Chapter Five
We found Charles sitting on his porch. I immediately grabbed a blanket from the house and laid it over his legs, trying my best to avoid Owen’s gaze, which seemed wholly focused on me.
“Where are you three headed today?” Charles asked with a twinkle in his eye, and I blushed at the assumption that I would be spending it with Owen.
“Oh, I’m sure Owen and Jace are busy,” I protested out of politeness.
“I thought Owen was going to teach you self-defence,” Jace said, looking at me with confusion.
Charles’s eyes brightened. “Excellent idea! Especially after what happened last night. Jace told me everything. Sounds like you need to keep a close eye on our Ms. Kira, Owen. A self-defence lesson is perfect.”
Owen cleared his throat. “I could drive you to my gym now. If you’re interested.”
My heart skipped a beat in excitement before I looked at Charles. “But I promised I would finish your packing.”
“Don’t worry about the boxes, Kira.” Charles waved me off. “Plenty of time for packing later. Go have fun. Do whatever it is that young people do on weekends. Live a little.” He gave me a wink. I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway and mouthed thank you.
“I’d like you all to come for dinner tonight, though,” Charles announced, “considering our meeting last night was cut short.” He gave Owen a flat-eyed stare, and Owen had the good grace to look embarrassed. The three of us agreed, and I grabbed my gym clothes before we headed for Owen’s car.
Jace claimed he had things to do and requested a drop-off at his place. With a final grin at Owen, he promised to see us for dinner and disappeared into his house.
We drove to Owen’s office gym and parked in the underground garage.
When I exited the change room dressed in my workout clothes—black running shorts and a pink halter top—with my hair pulled into a high ponytail, Owen’s expression caught me off guard.
I knew he’d look, but I hadn’t expected that look.
Like every thought had been yanked from his head.
He tried to recover by crossing his arms and schooling his face, but I knew what I’d seen, and I liked how it felt.
When he looked away, I took a moment to appreciate him in his workout clothes, which he had grabbed from his office. He wore loose, knee-length shorts and a sleeveless black shirt that showed off his muscular arms. Wow.
I could see now that his scars continued to his shoulder and upper arm, but I made sure not to stare. I couldn’t imagine any woman being unable to see past Owen’s scars. To me, they told a tale of strength and resilience, honour and bravery.
“Time for that lesson,” he said, and my stomach swooped with anticipation. But when he led me to a room near the back of the gym, a group of women were already there, stretching and warming up and ribbing each other with the ease of long familiarity.
“I teach a women’s self-defence class every Saturday morning when I’m in town,” Owen explained. “Everyone, this is Kira. She’ll be joining us today.”
Owen gestured to an open space near the front and then proceeded to take his place at the head of the class.
My stomach fell in disappointment. So much for my fantasy.
I felt like kicking myself for reading too much into our earlier conversation.
Owen wasn’t even the one who had suggested teaching me self-defence—that was Jace, and then Charles had insisted.
Did Owen even want to teach me? What was I doing here?
Class started with a brief warm-up followed by Owen showing us how to break someone’s hold.
I partnered with another woman, who gave me a friendly smile and then proceeded to lay me flat on my back in a takedown worthy of an mma fighter.
I picked myself up and tried my best to focus on her instead of Owen, who stood at the side of the room, supervising his students.
When he glanced my way, I lost my balance and tumbled to the mat.
“Care to help me with a demonstration?” Owen clasped my hand to pull me to my feet when I nodded.
He moved to the centre of the mats with the quiet confidence of someone who had done this a thousand times. When he motioned me toward him, nerves made me hesitate, and I stopped a few feet away.
“Closer,” he said, his voice gruff. Around us, the class formed a circle.
I took another step.
“Hit me,” he ordered, tapping the end of his nose. “Right here.”
I hesitated briefly before balling my fist and throwing a punch. He caught my wrist easily, his hand warm against my skin.
“Too slow,” he murmured, his eyes locked on mine. “Try again.”
Heat crept up my neck. I needed to pull myself together. This was only a lesson, and people were watching. There was no need to make it anything more.
I punched faster next time. He caught my fist again, his fingers lingering and then sliding down my arm before releasing me.
He moved to my side and corrected my foot placement. I almost gasped out loud when his hands landed on my hips and he twisted my torso. As Owen taught me how to attack someone’s weak points, all I could think about was how his breath brushed my ear when he leaned in.
There was a strange mix of power and vulnerability humming through me. I wanted to do the moves correctly, to prove to everyone that I could, but it was so hard to focus.
“Next lesson,” he said, stepping behind me. His masculine scent wrapped around me. Could he hear my heart racing?
“If someone grabs you from behind like this—” He raised his voice so the class could hear, then slid his arm around my waist and my thoughts scattered. “—you shift your weight, drop your hips, and drive an elbow into their ribs. Then you can drive a hammer fist into their groin or thigh. Try it.”
He walked me through several more exercises, but I felt dazed.
When he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, I found myself an inch from his chest staring into blue eyes that were like storm clouds gathering over the sea.
I was lost in them. Falling. I couldn’t breathe. A pulse jumped in his throat.
What was wrong with me? This didn’t mean anything to him. It was only a demonstration for the class. I stepped back, needing space between us, and his eyes narrowed.
“Thank you, Kira, for your assistance.” He dropped my wrist and turned away. “As you were, class.”
I spent the rest of the hour getting my ass handed to me, then had an extra long shower, letting the hot water run over my face as I mentally kicked myself for once again falling too fast, too soon.
Maybe it was time to swear off men. Maybe there was an island somewhere populated entirely by women. I briefly imagined Shae and I moving there, and almost texted to ask if she’d consider it.
My phone rang as I exited the change room, and I fished it out of my gym bag to see that it was the police.
“Hello?”
A cough sounded on the other end before a voice came through. “Ms. Blackwell?”
“Speaking.”
“Ah, good. This is the Toronto Police. How are you?”
“Okay.”
“Have you had any more…encounters since last night?”
“Encounters?”
“Anyone attack you?”
“No.”
“Good. Good.” The man cleared his throat, and I could hear papers rustling.
“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked as Owen exited the men’s change room. He lifted an eyebrow at my question. Police, I mouthed. “Did you figure out what drugs they were on?”
“What? Oh, not yet. It’s just that…”
“What?” Dread curled in my stomach.
“Well, there’s no easy way to say this, so…the four men who attacked you have disappeared.”
“What?!” I shouted, and several heads turned in my direction. Owen motioned for me to follow him, and we left the gym. “How is that possible?”
“I want to assure you, Ms. Blackwell, that we are on top of this situation. In the meantime, I suggest you don’t go anywhere alone. Are you at home?”
“No.”
“Are you with someone you trust?”
“Y-yes,” I stammered as Owen held a door open for me. His eyes were fixed on me, and I had no doubt he could hear every word of the conversation.
“Stay vigilant,” the police officer continued, but I was only half listening. How was this possible? “We’ll track these criminals down as soon as we can, and I’ll be in touch. If they make any contact with you, call us immediately. Understand?”
I was too shocked to speak, and Owen held out his hand in a silent request. I handed him my phone, then slumped against a nearby wall while Owen spoke with the police officer. When he finished, he returned my phone and stared at me, his expression grim.
I stared back in dismay. “How?!”
A door slammed somewhere and I jumped.
“Let’s get to the car,” Owen said, taking my gym bag and ushering me to the parking garage.
Even with Owen’s presence, my pulse hammered as I scanned the rows between vehicles, noting the pillars thick enough for someone to hide behind. Every shadow seemed to shift when I looked at it too long. Every one of our footsteps echoed too loud.
I dove into the car and immediately hit the lock button once Owen slid into the driver’s seat. Only then did I dare breathe.
“Did that shadow move?” I peered out the window, trying desperately to see through the dim lighting. Why weren’t we driving yet?
“Kira? Look at me.” Owen’s voice was infuriatingly calm. The man seemed to react to stress the same way a rock reacted to weather.
“I had a normal life last week,” I whispered, turning to him.
“I know.” His eyes were gentle. Understanding.
“What if those men find us?”
His expression hardened. “Then they’ll have to go through me.”
The certainty in his voice was more reassuring than his words. I nodded, feeling my breathing settle. Owen pulled out of the parking spot.
Still, as we exited the garage, I searched for any sign of my attackers. Instead, I saw a woman walking two dogs.
With a gasp, I remembered where I needed to be this afternoon. The previous night’s events had left my head a complete muddle.
“Shit.” I checked my watch. Good. There was still time.
“What’s wrong?” Owen asked.
“Everything. But right now, I’m about to be late. I have a standing date with friends every Saturday.”
“You might want to rethink that,” Owen said, peering out his own window. “At least until those men are caught.”
He was right, of course. I could barely walk through a parking garage without hyperventilating. But my friends were counting on me. Was I supposed to hide until the police found these people? How long would that be?
I took a deep breath. “I know, but there will be a lot of disappointment if I don’t show up. Besides, I can’t stop living. Know what I mean?”
Owen turned back to me, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I do, but if you insist on going, I’m coming with you.”
My body sagged with relief. Still, he had his own life. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I had no plans this afternoon.”
“Owen. You don’t have to.”
“Remember when I sat beside you on the bench last night and you told me to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Did I leave?”
I smiled. “No.”
“Alright, then. Where are we going?”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling less nervous by the minute. I gave him the address, and Owen pulled into traffic, driving much like he seemed to do most things in life—confidently and with skilful control.
“So, tell me about your friends.”
“Oh, you’ll like them,” I assured him and smiled to myself, already excited about how I would spend my next two hours. “These three guys are all absolute gentlemen.”
“Oh?” I had Owen’s full attention. My smile grew.
“Well, except the blond one. He gets a little pushy sometimes, and I have to remind him of his manners.”
Owen turned narrowed eyes towards me. “Who are these friends of yours?”
I laughed at the look on his face. “Oh, you’ll see.”