Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) (29 page)

Her happiness evaporated, and he regretted
stealing it from both of them. “It’s...hard to explain.”

“Give it a try.” He’d gotten her this far. He
wasn’t about to let her off the hook.

She put down her spoon, then met his gaze. “I’ve
been spending some time considering this.” She paused again as though getting
her thoughts in order. “I know what people think about battered women.”

“What’s that?”

“That they’re dumb. That they should grow a
backbone and walk away. Why would anyone stay in a situation like that?”

He wasn’t about to admit it, but he’d had similar
thoughts. Instead, he gave her space to continue.

“But people who’ve never been in that situation
don’t understand. Walking away isn’t easy.”

“Staying is?”

“See? You’re judging.” She picked up her sandwich
and sunk her teeth through the crust and into the cheese as though she was
taking her anger out on it.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to judge. But I do have
a hard time watching people allow others to hurt them. It doesn’t make any
sense.”

“That’s because you’re only seeing the surface.” She
gave him a hard look. “You have no idea what’s going on underneath.”

“Then enlighten me.”

Janie didn’t want to share all of the details of
her life with this man who’d helped her and yet tortured her with kindness. But
if she didn’t want to be viewed as a weak helpless woman, she didn’t have a
choice. Sam had set down his sandwich and given her his full attention.

She took a drink of water, giving her a moment to
compose her thoughts. “On the outside, it might look like I was a helpless
woman, but I’m far from that.”

“Obviously. Look at Castell now.”

The side of her mouth quirked in a small grin. She
had to admit, now that she hadn’t actually killed anyone, it felt good to have defended
herself. “Most people don’t go into these relationships knowing they’re going
to be abused, you know.”

Looking back now, she could see the signs that
Paul might not have been the person he said he was, but she couldn’t see it
then. “When I realized how bad it was, I started making plans to leave, but I
couldn’t up and walk away. Paul would never let that happen. Before you say I
should have gone to a shelter, know that he would have found me there. I had to
get somewhere safe, but I needed a new job. I needed money. I stayed because I
didn’t want to be homeless, but it wouldn’t have been for much longer,
regardless.”

The way Sam watched her with such intensity,
totally taking in every word she spoke, unnerved her. It reminded her of the
night she’d been questioned about Paul’s stabbing. Sam must make a very good
detective.

“Why didn’t you go back home or ask your family
for money?”

She nearly laughed out loud. The thought of her
parents sending money or  supporting her in anyway was a joke. “Not an option.”

He sat quiet, obviously internalizing her words. “So,
you were, what, waiting for the right opportunity?”

“No.” Her answer came swiftly. “I was
creating
the right opportunity. First off, I wanted to see Nicole get married. And I
couldn’t walk off my job, or I wouldn’t be able to use them for a reference. But
I’ve been making plans to leave for a while. I’ve saved up some cash. I’ve been
applying for other jobs. Even as we speak, there’s a restaurant in San Antonio
who’s considering me for a sous chef position. If I get it, I’m gone.”

“Texas? That’s a long way away. If Paul fights
the charges, you’ll need to go to court.”

Now that she’d made the break into freedom, she
refused to allow any more roadblocks to stop her. “If I don’t?”

His probing gaze sharpened. “Like I told you
before, there’s a good chance he won’t have to answer for what he did.”

She picked up her spoon and started eating again.
“I guess I can live with that.”

“Are you serious? His words nearly exploded out
of him. “He needs to
pay
. He nearly scalded you. Who knows if he would
have stopped there?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I have my life back,
and I’m moving forward. Maybe stabbing him was enough payback.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I don’t need your approval.” She stood, and he
followed suit. “I came out here to try to explain, but I can see it’s pointless.
Thank you for the soup.”

She started out of the room, but he quickly
caught up to her, catching her by the arm. Instinct took over, and she aimed a
fist at him like Christian had showed her. Sam evaded her and instead pinned
her against the wall.

Both of them were breathing heavily, her breasts
pressing against his chest, and she hated the way his touch excited her.

He slid her wrists up the wall, holding them over
her head, leaving her in a very vulnerable position. “If that’s what Christian
taught you, he’s going to have to do better.”

Janie refused to respond to Sam’s jab. “Let me
go.”

“Yeah, sure.” He backed away, releasing her. “But
don’t try that weak ass stuff on anyone seriously trying to hurt you. You’ll
only piss them off worse.”

That stopped her. More than anything, she had to
be strong enough to take care of herself. “You think you can do better?”

“I know I can. He’s teaching you how to fight,
but is that what you really want? I’ll teach you how to protect yourself and
get away.”

Damn. She wanted to walk away, to toss his help
in his face, but she needed it. “Then teach me.” She’d learn what she could
from him until she had the opportunity to leave.

He studied her for a moment. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.” She’d show him and the world she
wasn’t a weak woman who could be pushed around.

“Fine. Let’s take it downstairs on the mats so no
one gets hurt.”

She followed him to the exercise room below,
studying his broad back. He seemed so strong and confident. Her gaze was drawn
to the expanse of skin between his short hair and t-shirt. If there was a way
for her to touch him without him knowing, she’d do it. She wondered if his hair
would be as soft as it looked.

Inside the room, he flipped on the lights, and
she buried her thoughts about him other than as a teacher. She had to.

He walked to the mats and then turned to face her.
“First off, if someone grabs your arm, don’t try to pull away. If they’re
stronger than you, you’ll be wasting your energy.” He gripped her wrist. “Try
to get away.”

She pulled, but couldn’t escape. No matter which
way she moved, he accommodated her. She jerked her hand down hard, but all that
did was hurt her wrist.

“You might try using your other hand to go for
one of the vulnerable areas like the eyes or nose—”

She didn’t let him finish his sentence before she
lifted her hand to strike him. The second she aimed at him, he tugged her
forward, causing her to lose her balance, and then he pulled her across the
room.

“Not a good idea, either. If I were a kidnapper
or rapist, I’d have you in my van right now.”

Or under a scalding hot spray of water. “You’re
the one who suggested it.”

“You didn’t let me finish my sentence.”

She started to reply, but then closed her mouth. If
she wanted to learn, she needed to shut up and listen.

He smiled when he realized her acquiescence. “Now
let me show you the right way.” He took her wrist again. “Position your legs
apart with one foot forward. Use the foot on the same side as your trapped wrist,”
he directed. “Now, squat a little bit.” He mimicked his instructions. “See how
that gives you a good base? Good leverage? He tugged on her, but barely budged
her. “In order for you to strike at my face, you’ll have to get closer, but
that costs you your leverage like I just proved.”

This time she didn’t move, didn’t give up her
resistance.

“Because your attacker is stronger than you, you
can’t pull your wrist away, but I’m going to show you how to get him to release
you without using your strength. Think it can be done? His eyes twinkled, and
she could tell he loved what he did for a living.

“I’m going to say yes because you seem like you
know what you’re talking about, but I don’t see how.”

“I teach a monthly class on self-defense, and if
an 85-year-old woman can make this work, you can.”

“Okay,” she smiled. For whatever reason, they’d
found common ground, and it felt good. She didn’t like feeling at odds with Sam.
She appreciated what he’d done for her more than he knew, but she didn’t like
feeling judged, especially by a man she found attractive.

“Look at your wrist. You have a thin side and a
wide side. When I’m holding your hand, I want you to twist it so your thin side
is at the opening between my finger and my thumb. Your skin is loose enough to
allow you to do this. It doesn’t matter how tight I’m holding you, you’ll be
able to twist it.”

She did as he said.

“Good. Now, instead of trying to jerk free, I
want you to push your elbow toward mine while bringing your thumb up to your
shoulder.” She followed the instructions, and the next thing she knew, she’d
broken free. “You let me go.”

“No. The way you’ve positioned my wrist makes it
so I can no longer hold you.”

Her newfound knowledge caused a momentary surge
of power inside her. By the size of his biceps, it was obvious Sam was in
extremely good shape, and yet, she’d escaped. “Let’s try again. This time, I
want you to hold on as tight as you can.”

He gripped her wrist, and she knew there was no
way she’d get away. She positioned her legs and squatted. Then she rotated her
hand like he’d shown her and tried to slant her elbow toward his. Her elbow
went at an awkward angle. “Something’s wrong.”

“Don’t focus so much on your elbow. Just put your
thumb over your shoulder.”

She did it, and once again, broke free. A wide
smile blossomed on her face. “I love it.”

“I knew you would. In this case, knowledge is
power in the truest sense of the word.”

Excitement built inside her. For the first time
in a long time, she felt as though she controlled something in her life. “Show
me another.”

He grinned, obviously enjoying their session as
well. “This one’s harder, but works well if attacked from behind.” He grabbed
her around the waist and twisted her toward a set of mirrors along one wall.

The sight of him holding her from behind sent a
shiver through her. She would have pulled away if she didn’t want to learn so
badly.

He caught her expression and smiled, pounding the
shiver home. Heat sparked where his thighs touched hers and where his groin
pressed into her butt. He tilted his head. “Maybe I should have you attack me
first so you can watch what I do.”

He shifted her around until she was behind him. Energy
radiated off him in waves as she slid her arms around his waist. Her fingertips
tingled as they cruised over the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He met her hands
in front of him, forcing her to clasp them together. The underside of her
forearms rubbed against his firm abdomen, and she couldn’t help but wonder what
he’d look like without a shirt.

“Hold me tighter.”

She swallowed and did as she was told. Being this
close, she got a good whiff of his cologne. Instead of ignoring the scent, she
breathed deep, allowing the woodsy smell to saturate her senses.

God, this was more sensual than him holding her.

“Can you see around me?”

With his height, she certainly couldn’t see over
his shoulder. She tilted her head to the side, catching a good look at him in
the mirror. He caught her gaze and held it for several seconds, electricity
flying between them.

She inhaled a deep breath, trying to recapture
the oxygen he’d stolen from her. Bad idea, she realized when her breasts
pressed harder against his back. “Sorry,” she said in an effort to cover the
effect he had on her. “Nervous, I guess.”

He smiled as though he knew exactly what she was
thinking, and she was certain he’d been thinking the same thing. “No need to
apologize. Okay, the first thing you should try when someone has you in this
position is drop your weight.”

He dropped down to demonstrate. This forced his
butt into her, bringing her slightly over his back. She cradled his body into
hers, sending her heart racing even faster.

“Then start swinging elbows, aiming at his face,
or stomp on his feet. Your head, your elbows and knees are your best weapons
and will inflict the most damage, so I’m going to swing like this, trying to
hit you in the face.” He bumped her softly in the nose, and she quickly moved
out of the way. “If I would have really been swinging, that blow to your nose
would have caused you to release me.

“If you can’t catch him in the face, strike the
back of his hand which will loosen his hold on you.” He touched the spot on the
back of her hand where he would have aimed. “Then grab a finger and pull back.”
He separated her forefinger and bent it backward, not enough to hurt, but she
released him anyway. He kept twisting until he rotated out from her. She bent,
trying to avoid any further pressure on her finger.

He looked down at her from his now-obvious
advantage. “Now, if I wanted, I could kick you in the face to further stop your
attack.”

He released her, and she straightened.

“Let’s try it with you in front.”

She shivered as he pulled her back into his
embrace, and she prayed he couldn’t feel her reaction.

“Can you remember what to do?”

“Yeah,” she said breathlessly. She dropped her
weight, forcing her backside into him and tried not to enjoy the feel of him
against her.

“Elbows,” he reminded her.

She tried to hit him, but missed.

“Remember, I know what you’re going to do, so I
can avoid it, but most attackers will not be prepared, so you’ll likely get in
a good hit.” He spoke low, his mouth not far from her ear.

She closed her eyes for a quick moment to regain her
composure. “I could stomp your foot.” She pretended to stomp on him. Then she
punched the back of his hand, not too hard, before she grabbed his forefinger
and bent it backward. He released her, and she kept bending his finger as she
moved out and away from him.

He lowered, bending to her force, and she
pretended to kick him in the face.

With a triumphant smile, she let go. “I think I
could do this. Really do this if someone attacked me. This is much better than
what Christian taught me.”

“He’s not a cop.” Sam straightened, shifting as
though he was uncomfortable. “He can show you some good street fighting moves,
but you’d have to be pretty strong to take down someone like Paul. You’re
better off knowing this.”

She grinned. “Again?”

“Actually, I think I’m the one who’s going to be
begging off for the rest of the night.”

Disappointment flooded her. “Just one more time?”

He shook his head. “I need a shower. It’s a guy
thing,” he said as he headed for the door.

She stood staring after him for a few moments, trying
to understand the meaning of his words. Then she brought a hand to her mouth to
hold back her laugh. Their tangling had given him a hard-on. She stopped
laughing as abruptly as she’d started, realizing he’d made her just as hot.