by J E McDonald
“So, the two I’ve taught you are good for when a person is at arm’s length, but what if they’re closer? We’re going to use some jiu-jitsu-based grappling moves to get out of tight spots.”
He had his student step in front of him.
“The first is if someone has you in a choke hold.” He demonstrated by putting his hands lightly around the teenager’s neck. “This is tight quarters, and if the person is a lot stronger than you, then pushing his hands to the side isn’t going to work, you’re not going to have enough leverage. It only takes six seconds to make a person pass out by restricting airways.”
“What about kicking them in the balls?” someone asked.
“That can work, sure, if you have enough force and good aim. But six seconds is a short span of time. Factoring in pain tolerance levels due to drugs and alcohol, it just might not work. If you’re using those six seconds to make a kick that doesn’t land, then you’ve wasted precious time. We all want to avoid unconsciousness, and here’s how.”
Beside Roman, Aubrey wrapped her arms around herself. He had the sudden urge to rub her back, to tell her everything was going to be okay—and where the hell had that thought come from?
“The key is to tighten your neck muscles,” Cole explained, and the teenager clenched his jaw and neck to demonstrate. “And use your body weight towards the assailant’s thumbs, his weak point, to break out of the hold. Body weight goes forward and down. Then you have the chance to run away. Okay. Pair up and give it a try.”
Aubrey gave him a nervous glance.
“I’m not going to wrap my hands around your neck,” Roman said. Even in a training scenario like this, he wasn’t going to do it. And he didn’t want anyone else wrapping their hands around Aubrey’s neck either. The image it created in his mind made him queasy.
When he noticed one of the smaller kids in the group waiting for her friends to finish so she could have her turn, he waved her over to them. She walked closer with narrowed eyes. She had to be about thirteen.
“You’re going to pair up with her,” he said to the kid, gesturing at Aubrey.
“Okaaaaaay,” the girl said, wary of him but undisturbed at being paired up with a woman a foot taller than her.
With the pair working together, Roman’s blood pressure remained level when it was Aubrey’s turn to play the victim. While he watched, Roman noticed Cole stared at him with a puckered brow. When their eyes met, the other man returned his attention to the pair grappling in front of him.
After everyone had a bit of time to practice that maneuver, Cole moved onto one where the person attacked the victim from behind with a choke hold.
The man knew his stuff. Each move he taught was practical and easy for beginners to master in this sort of workshop situation, creating confidence. The hard part of being put in a dangerous situation was having the resilience to use the techniques when adrenaline and fear ran high.
In his first days with the legionnaires, that fight or flight response had been drilled out of them. No matter the situation, they’d had to keep level heads, or they might die at the hands of the enemy. They’d been screamed at, bullied, put in survival situations where they needed to depend on each other or get tossed out on their ears.
After the demonstration, Roman made Aubrey pair up with the young girl again. While he worked with one of the older teenagers, he could tell Aubrey wasn’t comfortable grabbing the girl from behind, but the youngster kept telling her to try harder which made Aubrey laugh.
The sound made the tension in his chest loosen.
The two kept swapping places, and as Aubrey’s comfort level increased, so did Roman’s. He told himself not to examine his emotional reactions, to focus on the moves and person in front of him, but he couldn’t ignore that having Aubrey at ease was becoming important to him.
Aubrey took her turn as the victim with the girl named Serena and watched Roman out of the corner of her eye.
Did he realize how graceful he was? He was a “big guy” like Cole had said, but the way he moved told her he had complete control over his body. Unlike her. She struggled to figure out which hand Cole meant when he said “top hand.”
Until tonight, she hadn’t realized Cole had any interest in dating her. Every time she and Stella were at Bitters, women always hung around the bar, talking and laughing with him, and he seemed to enjoy the attention. He was a good-looking guy, lots of muscles, short black hair, and eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He knew how to take care of himself, obviously, since he was a martial arts instructor. But before that, she’d seen him break up rare fights at the pub with ease. Even though he’d chat with her and Stella often, she hadn’t thought he was being anything other than polite. And Stella would have told her if his energy had been directed at her in that regard, wouldn’t she?
But when she’d partnered with him earlier, he’d given her a completely different impression. While concentrating on teaching her the unfamiliar movements, he’d asked if Roman was her boyfriend. And she’d answered honestly, saying he was just a friend—even if the more time she spent with the quiet guy, the more she wanted.
After she’d said no, Cole relaxed and flirted with her. Even a week ago, if she’d realized his interest, she probably would have gone out with him. But now, her mind filled with thoughts of Roman, and it had little room for anything else.
But why? Why did she keep insisting on spending time with a guy her best friend warned her against? And why was she having a hard time concentrating on Serena in front of her while Roman stood only feet away, gentling his movements for the teenager he was paired with? Why couldn’t she concentrate on all the matches Simmer sent her, or even go out with a guy she already knew, like Cole?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Cole got everyone’s attention. Aubrey thanked Serena for being her partner and made her way to stand beside Roman.
“Okay, so the last hold we’re going to learn might be one of the scariest. What if your attacker has you pinned against the wall?” He demonstrated with one of his students, his hands wrapped lightly around the boy’s neck.
A shiver of unease traveled through Aubrey, and she crossed her arms over her chest to ward off the chill, even though the room was warm from all their physical activity.
“This is a scary position to be in because you’re cornered.” Cole stepped away, then said, “But I want to talk about size discrepancy in this last demo. I’m going to need another volunteer here so there’s a big height difference.”
When Cole’s eyes landed on her, Roman stepped forward. “You can use me.”
“Right. Okay,” Cole said, nodding. “The big guy’s turn. Not a problem.” He backed toward the wall again. “Since you’re the one who’s taller, I’m going to have you be the aggressor.” Then he nodded to him. “Come at me like you want to subdue me, but use the wall as leverage.”
Roman only hesitated a half second before he did as asked, coming at Cole like he was going to choke him out against the wall. Aubrey’s breath left her at the sight. Both men were built. Both men weren’t using their full strength, but the mock scene became visually violent anyway.
And she was suddenly very glad Roman had stepped in front of her, that she wasn’t the one playing the victim against the wall.
“Hold there,” Cole said, and Roman immediately paused in his movements. “Okay, so from this position, we’re going to implement the palm strike we learned earlier, then by pivoting, the hand starts falling off the neck.” He showed the movement in slow motion. “That foot rotates on the ground as my shoulder pivots through. Which sets everything up for the palm strike, pushing them through and ready for you to put them in your own choke hold position.” And in a delayed second, Cole changed their positions, and Roman bent over with Cole’s arm wrapped around his throat.
“Constrict their neck until they’re unconscious,” Cole said. “Don’t let go until they hit the floor.” He stepped back, letting go of Roman so he could straighten.
Aubrey swallowed, watching as the two men reset the position to demonstrate again. It seemed Roman had no problems having the tables turned on him, taking the choke hold Cole put him in every time without complaint.
“That being said,” Cole said when he’d gone through the steps for the fourth time, “if you’re attacked, you need to use every weapon in your arsenal, and if you see a weakness, exploit it. Okay, let’s partner up and give it a try.” He slapped Roman on the back. “Thanks for the assist, big guy.”
As Roman’s eyes met hers, Serena came up beside her. “Okay, lady, let’s get this over with. You attack me first.”
“Sure,” Aubrey said, focusing on her partner as Roman paired with another. She’d wondered in the beginning why Roman hadn’t wanted to be her partner, but now she was glad for the girl’s presence. A lot of the moves they’d been doing would have taken a different tone if she’d been paired with anyone bigger than her. And Serena’s dry humor kept the activity fun.
With them taking turns against the wall, after a few minutes Aubrey was almost comfortable with the new move. Cole came around to give them pointers. He had patience and paid attention, treated no question as too silly to answer.
The class wrapped up, and the two students handed out pamphlets outlining other class offerings as people started to exit. After retrieving her messenger bag and Roman’s jacket, they left the gym with everyone else but stopped on the sidewalk. It had rained while they were inside, and the sidewalk shone in bright intervals where the streetlights beamed from overhead.
A light breeze hit her face. She wished she’d brought her jacket because the sweat on her body from the physical activity was making her shiver in the cool air. Roman put his hands in his pockets and regarded her with an indecipherable expression.
The look made her shiver again, but this time it was for a completely different reason. When he looked at her like that, she lost all track of her thoughts. The piercing gaze made her think he could see into her mind—or that at least he had the desire to do so.
“Thanks for coming with me,” she said after a minute. “It helped to have someone there.”
Since Stella had been busy, she might not have come, finding some excuse to bail if Roman hadn’t agreed to join her—an oven to clean or laundry to do.
Cole came out of the building, interrupting anything Roman might have been about to say. “Hey, I’m glad you came out,” he said to Aubrey after he locked the door. “Will I see you at Bitters later?”
Her eyes darted to Roman’s face. “Maybe not tonight,” Aubrey replied.
“Thanks again for volunteering,” Cole said to Roman, sticking out his hand. “You were a good sport.”
Roman hesitated, then did something she’d never seen him so before—he took off his glove to shake Cole’s hand. It looked like a normal handshake between men, but Aubrey had a feeling there was more to it, something under the surface she didn’t understand.
While Roman put his glove back on, Cole grinned. “I hope the open house leads to an increase in enrollment.” His crinkling eyes met hers. “And I hope to see you at a class in the future.” He gave them a wave and headed down the street with his gym bag over his shoulder.
That left them alone on the sidewalk. An occasional car passed by to splash in the newly formed puddles. A bird chirped in a tree nearby, sounding happy it had rained.
“Can I walk you to your car?” Roman asked after a time.
“I’d like that, thanks,” she said, tilting her head to the right. “It’s this way.”
His eyes went to the pamphlet clutched in her hand. “Why did you want to take this class tonight?”
Aubrey shrugged. “I thought it might be fun.” But it hadn’t been on her radar until recently.
“There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”
She tensed at the question and thought about giving a half-ass answer. Then she hesitated. Roman was looking at her in a way that made her want to be honest. She couldn’t even explain why, maybe because she never talked about it, even with Stella. It was her best friend’s father, after all, who made her feel this way. What would have been the point of dredging it up when it had affected them both? Stella especially.
“I,” she began, then stopped. Licking her lips, she started again. “Something happened a little while ago that kind of, I don’t know, made me feel helpless, and I really hate that feeling.” She shrugged again, like it wasn’t a big deal.
Roman stopped walking, and she did too. His whole demeanor changed, his body tense and alert, his gloved hands clenched into fists. “Who hurt you?” His tone was so quietly lethal, a shiver raced down her spine.
An image of what Stella described to her formed in her mind, of Roman leaving that house with his knives out, both covered in blood. Then the memory of how he’d become so chilling his first day at the store crashed against her. It was more than him becoming alert. It was like his whole being became a weapon—and it took the breath right out of her.
“It wasn’t physical,” she said finally, like that made it better somehow. “A bad witch, a sorcerer, tampered with my memory, made me forget I ever met him, made me forget what he told me and what he made me do. Basically, he used me as a pawn in a bigger plan of his.” That was only a surface of explanation of what Stella’s father had done, without getting into the extremely bizarre depth of the truth. That he’d been willing to sacrifice Stella for his own personal gain, that he hadn’t cared about his daughter’s life or anyone who stood in his way.
Roman might have a strange job that involved things most people didn’t even accept as real, but it didn’t mean he would understand everything that had happened regarding Stella’s father. A couple of weeks ago, Stella had performed a memory spell to help her remember. But having the memories back didn’t change the fact someone had influenced her, made her do things without her consent. The mystery had been solved, but the feelings of violation worsened.
Roman’s posture hadn’t changed during her explanation. “He’s gone now,” she added. “He can’t do that to anyone else again.” At least, not in this world. She turned and continued walking toward her car, not wanting to talk about it more.
Silent, Roman kept pace beside her until she stopped beside her Civic. She hated they’d lost the easy air they’d had only moments ago. All because she hadn’t been able to deflect his questions. Thanks for being a Debbie Downer, Aubrey.
She cleared her throat and affected a cheery tone. “So, hey, I don’t open the store on Sundays, so you have the day off. You can, you know, sleep in and wear your bunny slippers and pink bathrobe and drink coffee all morning.” A laugh escaped her at the image her words created.
He didn’t laugh along with her. Instead, his brow furrowed. “But you don’t have the day off tomorrow.”
She ran a hand over her hair. “I’m going to check out an estate sale in the morning. I often use Sundays for rummaging, so it was good timing.”
“Can I give you some company?”
The offer surprised her. She was so used to doing everything on her own. Stella had gone along to a few of the places she’d drove to that were a ways out of town, but mostly she did it by herself.
At first, she thought Roman was being polite with his questions, but maybe it was more than that. Whenever he asked about the pieces in her store, he seemed interested in her answers, about how she could tell one wardrobe was Victorian and the other Edwardian. About why one lithograph would be worth three hundred dollars but the original painting next to it was only worth a hundred. He’d acted genuinely enthusiastic in his own quiet way, and it had surprised her.
She smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks. But I need to drive, and I’ll be leaving around nine. Where can I pick you up?”
“Does in front of the store work?”
“Yep. For sure,” she replied but wondered why he didn’t want her to see where he lived. “Thank you for coming with me tonight.” On impulse, she took his gloved hand in hers and leaned up
to kiss his cheek. Rough stubble brushed her lips, making her shiver. His fresh, woodsy scent filled her head.
When she stepped back, Roman hadn’t moved. His whole body was rigid, his eyes blinking fast like he couldn’t see properly.
“Oh geez. Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Embarrassment made her whole body feel hot and clammy. She really sucked at this professionalism thing. “I’m a horrible boss.”
But when she tried to drop his fingers, he kept hold. And for a second there, just half a second, she thought he was going to tug her back toward him.
Then he said, “I’m not the guy for you.”
Her heart lurched in her chest, her throat tight and dry. “No, of course not.” This time, when she stepped back, he let go of her hand. She turned away, mortification burning through her, making her face and scalp hot.
“Aubrey,” he said, his tone gentle.
She kept staggering toward the driver’s side of her car, fumbled with the keys, then opened the door with too much force.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she mumbled before slamming the door shut. As soon as she was sealed safely inside, she let out a long breath.
Shame hummed through her, even though she told herself it wasn’t important. A guy telling her to back off shouldn’t feel like the end of the world. She was a big girl. She could take care of herself. She could take the hint. She didn’t need more from him.
Without looking out the window where Roman stood on the sidewalk, Aubrey started her car, and pulled away from the curb, trying to believe her lies.
14
Roman watched as Aubrey’s Civic disappeared around the corner, the well-used vehicle showing the early signs of rust. His heart felt ten times more eroded.
He knew he’d hurt her with his rejection.
But it was for the best.
As soon as he got to the bottom of the prophecy, as soon as he completed his work here, he’d leave. He’d get as far away from Wickwood as he could and never look back. The work he did for the Church would continue. He didn’t need to be in Wickwood for that.
