“I’ll show it to you again, alright?”
Quinn watched intently as Xavier grabbed the other fighter’s arm, pretended to knee him in the stomach, and shoved him to the ground in one smooth move.
He stopped and focused his dark eyes on Quinn. She shivered at the sheer power of the tall, muscular man. “Think you got it?”
The other fighter, a guy named Devin that showed up a few minutes ago for a session with Xavier, stood up and smiled.
“I think so.” Quinn nodded.
“Here, come try.” She felt her pulse begin to flutter rapidly, unable to control the anxiety that raced through her when confronted with her worst fears. Facing down a large, dangerous man. Quinn licked her lips nervously, but forced her feet to move forward.
Gently, Xavier coaxed her over to stand in front of the other fighter. “Right here, okay?” He maneuvered Quinn so she was standing just inches from Devin. His presence was intimidating, but he was smaller than Xavier and Rick, and he was smiling kindly at her. It was hard to be afraid when he seemed so nice.
Quinn swallowed loudly, sure that both men could hear it.
“Devin is going to pretend to grab you. You do the moves. Don’t worry about hurting him, he’s tougher than he acts even though he’s just a big softie.”
That actually made Quinn laugh, because Devin seemed pretty tough. The young fighter smirked, looking away as his cheeks turned red.
He’s blushing? Wow. He really is a big softie.
The fact that this big, scary looking guy could be embarrassed gave her the confidence she needed. Quinn stood up tall, her muscles tense and ready for the attack.
Xavier backed up a few steps. “Go!”
Devin pretended to grab at Quinn. She reacted, pulling his arm down so his abdomen met with her uplifted knee. Then she imitated kicking him in the balls and shoving the heel of her hand in his face.
“Great!” Xavier was clapping, his grin wide and radiant.
“That was awesome.” Devin smiled down at her, clearly impressed that such a tiny woman could attempt to fight him.
“Thanks. I had a good teacher.” She glanced over at Xavier as he beamed like a proud parent.
“Nah, she’s a fast learner. You just need to keep up your skills so you don’t lose them. We can set up regular times again once you’re feeling better.”
Quinn frowned. She didn’t want to think about what had happened with Travis. The reminders, especially the way Rick hovered over her, were sometimes overwhelming.
“We’re going to spar in the cage now. Will you be okay?”
She woke from her daydream to find both men staring at her. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Suddenly, she felt suffocated. There were too many eyes on her all the time, reminding her of the horrors she suffered through. Every pity filled look, whether they realized it or not, brought her back to her father’s house, back under Travis’ cruel fists.
“I’m just going to grab a book from my apartment. I’ll be right back.” She said it quietly, so they wouldn’t stop her. Quinn had to get out of here before a full-out panic attack started. A bead of sweat was forming between her shoulder blades and her breath was becoming too fast. Quinn glanced over at the two men, who were busy getting ready for the ring, not paying her any attention.
As she ducked out, she heard Xavier telling Devin, “We’ll start with some kicks, okay?”
Freaking out, she sprinted out the door, through the lobby, and burst out into the warm sunshine. Quinn took several deep breaths, trying to clear her head of her demons.
Will I ever be able to forget? Or not panic from my thoughts?
At this point, she didn’t think she would.
“Well, it’s not much of a plan,” Rick said, leaning back in his chair.
“What do you expect, Rick? We have no idea where the man is.” Clint glared at the photo in his hand as he spoke. “Bastard fell off the face of the earth.”
Rick smiled, a wicked sense of satisfaction building in his mind. “What’s the chance that he went and offed himself, saving us the effort?”
Mack grunted. “None. Men like him don’t commit suicide. Not unless they’re taking out the one they blame their misery on at the same time.”