AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Weird.
“Right. So get with Donny on what you’ve found, and—”
“You seriously don’t want to look over this yourself?” she interrupts.
“Is it going to break the case? Will it lead us to him?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Then give it to Donny. I need sleep, Hadley. I’ll be back in as soon as my eyes aren’t trying to close on their own.”
A loud yawn sneaks out, as if cued, and she sighs harshly.
“Okay. See you later.”
Hanging up, I run the case over in my head and resist the urge to call Lana back just because I hate the idea of her being there alone with a single guy. A single guy who might be touching her because of their ‘workout.’ A single guy who is apparently trying to connect with her.
My grip tightens against the steering wheel.
I have to get ahold of this jealousy thing.
Chapter 5
To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness.
—Confucius
LANA
I dodge a slow punch from Duke, smirking at how easy he’s taking it on me. He wants me to have some skillset in case things get out of hand. He walked in and demanded we spar so he can see what I need to work on.
He’s weak on his left side, constantly leaving himself open to attack. His form is sloppy, amateur boxing style at best. Most likely he was raised in a militant household where the father showed him a few techniques—archaic and outdated techniques.
In a real fight, I’d have him pinned and begging for mercy in under two minutes.
But I’m supposed to be a normal girl. I eat an excess of calories daily to stay a little soft, hiding the skill behind femininity so that I don’t tone up too much and cast a sheet of transparency over my façade.
Duke is grinning when I throw a weak, pathetic little punch at his left. He easily bats it down, and I bite back the smirk I want to reveal. I love little secrets.
There’s a certain high you get from fooling the world into thinking you’re the lamb instead of the rabid wolf.
“Alright. Let’s train on the wall. Plemmons always chokes the women to the brink of unconsciousness. I’m going to show you how to break the hold, and you’re going to replicate it.”
I nod, following along as he wipes sweat off his brow. It’s good he’s not as apt at profiling as Logan. He’d notice I’m not sweating, meaning I’m in better physical shape than he is. You can’t fake sweat.
He stands against the wall and gestures for me.
“Hands on my throat.”
I do as instructed, overlapping my thumbs as I form a choking hold with my hands. It’s a terribly inefficient way to choke someone. A little bit of wire does the trick much better.
He grins down at me as I tighten my hold, and his arms dart up between mine, shoving them open in a blink. He spins me, and I let him, fighting really damn hard against my reflexes as he slams me against the wall. His hands go around my neck, and he arches an eyebrow as he squeezes just tight enough to piss me off.
“Do what I just did. Okay?” he asks, squeezing a hair tighter.
I feign imitation, acting as though I’m struggling to mirror his earlier movements, when I hear the door shut and something drop.
“What the fucking hell?” Logan’s voice has me grinning, but when I try to move, Duke holds me steady, gripping tighter to my neck.
