood as he walked toward them with his hand extended. They shook hands as he introduced himself. “Hi there, I’m Dr. Gabriel Price, but I prefer to be called Gabe. You must be Braden Cross.”
Braden released Gabe’s hand. “Yes, I’m Braden and this is my partner, Zavier McCade.”
Gabe gestured to the sofa they’d been sitting on and sat in the matching leather chair adjacent to them, as they resumed their seats. “I nearly mistook you for Gideon McCade, who I’m assuming is your brother, and I see the resemblance to Dr. Finnegan McCade as well.”
Cade raised a brow. “Yes, Gideon’s my older brother and Finn’s my younger brother.”
Gabe nodded but shared nothing more on the subject. “So Mr. Cross and Mr. McCade, what would you prefer to be called?”
“You can call me Braden.”
“Cade.” He leaned back, making it clear that this session was for Braden.
“Alright, so Braden, I’m assuming you want Cade to attend this session and possibly future sessions with you, is that correct?”
“Yes, it makes me more comfortable. He’s my partner, but he’s also my guard and, at this point, we both don’t deal well with being separated. I have panic attacks if he’s not fairly close to me.”
