Page 12 of Ranger's Rise
“Thanks, Falcon, we’re good.”
He walks back in when Hade starts climbing the stairs. I turn to Nance. “He needs a day to recuperate. Can you get cleanup to drag him out?”
“Roger, Freedom.” He looks at another Enforcer. “Pull him away so they can start the class. Get cleanup to get him to a medic.”
I turn to the trainees and smile. “So, I’m Freedom, your trainer. This is Seren, my assistant. She’s Pres’s ol’ lady, so I wouldn’t fuck with her. She can have you dead in two seconds, but he’d make the pain last until you beg for dead. Seren is level four in Krav Maga. She is well versed in mixed martial arts and will be teaching taekwondo at my shop. In this class, you follow orders or get shot. Demo was a demonstration that shouldn’t have made it here. You all should have been warned before you were sent from your Club. Trainees, were you warned?”
“Yes, Ma’am!” and “Yes, Freedom!” is yelled and I nod.
“Good. When a question is asked, answer just like that. Everyone up, spread to three lines, arm’s length apart. Let’s begin.”
We stand in front and run positions for our first move. The trainees are settled and following easily. This tells me they train in something regularly. Seren is doing fine again. The woman makes me smile. This is her first training day back after herforced,as she says it,maternity leave. We have just this class today, which is good because I have shit after work to do.
We demonstrate what the positions are for and watch the trainees when they pair up. Correcting positions, we stop everyone and explain so it takes almost the full hour and a half to get through our first lesson. We have time to run the next position, so we do, but we’ll do it again tomorrow. When we finish, I sit them down.
“I’m encouraged and surprised at your ability. If you keep going like today, we’ll finish Krav Maga early. Think about what you’d like to do if that happens. You can have the free time or work on something else. Taekwondo or jujitsu would be my recommendation, but it would be your choice.” Just about all Enforcer classes take the extra time in lessons.
“How about the pressure points?” Someone asks.
I nod. “I could, but I have them in a book. If you’re interested in it, I’ll get it to you before you leave. On the floor, learning positioning, breathing and body space is important. Taekwondo uses many muscles for leverage and balance. Learning that can help with Krav Maga and just about any martial arts. I’m offering to teach what you won’t get from the regular class. Pressure points are pretty easy and the book explains positioning. You can’t really demonstrate, so it wouldn’t be a good use of our time.”
They look at each other. I notice two that get looks more than the others. One of them asks, “If we do finish early, can you teach what you think will enhance our hand to hand?”
That’s smart. “We can and will. Someone needs to keep Demo in line or tomorrow he’s shot and leaving. He did provide the demo, so thank him for me too. You’re dismissed.”
They laugh through a, “Roger, Freedom.”
Seren smiles and bows to me. I bow back, rolling my eyes where she doesn’t see it. “That should be part of training.”
It should. Maybe I wouldn’t roll my eyes at her if it was. “Okay, we’ll start it tomorrow.”
She laughs.“You’re so easy.”We walk toward the front and push through the doors. “You okay after Hade?”
“Yeah.”
Just outside the front door, she stops me. “You sure?”
I nod knowing I need to explain, but I’m short on time. “I am. I have a meet I need to change for, then dinner at Lorelei’s, so I don’t have time right now, but I’ll tell you why I’m okay with it when I do.”
She nods watching my eyes. “Okay. I’m at Lorelei’s tonight too. Cort is worried about Daniel.”
I nod. “I had concerns too. I’ll see you there. I really have to get going.”
With a quick hug, she lets me go. I run home and blast through a shower and dressing then run back to the office. Thanking whoever came up with dresses that fall over your head and cover everything to look like a present, I’m braiding my hair as I climb the stairs. At the landing, I realize I can’t access the door, so I pound on it.
Ranger opens it then smiles, bending to kiss my lips. I like how he does and never tries for more. At this point, trying for more will have me hurting someone just so he can get it. I smile at that and step in. “Web asked me to meet him.”
He nods. “Falcon, Mounty and Doc too. I like this one too, gorgeous.” He holds my hand as we walk to Web’s doors.
Falcon is waiting. “Did you explain?”
Ranger shakes his head no. “It’s not mine to tell and I can’t answer questions. Web will explain.”
Falcon nods and I see respect in his eyes. Whatever this is, it isn’t talked about and I have to respect Ranger for not breaking that trust someone gave him. Doc opens the door for us. “Mounty is already here. You can’t come in if you’ve been immunized or out of the country recently.
I shake my head no, but I’m thinking, what the hell is this about? He walks us to the kitchen area and the As are standing here in a line. They’re watching us, but keep their heads lowered or turned. No eye contact. I nod at Mounty.
Ranger isn’t fazed by the obvious nervousness. “Hi, Little Brothers.”
