I waved sheepishly and gave my best smile, trying to ease the tension in the room, and look less intimidating. The women continued to stare at me, and then at Badger, who was setting up at the front of the room. Badger, oblivious to the quiet, clappedher hands once and stood at the front of the studio. I leaned on the wall closest to the exit so I could observe inside and out.
“Good morning, ladies!” she said.
The women murmured their greetings in return and paired up, clearly having taken this class before.
“Alright, so I can tell by some of your faces that you have seen our guest for the day.” She cleared her throat and scanned the class. “This is Evan, he is, uh, a friend.”
“Hey.” I waved again and smiled, feeling lame.
“Evan will be overseeing the class and also,” she paused and gave me a mischievous smirk, “participating.”
I raised my scarred eyebrow at her while crossing my arms over my chest.
“Today we will be using Evan here,” she waved me over, and I hesitantly went, “as a real-life example to test what we’ve learned so far in our classes.”
She pursed her lips, trying to stop herself from laughing at my surprised reaction. I stood next to her and looked at the group of women. They varied in ethnicity, shape, and size, but they all appeared to be out for blood.
Excellent. Lucky me,I thought dryly.
Badger lined all the women up and told each one which maneuver to perform. Once the first woman was ready, Badger noted her stance and adjusted it.
“Now, Evan here is going to come and attack you,” Badger instructed.
My eyes bulged. The fuck I was!
“Just imagine he is Gene.” Badger patted my chest as she addressed the young blonde, who had to be a little over four feet tall. “And go!”
Before I had a chance to move, the woman charged at me with a wolf-like cry and kicked me in the stomach, making mehunch over. I wheezed as she put me in a headlock. She may have been small, but she was quick and precise.
Badger clapped. “Excellent job, Casey. Now, one more time, with Evan actually moving.”
I listened and waited for the command to charge at Casey. I made contact and wrapped my fingers around her slender throat, making sure not to squeeze. I did not want to make things harder for these women who had already endured so much. Without flinching, Casey swiftly moved her body so she was able to release my hand from her throat and get me to my knees. Badger gave her some constructive criticism and asked me to ramp things up.
We spent the next hour giving each woman a chance to go up against me. Only one of them, Sydney, looked terrified. The rest looked at me as if I were beneath them. When the class was over, the women all gave Badger hugs and words of gratitude. Some of them, like Casey, even thanked me for my help today. It felt good to be part of something bigger. It reminded me of the good days in the military when I was actually saving people.
When the women all left the room, I looked at Badger while she drank some water. She still looked mouth-watering, and I wanted nothing more than to pin her up to the mirror and have my way with her. But first, I had a burning desire to ask her something.
“Why do you do it? I mean, it’s great that you do, but why help these women?”
Badger stopped drinking her water, bit her lower lip, and spoke hesitantly. “Because Iamlike them. Everyone in the class, including myself, has been through some sort of abuse.”
Anger surged through me as I imagined Badger going through something like that. I wanted names, addresses, and their next of kin so I could demolish them.
“Nellie, the woman who owns this place and is now my roommate, found me after I was…” She trailed off.
I walked closer to her and met her eyes. “After you were what?”
So many things were going through my mind. Was she beaten? Was she raped? She looked down at the floor and then back up to meet my eyes.
“After I was attacked on the street.” I let that sink in. I could read between the lines. She brushed her hand across my bicep. “I’m okay. Nellie got me medical attention right away. That’s why I live here, and that’s why I take this job seriously.”
She squeezed my arm when she noticed the anger in my expression. Not at her, but at what someone had done to her. “I’m not the girl I used to be. I’ve worked extremely hard to ensure that I am never left vulnerable again.”
“Strongest woman I know,” I whispered quietly.
Badger gave me a soft smile. “And don’t you forget it.”
I could never,I thought.
