Troy didn’t seem to understand my need to flee because he moved with me and took me by the shoulders. “I am so sorry, Kayla. I should have gone through the door first. If I had, none of that would have happened.” He placed a hand on his forehead and let out a harsh breath. “I messed up.”
My brows scrunched together, and I shook my head. “No, you didn’t. You just saved me from that guy.”
“Another moment and he would’ve barreled into you. You could have been seriously injured.”
“But I wasn’t. Besides, if he’d tried to get by me, he would’ve run into you.”
One side of his mouth hitched up in a smirk. “He wouldn’t have gotten far if that happened.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“Because my job is not to apprehend him. It’s to make sure you’re safe. If there weren’t cops around, that would be different, but you are my priority.”
I knew he was speaking strictly of the job, but my heart fluttered just the same. It felt nice hearing I was someone’s priority, even if he didn’t mean it the way I wanted to take it.
I glanced over at the doorway and saw Daniel’s journal on the floor. “Oh, no! It must have fallen out of my hands during that incident.” I hurried over and grabbed it before someone else picked it up. “Now I just need to get this to Detective Marlow.”
Chapter 9
Troy
After leaving the police station, I was still kicking myself for how I handled that situation earlier. There had been something between Kayla and me—a definite attraction—and I had allowed myself to enjoy it a little too much. Thankfully, she was okay after that guy nearly bulldozed into her, but if I hadn’t snapped out of the moment we were having, it could have been really bad.
I prided myself on my ability to keep my emotions in check. Present a professional front. It had always been easy. Until today.
I had to be careful not to let that attraction go further than it already had or I would compromise her safety. Once feelings were involved, it was better to excuse yourself from a case than risk making a sloppy move that could lead to a disastrous end.
I stiffened my spine and squared my shoulders as we drove back to her house. I wouldn’t let that happen again. She was just a client. One I found annoying in the beginning—if I could only remember that.
Kayla glanced at me sidelong in the car. “So, I was wondering if I could ask a favor?”
“What kind of favor?” I kept my tone brisk and professional.
“It’s great having you around and all but…” She took in a breath as if gathering the courage to bring something up. “I won’t have your services forever, and I need to know how to defend myself.”
“There are classes for that.”
“True, and I plan to look into it, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to show me a few moves.”
“That’s not in my job description.” My voice sounded gravelly and hoarse, and the words came out harsher than I’d intended, but I was trying to send a clear message. We were not friends. Not even remotely close. Boundaries were important to uphold.
“Oh, I just thought…” She trailed off, sounding hurt, and the sadness in her tone stabbed me in the gut. I had a soft spot when it came to a woman’s hurt feelings, and it appeared this one, in particular, knew how to push that button. “I’m sorry,” she said a little too quickly as if embarrassed for bringing it up. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
I didn’t respond, and the quiet that stretched between us after that only made me feel worse. It was like kicking a puppy dog and then having to face its mournful eyes. Not that I’d done that before. I hadn’t, but that was how I imagined it would feel like.
I blew out a breath and shook my head. Why was I letting her get to me? “Fine. But only a few moves. That’s it.”
“Really?” The amount of hope and excitement in her voice reminded me of a little kid, making me chuckle.
“You sound as if I just offered you a million dollars.”
She blushed prettily, and I resisted the satisfaction of knowing I’d done that to her. A few times, actually.
“You have no idea what it’s like, feeling as if you’re at the mercy of others. I hate not being able to defend myself.”
Now I felt like a complete jerk because, of course, she wanted to feel empowered. Who wouldn’t in her situation? “Fine. I’ll help you.”
I made a quick U-turn and started back in the way we’d just come, already pushing all the alarm bells out of my thoughts. This was a mistake, but I was doing it anyway.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have a friend who owns a gym nearby, and he won’t mind if we use it.”
“Wow, a fancy gym.”
I let out a snicker. “If you’re looking for fancy, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s small and old but there’s a room in the back we can use.”
“Not a problem. I can handle that.”
I glanced at her and smiled despite my attempts to keep any emerging feelings under control. She was special, this one. As soon as I let the thought form in my mind, I instantly regretted it. No, she was like everyone else, and I could not allow myself to think differently.
She was just a client.
Just…a client.
***
“Thanks, man. I appreciate you letting us use the room.”
“Anytime. You know you’re always welcome.” My buddy, Adam, waved us toward the back, but having worked out there before, I knew where it was.
Adam and I used to hang out a long time ago when we were right out of high school, and although we didn’t see much of each other these days, we were still on good terms.
Kayla was glancing around the room as if she’d never been in a place like this, and she probably hadn’t. A boxing ring took up the center space and several workout stations surrounded the perimeter. This wasn’t your typical gym, and some of the regulars looked a little rough around the edges, but we wouldn’t be rubbing elbows with them. All we needed was a space to practice.
Once we made it to the back room, I ran through a few survival scenarios with her and asked how she would handle them. Earlier, she’d been excited at the prospect of learning something new, but as I posed one hypothetical situation after the next, her bottom lip began to quiver slightly.
I put a light hand on her shoulder. “You okay? I know talking about these things can be upsetting at times, but it’s important to remember that knowledge increases power. If you know what to do in a given situation, you’ll come out much better than if you have no idea how to defend yourself.”
“You’re right.” She glanced away, wringing her hands in front of her. “I guess it all got a little too real when you posed some of those situations. I’ve had a couple of those things happen to me.” Her voice broke. “And I’m still dealing with the effects of the trauma.”
“Hey, we don’t have to do this. If it’s too much—”
“No, I need to push myself.” She straightened and stood at her full height as if making an effort to face her demons. “I can do this. Let’s move on.”
I nodded. “Okay, but if you want to stop, just let me know.”
“I will.” She bit down on her bottom lip and appeared so vulnerable in that moment, I wanted to take her into my arms and comfort her. I felt myself reaching for her and then stopped myself. Remain professional.
She was entirely too cute for her own good, and I was a sucker for a damsel in distress, not that she would stay in this state forever. I had every confidence she could learn the skills to stand against any perpetrator, no matter the size. What I was about to teach her were skills anyone could practice.
I backed up a few steps and widened my stance. “All right, let’s say someone grabs the hair at the front of your head.” I demonstrated by putting my fist at the top of her hairline. “I want you to put your hands on top of mine and bring both elbows down so your arms protect your face. If he tries to punch you, block him with you
r arms. Now, I want you to twist your arms to the side, moving your body with it so it breaks his hold on your hair.”
She twisted her arms and body, breaking the hold. “Like that?”
“Very good. You’ve got it.”
“That wasn’t too hard.”
“Let’s try the next one. What would you do if I put my hands around your neck?” I demonstrated the chokehold, and her eyes widened a little.
Her fingers flew up to my hands, and she tried to break my grip but was unsuccessful. “This isn’t working.”
“I want you to flex your neck and tilt your chin down, then step forward to put me off balance.”
She did as I asked and then made eye contact with me. “All right.”
“From here, hinge at the hips and straighten your legs like you’re reaching down for a deadlift. That will break the hold.”
It worked like a charm, and once she was free, a wide smile broke out over her face. “I never knew it could be that easy.”
“That’s because I’m not trying to hurt you. In a real-life situation, everything will move fast and you won’t have time to think. You’ll just react, and it’s easy to forget what you’ve learned when you’re thrown off guard. That’s why it’s important to practice these moves until they become second nature.”
Her expression sobered, and she nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Let’s go over a few moves you can use to get away.” I pointed to the bottom part of my hand. “Use the heel of your palm and aim for the nose.” I thrust my hand forward quickly to show her exactly how to do it. We practiced that a few times and then I gestured to the point of my elbow. “This right here can be a deadly weapon if aimed at the throat.”
I had her practice pivoting her body and thrusting her elbow at my throat over and over until she did it in one fluid motion. After she had that down, we moved on.
“Let’s talk about the eye-jab. Take your three middle fingers and aim towards the bridge of the nose. Depending on where they fall, your fingers will go to the left or the right once they hit the bridge. When you hit that optical nerve, it causes extreme pain, enough to disable any attacker. If all else fails, this is a great technique to get away from a dangerous situation.”
I continued giving her pointers and helped her practice for a good fifty minutes. “Okay, let’s do one more before we’re done for the day. What would you do if someone came up behind you and grabbed you in a threatening bear-hug move?” I demonstrated by standing behind her and wrapping my arms around her front. I waited for her answer, expecting her to say she would struggle or kick.
“You smell entirely too good. It’s so distracting.” Her tone was light-hearted and playful, but there was a serious undertone.
Despite wanting to remain composed, my mouth quirked up on one side in a lopsided grin. That was not what I had expected her to say, and I had to wipe the smile off my face before I responded in kind. If I encouraged any flirting, this could go south really fast. “Come on, be serious. I’m attacking you. What do you do next?”
“Hmm, let me think.” There was laughter in her voice, and I had the sense she was stalling so I’d keep my arms around her. Admittedly, it felt nice to hold her like this, and for just a moment, I allowed myself to relish the feeling. Alarm bells started going off in my head as the seconds passed. Danger. Danger. Time to get as far away as possible. Suddenly, I let go of her and walked to the other side of the room, running a hand through my hair. “You’re good for now. We’ll come back to this one another day.”
Her eyes widened, and she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“Nah, you’re fine.” I kicked an invisible pebble and looked anywhere but at her eyes. “We’ll pick up where we left off next time.”
“Sure, okay.” She shrugged and lowered her head as if disappointed. “I’m sorry if I—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” I smiled, not wanting her to think I was rejecting her outright. I wasn’t, but we couldn’t continue like that as long as she was a client.
And then I was completely blindsided by a question that came to me, appearing out of nowhere. When she was no longer my client…what then?
Could I see myself with someone like Kayla Keller?
Chapter 10
Kayla
I’ve uncovered something terrible, and now I have to find the courage to go to the police.
I read the words, trying to make sense of them. What did Daniel find out? And was it somehow related to his death? Those thoughts circled through my mind again and again until I wanted to scream. Why hadn’t he written more? I had no clue where to even begin with this.
Well, that wasn’t completely true. The obvious place to look first was his job since that was where he spent most of his time, but it seemed unlikely that it would have anything to do with his work. He used to joke about how boring his job was. He had enjoyed financial planning, but it wasn’t the type of career that carried an adrenaline rush. It was stable. Secure. Uneventful. And from what he told me, not very exciting. At least, that had been his perspective.
All that said, I had nowhere else to look, and since Robert and Daniel had been coworkers and friends, I decided to have lunch with Robert to see if he had any idea what Daniel could have been referring to.
My heart squeezed in my chest as I walked through the doors of Robert’s office. I hadn’t been here since Daniel passed away and seeing the familiar lobby brought back memories. I had often stopped by at the end of the day to see Daniel, and we would leave from there to go out to dinner. Sometimes we met up with his coworkers, and on days when Daniel had to work really late, it wasn’t unheard of for me to bring my laptop and hang out with him at the office until he was done. I did it so I could be near him, and he loved having me around.
Troy followed close behind as I waved at the secretary and walked through the doorway to the back offices. She smiled and waved me on. Robert had told her I was coming and would meet him in the back. He rounded the corner, and his countenance warmed when he saw me. That warmth quickly evaporated when his gaze landed on Troy, and he instantly stiffened. His brows lowered and his eyes narrowed as if Troy were some hoodlum off the street. Oh, brother. Why did he have to act like that? If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was jealous, but he had nothing to be jealous about. Troy was a perfect gentleman and kept things strictly professional. Our session going over defense moves reinforced that one hundred percent. The man hadn’t taken my bait at all. I’d pushed the line when I told him he smelled good, wanting to see what he would do, but his only reaction was that I needed to “be serious.” It had been sobering and more than a little disappointing to realize the attraction was one-sided, and I’d basically made a fool of myself.
“Glad you came,” Robert said, his shoulders finally relaxing as he stepped closer. He smelled of coffee and peppermint candy, scents I’d come to associate with him as he always had one or the other. His propensity towards caffeine explained his high metabolism and endless energy, but at least he’d cut down in the last year.
“Me too.” I was nervous about the discussion we were about to have, but I figured he probably wouldn’t know much, otherwise, he would have given that information over to the police a long time ago. “I appreciate that you were willing to meet with me.”
“You never have to ask,” he said, puffing out his chest as if he were the big man in the office, and, to be fair, he was the owner and ran this place in an efficient manner. Daniel had always admired him for his ability to lead. “All you have to do is beckon, and I’ll be there.” He stepped even closer, his gaze dropping to my lips, causing the moment to feel much too intimate. The hairs on my arms stood up, but not because he intimidated me in any way. I just didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about us. Sometimes it felt like he was on the precipice of stepping over the line between friendship and wanting more. He had promised that wasn’t the case anymore, but I wasn’t so sure.
�
�That’s good to know,” I said. I kept my tone light and instinctively backed up. The second I did, his expression faltered, and I knew he was taking it as a rejection, but there was nothing to be done about it. Hurt flashed in his eyes, and I instantly felt bad. Even so, I refused to give him hope when there was none. I respected him too much to play those kinds of games.
His gaze swung to Troy, and his eyes narrowed again. “I think we can leave him behind. I’m perfectly capable of keeping you safe.” He stepped forward again, retrieving the space I’d put between us.
“Mr. Sunder, you hired me for a reason,” Troy said, sounding almost annoyed. “Please let me do my job.”
Robert was about to open his mouth with a retort when I jumped in. “He’ll be in the background. You won’t even know he’s there.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Robert mumbled, but then he plastered on a smile. “Fine, but he doesn’t sit at the table with us.”
“Not a problem,” Troy said, a muscle in his jaw tightening.
Robert glanced down the hall and then back at me. “Great, give me five minutes to finish up. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
He walked briskly down the hallway and stepped into his office. Just as I was about to head to the lobby, a door opened and a woman with shoulder-length brown hair with a touch of gray at the temples stared at me, shock showing on her face as her brown eyes grazed over me. She drew a hand to her collar bone and gasped. “Kayla… I can’t believe you’re here.”
She was one of the coworkers Daniel and I had often socialized with, and after he died, she called to check on me many times, but we hadn’t gotten together, mainly because I shut myself away after his death. Being around his coworkers had been too hard, so I’d dropped out of that social circle. I felt bad about that now, but it had been my way of coping. Robert was the one exception since he basically wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’d barged into my life, and I’d come to appreciate his stable friendship.
Protected By The Bad Boy (Bad Boy Bodyguards Book 1) Page 7