by Stark, Cindy
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I have my life back, and I’m moving forward. Maybe stabbing him was enough payback.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I don’t need your approval.” She stood, and he followed suit. “I came out here to try to explain, but I can see it’s pointless. Thank you for the soup.”
She started out of the room, but he quickly caught up to her, catching her by the arm. Instinct took over, and she aimed a fist at him like Christian had showed her. Sam evaded her and instead pinned her against the wall.
Both of them were breathing heavily, her breasts pressing against his chest, and she hated the way his touch excited her.
He slid her wrists up the wall, holding them over her head, leaving her in a very vulnerable position. “If that’s what Christian taught you, he’s going to have to do better.”
Janie refused to respond to Sam’s jab. “Let me go.”
“Yeah, sure.” He backed away, releasing her. “But don’t try that weak ass stuff on anyone seriously trying to hurt you. You’ll only piss them off worse.”
That stopped her. More than anything, she had to be strong enough to take care of herself. “You think you can do better?”
“I know I can. He’s teaching you how to fight, but is that what you really want? I’ll teach you how to protect yourself and get away.”
Damn. She wanted to walk away, to toss his help in his face, but she needed it. “Then teach me.” She’d learn what she could from him until she had the opportunity to leave.
He studied her for a moment. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.” She’d show him and the world she wasn’t a weak woman who could be pushed around.
“Fine. Let’s take it downstairs on the mats so no one gets hurt.”
She followed him to the exercise room below, studying his broad back. He seemed so strong and confident. Her gaze was drawn to the expanse of skin between his short hair and t-shirt. If there was a way for her to touch him without him knowing, she’d do it. She wondered if his hair would be as soft as it looked.
Inside the room, he flipped on the lights, and she buried her thoughts about him other than as a teacher. She had to.
He walked to the mats and then turned to face her. “First off, if someone grabs your arm, don’t try to pull away. If they’re stronger than you, you’ll be wasting your energy.” He gripped her wrist. “Try to get away.”
She pulled, but couldn’t escape. No matter which way she moved, he accommodated her. She jerked her hand down hard, but all that did was hurt her wrist.
“You might try using your other hand to go for one of the vulnerable areas like the eyes or nose—”
She didn’t let him finish his sentence before she lifted her hand to strike him. The second she aimed at him, he tugged her forward, causing her to lose her balance, and then he pulled her across the room.
“Not a good idea, either. If I were a kidnapper or rapist, I’d have you in my van right now.”
Or under a scalding hot spray of water. “You’re the one who suggested it.”
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence.”
She started to reply, but then closed her mouth. If she wanted to learn, she needed to shut up and listen.
He smiled when he realized her acquiescence. “Now let me show you the right way.” He took her wrist again. “Position your legs apart with one foot forward. Use the foot on the same side as your trapped wrist,” he directed. “Now, squat a little bit.” He mimicked his instructions. “See how that gives you a good base? Good leverage? He tugged on her, but barely budged her. “In order for you to strike at my face, you’ll have to get closer, but that costs you your leverage like I just proved.”
This time she didn’t move, didn’t give up her resistance.
“Because your attacker is stronger than you, you can’t pull your wrist away, but I’m going to show you how to get him to release you without using your strength. Think it can be done? His eyes twinkled, and she could tell he loved what he did for a living.
“I’m going to say yes because you seem like you know what you’re talking about, but I don’t see how.”
“I teach a monthly class on self-defense, and if an 85-year-old woman can make this work, you can.”
“Okay,” she smiled. For whatever reason, they’d found common ground, and it felt good. She didn’t like feeling at odds with Sam. She appreciated what he’d done for her more than he knew, but she didn’t like feeling judged, especially by a man she found attractive.
“Look at your wrist. You have a thin side and a wide side. When I’m holding your hand, I want you to twist it so your thin side is at the opening between my finger and my thumb. Your skin is loose enough to allow you to do this. It doesn’t matter how tight I’m holding you, you’ll be able to twist it.”
She did as he said.
“Good. Now, instead of trying to jerk free, I want you to push your elbow toward mine while bringing your thumb up to your shoulder.” She followed the instructions, and the next thing she knew, she’d broken free. “You let me go.”
“No. The way you’ve positioned my wrist makes it so I can no longer hold you.”
Her newfound knowledge caused a momentary surge of power inside her. By the size of his biceps, it was obvious Sam was in extremely good shape, and yet, she’d escaped. “Let’s try again. This time, I want you to hold on as tight as you can.”
He gripped her wrist, and she knew there was no way she’d get away. She positioned her legs and squatted. Then she rotated her hand like he’d shown her and tried to slant her elbow toward his. Her elbow went at an awkward angle. “Something’s wrong.”
“Don’t focus so much on your elbow. Just put your thumb over your shoulder.”
She did it, and once again, broke free. A wide smile blossomed on her face. “I love it.”
“I knew you would. In this case, knowledge is power in the truest sense of the word.”
Excitement built inside her. For the first time in a long time, she felt as though she controlled something in her life. “Show me another.”
He grinned, obviously enjoying their session as well. “This one’s harder, but works well if attacked from behind.” He grabbed her around the waist and twisted her toward a set of mirrors along one wall.
The sight of him holding her from behind sent a shiver through her. She would have pulled away if she didn’t want to learn so badly.
He caught her expression and smiled, pounding the shiver home. Heat sparked where his thighs touched hers and where his groin pressed into her butt. He tilted his head. “Maybe I should have you attack me first so you can watch what I do.”
He shifted her around until she was behind him. Energy radiated off him in waves as she slid her arms around his waist. Her fingertips tingled as they cruised over the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He met her hands in front of him, forcing her to clasp them together. The underside of her forearms rubbed against his firm abdomen, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he’d look like without a shirt.
“Hold me tighter.”
She swallowed and did as she was told. Being this close, she got a good whiff of his cologne. Instead of ignoring the scent, she breathed deep, allowing the woodsy smell to saturate her senses.
God, this was more sensual than him holding her.
“Can you see around me?”
With his height, she certainly couldn’t see over his shoulder. She tilted her head to the side, catching a good look at him in the mirror. He caught her gaze and held it for several seconds, electricity flying between them.
She inhaled a deep breath, trying to recapture the oxygen he’d stolen from her. Bad idea, she realized when her breasts pressed harder against his back. “Sorry,” she said in an effort to cover the effect he had on her. “Nervous, I guess.”
He smiled as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, and she was certain he’d been thinking the same thing. “No need to apologize. Okay, the first
thing you should try when someone has you in this position is drop your weight.”
He dropped down to demonstrate. This forced his butt into her, bringing her slightly over his back. She cradled his body into hers, sending her heart racing even faster.
“Then start swinging elbows, aiming at his face, or stomp on his feet. Your head, your elbows and knees are your best weapons and will inflict the most damage, so I’m going to swing like this, trying to hit you in the face.” He bumped her softly in the nose, and she quickly moved out of the way. “If I would have really been swinging, that blow to your nose would have caused you to release me.
“If you can’t catch him in the face, strike the back of his hand which will loosen his hold on you.” He touched the spot on the back of her hand where he would have aimed. “Then grab a finger and pull back.” He separated her forefinger and bent it backward, not enough to hurt, but she released him anyway. He kept twisting until he rotated out from her. She bent, trying to avoid any further pressure on her finger.
He looked down at her from his now-obvious advantage. “Now, if I wanted, I could kick you in the face to further stop your attack.”
He released her, and she straightened.
“Let’s try it with you in front.”
She shivered as he pulled her back into his embrace, and she prayed he couldn’t feel her reaction.
“Can you remember what to do?”
“Yeah,” she said breathlessly. She dropped her weight, forcing her backside into him and tried not to enjoy the feel of him against her.
“Elbows,” he reminded her.
She tried to hit him, but missed.
“Remember, I know what you’re going to do, so I can avoid it, but most attackers will not be prepared, so you’ll likely get in a good hit.” He spoke low, his mouth not far from her ear.
She closed her eyes for a quick moment to regain her composure. “I could stomp your foot.” She pretended to stomp on him. Then she punched the back of his hand, not too hard, before she grabbed his forefinger and bent it backward. He released her, and she kept bending his finger as she moved out and away from him.
He lowered, bending to her force, and she pretended to kick him in the face.
With a triumphant smile, she let go. “I think I could do this. Really do this if someone attacked me. This is much better than what Christian taught me.”
“He’s not a cop.” Sam straightened, shifting as though he was uncomfortable. “He can show you some good street fighting moves, but you’d have to be pretty strong to take down someone like Paul. You’re better off knowing this.”
She grinned. “Again?”
“Actually, I think I’m the one who’s going to be begging off for the rest of the night.”
Disappointment flooded her. “Just one more time?”
He shook his head. “I need a shower. It’s a guy thing,” he said as he headed for the door.
She stood staring after him for a few moments, trying to understand the meaning of his words. Then she brought a hand to her mouth to hold back her laugh. Their tangling had given him a hard-on. She stopped laughing as abruptly as she’d started, realizing he’d made her just as hot.
Chapter Ten
Paul woke a few hours after his meds had worn off, fighting the pain so he wouldn’t have to take more meds. After almost two weeks in the hospital, he was going nuts wondering what was happening in the outside world. As he’d been dozing in and out of consciousness, an idea had come to him. He blinked away the fogginess and reached for his phone.
Lou answered on the sixth ring.
“What took you so damn long?”
“I was busy,” Lou said.
“Doing what? His irritation clearly showed in his voice.
“Maria.”
It took a second for Lou’s reply to sink in. “Fuck it, Lou. Our business could be in jeopardy. I’m stuck here with a needle in my arm, and instead of taking care of things, you’re fucking Maria?”
“Don’t worry about it. Things are cool here.”
“No cops have showed?”
“Nah. Everything’s quiet. I don’t think Janie’s squealed on us. Maybe she ain’t gonna.”
“Yeah. Don’t believe that. Bitch has filed charges against me. She’s out for blood. I can’t figure out what she’s waiting for.” That part really bugged him. It was like waiting for a bomb to time out and explode. “I’ve been thinking about her, about where she’s hiding. I think that cop Holden has something to do with it. If so, it’s going to be hard to touch her. We need to draw her out. I had my lawyer charge her ass with assault and battery, too, which will eventually make her surface, but I need something sooner. An opportunity before she talks. If she talks before I find her, Hardy’s going to cut off my balls and fry ‘em. And that’s if he’s having a good day.”
“What do ya got planned?”
“She’s going to need money to live, right? So, get somebody watching her old job. She might go for her check. And search the apartment for a bank statement or something. At some point, she’ll probably go to the bank, and I want to know which one.”
“You want someone to watch all the ATMs? Are you serious? There’s like a fucking million of them.”
“Think smart, dumb ass. If she takes out her money, it will be a large amount. An amount she’ll actually need to go into a bank to get. Go to my apartment. Rifle through whatever shit she left. Brent said she only took clothes, so I bet there’s still something there. Look for a box in the top of the closet toward the back. She doesn’t think I know she keeps stuff there. I know I saw a bank statement there before, and she had a nice tidy sum in it. That’ll tell us which bank she goes to. If she ain’t working, she’ll need cash. Even if that ass-wipe cop’s got her, he ain’t going to pay for all her shit.” Even if she was putting out.
“I’ll let you know what I find.”
More than anything, the thought of that cop having his hands on Paul’s property ate at him like a vicious acid.
Both of them needed to pay. But especially Janie.
An hour later, God smiled on him.
“I got it,” Lou said, his voice breathless.
“What did you find?”
“The bank where she keeps her freaking safe deposit box.”
“Watch it like your life depends on it. ‘Cause it just might.” She had a safe deposit box? What else did she have that he didn’t know about? Apparently, his quiet, little girlfriend was more than she led him to believe.
* * *
Sunlight filtered through the trees surrounding Sam’s house, landing on Janie’s face, warming her enough that the light breeze felt nice. She’d finally gained the courage to venture outside, and she was grateful she had.
She closed her eyes, leaning back in the chair, letting nature heal her internal wounds. She’d always found time to run, but forty-five minutes out of her whole day hadn’t been much time outdoors. Working and practicing to learn everything she could about cooking had consumed her life.
The bright blue skies that hovered over endless golden wheat fields had been the best part of growing up in Kansas. Once the weather warmed up, she and her friend Holly had spent every available minute outside, riding their bikes when they were younger and graduating to cruising Main Street after they’d learned to drive. Her hair would turn the best shade of streaked blond. She’d loved it.
How did life change so fast?
Her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts, and she picked it up. Cheshire Industries. Her heart pounded faster. The operating company who owned the restaurant.
She answered it and listened to the female voice on the other end notify her they were very interested in hiring her, and she wondered if she’d be able to come to San Antonio to demonstrate the cooking selection of her choice.
“Of course.” Her way out of this mess just became a reality. “I could be there by Friday. Would that be soon enough?”
The woman agreed and gave her a contact
number to call when she arrived. Janie hung up the phone, a mixture of excitement and trepidation swirling through her.
Friday. That gave her only a few days to pack her belongings, which was a task that had been mostly completed thanks to Paul. She’d need to empty her safe deposit box including her birth certificate, social security card, along with some treasury bonds, her grandma’s watch and grandpa’s old revolver. After Paul had started allowing his “friends” into their apartment during all hours of the day, she’d rented the box to keep the few important and valuable things she had safe.
She’d go tomorrow. She was pretty sure she could convince Christian to take her. He wouldn’t make a big deal out of it like Sam would. Sam knew she wanted to leave town, and he’d try to convince her to stay to ensure Paul paid for what he’d done.
She’d like to see that happen, too. Of course she would. But she needed to get on with her life, and going over and over what had happened to her, having her humiliation broadcasted in a courtroom would only make things more difficult for her. Once she left town, Paul would realize she wasn’t a threat to his operation, and he’d forget her. If she stayed, he’d likely kill her if given the opportunity. Out of sight, she felt pretty safe. He wasn’t going to find her in Texas. He didn’t run that big of a business.
* * *
Sam sat at his desk, trying to focus on the file in front of him with Janie occupying ninety percent of his thoughts. He had thirty minutes left in his work day. A half hour plus drive time until he could see her again.
Whatever she had was like heroine to him. He’d had a taste of her sweet body next to him as they’d practiced self-defense, but he’d never expected to become addicted so fast. He couldn’t forget the feel of her ass pressed against him as she tried to fight her way out of his grasp, nor the overwhelming need to kiss her. The scent of her shampoo haunted him. Every other second, he swore he could still smell her.
The amount of time he spent thinking about her was ridiculous.
“Hey.” Noah crashed into the chair opposite him. His partner had made detective less than a year ago and still carried the excitement that came with the promotion. “I’ve got some news on the Castell case.”