Reagan tapped the mat and he froze. She stopped and explained every action she could potentially take to get out of the situation. There were many techniques that a victim could use to get out of a hold like the one she was in, and Reagan explained every last one. People nodded their heads, leaned in close to look, and one person came to kneel directly next to them on the mat so she could clearly see the moves Reagan was using. When it was over, Pete rolled off her onto his back, his chest heaving. She leaned down, pulled off his headgear, and kissed him quickly. “Thanks, babe,” I heard her mutter.
He grinned back at her, and then he went to sit on the bleachers with a bottle of water.
Next, it was my turn.
Paul Reed darted from behind a different bleacher and ran toward me. He grabbed me, covering my mouth with his hand as he did so. My training and innate ability to thwart danger kicked in, but I tempered it. This class was for teaching. It wasn’t for maiming one of the Reed brothers, which I could have already done three times over.
I explained various techniques, and when we were done, Paul shook my hand and went to sit beside his brother.
Next, Logan tried to steal Reagan’s purse from her shoulder. Reagan went through the various methods she could use to protect herself while protecting her property.
Then Matt and Sam both took a turn. I had to give it to them, they were solid men with amazing instincts. They were strong, but deep inside they were soft as kittens. They genuinely cared about people, and everyone could tell it.
Megan, the newcomer, raised her hand. “May I take a turn?” she asked.
“Not against them,” I said. “You can go against me.” For some reason that I couldn’t identify, something was off about this woman.
She nodded. “Good enough.”
I waited a moment, and then I attacked her. I tempered my assault because I wasn’t sure how much she could take. And in that moment, I knew I’d made a mistake. She caught me with a fair punch directly in the eye. I felt like someone had shoved a hot poker into my eye socket, but I didn’t let her stop me. I lifted my arms to deflect her next two blows, and that’s when I realized that she wasn’t trying to protect herself. She had one goal: to take me down. That would never ever happen. She had underestimated her opponent. Severely.
Reagan shouted and the Reed Brothers came forward to help, but I waved them off. “What’s your goal?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“To learn self-defense,” she said with a sneer in my direction.
“Aside from that?”
She grinned. “What makes you think I have another goal?”
Because I knew evil. I’d seen it enough in my life. I knew it when I saw it, and this woman was sheer evil. There wasn’t a benevolent bone in her body.
“Who hurt you?” I asked.
She kicked my knee, almost sweeping my legs out from under me.
“A boyfriend? Someone you didn’t even know?”
“I knew him.” Then she punched toward my face, but I deflected it.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s riding around in cars, eating pizzas with other women.”
And suddenly it hit me. She wasn’t here for me. She was here for Clark. And Clark…well, he was one thing I’d never let her have.
“You sure you want to do this?” I asked. I wanted to give her one last chance to back out.
She didn’t respond, and she punched out again. For the next five minutes, I used every move I’d ever learned to block her, and when I’d had enough, I took her down to the floor and pinned her down, holding her tightly in a headlock with my arm around her throat. She fought until I thought she would pass out. Then she tapped the mat.
I eased up but I didn’t let go. “I’m going to release you,” I said close to her face. “Then you’re going to get up and walk the fuck out of here, and I’m never going to have to look at your face again. Understood?”
She nodded.
I let her up and she did just that. She weaved a little on the way to the door. “Anybody get that on video?” I asked.
“I did.” Pete raised his hand.
“Will you send it to me?”