Chapter 4 #2
I was scarfing down my last slice of pizza when we reached the operators’ dorms. Two doors were open, revealing small units with one or two beds, more closet space, and…almost a kitchenette. Running water, a microwave, mini fridge, and a tiny corner counter space. I liked it. I wouldn’t need more than this. I’d rather have a small-ass room with more amenities than space I didn’t know what to do with.
“Okay, I’ll be in nine, so we’ll make this one yours.” He unlocked the door to number eight, and fuck me sideways, I wasn’t gonna have to share with anyone. I stepped inside the room, noticing the door leading to the next unit. He’d meant adjacent literally, then. “We’ll get your stuff from the Towers tomorrow,” he added. “In the meantime, there should be a toiletry kit in the nightstand.”
I was all set.
I chewed on my last mouthful of pizza—or mostly the crust—and nodded to myself. This room was mine for the next year. Fucking A.
“Where do we shower and go to the bathroom?” I asked.
“Operators’ shower room. It’s at the end of the hall, next to our rec room.” He paused. “Since you’re watching my niece, you can use my bathroom too. As long as I don’t have to see a bunch of hair products lying around or toothpaste in the sink.”
I lifted my brows and grinned a little. “Are you a neat freak?”
“I’m tidy,” he corrected. “There are four operator units with private bathrooms, and I won’t hesitate to move to another one if you abuse the privilege.”
I chuckled. “You can chill. The Army practically made me OCD.”
“Good,” he said. “Now, get some rest. Breakfast with the others in the cafeteria at 09:00. We’ll give you reading material and new instructions.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
My sleep schedule was fucked. I dragged myself out of bed at 8:45, wishing I could sleep for at least another four hours, and got dressed in the same clothes I’d been given earlier.
The only issue I had with my new room was that it lacked natural light. All rooms on this side of the hall were windowless, and it was going to mess me up further if I didn’t keep a strict schedule.
On my way into the cafeteria downstairs, I pulled up my hood and made a face. There was way too much commotion. Maybe they’d called in reinforcements. Either way, the cafeteria was almost at capacity. According to the sign when you entered, that number was one hundred people.
Thankfully, it seemed everyone had gotten their breakfast already, because the line was short.
“Leighton! We’re in the back!” Riley hollered.
I waved noncommittally over my shoulder without turning around.
Oatmeal, two eggs over-easy, bacon, apple—ohhh, yeah, a waffle too. Thanks. Fresh from the iron, extra butter, extra syrup. Coffee, creamer, three sugars. I was good to go.
I yawned and carried my tray to the tables in the back. I was evidently the last one to arrive, so I sat down between Tanner and Riley and side-eyed Coach and Beckett. They were gearing up to talk.
“How are you doing?” Riley asked quietly. “You actually shot that guy, didn’t you?”
“Um, yeah. I’m fine.” I bit into my waffle first, ’cause oatmeal was always gonna be oatmeal. A waffle needed to be crispy, hot, and fresh.
“Did you feel anything?” Tanner asked next. “Like, how was it?”
“Pipe down, everyone!” Coach positioned himself at the center of our three tables, and Beckett joined him.
They were all business this morning. He didn’t glance my way once.
Why should he? You’re a recruit like all the others.
I chewed and frowned.
Beckett cleared his throat. “We know you didn’t get much sleep, so we’ll keep this brief.”
Coach nodded. “We’ve loaded your profiles with readin’ material for this week, including Saturday and Sunday. You’ll see them in your messages when you log on in the library or the rec room upstairs. One task per day. You’ll hand them all in digitally on Monday before 10:00. By then, we hope to return to our regular schedule and classes. Any questions?”
Tanner stuck his hand in the air. “Can we ask about last night?”
Coach glanced at Beckett.
“No, but we can divulge a little bit,” Beckett replied. “As Operator Payne already told you, an intruder broke in to the unit where recruit Watts was staying, and he did an excellent job at eliminating the threat. He was not the target of this attack, and that’s the end of it. We have a team working on the investigation. Lockdown protocol will continue for at least a week while we gather intel, and this means you will need permission from Coach and me to leave the premises. You will also exit through the garage in the next building over. No one uses the lobby entrance at any time.”
Coach had more to say. “We also ask you to minimize your outings. Food can be delivered, there are treadmills in the gym if you wanna run, and you already know your way around the rec rooms’ video games and movie selection. It might get frustrating, but the safety measures are there for a reason. Even if you’re not a target—and you’re really not—until we know more about the attack, we don’t want to risk anyone gettin’ caught in the crossfire.”
A couple of forks clanked against plates, and Monica raised her hand.
“Go ahead.” Coach nodded.
“So, there is a threat?” she asked. “And did Jasper really drop out?”
“Let’s get one thing clear, recruits,” Beckett said. “Every single day at Hillcroft comes with a potential threat. We have decades of inserting our operators into situations that put targets on our backs, and some of those follow us home. It’s why we’re strict on privacy. It’s why you were given the option to go by an alias.” He paused as he looked around at us. “Hillcroft on its own is always a target. Does that mean shit goes down here every week? No, of course not. I think we’ve been attacked twice in the last thirty years.” Coach was nodding along in agreement as he observed us. “On the other side of that coin is the number of times we’ve gone into lockdown—and I can tell you we’ve lost count. It’ll happen a few times a year, minimum.”
Welp. That was good to know. I shoved the last of my waffle into my mouth.
“To answer your question, recruit Bryant,” Coach said, “yes to both. Recruit Fuller also left us, and you let me know if anyone else wants to join. Life on the outside is a hell of a lot easier, I’ll tell you that much.”
Beckett wasn’t done. “It might be a good time to remind you that being an operator at Hillcroft is a thankless job. It might pay well, but you will never receive a medal, you will never be called a hero on the news, and you will never be able to share your tales of glory freely. We serve in silence—it’s in our creed. The absolute best operators this agency has ever seen are men and women you’ve never even heard of.”
I took a big bite of my apple and glanced at the others around me.
Who would be next to drop out?
“I can only get so horny,” Tanner said under his breath.
I couldn’t help it. I laughed and almost choked on my apple, so I slapped a hand over my mouth as all eyes fell on me—and Beckett lifted a brow at me.
My bad.
* * *
Even when shit went sideways, they clearly knew what they were doing at Hillcroft. By noon, my stuff had been delivered to my room, and the recruits with windowless units had been given special clearance to the rooftop terrace on the seventh floor.
Those dorms weren’t meant to be long-term residences, but honestly, I didn’t care that much. The compromise was sweet as hell. I was already planning on bringing some workout gear up there with me every morning before breakfast.
I wasn’t gonna need any outings. During lunch, I sat on my own—because Beckett seemed busy eating with two other recruits—and I did some online shopping. I ordered a new watch, a few books, better headphones, and more underwear. I just knew I wasn’t gonna do laundry once a week, so I wanted to stock up on the essentials. Oh, and I did a grocery order for my little fridge. I was all fucking set for weeks of staying on the premises.
I left the cafeteria after devouring a bowl of beef stew that got a solid three stars in my book, and I made my way back to the stairs. I was done waiting for the elevators to go up or down a single floor, especially this time of day when everybody was at work.
“Leighton!”
I looked back just as I tapped my ID card, and I saw Beckett right outside the cafeteria.
“Are you busy now?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I thought I’d get a head start on tomorrow’s task.”
The first one had been easy, and not in a good way. We were supposed to list everything we knew about South American wildlife—obviously without books and the internet to make us look good.
“Follow me instead,” he said. “Operator Payne just got here with Alex.”
Oh. Okay, cool. Time to meet the niece.
“Doc wants to reschedule your session too,” he added. “He’s busy with our German friend.”
Why would that fucker need a psychiatrist?
Screw it, I wasn’t gonna question Doc’s strategies. My session was postponed, and that was all that mattered.
He observed me like he always did. “I can get you someone else if you need to talk, though.”
“Hell no.” I pocketed my card again and walked toward him. “I’d rather you give me a crash course in how to keep your niece from crying. I have zero experience with kids.”
“Then you’re all set, because I could say the same, and she loves me for some unknown reason.”
I could think of a few reasons. He was dangerously easy to talk to, and I was sure an eight-year-old girl loved that. To me, it was a downside. He also exuded stability and strength.
“By the way, you should make an effort to befriend some of the other recruits,” he told me. “You could’ve had lunch with any of the others just now, but you opted to sit by yourself.”
I scrunched my nose. I’d wanted to sit with Beckett…
I couldn’t fucking say that, and I knew he had a point. Furthermore, I was developing an attachment of some sort to him, but he was my mentor, instructor, and superior. The fact that he’d had lunch—and breakfast—with me before didn’t mean anything. Both he and Coach found ways to have one-on-ones with everybody.
“I’ll tell you what I told Miguel—it’s important to build a team,” he said. “Despite that our work tends to be lonely, it’s crucial that you can function well in a team when the situation calls for it, especially in the field. Because chances are you won’t get much practice before it happens.”
Ugh. Fine.
“I guess I can talk more with Tanner,” I muttered. “Oliver’s all right too.”
“Oliver dropped out.”
Whoa, what the fuck? I peered up at him, surprised.
He inclined his head and gestured for the elevators. “Both he and Monica talked to Coach after breakfast. They’re done.”
“Christ,” I mumbled. “I thought it’d be months before we saw the first one.”
“There’s always someone who drops in the beginning,” he answered. “But in the end, it doesn’t matter. They would’ve dropped for one reason or another later on.”
Fair.
I stood in front of the elevators and watched the numbers go higher and higher, and I had a feeling we’d be here a minute or two. “Why don’t we take the stairs?”
“Because you’re at the right age to start giving a fuck about your knees.” He didn’t miss a beat. “Going up is fine, but down is reserved for emergencies.”
I eyed him up and down and stopped at his knees. Seriously? Don’t get me wrong, I knew all about the injuries we sustained in the Army, and I hadn’t exactly walked away scot-free. I’d pulled muscles, fractured bones, and dislocated a shoulder. Fun times. I used to be able to do thirty chin-ups; now I was lucky if I could pull off twenty before my shoulder acted up.
“Don’t look at me like that, punk,” Beckett said. “I’m not that old. I’m just aware of when we start damaging our bodies—and you need to take care of yours unless you plan on retiring at forty.”
I bit down on my lip to hide my grin, but he obviously saw it anyway, and he gave me a light shove as the elevator dinged with its timely arrival.
“Damn kids,” he muttered and walked in. “Luckily for me, I plan to attend your first martial arts session tomorrow. I’ll face you on the mat, boy.”
Oof. Was that a promise? Because I could think of worse things than grappling with Operator Bo Beckett.
I folded my arms over my chest and leaned back against the wall. “No dinner or drinks first? Cold.”
He snorted. “You won’t be so cocky after tomorrow.”
I wasn’t cocky now either. I was just having fun.
I smiled to myself.
Seconds later, we ended up in the basement, and immediately when the doors opened, a young girl lit up like a Christmas tree and flew at Beckett. Operator Payne stood there too, and he smiled at the exchange.
“Hi! You’re late, Uncle Bo!”
Well, this was an experience. Beckett picked the girl up with a grunt and claimed he was never late. In fact, he said, he was always on time.
Was she really eight, though? She was so small. When I’d been eight years old, my mom sure as fuck hadn’t been able to carry me on her hip. And I wasn’t precisely tall either.
The girl was definitely a Beckett. She had the same light brown hair and slanted grin. She had dimples too, unlike her uncle. Same eye color, blue and green.
My first impression of Beckett as an uncle made me wonder why he viewed himself as clueless with children. He asked her all the right questions and rolled with the punches when she rambled about her sleepover at Auntie Kat’s.
“She told me she’d send a box of those cookies,” Beckett said. “Did she?”
Operator Payne held up a container. “I may have sampled one.”
“Fuck yeah.” Beckett grinned and accepted the box. “You ready to meet my recruit, mouse? He’s gonna keep an eye on you a couple hours every day.”
I clasped my hands behind my back, and the girl eyed me curiously.
“Say hi to Leighton,” Beckett murmured against Alex’s cheek. “You’ll have to be nice to him. He has so much homework that he can barely manage.”
“Hi, Alex.” I smiled politely. “For the record, it’s your uncle who’s given me the homework. It’s his fault.”
Alex gasped and turned to Beckett. “Why are you giving him homework?! That’s so mean!”
Checkmate. I could do this.
Beckett faced Operator Payne. “That backfired on me.”
* * *
August 9th, 2024
My first babysitting round wasn’t until the next day, and while the other recruits made fun of me for my “lame-ass duty,” I didn’t mind it, actually. Alex was a cool little girl. I didn’t need to use baby talk, and she had a chip on her shoulder.
I liked that in an eight-year-old.
“Why are you only eating one hamburger, Leighton? My uncle can eat three.”
“Because your uncle thought it was a good idea to schedule a workout right after lunch,” I replied, sucking burger sauce off the side of my hand. I didn’t know how it’d gotten there. “If you work out right after you’ve eaten, you can get a stomachache, and you won’t perform as well. You don’t want your stomach full of food.”
Besides, three burgers were rookie numbers. Beckett could catch me on any other day, and I’d outeat him in the blink of an eye.
Alex nodded knowingly. “Auntie Kat says we can’t swim right after we eat.”
“There you go.” I wiped my hands on my napkin and closed my book. Thankfully, once we got back to regular programming, my martial arts class would take place before lunch. Fridays seemed to be a fast-food extravaganza in the cafeteria, and I didn’t wanna miss that.
“What’s your book about?” Alex asked. “I bet mine is better. It has pictures.”
Yeah, she’d been reading Pippi Longstocking . Fun times.
“It’s a handbook in communication—how people at this place talk over the phone and stuff,” I said. Radio, phone, encrypted messages, hand signals, the whole nine yards. And it was confusing as fuck, because Hillcroft needed to balance on the razor-thin line between clear communication and… let’s not reveal we’re military . So it was a combination of casual talk, code, and familiar terms from the service.
Alex scrunched her nose. “I already know how to talk on the phone.”
“I thought I did too.” I shook my head. “You done eating?”
“Yup! Am I going to Danny now?”
“Yes, ma’am. Then I’m gonna wrestle your uncle.”
Her mouth popped open in surprise, and I grinned.
Right on cue, Beckett showed up, and he trailed over to our table.
“Uncle Bo! Are you and Leighton gonna wrestle?” Alex demanded.
Beckett chuckled. “He told you about that, huh? Well, I gotta teach the kid, you know. He needs to be strong if he’s gonna work here.”
Oh, fuck you, old-timer.
Alex snickered.
“Did you have a nice time today?” Beckett asked.
“Yes!” Alex nodded furiously. “We read in the library, and I counted his push-ups on the roof, and he gave me a lollipop.”
I smirked up at him. “And Alex told me all about how you can’t commit to your girlfriend.”
“Commit to my—” Beckett stopped abruptly and scowled at his niece. “How the fuck do you even know that word?”
Alex shrugged. “I learn stuff. Kristen ’splained it to me.”
Beckett didn’t like that answer at all. He clenched his jaw but looked like he was trying to hide his annoyance. “I bet she did,” he said, extending a hand to her. “Let’s go. But for the record, she and I broke up, so you don’t have to listen to her anymore.”
Oh, drama. Baby Beckett was bitchy.
“Okay!” Alex was unbothered, though. “See you tomorrow, Leighton! And remember to think about nicknames, okay?”
I smiled and gave her a two-finger wave. “We’ll think of something.”
Apparently, my name wasn’t easy to say, so she wanted us to have nicknames for each other.
I watched the two walk off hand in hand, and I had to say I liked my new side hustle. Finding out little tidbits about Beckett was fun, and Alex was easygoing. I hadn’t made her cry yet. She was competitive too, which made her an excellent PT for my morning workout on the rooftop terrace. The girl was all, Do it better this time! I’ll count!
Since I had about twenty-five minutes till Operator Tenley’s introduction class to mixed martial arts, I headed back to my room to drop off my books, change into workout clothes, and sit down for a moment. Or lie down. Power naps had always eluded me, but I could relax for a few minutes and stare up at the ceiling.
My brain didn’t wanna shut up, though. I had to pick a language to learn, and Spanish seemed popular and recommended. Nicknames for Alex and me? More working out on the rooftop; the psychological effects of not leaving the building were taking their toll much sooner than I’d anticipated. Honestly, I could’ve easily gone days without going anywhere as long as I had the option to. But now, I was starting to feel restless and wanting things I hadn’t cared about before. Like, having a social life…? Dating . Well, not dating, but maybe hooking up with someone. I hadn’t had sex in over two years, and I didn’t wanna take out all my sexual frustrations on a straight superior who was a little too good at making every recruit feel special.
Also, how many animals could there be in the rainforests of South America, and why did we have to learn about the wildlife to that degree? It was going to be an entire class on its own, with Beckett as the teacher. Anacondas, panthers, all the fucking spiders, monkeys, and bugs the size of basketballs. Ugh .
I threw an arm over my face.
Nope. This wasn’t relaxing one bit. I climbed out of the bed again and rolled my shoulders. I might as well head down to the basement.
I took a leak first and then went back to grab my bag, and despite Beckett’s weird warning, I opted for the stairs.
My knees were fine.
I met up with Tanner and Gabriella on the way, and they were visibly excited to get started with Krav Maga. We’d received our protective gear already, along with instructions not to put anything on yet. Mouth guards, cups, shin guards, gloves… Special shoes too.
We wandered into the martial arts studio, and I eyed the dirty-blond guy with a bunch of tattoos. That had to be Shay Tenley. He sat casually in one of the chairs that lined the western wall, and he was texting.
Coach and Beckett soon joined us, and that was when Operator Tenley put away his phone and rose to his feet.
He had an unreadable look on his face, and he looked totally badass. I estimated he was around thirty or so, and his muscles were defined but sleek. Zero bulk, kind of like me.
“Listen up, everyone!” Coach hollered. “This is Operator Tenley, and he’s our new martial arts instructor at Hillcroft. For the last couple of months, he’s put together a new self-defense system based primarily on Krav Maga—not the Americanized version—and you will listen to every word he says.”
I dropped my bag at my feet and folded my arms over my chest.
“Floor’s yours, Shay.” Coach nodded for Tenley to begin.
“Thanks.” Tenley took a couple steps forward, his bare feet sinking down an inch or so into the mat. “On that note, you can call me Shay. Operator Tenley sounds…older.”
Coach coughed behind a chuckle.
Tanner raised his hand. He always had something to say.
Tenley lifted his brows. “Yeah?”
“Didn’t you pass final selection with my brother this summer? Finnian Kelley,” Tanner said.
Tenley nodded with a dip of his chin. “I did—which I’m guessing you already knew.” He rubbed his hands together absently and glanced out over us. “How many here have trained Krav before?”
I looked around to see Miguel and Riley raise their hands.
“Okay, noted,” Tenley said. “We tend to claim that Krav Maga doesn’t have any rules, and it’s true to a degree. It’s not a sport or a ceremonial art—it’s a system created to avoid and, if that’s not possible, quickly defeat an enemy. But with that said, Krav has a set of core principles, and we’ll discuss them today. By next class, you will have memorized them.” He paused for a beat. “Are there any questions about the protective gear you’ve been given?”
Maxine spoke up. “I noticed we got cups too as women. Was that a mistake?”
Tenley clasped his hands behind his back. “Would you like to get kicked in the vagina?”
I smirked, and Tanner and Zander struggled to keep their amusement bottled up.
“Women need that protection too,” Tenley finished before moving on. “However, we won’t focus as much on groin kicks as they do in the Westernized version of Krav. We’ll definitely cover it, and it’s an important move—but there are much better targets. A swift kick in the balls will hurt like a motherfucker, but pain isn’t always as crippling as it should be—and I’ll use an example. Say you get attacked by a mugger chasing his next fix. If he’s high on something, his pain receptors—or nociceptors—might be numbed. So, the fraction of a second you spend on ramming your shin up his dick, he could get the upper hand to end the fight. But if you instead kick him in the knee in a direction it’s not supposed to bend, it’s not about the pain. He will go down.”
Huh. I hadn’t considered that before—and we sure as shit hadn’t learned this in the Army.
“Let me ask you a question,” he continued. “In an attack, who gets surprised—the victim or the attacker?”
Rhetorical question, then. The victim, of course.
Tenley didn’t wait for anyone to answer. “Krav is about building up enough knowledge to overcome shock and surprise as quickly as possible in the event of an attack. It’s about turning the tables and walking away with little harm done. And the only way to do that is to come prepared.”
I nodded, liking what he was saying. Get intel before you dig trenches. Understand the attacker before you defeat him on the battlefield.
Tenley took a step back and gestured to Beckett. “Operator Beckett is going to demonstrate a slow-motion attack with one of you, and I want you all to observe and think about his weak points—where the victim should strike to defend themself.”
Oh crap.
Beckett smiled at me. “Recruit Watts already volunteered.”
“I fucking did not,” I blurted out.
Tanner cracked up. “Can we place bets?”
I groaned and slapped a hand over my face.
“No, but you can shut the fuck up and pay attention,” Tenley replied. “This quick demo is as far as we’ll go today, and then we’re gonna take a few steps back and start at the beginning. Krav cannot be rushed, because the odds are stacked against the victim from the get-go. The truth is, in the reality of an actual attack, the stress we feel in that situation is usually so severe that we forget a significant amount of vital knowledge. In other words, repetition, repetition, repetition— from step one .”
Slow motion or not, I was screwed.
Tenley told everyone to make room, and I left my bag with all my protection off the mat. I guess I didn’t need any gear for a demonstrative beatdown.
“Shoes off too,” Tenley instructed.
I removed my shoes.
“Good luck, buddy!” Tanner clapped me on the back on his way to the sidelines.
“While Operator Beckett and recruit Watts get ready, I wanna tell you a bit more about this class,” Tenley said. “If you pass Hillcroft selection and go on to work in the field, chances are you won’t have any protective gear when you face an attacker. And since it’s my job to prepare you for real situations, we will eventually give up the gear. You’ll need it in the beginning when you start learning different strikes and combinations, but the point of really learning Krav Maga is to spar a lot—to reenact and prepare. You will need to suffer pain and milder damage in order to swallow up that initial shock of an ambush in the field.”
“Well said,” Beckett confirmed. “Now, what I’m going to do is mop the floor with recruit Watts, and consider that one of the rules in the unruly world of Krav Maga. Never fucking end up on the ground . In that position, you’re almost entirely defenseless, and you can’t reach the assailant’s vital organs.”
I blew out a breath and met Beckett at the center of the mat.
Tenley nodded. “Note that Operator Beckett said vital organs. You’ll hear me use the term weak points very often, and it can mean very different things. If you join a Krav club at a local gym, chances are they will teach you a choreographed dance of knee-to-groin, a chokehold to reach the carotid, and an elaborate three-step move to disarm someone. But we are definitely going for the vital spots that take someone down. Fuck the carotid arteries. At best, you’ll buy yourself a second extra. You wanna punch the fucker in the trachea instead. You wanna blind him, hammer-fist him in the temple or his ear, and kick his knee sideways.” He paused. “In order to swiftly go from underdog to having the advantage, you need to learn basic anatomy. Do you know exactly where to punch someone in the liver? Do you know what damage you can cause with a strike to a kidney? Last but not least, a genuine question—how long does a fight last?”
I chewed on the corner of my lip and glanced around me. Unlike Tanner, I didn’t stick my hand in the air at the first chance to throw out a guess—and I really didn’t know. Part of me wanted to say a fight lasted for however long it took to defeat the attacker?—
“For as long as it takes,” Tanner guessed.
Gabriella nodded. “Until you win.”
“While technically correct, it’s a fantasy answer,” Tenley replied. “The truth is, most fights will be over within four to fifteen seconds. After that, even the toughest trained Green Beret will be exhausted. Hollywood can add half a minute—hell, more than that—but real self-defense is a sprint. You give your all from the very start. Soccer players stay on the field for two rounds of forty-five minutes. A hockey player needs a break after ninety seconds.”
Well, I was glad I hadn’t voiced my guess. What he said made sense.
“But for a demo, we’ll drag it out—Hollywood-style,” Tenley finished and gestured for Beckett. “Feel free to picture a car exploding in the background.”
He earned some chuckles from that.
Beckett played along too. “Jason Statham will play me.”
I cocked my head. “I’d say Christian Bale. You have the same hair, and he’s rocking the whole graying beard thing now.”
“Fuck me, that’s an image,” Tanner groaned.
Beckett shot me a look. “You keep inferring I’m ancient, you little shit.”
What the fuck? I threw out my arms. “He’s younger than Jason Statham, for fuck’s sake! And has a lot more hair!”
“We appreciate the foreplay, but you can begin now,” Tenley drawled.
Shit.
I cleared my throat as the others cracked up, and if I didn’t know better, Beckett wished he could take back the last few seconds too. He rubbed the back of his neck and was quick to tell everyone to shut up.
“All right, slow motion. Ish.” He was back to business, back to unreadable instructor—wait, ish ?
Before I could say or do anything, he grabbed hold of my hand, dug his thumb into my wrist, and twisted my arm so that I spun around, and then I had my back to his chest. What the fuck. There was nothing slow about that at all!
“This is a good stop,” Tenley noted. “We’ll replay it later slowly, but for right now, can anyone tell me what Operator Beckett is doing and what he could do next?”
“Watts isn’t restrained at the moment, so he could wrench himself free if he’s fast enough,” Caleb said.
That wasn’t the question!
“I’m definitely restrained,” I gritted out. My arm hurt behind my back!
“But you have one hand free,” Tenley pointed out. “How’s his grip on the other?”
“Really fucking tight,” I said, sucking in a breath. “He’s digging his thumb into my wrist too.”
Tenley nodded. “That’s a good little extra. By applying a lot of pressure on the wrist, you can loosen someone’s hold on a knife or another weapon. Disarming someone should come before pulling an enemy close to your body, though, so we’ll set that aside for now.” He turned to the others. “What should Operator Beckett do next?”
“Go home,” I muttered under my breath.
Beckett chuckled quietly, and his mouth was only an inch or two above my ear. It made me acutely aware of his body warmth and how close he was.
Miguel jerked his chin at us. “He could fish-hook Watts’s cheek and punch his temple.”
“That’s an option,” Tenley replied. “He’d need both hands for that, but it’s definitely an option. Which makes that an important moment to already know your next move. Are you keeping the enemy alive for interrogation or arrest? Don’t use a fist. The temple is a very sensitive area where four parts of the skull meet. A blow forceful enough can kill a fucker. So, if you need the enemy alive for whatever reason after the fight, choose an open-palm strike.” He faced us again. “But in the spirit of keeping a fight short-lived, which is always the goal, Operator Beckett has positioned Watts in a way that he’s ready to go down in just two more moves.”
“Are you ready to go down?” Beckett whispered in my ear.
Fuck me, he drew a whole-body shudder from me with that one, and I had to clench my jaw.
“Can you guess the moves?” Tenley asked the others.
“Swoop his leg,” Miguel said. “Maybe a knee to the back of Watts’s knee too, but that would depend on how the fighters line up. Since Operator Beckett is significantly taller… I don’t know, in that position, I’d just swoop his leg and shove him forward.”
We could also be nice to each other. I mean, that was an alternative— I yelped as the floor disappeared underneath me, and before I knew it, my knees hit the mat, and my hands followed.
Beckett didn’t stop until I was flat on the floor and he was straddling my ass.
I swallowed a groan of discomfort and dropped my forehead to the mat too.
Welcome to my personal hell.