Elijah turns to me. “Isn’t that the guy I replaced?”
“Yep. He never took the job seriously but was really upset when I fired him.”
“Even if that’s true, he bruised Jules’s arm. Not cool.”
Leon’s face crumples a bit, and his expression is genuinely breaking my heart. I check with Jules and can tell she feels the same way. Elijah looks between the two of us. “Y’all would actually be okay with him coming back here?”
Jules speaks up. “I’d be open to a probationary period, and if he steps out of line, even a little bit, he’s out.”
Elijah, not entirely convinced, gives a half-hearted shrug. I take a few seconds and then square up to the big guy. “One of the most important things that Roly and I decided on when we opened this gym was that we would not expect perfection from our clients. There’s a very specific reason why only those who served in combat can come here. And by the way, thatdoesinclude my sister, who is one of the best snipers the Marines have ever seen, and she had to do it in the wrong uniform under the wrong name while using the wrong facilities. The one thing we do expect is respect, and we demand the safety of everyone in here. If you were to come back to this gym, it can only be when I am here. And if I ever,eversee you lay hands on anyone here, you will be banned for life. And if you put hands on my sister again, I won’t ban you. I’ll kill you.”
I make sure he’s looking in my eyes so he knows that I’m telling the truth.
He nods his head, his eyes going red. “I know I don’t deserve this chance, but I will not disappoint you, I promise. It’s just hard, you know. Civilian life. I… didn’t realize that I was one of those people who needed a safe space, and this is it. Besides, you don’t hafta worry. If you do have to kill me, my sister is a crime scene investigator. She knows how to get rid of a body.”
His sister smiles. “Damn skippy.”
You know, I’m not entirely sure that they’re joking.
A broad smile crests Elijah’s face. “You know what we could really use? A bad guy for my self-defense classes.”
God, I love the way that man thinks.
* * *
Elijah
I smile to myself as Leon puts on the last of the padding he’ll need for tonight’s class, only mildly disgruntled. “What are you laughing at?”
“It’s funny, the reason why they’re having me do self-defense training is because Jules could tell I was about to take you down if you hadn’t backed off when you did.”
He laughs. “You? You were going to take me down?”
“Almost certainly.” I smile confidently, and he’s… confused.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make itlookreal, but there’s no way that you could put me on the ground.”
I snort and gesture at him. “Your muscles are unbalanced, and your stance is weak. A sufficiently motivated fifteen-year-old could take you down.”
His hurt look is adorable. “Okay, now you’re just being mean. I promise you, you’d never be able to get me off my feet in a fair fight.”
I lean in, my grin slightly manic. “Want to bet?”
He shakes his head in disbelief. “Sure, kid. Name your terms.”
“In this gym, the bets are always five dollars. I’d like to add a kicker, though. You win, you can call me kid. I win, you never call me that again.”
He thinks about it for a second and sticks out his hand. “Deal.”
We’ve still got a few minutes before the participants show up for class, so Leon and I face each other on the mat, which I’ve double padded for tonight’s session. “Okay, so all I want you to do is act like you’re coming after me. I’ll take care of the rest.”
He laughs again and then makes his move. I step into his right side, grab his triceps with one hand, bend back his wrist with the other, then lean in. That’s it. His eyes go wide, and a curse flies out of his mouth as he falls to the floor on the power of a simple arm bar.
“I wasn’t ready for you!”
“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” I smirk and lean down to help him up. He’s genuinely confused and surprised, but thankfully he doesn’t seem mad.
“Ruthless efficiency, indeed,” he says, answering my terrible Monty Python impersonation. “Seriously, you’re going to have to teach me how to do that.”
