Page 21 of Finding Noah

I barely nodded. “Sometimes.”

Honestly, it had been only a couple of times over the last few years since that time I'd found Mom in her room, but I tried. And every time, Dad used his hands on me before dragging Mom away, and he did it easily. He was too big, and I was too weak, but I’d tried!

“How ‘bout I teach you how to kick my ass?” Soldier asked. “Just in case.”

What? “You'd do that?” Hope struck a match in my gut, eating away at the yucky feeling from before, until all I was left with was gratitude.

There was a look in Soldier's eyes, one I couldn't read or understand. But he looked angry and determined and like he could truly kill someone … but I wasn't scared. Somehow, I knew that look wasn't meant for me.

“I told you I'd do anything to keep you guys safe, didn't I? And if that means teaching you to knock me on my ass, then you got it.”

I smiled then for the first time since coming home from Grandma and Grandpa's house. Because there were good guys and bad guys in this world, and I knew Soldier was one of the good ones, and he was true to his word.

CHAPTER FOUR

A REASON TO FIGHT

“Okay,” Soldier said, leading the way into his living room, then turning around to face me. “Come at me.”

I stood just inside the screen door, my mouth falling open and my head shaking.

“No way,” I protested with a nervous laugh.

Soldier was huge. He said he was six foot seven or something like that, and his body reminded me of an angry bear standing on its back legs. Big, muscular, powerful. Me attacking him would be like a kitten attacking a wolf, and even though I knew in my heart he’d never do anything to hurt me, the thought struck a fear in me I couldn’t shake.

He stretched out his arms, gesturing with his hands for me to come forward. “No, come on, man. Let’s go.”

“You’ll crush me!”

He shook his head. “I won’t do anything to you. I just want you to show me. If you didn’t know me and I was a strange guy inside your house and you had to protect your mom, what would you do?”

My mouth went dry at the thought as I stared ahead, imagining he was a stranger. Enormous and intimidating. All of his tattoos and scars. The long hair and the muscles. The horrible things he could do to me. The things he could do to Mom. Oh God. I closed my eyes, not wanting to imagine it, but I did.

I swallowed at my scratchy throat and gave my head a little shake. “I-I can’t—”

“Noah,” Soldier said, his voice stern.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, seeing my friend and not a monster, like Dad.

“You don’t have time,” he said, dipping his chin to his chest. “I broke into your house. I’m standing in the living room. You and your mom are alone—”

“I could come get you,” I interjected weakly.

He shook his head. “No, I’m not around. I’m at work. I’m too far away. You need to do something. You need to slow me down. What do you do?”

“Grab the phone and call 911,” I said, determination seeping into my tone.

“Yeah, you could do that,” he said, nodding, and my chest puffed with pride. “Smarter to do that actually. And if something ever happened, that’s exactly what I’d want you to do. Grab the phone and run. Run as fast and as far away as you can get.”

“I’d get Mom first—”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You run. You always run, okay? You don’t walk into trouble. Grab the phone, call the cops, and get as far away as fuckin’ possible. But right now”—he steadied his stance, widening his feet and holding his arms out wider—”I’m teaching you to fight. So, come on; hit me. Aim low. That’s your best bet. It’d be better if you were at my back. Catch me by surprise, jump on me, aim for my head and face and start swinging. But that’s not what you have right now. Charge at me. Come on; do it.”

I laughed, disbelieving. “What if I hurt you?”

“That’s the idea,” he said, nodding. “Imagine I’m the baddest, scariest person you know. Imagine I’m your dad.”

Darkness fell over Soldier’s usually kind eyes, and then he really was scary. The way he said those words—your dad … it wasn’t just like he knew Dad was bad, which he did. I had told him, and I was sure Mom had too. But he sounded like it was personal. Like Dad hadn’t just hurt us, but him too.