My Thug Bride

by Katherine Summers

  My senses heightened as soon as the door creaked open before me. The lights weren’t turned on inside and I could feel a presence at the entrance itself. I almost rolled my eyes at the plain-as-a-day plan of my students. They were using darkness as a shield against me. The first attack came when I took my second step in. Nathan stepped out from behind the door and swirled a wooden pole at me. I dodged it with relative ease. He had aimed for me while standing on my left side, so I bent backwards to evade. I didn’t fall though; I held the pole in my other hand instead and grabbed it off of Nathan. Hitting his right shoulder with it as lightly as I could, I shrugged. He fell back.

  “You haven’t learnt shit,” I scowled, “Remain on the ground and hope to God Ian does a better job. Else I’ll beat the shit out of you both.”

  Nathan smiled a sheepish smile and crossed his legs on the ground. I didn’t return his sweet smirk, I was giving this team the benefit of my doubt. Maybe they had a plan. Maybe Nathan was being so useless as part of this plan.

  I ran into the darkness.

  The warehouse is relatively big and filled with garbage of all sort. When I practice, I allow anything as a weapon. I use only my body to attack and defend, so that the fellows can learn. It is necessary. It is fair.

  I stood in the middle of an open roof hall that used to be a courtyard, some ages ago. Or so I’ve heard. My senses led me to look towards the roof in caution. Was Ian there? I was expecting theatrics of some sort, and I wasn’t far off. A can rolled near my feet and a fire cracker went off at a distance. I paid it no heed, but I clenched my fist. He wasn’t coming from the direction of the can. If he understood anything about stealth, he’d be approaching from where I’d least expect. They’re rookies. According to them, which direction puts me at a disadvantage?

  I was right.

  A shadow moved across the open roof and landed close to my back, the kick would have hit my tailbone and cracked it for sure, the pressure of the wind was so harsh. I evaded and landed a knee jab at Ian’s stomach. He dodged as well, from what I could see his left hand moved. I closed my eyes in response and smelled dust. His move was to blind me momentarily.

  Not bad.

  For his third training, Ian wasn’t half bad. I smiled and kicked back, he punched – we both evaded the attacks. The brawl went on for a good half hour before I saw the hint of desperation in Ian’s eyes. He was getting frustrated. During rookie days, desperation is what makes or breaks a fight. Usually, it breaks a fight.

  I saw a blade flash, at the same time I could sense another pair of footsteps behind me. I grinned harder. What was this? The classic let’s-tire-her-out-then-secretly-attack method? Nathan and Ian underestimated their master. Could be because I’m female.

  I decided to end it.

  I bent and caught Nathan’s leg under my armpit – he was going for a kick at my neck – while evading another punch from Ian who rounded around me. I turned around and disbalanced Nathan, landing a hit on his knee so he would smash to the ground. Ian’s knife was close to my ear now, I caught his wrist, but I underestimated the length of the blade. It turned out to be a dagger and I had caught the blade instead of Ian’s wrist.

  I hissed but pulled the blade with full force. Ian lost his footing for a second, I landed an elbow jab to his cheek. He staggered and fell as well. I stepped back from both of them, breathing heavily.

  “Time out boys,” I announced, pressing both of my hands to my hips, “Well done.”

  They got up. None of them was much hurt, I always recommend they use hockey pads because we can’t afford much better. It’s good for my training too – when caught in a real life situation my kicks and punches are four times stronger because of the extra weight I practice with. Usually I have to use twice my normal strength to hit my padded students.

  There wasn’t much to clean up, they had kept the session pretty simple. But I did want to give them a few tips, so the boys went in to pick out whatever could be used to make a fire. The electricity in the warehouse was cut a long time ago. It is also one of the reasons why it was safe to practice here. Nathan grinned widely at me again while he brought in a broken wooden desk. Ian’s smile was cocky. He raised the carton of beer and a box of first aid at me.

  “We prepared,” he announced. He was pleased with himself.

  I sat back in the hall-cum-courtyard while they lit the fire. I bandaged my bleeding palm and opened a can. The boys followed. We clinked our cans and drank silently while I decided to postpone my lecture on our fight. The night air was cold and it relaxed my very core. I smiled.

  My hurt boys were looking at the stars in the sky and chuckling, between minutes they broke out fighting about who performed more poorly in today’s plan. They made me laugh.

  Life was good.

  Chapter 14

  Henry

  If I had even for a second thought that Anna and I were a perfect fit, I was dead wrong. Anna Reeves was difficult – I knew that the first night I saw her. One thing led to another and we ended up on our first date together, but damn Peter Brown for poisoning my mind. He came in the morning, we met at the office and I broke the news to him with all the excitement and nonchalance that I could.

  Peter’s eyes were round and wide when he heard. I think he overreacted, but he stood up to give me a hug while patting my back. It didn’t exactly feel like congratulations even though he said, “Congrats mate. You actually asked her out!”

  “Thanks,” I said, brushing my thoughts away.

  “You guys meeting today?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m surprised. You’re the most unlikely couple to have come together Henry.”

  “Why? You were urging me to ask her out only a day before.”

  “That’s because you were obsessed with her man.”

  “I still am.” I remembered the taste of her lips on mine, her sweet-solid confession, her voice when she had said, “I’ve never been formally asked out, so I was sort of looking forward to this. But… You’re a disaster, Hathaway.”

  I mean, she’s adorable.

  “I get it and Anna’s great and all,” Pete was still talking, “I just don’t think I can deal with the level of stress dating her would bring along.”

  I frowned, “What stress?”

  Peter hesitated and I remembered. Yes, the first time I had seen her she was fighting off thugs in a dark alleyway. Her name was saved under the title Gangsta on Pete’s phone and I didn’t know shit about what she did. Why she was a thug if she was one. Would she tell me anytime soon?

  How much of this crap was she involved in?

  Does she get hurt?

  The last thought stayed in my mind. I swallowed but I defended my pride, “It’s all good. I like her, it’s all that matters.” But Pete’s words got to me. They stayed in my mind the entire day.

  When I left to meet Anna in the evening, the dangerous beat of my heart and the flutter of my stomach were back. I was floored by her smile, I was enticed by the way she moved. Every time she opened that small mouth, I wanted to dive right in and play with her tongue. She’s beautiful and she drives me insane with want.

  But Peter’s words never left my mind. My eyes involuntarily kept scanning every visible body part of hers for signs of wounds. I kept watching out against anyone who might be approaching us.

  Does she have enemies? Do people try to harm her? What is it that she does?

  I didn’t want to employ any resources to find out. I wanted her to tell me in her own time. But I wasn’t sure I had the patience to wait. Our first date was exhausting for me, to be honest.

  I think I made her uncomfortable with my behavior as well. I regret it, I really do. At one point she asked me if something was wrong, why I looked all nervous. She’s sharp so she must have known I wasn’t exactly feeling first-date jitters. But I lied and pretended, because what other choice did I have?

  The movie was good.

  When we kissed, her soft moans made me want to take her right there.
I didn’t want to let her go. But that was also about the only time I was focused on her, on us.

  When I left her before her house, I wanted her to invite me back to her room. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted that because I was curious and excited – or because when we were intimate with each other, I had a way of forgetting about my insecurities.

  She didn’t ask me to come in. I drove back home a guilty man.

  I was glad she didn’t invite me in. When my head cleared, I really was. I mean she’s twenty-three and she has never dated. From what she said to me during her confession, she had never been asked out. Which made me an absolute asshole for treating her like this.

  What did she think about all of this?

  Would she regret being with me?

  I parked my car in the garage and was on the way to my apartment, when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out to see Anna’s message. Got home? It said.

  Damn it.

  My heart panged with guilt but there was excitement flooding through my veins as well. I was thinking too much. Today was only our first date. We had time together, I could get to know her as much as I wanted during our days. I shouldn’t be assuming things.

  So I turned around and drove back.

  I wanted to correct my mistake. Maybe I would let her know why I was being weird today. Maybe. I don’t know. All I know is that I wanted to see her. And I’m pretty sure she’d be glad to see me too.

  How I wish though that I hadn’t turned back.

  When I reached in front of her house, I was surprised to see her unmistakable frame jump out of the fenced garden. She was dressed in all black – a tight black tank top with a pair of skinny black treggings. She had come out of the gate and was headed towards the main road. She didn’t notice my car, and something about the focused expression on her face made my heart throb in panic.

  I can’t explain what I did in that moment. I also can’t defend myself as being right. I just acted out of instinct.

  I began to follow her.

  She ran for some time before hailing a cab. She left the cab at a seemingly remote area and ran again. I was hesitant to leave my car but I did after a second of thought. All the while my heart was pounding, my hands trembling on the steering wheel. I kept remembering my first encounter with Anna, and I dreaded she was here, about to do something similar.

  I sweated when I saw her enter the dark, abandoned warehouse. My entire being told me she would know someone was following her. What if she saw me? How would I explain this silent stalking? Did I not trust her?

  Of course I didn’t. I barely knew her. Which was why I had no right to be doing this. But I couldn’t stop either.

  My breath was lost in my mouth when I saw someone step out of the dark building and swing a pole at her. My feet moved on their own – I don’t know why exactly I ran or what I would have done – but then I stopped in good time. Anna fought on the doorstep like an expert, and she seemed friendly with the guy she beat up.

  What was going on?

  I watched her every move. I forgot to breathe on more instances than one. Anna Reeves was like a flash of light, a beautifully moving blade of glass that cut deep. That was the only comparison I could think of, while I watched her fight another man from afar. I’ve only seen such wildlife action in movies. But Anna was right there in front of me, fighting for real, performing like a goddamned princess at war.

  She was gorgeous.

  Even the air around her seemed unapproachable to me, as if nothing could penetrate that distance between us. It was a world where she existed alone. It made me shiver from thrill. It made me sick with worry.

  She had cut her hand.

  I clenched my fists to stop myself from moving. I also knew I was far too new an existence for her to reveal this side of hers to me. I mean… how do I explain it? When I saw her smiling into that fire and looking at the two boys before her with tenderness that I have not yet seen, I knew this was a part of her that I would never get to know of. It was a look I can’t define.

  My phone buzzed. I hid myself in a corner and saw that it was Peter’s text. He was asking how my date was going. It made me recall Anna’s message, so I texted back, I got home. You?

  I don’t know why I did it. Maybe I wanted her to tell me she was hurt. Maybe against all odds, I wanted her to call me and say she missed me.

  I didn’t have the heart to keep looking at her. I was worried, I was fascinated, but most of all I felt like this was not my place. That I didn’t belong in this part of her world.

  Exactly in that moment, I received her reply.

  It said, I’m home.

  I know. I said it before, I choose struggle whenever I can. So right about now, I’m doomed, right?

  Chapter 15

  Anna

  I didn’t pay it a lot of attention at first, but something between me and Henry began to change on the very next day. Our second day together was awkward. Even though I had made up a full story to let him know why my hand was bandaged, it surprised me that he didn’t bother to ask. Even while we ate, he avoided my eyes. He kissed me out of obligation and he left me no choice but to come to an obvious conclusion – he did not want to be with me.

  The thought hurt like hell. I don’t know if it was because I thought Henry didn’t want me, or because I so desperately wanted to be able to date for more than two days – but I was deeply hurt. It also came with pain and sadness and a lot of anger, but I knew something was very, very wrong between us.

  It was early morning, but the next three days of the same fake routine with Henry got to me. I finally texted Kelly and Shinoda, I need help.

  Kelly was the first to respond, [Morning honeychunks. What’s up?]

  I smiled, [Morning. Not much. You know if Shi’s up yet?]

  Shinoda jumped right in then, [Here babe!]

  I didn’t waste time. I wanted to let it all out. So I typed as simply and as nonchalantly as I could, [Guys. There’s a guy I’m dating. I need help.]

  Their responses were fast and furious. They bombarded me with questions – all of them bordering on rude. I knew that would happen, so I replied to each of them quickly. They still couldn’t stop texting me the array of, No way. You got asked out? Who’s this nutjob?

  Why’d you not tell us?

  Of course you need help if you’re dating! It’s your first time!

  My girl grew up <3 Luuuuv

  An, baby did you have a chance to hit him yet?

  I rolled my eyes. I wanted to keep my patience and I also wanted to keep from crying. So I texted pretty seriously, If you won’t hear me out, I’ll go.

  They shut up. I relayed the whole story to my besties, and I was again in for a rude surprise. Kelly was the first one to hammer it in for me, He knows something about you that’s driving him away. I don’t see what else is wrong babe.

  Shinoda added his infuriating two cents, He asked you out after you scared him shitless. Maybe he doesn’t like this uncertainty about what you do. I know I wouldn’t. I mean, you showed up injured and you didn’t tell him how or why, An.

  I was angry. He didn’t ask me! I typed.

  Kelly texted back, Maybe he knows.

  That is what put things into perspective for me. That is also what made me remember my training session with Nathan and Ian five days before. I had noticed another presence in the warehouse that night, but students have a way of tagging along with each other. I usually have two or three other silent onlookers who want to watch and learn before it’s their turn to practice with me. I didn’t pay it much heed before, but that night, whoever was watching me fight at that warehouse never came out to greet me even when the practice session was over. By the time I had left the place, I knew that he/she had already gone as well.

  My throat dried up when I thought of the possibility. Could…

  Could it have been Hathaway?

  It was impossible!

  How the heck would he know to come there? Unless… he had somehow seen me while I was on my w
ay to the warehouse and followed me there? Impossible…

  My hands trembled when I thought of it. But it also made so much sense, I didn’t know what else to think.

  I mean it. It didn’t add up how Henry didn’t even ask why I had a bandaged hand.

  The thought pissed me off. It also twisted my heart in agony.

  I’m not someone who likes to talk things through. I’m not even good with communication and stuff. But if I couldn’t talk to Henry about this… it was going to be the end for us. By the way he had been acting for the past few days, my assumption began to hold ground.

  I could safely and to my horror, conclude that that night, he was the one at the warehouse.

  Damn his ass if he was.

  Wasn’t I too early in the relationship to be facing these problems already?

  I thanked my friends and put away my phone. I pulled out of bed to take a bath. My head hurt when I thought of it all, and somehow, it made me want to drink and workout again. I shrugged and changed.

  Hathaway, what do I do with you?

  He had mentioned he was a people’s man. He was the one who could deal with hoards of human beings lined up in a single room. So where were his skills now? Why hadn’t he come to me? Wouldn’t it be better to ask me to clear things up, if he was going to act so distant? I hated the idea of it all. I’ve read that the first month of any relationship is the honeymoon phase. The couple doesn’t run into problems. The couple is all over each other and can’t get enough. They’re all happy as fuck.

  Then, there’s us.

  Maybe I just need to stop reading and watching any sort of romance. The idea of what is supposed to happen is driving me insane.

  I enjoyed a relatively relaxing bubble bath along with a glass of wine to clear my head. But the pleasure was short lived because Henry decided to text me. Honestly, it was aggravating. He sent a simple message asking me what I was doing, but it got on my nerves. I cannot keep up a pretense of any sort. If something is wrong, I have a hard time admitting it is not. I’m not trained to lie, you see.