“Feel how my body’s fitted to yours? My elbow is right against your stomach, so I’m going to use that to my advantage. Throw an elbow strike to the stomach, then follow through using your body to push them over.”
I lightly elbowed her, then pushed against her, turning my body into her and using my momentum to knock her over my thigh to the ground.
I helped Kaiya up, then pretended to brush some non-existent dust off her ass, trying to get her to loosen up. She giggled and swatted my hand away, giving me a look of amused disapproval.
“What? You had something on your ass.” I laughed.
She rolled her eyes. “Sure.” She was trying so hard not to smile, but it broke through after several seconds.
“Ready to try, Warrior?”
Her smile faded some as she stiffened slightly and nodded.
“I’m going to come up behind you and put you in the choke, okay?” I made sure to meet her eyes and get her approval before walking behind her. I hated how tense she was, especially considering that it was me—I felt like she didn’t trust me.
Rubbing her shoulders, I attempted to help her loosen up. “Easy, baby, it’s only me. You know I would never hurt you.”
She relaxed some and shook out her arms. “I know, I know. It’s not you—it’s me. Some habits are hard to break.”
I knew it would take her time to get over her trust issues, but it still made me feel like shit that after everything we’d been through, she still didn’t trust me. I told myself that it would take longer to reverse all those years of fear and trust issues, and I was determined to break through every wall by earning her trust.
I let go of her shoulders. “I’m going to put you in the choke now.” I slipped my arm around her neck and secured the hold with my other hand. “Bring your left leg around behind my right one, squatting slightly into a horse stance.”
Once she was in the correct position, I continued, “Now elbow me and continue to push while turning your body into mine. Use as much force as possible to knock me backward over your knee.”
It took Kaiya a few times to knock me over, so we practiced until she became more comfortable with executing the move before I ended class.
Everyone joined together on the mats. “I hope that learning this technique will be helpful to you if you ever need it. Remember to practice at home so that the movements become reflexive and automatic. Have a good night, everyone.”
After I locked up, Kaiya and I picked up some Chinese takeout for dinner, then headed back to her place. When she opened the door, she called out, “Kam? We’re home.”
Kaiya slipped off her shoes and threw her keys and purse on the table as I shut the door. “Kam?” Kaiya repeated louder.
I set the bag of takeout on the table while Kaiya searched the apartment for Kamden. She entered the dining room with a perplexed look on her face. “He’s not here. He’s usually home by now.”
She went to her purse and pulled her phone out. After dialing his number, she put the phone to her ear and paced back and forth between the living and dining room. She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for Kamden to answer.
Her face fell as she lowered the phone. “No answer. I hope he’s okay. I wonder why he didn’t call or text me.”
I took out the various boxes of food and placed them on the table. “I’m sure he’s fine. Kamden can take care of himself.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she halfheartedly agreed as she stared down at her phone in her hands. “I’m going to send him a text, anyway.”
Her thumbs quickly swiped over her screen as she typed her message. Once she was finished, she went into the kitchen to grab some plates before coming back and setting the table.
Throughout dinner, Kaiya barely touched her food or spoke. I could tell she was still preoccupied about Kamden. “Don’t worry, babe. He’s probably out drinking or something.”
Her eyes snapped up to mine, then narrowed in anger. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. He’s an alcoholic.”
I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. “I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m just saying that he’s probably at a bar, and can’t hear his phone because of the loud music.”
Ignoring my comment, she grabbed her phone off the table and angrily swiped the screen. She put the phone to her ear and stood from the table before storming into the living room.
After several seconds, she pulled the phone away from her ear and cursed, “Damn it, where is he?”
I stood from the table and walked over to her. I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
She sighed in frustration, then changed the subject. “Let’s clean up this mess.” She gestured to the dining room table.
After we put the dishes in the dishwasher and packed up the leftover food, we headed to Kaiya’s room to get ready for bed.
Once we showered and changed, Kaiya insisted that she wait up until Kamden came home. We went back out to the living room and curled up on the couch with one of her extra blankets.
Kaiya was laying with her back on me in between my legs. She leaned her head back against my chest and let out another deep sigh.
I tried to keep her mind occupied by asking, “Tell me more about therapy today.”
Shit, this probably isn’t the best topic.
She turned over, propping her chin on her hands atop my abdomen as she looked up at me. I expected her to get upset and not want to talk about it, but she didn’t. She seemed relieved to have the chance to get it off her chest. “We talked about my mom.”
“What about her?” Kaiya’s mom was a crazy bitch, and I didn’t see how talking about her would help Ky or Kamden.
“Kamden said she’d been leaving him messages and harassing him. Then, Dr. Lowell asked him how he felt about that and wanted to hear both of our opinions about her.”
No wonder she was so stressed when she walked into class—Kaiya’s mom was a tough subject for both of them. Add in the threatening text message and her day seemed pretty shitty. “I’m sorry—sounds like you had a bad day.”
She chortled. “Bad is an understatement. To top it off, I’ve had a fucking headache all day. This therapy shit sucks.”
I laughed and rubbed her back. “I think it’s great that you’re doing it for Kamden. I’m really proud of you.”
She smiled warmly and pushed up to kiss me. My hands moved down to grip her ass as I slipped my tongue in her mouth. I pressed her down into my hardening cock, making her gasp and break the kiss. “We can’t—what if Kamden comes in?”
I smirked and squeezed her ass. “So?”
She smacked me on the shoulder and scoffed. “Ryker!”
I laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave.”
Kaiya scooted down and lay her head back in the center of my chest. We talked a little longer before we both drifted off to sleep.
Loud, drunken laughter and the door hitting the wall woke both Kaiya and me. Kamden and some girl stumbled into the living room—both of them were wasted. They could barely stand, and their eyes were bloodshot and red.
Kaiya got up and furiously strode toward Kamden, who was oblivious to us. She placed her hands on her hips and stared up at him when she reached the drunken couple. His glazed eyes focused on her as he directed his attention away from the blonde that was all over him.
“Where have you been, Kam? I’ve been worried sick about you!” Kaiya’s voice was clouded by sleep, but there was no masking the anger in it.
Kamden’s eyes narrowed as he slurred, “None of your fucking business.”
Kaiya was about to speak again as Kamden walked around her with the girl in tow. “You are my fucking business, Kamden! I just want to help you!” Kaiya yelled as she followed him. She grabbed his arm. “Talk to me, Kam.”
“I don’t want to fucking talk anymore!” Kamden roared as he wrenched his arm from Kaiya’s grasp. “Leave me alone, Kaiya!”
Rage lit up my
veins, sending my heart pummeling against my chest as I watched him push her away into the wall.
Fucking bastard!
Shock and hurt filled Kaiya’s face as I rushed over to them. I reared back to punch Kamden in his fucking jaw for touching my girl. I didn’t give a fuck that he was her brother.
Kaiya’s voice was barely above a whisper as she stopped me, gripping my forearm with both hands. “Don’t. Just let him be.”
Kamden’s face morphed from anger to sadness as realization sank in. He let go of the blonde, who almost fell from the loss of his support, and approached Kaiya with open arms. “Ky, I’m so sorry. I didn’t me—”
Kaiya turned away from him, burying her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and shook my head at Kamden. He had another thing coming if he thought I was going to let him near her after what he just did.
Kamden backed away as he apologized again, “I’m sorry, sorella. So sorry.”
Kaiya softly cried into my bare chest, and I clenched my fists to temper my anger. Kamden was so fucking lucky that Kaiya was in between us, or I would’ve beat the shit out of him.
Kamden turned and went into his room. He slammed the door, leaving the drunk girl leaning against the wall in the hallway. I lifted Kaiya into my arms and carried her to her bedroom, only concerned about her well-being. I couldn’t care less about Kamden’s booty call.
Once I shut the door, I heard banging. The girl yelled, “What the fuck, Kamden? You said you’d show me a good time.”
Ignoring her, I lay Kaiya in bed before climbing in next to her. I covered us with her comforter and wiped the tears from her face. “Don’t cry, baby. He didn’t mean it.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “I know. I just feel like I’m losing him. How can I save him?”
“You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t lose him—he’s the only family I have left.”
I caressed her cheek. “You have me, too, Warrior. Always.”
Her vibrant blue eyes opened and locked on mine. “I love you.”
I brushed my lips over hers before leaning down to her chest. I gently kissed her scar, then moved back up to her lips again. “I love you,” I murmured against them.
Enclosing Kaiya in my arms, it didn’t take long for us to fall back asleep, exhausted from the events of the night.
My eyes burned as I stared at the computer screen at work. They were still puffy and swollen from crying the night before. Kamden pushing me had been replaying in my mind since I woke up. Plus, I still had the same fucking headache, and I’d thrown up again this morning when I’d gotten out of bed.
I rubbed my eyes as I swiveled away from the screen. My phone buzzed on my desk, and I thought about ignoring it, not wanting to deal with another text from the unknown number.
Don’t live in fear—you wasted most of your life doing that.
I grabbed the phone and keyed in my password. A message from Kamden popped up on the screen.
Thank God.
Kamden: I’m sorry sorella
My stomach tightened uncomfortably thinking about what happened. Kamden had never laid a hand on me before, and it was like a piece of my heart broke when he pushed me into the wall.
I gnawed on my bottom lip as I thought about what to text back. I was hurt and upset, but not to the point where I didn’t want to talk to him and resolve everything.
Me: It’s ok I know you didn’t mean it
I set my phone down and tried to concentrate on my projects, but with everything on my mind, it was virtually impossible. I was lucky that I hadn’t been fired for my lack of work since I’d returned from my leave of absence, but my boss had been understanding of my situation, which I was extremely grateful for.
I had just typed some figures into one of my new account’s spreadsheet when my phone vibrated again. A new text popped up on my screen, and fear strangled the air from my lungs.
Unknown: Soon you will pay for what you did
My heart thundered in my chest as I stared down at my phone. I exited out of the message and went through my phone log to call Ryker. I clicked on his name and was about to press call when I stopped.
Ryker was already worked up about the texts, especially since he couldn’t do anything about them. I didn’t want to worry him when there was nothing he could do—that would only frustrate and upset him more. And I didn’t want both of us stressed out over the situation. Plus, I still needed to call my phone company and see if there was anything they could do on their end, and I wanted to be able to give Ryker answers.
I went back to my home screen and opened my texts. I tapped Nori’s name and started typing a message.
Me: Wanna grab some lunch today
It only took a few seconds for her to respond back with her answer. Nori worked about ten minutes away from my office, so we decided to meet at a small cafe about halfway between our buildings.
I took a cab to the cafe to save time, and Nori was already there, waiting for me outside.
We rushed in, clutching our coats around us as a gust of wind attacked us. The door practically slammed behind us from the force of the wind blowing outside.
I unbuttoned my coat. “Why didn’t you wait inside for me? It’s freezing outside.”
Nori shrugged. “I don’t mind the wind, unlike you. You freeze when its fifty degrees outside and a small breeze brushes past you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not that bad.” I really was.
Nori gave me a seriously look, arching an eyebrow with a playful smirk. We both laughed after I failed to fight a smile. Nori and I always had a good time together, and it was nice to forget about everything that relentlessly weighed down on me, if only for a brief time.
Once we were seated, I took off my jacket and set it beside me in the booth. Nori did the same as she asked, “So, what’s new?”
I groaned and Nori chuckled. “That bad, huh?”
Exhaling a heavy breath, I nodded. I proceed to ramble about the therapy sessions with Kamden, the confrontation the night before, and the text I had received this morning.
Nori sat in stunned silence, both her eyes and mouth wide open as she took everything in. “Wow, I, uh-”
Just then, the waitress walked up, interrupting our conversation. “Hi, my name is Amy and I’ll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?”
Once she left with our orders, I urged Nori, “Well?”
She looked at a loss for words, which was definitely unusual for her. After a few seconds, she finally spoke. “Damn, girl—I don’t know what to say.”
I snorted. “That’s a fucking first.”
Nori flipped me the finger and laughed. “Hey, you threw a lot at me at once. Give me some time to process.”
“Yeah, its some heavy shit. I’ve been so stressed out that I’ve been throwing up every morning and have never-ending headaches.”
“Wait, what? You’ve been throwing up every morning? For how long?” Nori asked with her eyebrows raised.
“Um…” I thought back to when I got the first text. “A few weeks maybe. Why?”
“Do you think you might be pregnant?” Nori blurted out.
I laughed loudly. “Are you joking?” When she didn’t join in my laughter, I stopped and met her gaze. “Wait, you’re serious.”
It wasn’t a question. The look on Nori’s face told me she wasn’t joking—she was dead serious. “I can’t be pregnant. I’m on the…”
Oh shit. When was the last time I went for my shot? The last I remember was before the shooting. Fuck.
Nori smiled sympathetically. “Would it be that bad if you were?”
Would it?
I never planned to have kids because I didn’t think I was in the right emotional state to be able to raise any that weren’t totally fucked up. I rubbed my palms on my pants. “No, but I’m sure it’s just stress.”
Nori gave me a knowing look. “Maybe you should take a pregnan
cy test—just to be safe.”
I sighed. “Fine, I will. But I really think it’s only stress.”
The waitress came back with our drinks and wrote down our lunch order. When she left, Nori said in disbelief, “I can’t believe Kamden pushed you.”
I sadly shook my head, then stared down at my hands in my lap. “Me neither. He’s gotten really bad. I don’t know what to do to help him.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t give up on him.”
I looked up and made eye contact. “I won’t.” I could never give up on Kamden after everything he’d done for me.
Nori changed the subject. “So, what does Ryker think about the text messages?”
I took a drink of my water. “He’s beyond pissed. Especially since he can’t do anything about it.”
“What about the police? Have you thought about going to them?”
“Yeah, but Ryker said they won’t do anything.” I stirred the straw around in my drink before taking another sip.
Nori shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I think it’s worth a shot. What if they could help?”
She had a point. Ryker didn’t know for sure whether or not the police would be able to help, and the messages weren’t stopping like I wanted. “You’re right. I’ll look into it.”
Amy came with our food, and we started eating. In between bites, Nori said, “Tell me something good. I’m tired of all this negative bullshit.”
“Tell me about it.” I laughed. “I don’t have much to tell you, except that everything with Ryker is amazing. I keep waiting to wake up from this dream.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” she crooned with a smile. “I’m so happy that you finally found someone that treats you how you’re supposed to be treated.”
My lips curved up. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky.”
Nori took another bite of her sandwich. “At least you have him to help you through all this.”
I nodded as I swirled my spoon in my soup. “Yeah, I’d definitely go crazy with all this if I didn’t have him.”
Mending Scars Page 5