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I snort. “Doubtful. Does anyone ever even see it?”
“Sometimes. Now. You’re going to be best in close quarters. Let’s work on judo techniques. Fast and dirty throws, maximum pain, and then you run.”
“Okay. I’m ready. What do I do?”
“Stand there and look defenseless.”
I kick at his shin, but miss. As usual. So I opt to stick my tongue out, and then I stand still and look defenseless. It’s easy.
He grabs me from behind, locking his hands around my waist and pinning my arms at my side. I’ve never noticed how he smells before. It’s soft, barely a trace, but he smells like . . . soap. It’s a clean, honest scent, not advertising anything but the truth.
“Help, help,” I say, raising my voice an octave. “I am so defenseless. Woe is me.”
“What do you have free?”
My feet, my head. Without stopping to think about the consequences, I slam my head back into his face.
He lets go, swearing and stomping.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” I turn around, hands over my mouth in horror. “I didn’t mean to! I should have warned you! Or said what I should do instead of actually doing it. Did I break your nose? Are you bleeding?”
His voice is strained and muffled, but I think it’s amused. I hope it’s amused. “No, that was good. Noses are always good. Groins, too. If you can find his legs, you can hit his groin.”
I feel myself blushing, but I nod. “Done?”
“No, not done. I’m going to grab you and you’re going to get away. However you need to.”
He doesn’t wait for me to agree.
Ten minutes later we’re both panting. He has me by the hair; I grab at his hand.
“Ignore it,” he says. “You can afford to lose hair. Focus on getting away.”
I slam my elbow back, hitting his ribs, then twist under his hand, my hair ripping at my scalp and making my eyes tear. I bring my knee up to hit him in the stomach, but I miss.
“Good! Really good!”
“What are you doing?” Adam sounds horrified. Cole and I freeze, his hand still wrapped up in my hair, my hands around his other wrist. I was about to bite him.
Oh kill me. Why would Adam show up now?
Cole disentangles his hand, and his voice comes out far calmer than mine would. “We’re practicing.”
“Practicing what? Annie, you’re crying, are you okay? What did he do?” Adam’s arm comes around my shoulders, and I hurriedly wipe under my eyes.
“No, I’m not crying, my eyes are watering. From the hair. It’s okay. I’m learning self-defense.”
“She’s not going to get in any fights!”
Cole’s voice is the verbal equivalent of a shrug. “Better to know.”
“She doesn’t need to know! What is wrong with you? She’s blind!”
His words whip across my face and my spine stiffens. I know I’m blind, obviously, but hearing him put it like that, the way someone would say She’s a child! wriggles under my skin.
“She’s not your responsibility,” Cole says.
“She is! Fia gave me the number to call. Fia trusted me with the most important person in her whole life. I’m not going to let anything happen to Annie! You shot Fia. You don’t care about what she would want.”
