Defensive Instructor - Debra Parmley

by Brotherhood Protectors

  “Hello, I want to report a man who attacked me in the parking lot at the grocery store,” she said. “I ran, and I’m at the drug store at the corner of …” She looked at the drug store clerk, who rattled off the names.

  Chyna gave all the information, and the police dispatcher said a patrol car was on its way. “Stay on the line till the police arrive,” the dispatcher said.

  “I will,” Chyna said. Her hands were shaking.

  She couldn’t believe he was here. She couldn’t believe she’d actually hit him. And that she’d gotten away.

  But he was out there. Somewhere close. And he’d be angry now. Real angry.

  She wanted to be back on the ranch. And she wanted Barrett. He’d know what to do. He wouldn’t let Finn hurt her. Finn wasn’t the only one who knew how to kill. Barrett was a Green Beret. He’d know how too.

  Her hands were really shaking now. She needed someone to hold on to.

  Finn let loose of the grip he’d had on his head and cock and balls when he’d dropped down. Damn son of a bitch, damn, that hurt. His ear hurt, and that wasn't all. Had she really kneed him there?

  Where the hell had she learned all that? To fight? Like some street fighter? What had happened to the sweet, docile wife he’d married?

  Someone had been teaching her.

  His anger was boiling way down low now. As he hurried to his truck to drive away, he carried that anger with him, leaving nothing behind but a family-sized tub of ice cream, melting in the parking lot.

  Driving away, he thought about that ice cream.

  Whoever she was with must have a family. No two people ate that much ice cream.

  He’d find them, and he’d get her next time. Looked like he’d have to call in his cousins after all.

  Maybe she could fight like a tiger against one man, but she’d soon lose when it was four against one. Hell, they’d have her down before she could even call out.

  He wouldn’t make this mistake twice. Pissed as he was at the way this had turned out, once he was driving away, he was already calm enough to make plans.

  First, he’d find out where she was staying. It had been pure luck seeing her walking into that grocery store. All he’d wanted was a few beers and some chips to take back to his motel room. He’d just pulled into the parking lot when there she was, plain as day, walking along with a bounce to her step, heading in to shop.

  He couldn’t believe his luck. It must’ve been fated. He’d come for his wife, and there she was, delivered right up to him.

  Till death do us part. Yes, ma’am.

  He’d always loved watching that ass. She was wearing a cotton sundress with flowers on it, and he could see sunburn lines instead of her pretty pale skin.

  Thinking as he drove, knowing she’d run and probably called the police, he settled for driving out of town this time. He’d tracked her once and found her. It would be easy to do it again. His cousins would help. They took turns tracking when they hunted, and they always had good luck with that.

  Wherever she was staying, she’d been swimming or lying out in the sun to get that burnt. An aerial view of swimming pools in the area was one place to start. An area close enough, you could carry ice cream back to it in this heat. She might’ve had a cooler. But even if she did, most folks went to the nearest grocery store for something like that. It was just a matter of time until he found her location.

  When the call came in to Brotherhood Protectors, Barrett was at the Patterson ranch, talking to Hank.

  Barrett paced as Hank immediately called the police. With relief, he heard the police had already sent a squad car. Barrett needed to know she was safe.

  I need to be with her, dammit. It took everything he had to wait for Hank to get off the phone and tell him what the hell was going on. By the time Hank got off the phone, the police were on the scene and had spotted her, safe inside the drug store.

  She’ll be scared, and she’s by herself. I need to be there.

  Hank took one look at his face and said, “Go.”

  They both knew without a bunch of words that Barrett would go and see her safely back to the ranch. Some things, a man didn’t have to talk about with another man. It was understood.

  Out the door, he ran to his truck, counting how many minutes it would take him to get there. Too many, as he wished he were there already.

  Damn.

  He hadn’t expected danger to follow her here. Thought it was just fear that had her saying her ex would come after her.

  How the hell had the man found her? He must’ve had good resources to do what should’ve been nearly impossible.

  Barrett had made the mistake of not making a plan in the event her ex did show up, even though she’d talked about that happening more than once. He wanted to kick himself.

  I listened, but I didn’t really listen. I should’ve taken her more seriously. The danger to her is real. We should’ve had a plan in place for something like this. I almost lost her.

  She’d gotten away. Which meant she hadn’t frozen.

  I’m so damn proud of her.

  He hung on to that feeling that made his chest want to expand, and then his thoughts raced again.

  But her ex might try again. Proud as I am of her, this can’t happen again. She’s lost the element of surprise that gave her an edge, and she hasn’t had nearly enough training. If he comes at her again, he’ll be more prepared and she’ll be in far more danger. If he comes after her again, she shouldn’t face him alone. I need to be there.

  He set his jaw.

  Her life is more important than the center's rules. If I have to break them to keep her safe, I will.

  It was time to get to know Ms. Chyna Lacey a whole lot better, and it was time to take her training to another level.

  Her ex was a threat. He had to be dealt with. She doesn’t have the luxury of time. Not now. Not until that guy is locked away or six feet under.

  Either of which Barrett was happy to arrange.

  Barrett eased the truck onto the road that would take them all the way back to the ranch. He turned the radio lower. “Tell me about your ex,” he said. “What happened before you came to the center? What made you run?”

  “He hit me,” Chyna said. “He got really angry and hit me when I didn’t give him what he wanted, and he beat me so bad, I ended up in the hospital. Until then, he’d never hit me once. But I knew once he had, I couldn’t live with him. It wouldn’t be safe. So I told the police everything, and they connected me with the local shelter, and I went there. I knew he’d follow me here. He’s crazy, Barrett. Crazy and dangerous.”

  “I’m glad you fought him off tonight,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” She nodded and looked straight ahead, thinking. “I’m proud of me too.”

  “You should be.”

  They shared that moment and rode in silence for a little bit, and then he said, “Why do you think he showed up here looking for you? What do you think he wants?”

  “The first thing is, he doesn’t recognize the divorce. He wouldn’t sign the papers, so the judge had to force him. He doesn’t see it as valid because the judge isn’t God.”

  “Great. So he’s definitely living in his own reality, not the one the rest of us inhabit.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “So you can see why I say he’s crazy. He doesn’t react like most people, and he has anger issues.”

  “That’s no surprise. What makes him angry? What happened that angered him enough, you ended up in the hospital?”

  If he could gather enough info on this guy, he’d know more about how to defeat him. Knowing your enemy was always a good thing. And he wanted to know what had happened to her and hear her tell it in her own words.

  “After I went into the shelter, as soon as I filed for divorce, I changed my will to make sure he wouldn’t receive a dime of my money. I left everything to the local animal shelter. I sent Phineas a copy and made sure he had to sign for it. He was furious. So f
urious, he set my house on fire.”

  So he’s a firebug. That’s important to know. If he’s done that one, odds are high he’d do it again.

  “Felicity Markem, my nosy next door neighbor, called the police to report a prowler. He saw the police car and ran. The fire truck arrived quick and put the fire out before it did major damage. I knew Phineas set the fire, but I couldn’t prove it. With the restraining order in place, he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near my house. His name wasn’t on the deed. I never added him. Repairs to the house ate up my last paycheck, but I repaired it and put it on the market right away so I’d have money to start over somewhere else, and that helped me get into the program, since he was showing up at my place of employment and they asked me to take a leave of absence until I got this situation under control. Except there's no such thing because he won’t leave me alone, so when I came here, I burnt all my bridges, and I'm not going back.”

  Though glad to hear she wasn't going back, he didn’t like the circumstances that had led to that.

  Finn was pissed and had been raging for an hour; that was how long he’d waited on his cousins to get their shit together and join him out west. They were coming to Montana, and they would get his wife and bring her home.

  This time when he went after her, he was bringing Al, Trey and Micah. Each of his cousins was tough and could be mean. Trey and Micah had killed and buried a guy who had never been found. They were even tougher when he was if the two of them were together.

  Let’s see her fight four of us off. Her puny little defensive moves wouldn’t mean a thing against four larger, more experienced and determined men.

  Chapter 9

  As nightfall approached, Finn drove the truck toward the center. They’d be there just after dark and in plenty of time to go in the back way, through the fence he’d cut, at the southwest corner of the property. He’d cut the fence and then put it back fastening it with zip ties so no one would see it had been cut unless they got up close. It would be easy to cut the ties and get in.

  This time, he had his cousins with him and just enough room in the back to sit Chyna between two of them once they had her. She wouldn’t get away this time. A roll of duct tape and some zip ties were all they needed to secure her. Everything had been planned out.

  “How did you say she got away again?” Trey asked, sitting on the front seat with his right knee jumping up and down as his foot tapped against the floorboards. It hadn’t been that long since he’d been off the stuff, and he still got twitchy.

  “That’s right,” Al said quietly. “You never did give me a straight answer to that question, Finn. She fought you and got away, that’s too vague.”

  “The woman has been learning to fight. Someone has been teaching her stuff.”

  “What kind of stuff?” Al asked.

  “Stuff,” Finn grumbled. “I just know she’s not going to come along peaceable; we’re gonna have to take her.”

  “Yeah, you said that already. But what did she do, exactly?” Trey asked “Karate? Kung Fu, or what? I still can’t see her doing any of that.”

  “Even if she did, little China doll like her,” Micah laughed, “she’d break herself if she went too hard.”

  It had been the joke between the men that Finn had gotten himself a China doll for a wife. Something he’d enjoyed hearing.

  She did bruise easily. But China doll? She didn’t fit that image anymore. It pissed him off. Whoever these people were who were teaching her this stuff, they were ruining his woman, and it had to stop.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Finn said. “She hasn’t been at this stuff long enough to be really good at it. I didn’t expect to see her in the parking lot. She took me by surprise, that’s all. This time, we know where she is and she doesn’t know we’re coming.”

  “It won’t take four of us long to grab her,” Al said. “We’ve got to make this quick so I can get back home.”

  “So those newborns of yours can keep you up all night, crying?” Micah asked. “A few weeks of that, and you’ll wish you were back with us, hunting.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not there yet, to find out,” Al said.

  They arrived at the cut out place, and Trey got out to move the fence, then Finn drove through and Trey closed it again, before getting back in the truck.

  Finn drove them as close as he could without being seen, and then he put the truck into park and they all got out.

  Dressed in black, they blended into the night as they moved slowly toward the main building. Everything was quiet outside, and no one was making noise but the crickets. Finn saw no one outside moving about. One by one, they moved closer to the front door. Trey was in the lead, and he moved up the steps and over to the door, followed by Micah, while Finn and Al held back, watching the door.

  Trey pulled out his lock picking kit and, laying his gun down, began to work on the door. The lock opened. Excited, Trey opened the door. It wasn’t quite halfway open when a man in a black shirt, carrying a gun, walked into the front room.

  They froze at the sight of each other.

  Trey reached down onto the floor, for the gun he’d forgotten to pick up, in his excitement to pick the lock, but his hand missed the gun.

  The man drew his pistol. “Freeze!” he shouted.

  Micah stepped right up behind Trey with his shotgun, and raised it over Trey’s shoulder and hurriedly pulled the trigger as the man shot at Trey, and then ducked away, as Micah aimed and pulled his shotgun’s trigger.

  The guy in the black shirt, maybe security, with the big gun, shot at Trey, not Micah.

  Trey started screaming, and hollering, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” his voice full of panic and pain.

  Micah was fine, but he heard Trey screaming beneath him as the security guy stepped behind a doorjamb. The buckshot had missed him.

  Immediately, Micah stepped back as well, reaching a hand down to find Trey’s collar so he could drag him away.

  When Micah reached the edge of the front porch, Al joined him, and they dragged and carried Trey across the lawn in a half run, until they were behind the trees, as Finn watched the front door, keeping his gun and sights on that door in case someone followed them out.

  Trey was a sobbing, screaming, bloody mess.

  “The hell happened in there?” Finn shouted.

  Micah scowled at him as he and Al tried to calm Trey down.

  “Security guard or someone had a gun. He shot Trey right as the door opened,” Micah said.

  “Did you get him?” Finn asked.

  Micah shook his head, holding Trey’s arms still as Al ripped away part of Trey’s bloody shirt. “He moved too fast.”

  “Fast? Hell. You should a shot him,” Finn said. “Now we can’t get in that way. We’ll have to go in through the back.”

  Al balled the strip of cloth up, and pressed it against Trey’s lower torso to stop the bleeding.

  “I’m gonna die,” Trey said. “It hurts so bad.”

  “Quit yer whining, ya big baby,” Finn said. “You’re all right. You always have been a whiner.”

  Trey was the youngest of the cousins and used to hearing that, as Finn had said it often when they were growing up.

  Finn touched Al’s elbow. “Come on, Al,” he jerked his head away from Trey. “Micah can watch him.”

  Al looked at Micah. “You got this?”

  Micah nodded.

  Finn turned to Micah. “Don’t let anyone come through that front door.”

  Micah nodded, waiting to take over for Al.

  “Press down here,” Al said, as he handed off pressing on Trey’s wound to Micah. Then Micah took over and Al reached for his gun.

  Finn and Al took off at a run and ran toward the back of the building.

  As Finn rounded the corner headed for the back door, he stopped short.

  Son of a bitch.

  The back door had no handle, no way of opening it from the outside. He quickly looked to each side, for any kind of panel or keypad, but there was noth
ing. Noting but big wooden logs and a flat door.

  Damn.

  Then he grinned. Thing about wood was, it burned. It burned real good.

  “We can’t get in, so we got to get ‘em to come out,” he said.

  Al looked at Finn, hearing the excitement in his voice, knowing exactly what Finn was going to do next. Finn had been a firebug from a young age, and any excuse to set a fire saw him reaching for his lighter.

  “Well, light her up, cuz’,” Al said, watching the light in Finn’s eyes. The sooner they got Finn’s wife, the sooner Al would be back with his wife and sons. “I’m right behind ya.”

  Finn hurried to the truck to get his gas can and the two flares stored there. Al moved behind him, slow, scanning the area and watching for trouble.

  Gathering his tools, Finn rushed to the southeast corner of the building, the closest to the back door they couldn’t enter through. Finn threw gasoline all over the walls and then, taking one of the flares, lit it and threw it against the house. The gas took fire immediately and then flames began to spread.

  Finn stood watching it, his eyes lit with a fire from within, almost forgetting the other flare. But then he remembered and lit that one, tossing it onto the roof.

  Al, behind Finn, kept back, keeping watch to the left and the right, to make sure no one was coming. There’d been movement inside the building. Someone had seen Finn throw the flare.

  Everyone in the building who’d been asleep woke up at the sound of gunfire.

  Cecelia was the first to hear it, and she was awake instantly and dialing for the sheriff. Once she’d made the call, she left the phone line open so they could hear what was going on and record whatever was happening. Cecelia moved to the closed door and, putting her hand on it so she’d feel anyone trying to open it, she waited to hear if anyone approached.

  Chyna heard shots and was frantic with worry.

  Finn was here. With his cousins. I knew he’d come back.