Chapter 11
SAMAIRA
T he next day, Sophie arrived at six o’clock sharp, tagging behind two other regulars at the gym.
Sloane and I ran the self-defense and training program for women every morning.
We offered a special class for our clients who wanted to learn to fight, get stronger, and have a physical outlet.
We also held Muay Thai training sessions three times a week.
While I was strong in boxing, Lena taught us all Muay Thai. None of us were limited to specific fighting techniques. In our line of work, most of our time was dedicated to honing our skills, training, fighting, and researching.
Our regulars knew their warm-up routines and jumped right into it. Sophie slowly made her way to me, her steps faltering as she moved closer. I gave her a quick smile and closed the gap between us. “Hey, Sophie, I’m so glad you joined us.”
She wore athletic leggings and a long-sleeved gym top. Her hair was in a tight braid, and she looked ready to get to work. She gave me a small smile in return. “I’m glad I came. Dom’s face after he returned to our parents' place was an even better motivator.”
I chuckled. “Soon, you’ll be just as good at kicking his ass.”
That got a laugh out of her.
“Who do we have here?” Sloane came around from where she was talking to two women and stood between us. She wore pastel-pink leggings and a matching athletic crop top with straps at the back that showcased her biceps and muscular back.
Sloane tended to put people at ease, so I turned to her. “Sloane, this is Sophie, Dominic’s sister,” and then looked at Sophie. “Sophie, this is Sloane, one of the Wildcats. She’s our undercover expert.”
The moment Sophie accepted Sloane’s handshake, Sloane pulled her by the hand and led her away from me, shouting at the ladies. “Meet our new bestie, everyone. This is Sophie.”
“Hi, Sophie,” everyone cheered.
The next hour-and-a-half-long session went by quickly—with a lot of stretching, kicking, swearing, sparring, getting beaten by me, and practicing each self-defense move over and over again.
By the time we were done, every single woman, including Sophie, had sweat running down their body and a smile on their face.
Every single woman in this early morning batch was a survivor.
Every single one had suffered at the hands of men, and each of them had a burning determination in their soul to never be powerless again.
We—they—all pushed each other to do better, fight harder, and always get back up. We didn’t pull punches here. We didn’t bitch about each other. We only uplifted and supported each other. There was no room for a bitch among the Wildcats.
That was who every single woman who fought here was.
A Wildcat. We rose above the abuse and violence thrown at us.
We not only learned to fight with our bodies, but we also learned and helped each other fight the stigma associated with the abuse and rape.
We carried each other’s pains and nightmares, we held each other on rough days, we fought for a better life, and we fought for each other.
I saw Sophie talking and exchanging numbers with a few other women. Dominic would be happy to know that not only was Sophie a good fighter but she was also opening up to other people.
When our eyes met across the room, I gave her a warm smile. She bid the other women goodbye and walked to where I stood, arranging the gloves in the cubicles.
“You were great, Sophie. How do you feel?”
An honest-to-God, genuine smile lit up her face. “Really good. I’m glad you asked me to come.”
“So I take it you’re going to come regularly, then?”
“Every single day.” She looked around at the dispersing crowd with awe on her face. “Sloane told me every woman in this batch is a survivor. They’re all so inspiring. As much as it hurts to know they all went through something horrific, it gives me some hope that I’ll be alright.”
I clutched her shoulder. “You will be. You’re a fighter.”
She nodded, her eyes fueled with determination. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
I placed the glove that I was holding in its cubicle and decided to ask her something that I’d been wondering about for a while. “So, Sophie, I hope you don’t mind me asking. But are you seeing a therapist?”
A frown appeared between her eyebrows. “Umm…Not really. I don’t have the words to talk about it to someone I don’t know. Talking to the cops and detectives was difficult enough. I don’t know if I can handle talking about it even more, day after day, week after week.”
Every woman who had come to us said the same thing.
“Sophie, my girl, it is extremely harmful and self-destructive to keep everything bottled up inside. We all need to deal with our emotions without feeling judged. And that’s what good therapists do.
They listen, they support, they help. I go to a therapist. Every Wildcat here attends therapy.
With the things we see and do, with the trauma we’ve all faced, we all need help dealing with our emotions. ”
Her eyes were wide with disbelief. “You go to a therapist?”
I nodded. “Once every two weeks. And if you don’t know any, I’m happy to recommend my therapist. I’ve known her for over ten years now. I really, really need you to consider it.”
She stared at the floor, shuffling her legs and biting her lip like her life depended on it. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. Think about it. Do some research. We also have monthly group sessions here where all the ladies from this fighting group just get together and have a sleepover.”
A smile came over her face. “I’d be down for that.”
I chuckled. “I knew you would be. Now, off you go before your brother rushes downstairs looking for you.”
Her mouth hung open. “How’d you know he’s upstairs?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “If I’ve learned anything about your brother since I met him, it's that he’s protective as fuck, and he wouldn’t dare let you out of his sight for a long, long time.”
She giggles. “He’s always been that way. Uh…do you wanna come up and say hi?”
I should’ve said no. I even said it in my mind.
No, I’m busy. No, I have a class to run.
No, say hi to him for me. I recited each of these lines in my head.
But my feet betrayed my mind as they started walking by her side, carrying me upstairs, all the while my brain screamed at my legs to halt immediately. But all they did was just walk faster.
“I’ll handle it here, Sami,” Sloane shouted behind me. I absolutely did not respond to her teasing. And I definitely did not show her the finger behind my back.
What was wrong with me? I didn’t focus on men.
I didn’t even like men. I was happy with my vibrators, my fingers, and an occasional hookup if I missed dick.
But this? Looking forward to seeing a guy’s face?
Getting jealous of seeing a woman with him in a photo?
Wanting to kill for him? Needing to comfort him?
Bringing him to Thunder Claw and beating the shit out of him to help him let off steam? Letting him see the Wildcats’ faces?
With every passing day, I was crossing every boundary I’d set for myself.
The moment we entered the restaurant, we found him working on his laptop with a cup of coffee and a croissant on the side.
My feet stumbled, and I barely caught myself as I took him in.
As if Dominic in a suit already wasn’t my kryptonite, the man was determined to make me lose what little mind I’d left by coming here dressed in fucking gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt.
Add in the light green and purple bruising at the top of his cheek, marks that I’d put on him, and every pore of my body burst into flames.
My blood felt like it was consumed by lava, and my heart raced a mile a minute. I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks and need unlike anything I’d ever experienced coursing through my veins.
Pretty sure I was being punished by the universe right now for chopping off dicks like a sport.
This was not the plan. I would not let a man make me act like an idiot.
Not wanting to come off as an obsessed fool, I schooled my expression a mere second before he sensed our presence and turned to look at us. A warm smile came over his face as he saw his sister.
But the moment our eyes met, his lips stretched into an even wider smile, flashing me his ridiculous dimples—right beside a fading yellowish bruise that I’d given him last night—that threatened to break my resolve of keeping my distance, staying professional, and not getting him too close to the Wildcats.
I had half a mind to grab his face and lick those damn dimples right off. Fuck him for being so gorgeous .
I gave him a small smile because it was impossible not to return a smile when he looked so warm and inviting. Sophie took a seat right across from Dominic, while I took a seat between the two on the empty stool. She grabbed the croissant and bit into it with gusto. “God, I’m starving.”
“I take it the first day went well?” Dominic asked her, his face bursting with joy at seeing his sister smiling and eating.
I could feel his relief in the way his shoulders instantly relaxed, the way his eyes lit up, and he looked between the two of us with so much excitement. I couldn’t help but smile at him.
Sophie launched into narrating the session when I met the eyes of Tammy, one of our servers. When she reached us, I asked her for my usual smoothie, and Sophie ordered a cappuccino to go.
Once we placed our orders, Dominic looked at me. “So how’s the case coming along? Would you like me to stay put? Anything I can help with?”
“We’ll be working on some recon today. I’ll update you if I have any questions or need your help.”
He got super serious as he stared me down. “You do know that you’re supposed to involve me in the case, right?”