Page 44 of Spark

“Yeah, well, you said it yourself. I’ve recovered.”

“Yes, and you certainly have, Jaden. It’s time we get you back to the mainland.”

I nodded silently in agreement.

“It’s just that… I’m going to miss this. Getting to work with you was an experience I’ll never forget.”

My shoulders slumped a little. I almost wished she would forget. She was too innocent to ever have anything to do with Darren and his blood money. Even though she annoyed me on a daily basis, I still wanted her as far away from Darren as humanly possible.

“I’ll miss it, too,” I said honestly as I closed the distance between us. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

I got closer to Holly’s face in hopes I could keep my voice low enough for her to hear, but no one else. “Just promise me that you’ll stay on your path and not deviate again. And to never, ever accept employment from Mr. Davis ever again. I don’t want him to fuck you over, and he has a tendency to do that sometimes.”

Holly furrowed her brows, her face washed with confused concern. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Fuck, I went too far. “Just trust me, okay? Darren is not the kind of guy you want to work long term for. He can be… shady, sometimes.”

Holly regarded me for a moment before she finally nodded her head. “Okay, Jaden. I understand.”

I released a breath of relief only to suck it back in when Scott entered the gym with a mean look on his face.

“I need to talk to Darren,” I said quickly, but he just strolled right past me without even a glance in my direction.

“He’s busy. And so are you.”

Scott headed over to the shelves on the other side of the room and grabbed the focus mitts before walking back over to me.

“But it’s import—”

“Right, left, right back leg head kick, left hook, right uppercut, duck, left cross,” he said, cutting me off.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Fine.”

I followed through the combination, finally fast enough and able to complete my duck without Scott hitting me. Pride filled my heart when I saw him smirk at my improvement.

We moved around the room, changing up the combination every now and then while Holly watched from the sidelines in awe. Sweat dripped down the sides of my face while my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I stayed light on my feet as I maneuvered around the room, my arms tired from the exertion, but I kept going for the next hour until Scott decided he was done with the focus mitts and tossed them to the floor. I removed my gloves as well, tired of their bulk.

In a split second, he made a quick random advancement on me, which I gladly countered. He threw a quick reverse hook kick toward my head, which I immediately dodged, dipping low to the ground to sweep my leg over the one he was relying on to hold him up, but he jumped up to avoid it. He didn’t make another move as I quickly stood back up, my hands at the ready.

And then he started the real attacks. He made quick strikes to my head and body, which I was able to block and counter with my own. For every kick and punch he made, my feet remembered exactly how and when to move, the momentum of my maneuvers capable of dodging his advances like the goddamn professional I was. Adrenaline rushed through me like the drug I desperately depended on, my strength and speed increasing with each breath I took. My reflexes were just as sharp as I began to anticipate his moves, my eyes focused on the slightest twitch of his body.

Scott’s fighting style and techniques were almost the exact same as Darren’s, and I imagined it was because they trained together. Scott even held back the same way Darren did. I could feel it in his strikes. Though I knew Scott wasn’t going to hurt me, I didn’t give a shit about not hurting him, and when my scorpion kick connected with his face, a smile left my mouth when I watched blood drip from the corner of his lips. He stumbled back a bit, absolutely stunned yet… prideful.

“I’m ready to leave the island,” I stated, my shoulders square as I narrowed my gaze on him.

He smiled, a small chuckle rolling up his throat as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb. “Finally,” he said, and then he left without another word.

I turned to the sound of Holly clapping for me as she nearly jumped up and down with excitement. “Holy cow, Jaden! I had no idea you could fight like that! That kick was amazing!”

I took a deep breath and slowly released it, feeling the adrenaline rush through my veins. “God, that felt good,” I whispered aloud.

“I’ll bet! You are officially the coolest chick I have ever met!”

I scoffed. “I think you need to get out more,” I said with a laugh as I grabbed my bottle of water and downed it.

“I’m serious! Absolutely incredible, Jaden.”

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