Page 22 of In Safe Hands
Her expression must have been horrified, since Chris gave an amused snort. At least, Daisy hoped he was laughing at her reaction and not at the poor woman who had been shot. “Sure. You’ll get a chance to spar with someone besides me that way. And the bullet was deflected, so Ellie Price has a fractured sternum and a monster of a bruise, but she doesn’t have the bloody hole in her chest that you’re picturing.”
“Good.” She had indeed been imagining a gory wound. “And Callum doesn’t want you sparring with Lou, so he’ll be here, too.”
Looking perilously close to rolling his eyes, Chris said dryly, “Of course he will. There’s no way George is going to let Ellie out of his sight, either, so prepare for a full house. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rory joined the fun, too.”
“Yeah, Lou mentioned a Rory.” The name was familiar, but it took a minute for her to remember the story Chris had told her. “Isn’t she the one who moved in with Ian Walsh across the street?”
“Yep. Ian’ll probably tag along, too.”
Daisy was quiet as she mentally inventoried food and beverages. With a group of six people coming, plus Chris, she’d definitely need to restock. As much as she didn’t want to ask Chris for help, there was no other alternative unless her dad returned soon.
“Dais?” Chris’s tentative tone brought her out of her contemplation. “You okay with everyone coming here?”
“Sure.” She smiled at him, deciding to wait until the event was actually scheduled before worrying about training-day refreshments. “How about those anger drills?”
“Aggression drills,” he corrected, letting it go. “We’re taught to avoid acting aggressively, especially women, so we need to work on changing your initial reactions. Like this.” He grabbed her forearm. “What’s your instinctive response?”
Surprised at the contact, Daisy looked at his hand and then his face, not moving.
A grin started to curl up the corner of his mouth, but he quashed it, returning his expression to stern-instructor mode. “If I were a stranger, what would be your first reaction?”
“Maybe scream, depending on the situation.”
“Screaming’s good. What else?”
His fingers tightened, and she automatically tried to yank her arm out of his grip.
“Right!” he said, resisting her attempt at freeing herself. “Your initial instinct is to pull back. How’s that working for you?”
Daisy increased her efforts, leaning back to use her body weight as well as her arm muscles to try to escape. “Not well,” she gritted, her voice already a little breathless.
“Exactly. By trying to pull away, you’ve created a tug-of-war situation, where the one with the most brute strength wins. Which one of us will that be?”
“You,” she grumbled reluctantly, giving up her attempt at freeing herself.
“Yes. Me or your probably bigger attacker. Not only have you put yourself in a contest that you won’t win, but you’re doing exactly what he expects.” He released her arm, taking a step back, and then lunged forward to seize her again. Automatically, she tried to lurch backward, tugging against his hold. “When I grab you, I expect you to pull back.”
“So I’m not supposed to try to get free?” she asked doubtfully.
He let her go again and retreated a few feet. “Grab me.”
Grinning, she did, grasping his hard forearm in both hands. Daisy always liked when she got to play the attacker. It gave her a feeling of control, and, although she’d never admit it to Chris, it was a treat to be able to touch him without him trying to leap away from her.
As soon as she gripped his arm, he moved—not backward, like she had, but forward, into her space. Startled, she stumbled back a step.
“And there it is. You weren’t expecting that, so it threw you off balance. Now I’m here, close to you, where I can land a knee”—he mimed the defensive movements as he named them—“an elbow or a palm heel strike.” His hand brushed the side of her neck.
Trying to ignore that light contact, she frowned. “It seems wrong, though, to come closer to the bad guy when I want to get away.”
“That’s why it works. It’s unexpected and counterintuitive. You just need to practice until it becomes second nature. Then your instinctual reaction will be to step into the assailant’s space rather than trying to pull away.”
“Hence aggression drills?”
He grinned. “Hence aggression drills.” With his best villainous expression, he grabbed her arm.
* * *
An hour later, Daisy was clinging to the grappling dummy.
