“I’m already warm,” Judy said in a low voice.
Brown-haired, freckle-faced Judy fanned herself, and Tamara, beside her, giggled. Chyna, looking at Barrett with star in her eyes, giggled and blushed.
Red rolled her eyes.
That one is so gone, if he tells her to stand on her head and howl like dog, she’ll do it. She’s making a fool of herself. I’m never gonna be that gone on a guy.
Barrett ran with them, and then had them do jumping jacks and sit-ups. In-between sit-ups and planks, he asked, “How many of you have an exercise routine?”
No one raised a hand.
Neecy-Lynn said, “I had a gym membership, but I only went the first two weeks, and then I got busy at the salon.” She waved a hand, which had deep purple nail polish on her long fingernails. “I ended up canceling it.”
“By the end of the month when you leave, you’ll have this routine, and it’s one you can do anywhere,” he said. “No equipment or gym membership needed. Repeat a pattern for thirty days, and it easily becomes a habit. Now, I want you to think about habits and routines. Habits can be healthy, such as exercise,” he said.
Habits made her think of Z.
“I had a habit who tried to break me, but I showed him,” Red said. “Ain’t any habit I can’t break.”
Ignoring her comment, Barrett showed them how to do a plank, then had them lower to the ground and support their weight on their arms while they held their bodies as stiff as “planks”, and then he set the timer. They had to hold the plank until the timer went off. Everyone got into position.
Red watched Chyna line up in front of Barrett and how he turned his attention back to the group, looking at each of them. That girl is gonna make a fool out of herself if she falls for him but looks like it’s too late.
“Let’s think about the difference between habits and routines,” he said. “A routine can be something a stalker, or anyone watching you, can pick up on quickly. We need to vary our routines while maintaining our habits. So, let’s say you did go to a gym and got in the routine of going Monday, Wednesday and Friday at five-thirty on those days. You could change that time and go early in the morning instead. Change things around. Vary the days and times you go. Park in a different spot, go through a different door. Think of ways you can vary your routines, so they don’t become such set patterns that someone watching you can predict your behavior.”
Red had to admit the man was fit. And hard to keep up with.
The timer he set rang. “Push-ups are next,” he said.
Chyna groaned.
“All right,” he said. “You’ve all done well for your first day. It'll get easier, and I’ll add to it. Now, everyone, get some water, and then we’re going to talk about situational awareness.”
They got water bottles and sat down. Red sat in the back in her own row, giving herself some space from the other women.
“Situational awareness, also known as situation awareness, or SA, is a military term, the concept of which goes back to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War before the concept had a modern name. These terms were first used during the First World War. Simply put, it’s observing your environment and the people within it and anticipating what they might do.” Barrett looked around at each of the women as he spoke.
Red was too busy drinking water to make any comments. She had a dry tickle in her throat and didn’t want to cough. The sooner they moved through all this talking, and started fighting, the better.
“How many of you have heard of an OODA Loop?” he asked and glanced around. “None of you? Okay. The OODA loop is the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd.” He wrote OODA on the chalkboard and above it wrote situational awareness. Then he turned back to them. “Situational awareness is the first tool in your self-defense tool kit, and you’re going to learn how to practice it every day.”
So, he’s gonna give us all this classwork instead of teaching us hands on?
“I just want to learn to kick ass,” Red said. “I don’t need a history lesson.”
Barrett ignored her and pressed on. “In combat, the winning strategy is to ‘get inside’ your opponent’s OODA loop by making your decisions faster, but also by having a better situational awareness than your opponent, and even changing the situation in ways your opponent can’t monitor or comprehend. Losing your situational awareness is being ‘out of the loop’. So, you want to be aware at all times and not be out of that loop and taken by surprise.”
“Yeah, you got to stay aware, ’cause if you don’t,” Red smacked her hands together, making a loud noise, “bam, upside of the head.” She made a face at Barrett. “So, tell me something new. Hell, I learned that when I was five.”
“We’re laying a foundation here,” he said. “Foundation first, and then brick by brick, so no bricks are missing.”
Red folded her arms and leaned back. “Wake me when there’s something new.”
Addressing Red, he said, “Tell me the number on your house.”
I need a number. I’ll use my old apartment.
“Five three one one, why?”
“Now tell me the number on the center here.”
“Ain’t one.”
“And the number on the bus terminal?”
She shrugged, not knowing it.
“Here’s a homework assignment for you all this week. When you go out, in to town or just out anywhere, observe the number of the building every time you go inside. This will provide you with an address in case you need to call law enforcement or an ambulance or fire truck. This is a practice for you to get into. Any questions?”
“Yeah,” Red said. “I’ve got one. A big one. We’re here at this center, where there aren’t any numbers, and there aren’t any other buildings around here that have numbers. Not for miles. So where are we gonna practice this homework, when we aren’t allowed to leave?”
Chapter 4
“That’s a good question,” Barrett said.
Leah, who’d stepped in to observe, said, “I have the answer to that one. We’ve planned an outing to town on Saturday to shop for anything you might’ve forgotten to bring, or if you don’t need anything, to show you the area in case you ever want to drive to town. I don’t know where you got the idea that you can’t leave. Of course, you can, any time you want.”
“Good.” Red perked up.
“What you can’t do is leave the program, and then come back,” Leah said. “If you walk away from the program, another woman will take your place, and as you know, there’s a waiting list. We can’t hold your spot for you. So, you have to commit to the program. Nowhere have we said you can’t leave the property. Going to town is no problem. You can even go by yourself, later, if you want. Buck will let you borrow a car if he’s not using it. We just want to keep you safe when you do go out. Part of what you’ll learn in this class is how to be safe when you leave here, and we’re starting this week.”
“Thank you, Leah,” Barrett said. “We’ll talk more about situational awareness tomorrow and start some drills for that. I’m bringing my guys in tomorrow to help with the drills.”
“You’re bringing in other guys already?” Tamara said, her expression fearful.
“We only have three days to get you ready for Saturday, counting today, so we’ll start right in. You’ll be learning fast, but nothing really physical. I need them to help me watch what you’re doing and make corrections, and we'll demonstrate what we want you to do.”
“I don’t mind a little full contact,” Red said.
“It'll be weeks before anyone goes full contact. We’re laying that foundation with bricks, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah.” She shrugged.
“Tomorrow will be more intention drills, and I’ll add on.”
They’d picked names out of a hat for their workout partners, and Red had drawn Chyna’s name. Just her luck to get the mouse with the crush on their instructor.
“Back to situational
awareness,” Barrett said. “This is the foundation. I want you to carry it everywhere and be aware of your surroundings at all times.”
Red nodded and began making notes in her notebook.
“When you’re aware of your surroundings, there’s less chance of surprise. If there’s surprise, there may be more distance, and distance can be to your advantage. Now, here’s one more thing to add to that assignment,” he said.
Red looked up at him, pen poised, but he looked at another woman. Emma had come to the door and waved at him. He didn’t wave back but continued. “Every time you enter a building, note the exits, just like you’d look for the fire exits in a theater or the exits in an airplane. Get into the habit of finding them when you walk in, so you can find them easily and quickly. You can start practicing here on the ranch before you go into town on Saturday.” He nodded. “That’s enough for today. I believe Emma has breakfast waiting.”
“You joining us?” Red asked.
“You’re welcome to join us for breakfast,” Leah said.
“Thank you, but not today,” Barrett said.
“Well, you’re welcome any time,” Leah said. “Open invitation for you and your team.”
“We appreciate that.” He smiled. “I have to get on back to the main office for a meeting,” he said, “but I’ll see you all tomorrow, bright and early.”
Everyone filed out and headed for breakfast. Today’s menu was French toast with warm maple syrup, sausage links, and sliced apples in cinnamon. More sugar than Red ate in a week by the time she added orange juice.
Chapter 5
Today was the second day of self-defense training. Red watched a handsome man walk into the room, following Barrett. With his short dark hair and freshly shaved chin, he had a clean-cut military look that could’ve been straight out of a magazine or TV ad for recruiting. The complete opposite of the type of men Red had been hanging around with recently.
He had a tan, muscular toned body that moved in a powerful way and his dark brown eyes glanced at her briefly.
He’s quiet, Red thought. And damn hot.
Barrett introduced him as one of the Brotherhood Protectors. Tim “Timbers” Watson, former USMC Staff sergeant.
What the hell kind of name is ‘Timbers’?
Barrett said, “Today, we’re going to do intention drills.” He held up a soft thick black knife. “This is a Nok knife, used for training.” He handed it to Red. “Pass it around. I want each of you to hold it before we begin, so you can see it’s harmless.”
The women passed the knife around.
“We’re going to take turns with this drill. One of you comes into the center.”
Barrett gestured to Red.
She joined him, and he handed her the knife.
“Put it in your waistband.”
She followed his orders.
He continued. “The rest of you are going to join us here in the center. I want you to walk around as if you were in a crowd, moving through a mall or another populated area. Those without the knife will try to grab the knife and run. Red, your job is to try to notice them before they get the knife.”
“Got it,” Red said.
“The rest of you, one at a time, try to get the knife without being detected. Some of you will bluff, and some of you will be after the knife. Got it?”
The others nodded yes.
Red said, “What do you want me to do when I catch them?”
“We’re not getting into fight scenarios today. We’re focusing only on awareness.”
Red frowned. Too much talking and too little fighting.
She glanced at Timbers, wondering what he thought of this training. He’d been watching her but turned his attention back to Barrett who was still speaking. Distracted by his profile she forced herself to listen and focus on the training.
Barrett said, “Now, we’re going to do a drill, which is about reading the intentions of the person approaching you. You’ll stand here, and each person will approach you in turn. One may be friendly and reach out to shake your hand, the next may be faking it and reach out to grab you. Red, your job is to watch for signs and listen to your intuition. When you think the person has bad intentions, hold up your hand and say, ‘Stop’. When you think the person has good intentions, you’ll shake their hand. Got it?”
“Yep,” she said.
“Any questions?”
“Nope.”
No one had any questions. They started the exercise.
Timbers came toward her. Would he reach for the knife or shake her hand and be harmless? She couldn’t read him at all. The minute he got close enough to hurt her she said, “Stop.”
His hand came toward her. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and winked.
Damn. Her face colored. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled.
They drilled this exercise again and again.
Every time someone came toward her, she assigned a bad intention. There it was, that hyper alert shit, Leah talked about. Where the others couldn’t pick out the bad guys, Red couldn’t pick out the good ones.
Timbers would be a good poker player. Everything about him was quiet, from the way he moved, to the way he watched to the way he spoke. Few of the women read him right more than once. I always thought marines were louder. Maybe that’s when they aren’t in attack or watch mode.
Finally they were done and Barrett said, “You did well today, for a first attempt. The more you practice, the better you’ll get.”
“I hope so,” Red said with frustration. Far from naïve like Chyna and a few of the other women, who couldn’t read bad intentions, she was the complete opposite. What the hell had Z done to her head? She hardly recognized herself. And it made her want to hit something. Hard.
“You will,” he said. “We’ll be working today’s exercises into next week. Then on Monday, I’ll add a new topic.”
“When do I get to punch somebody?” Red asked. “You know, real world stuff.”
His face grew stern. “Situational awareness is real world stuff. SA has saved my life and my men’s lives.”
Timbers quiet unreadable gaze was on her.
“Who are you mad at, Red? Is there someone you want to hit?” Tamara asked.
That is none of her damn business.
“He ain’t here, and I want to do more than hit him,” Red said. “What about the gun range? When do we get to shoot?”
“Beginning shooter lessons will be in the third week. First, you’ll need to learn how to keep someone from taking your gun. Too often, handguns are used against their owners, and that’s the last thing you’d want to have happen. Just think, if someone can get this knife away from you,” Barrett said, “what will they do if it’s a gun? A weapon is no good to you if he takes it away. We won’t add guns until week three.”
Chyna winced. “I don’t know about shooting a gun. I don’t think I’m up for that.”
Red rolled her eyes. She started gathering her stuff, exasperated with mouse girl.
Not up for that. What did she come here for? We all knew what the program involved when we signed up. She has to learn to shoot guns and I have to take classes with these women. She needs to suck it up like I have to.
“Have you ever been around guns or anyone who knew how to shoot?” Barrett asked.
Chyna said, “My ex and his cousins. They all hunt. But at the cabin, they drink and shoot guns. They’re so loud. I always go into the cabin when they do that because it’s scary. I’m kind of afraid of guns.”
Red turned her head, tired of watching them. Z and his men carried guns. Hell, their women sometimes carried. But even if they didn’t, they knew how to shoot. With men like that in the world, you’d better learn how to shoot back. Chyna wouldn’t last a day in that world.
“I can get you over that fear. By the end of week three, you’ll be shooting as well as any other beginner.”
“I just don’t know about that. I’m not ready.”
Leah had come to watch the last ex
ercise and had been sitting quietly as she watched. She cleared her throat. “We can talk about that in session. Ladies, when we have late morning group sessions, we can discuss any issues relating to anything that arises in the class. I’ll always come in for the last ten minutes of class for anyone who might need me.”
“Thank you,” Chyna said.
“Afraid we’ll lose our shit?” Red put her hands on her hips. “We’re not the crazy ones. Most of us didn’t start a thing. Why don’t our exes have to go through therapy? The judge could make them.”
“Enforced therapy is often ineffective because the patient doesn’t want to change,” Leah said. “There’s little anyone can do to make an adult change if they don’t want to.”
“My ex could make any woman change,” Red said. “If she doesn’t, she’s likely to wind up dead.”
Timbers gaze was still on her. She turned her head not wanting anyone’s attention right now, even his.
“Ladies, our time is up,” Barrett said, drawing their attention again. “Your new assignment is to find where the exits are and mark in your minds where the doors are as soon as you walk into a building. Again, this would be helpful in case of a fire, as well as escaping a predator. That exercise, and remembering the numbers on a building, are your homework assignments for this week.”
“Is everyone ready for Saturday?” Leah asked. “You’ll have one more day to train and learn, so if you have any questions about what you’ve learned so far or thoughts about Saturday, bring them tomorrow.”
* * *
Saturday arrived, and the women all went into town. Leah and Barrett accompanied the group as the women got to shop and practice the homework. Red wondered where Timbers was, but then heard Barrett tell one of the others that he was out of town on another assignment.
Now, they’d be allowed to leave the property and run errands or explore on their own. Each had to memorize the number of the shelter, and they were quizzed to make sure they knew it.
* * *
Marine Proector: Brotherhood Protectors World Page 4