Page 3 of The Stolen Dagger

CHAPTER TWO

FOUR MONTHS EARLIER

KATHERINE

I shuffled across the padded mat and practiced my jab-cross-hook combination at the back of the training room.

Sweat dripped down my back and made a few of the shoulder-length brown hairs that had escaped my ponytail stick to my neck. The temperature inside the room rivaled the southern summer heat outside.

Each swing of my fist and puff of breath healed a little part of me left damaged by Adrian. Each punch was like a new stitch that helped to close that festering, open wound of the past.

It had been about eight months since the night I ran away.

While it was my first class in this small town in Oklahoma, it wasn’t my first time taking self-defense. Not every class was the same, but this was the first one that I’d felt stronger and more confident in myself than before.

And it was, in part, thanks to the absurdly handsome instructor .

My gaze drifted to him at the front of the room as he helped a teenage girl and her mother with how to hold the right form when throwing a punch.

Vital knowledge every teenage girl should learn.

I paused my own movements and admired the soft, yet determined look on the instructor’s chiseled, sun-kissed face as he talked to them. Not to mention the biceps that practically bulged out of the short sleeves of his shirt.

When he turned and faced the front of the room to show the mother and daughter the correct fighting stance, I had a perfect view of the contoured muscles in his back under the Dri-FIT tee he wore.

Yeah, this man was way too patient and kind for how hot he was. Didn’t he know that someone who looked like him was supposed to be an asshole?

It was like cosmic balance or something.

And this man was throwing everything out of whack. Including my accelerated heart rate and my thumping libido, which, until today, had been almost non-existent.

It was crazy to be feeling this way. I didn’t even know the man’s name since I arrived late to his class. Like hell I would introduce myself now.

“I think you’re drooling,” a soft voice giggled to my left, breaking me from the trance the handsome instructor had me under.

I straightened and turned to the gorgeous woman next to me.

She had a high, braided pony that reached the middle of her back and wore a matching pink workout set that complimented her pale skin.

Her big, light-green eyes were filled with amusement as she shifted closer to me, standing a few inches taller than my five-foot-five height.

The woman, who looked to be around my age, giggled again. “All the new ones have the same reaction, but don’t worry. You’ll get used to him after a couple more classes.”

As if finally registering her words, I scowled and placed my hands on my hips. “I wasn’t looking at him,” I totally was , “and I wasn’t drooling. He’s not that hot.”

A sly smile spread across her thin, pink lips, morphing her angel-like features. “I never said he was hot.”

Shit. She got me.

More than a little embarrassed at being caught admiring our attractive instructor, I turned back to the front of the class and continued practicing the next defense move.

It was hard to focus though when the beautiful woman next to me continued giggling and said, “Hey, no judgment here.”

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye as she put her hands up as if in warning.

“He’s definitely not my type.” She scrunched up her face like she’d just licked a sour candy.

Maybe she’s gay? That was the only logical reason she wouldn’t find him attractive because, come on, the guy was drool-worthy. Any straight woman would think so.

“But I get it,” she added. “I mean, most of the women who take this class do it for the sole reason of coming to see him every week. Usually middle-aged housewives who are too bored with their own lives and just need some good eye-candy, you know?”

I nodded absentmindedly, hoping she’d take the hint, stop talking, and go back to doing whatever it was we were supposed to be doing.

Instead, she thrust a freshly manicured hand into my personal bubble.

“I’m Leah, by the way,” she offered. “What’s your name?”

I glanced down at her hand and then back to her too-bright smile, contemplating if I should tell her my name, given her bubbly attitude. She could be a serial killer or something.

A few months ago, I would have brushed her off completely, but it had been months, and I’d heard nothing from Adrian or anyone else from my past.

I wanted this time to be different.

I wanted to actually try to make a life for myself here. That meant making friends, too.

I placed my hand in hers and shook once. “I’m Kat. Nice to meet you.”

Leah’s smile widened, and it was so infectious that I felt my own lips pull up to match hers.

“I think we’re gonna be great friends, Kat.” Leah leaned in a little closer and whispered, “Even if you do think my brother is hot.”

My entire body went rigid, and my face flushed hot with embarrassment.

“Y—your brother?”

“Yeah,” Leah said like it was obvious. “He switches off teaching the self-defense classes with a few of the other police officers. Trust me, they know what they’re doing.”

Panic gripped me hard at her words because I hadn’t done my research when I booked this class. “H—he’s a cop, too?”

“Okay, class!” The hot instructor, Leah’s brother , clapped his hands and gathered the attention of the twelve other people in the room. “I think that’s enough for today. Keep working on those moves we learned, and hopefully we can put them to good use next time.”

Everyone started shuffling around the room, gathering their things to leave, but I was stuck beside Leah after she dropped the revelation that the hot instructor was her brother and a cop .

“And for those of you who didn’t catch it before,” the instructor’s mesmerizing gaze landed on me, and I swear I had to repress a full-body shiver at his attention, “my name’s Drew. I hope to see you next time.”

The next couple of minutes were a blur as my gaze stayed locked on Drew’s.

I was vaguely aware of Leah asking me something. I think I told her about me taking classes at the local college, but I couldn’t remember as I grabbed my bag from the floor and left before I could make a bigger embarrassment of myself.

DREW

I didn’t know who my little sister was talking to, but it looked like the stranger was about ready to bolt from the room at any second.

I had seen her sneak into the class a few minutes late, and I would usually introduce myself to a newcomer, especially one as attractive as her, with her round cheeks, cute, slender nose, and plump, pink lips. But as soon as her big, deep brown eyes met mine, I stopped myself.

Anyone observant enough could tell this woman had gone through something traumatic. The haunted look in her eyes wasn’t too common in our little town, but I’d seen enough of them to know to be cautious.

I didn’t want to scare her, especially since showing up to a self-defense class was the first big step for those wanting to take back the control that had been stolen from them.

In the last three years of teaching this course, I had learned a few things about women like her:

One, always let them approach first, never the other way around.

Two, never overcrowd them .

And three, give them enough time to become comfortable in their new surroundings.

But the most important rule was to never treat them as broken women.

They were almost always the opposite. And with the few glances I stole when she wasn’t looking, I could see her strength by the determined look on her face as she worked through each defense move.

It was clear this woman was still working through whatever happened to her, and I’d be damned if I didn’t want to help her overcome whatever that was.

As much as I knew to give her space, I also couldn’t help but notice how her eyes followed me around the room for the entire lesson. And then how they locked on mine and widened when I gave her my name.

For the first time in a long time, I was intrigued.

So as soon as the beautiful woman scurried from the training room, I went to Leah.

“Who were you talking to?” I asked, watching the door to the gym where the woman had just exited. “I haven’t seen her before. Is she new to town?”

“Yup,” Leah said, popping the p. “That’s my new friend, Kat. She’s not very open with new people, but she just got to town and is taking a few courses at Hawthorn Community College. I’m hoping to run into her on campus tomorrow. Maybe we could even get lunch.”

I wasn’t surprised Leah had made friends with the mystery woman. Most people gravitated toward my little sister like sunlight. I had always found it annoying, but in this instance, I was more than grateful for her infectious presence.

“Kat,” I whispered, as if getting used to the name. It was a nice name, but it didn’t suit her. I wondered if it was short for something else, or maybe just a nickname .

Whatever the case, I suddenly wanted to know everything about her.

DREW

Two weeks passed, and Kat hadn’t returned for another self-defense class.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Since hearing about her from Leah, I hoped to at least introduce myself to my sister’s new friend. Maybe even learn a bit more about the first woman who interested me in years.

I landed a series of controlled jabs to the worn punching bag that hung in the corner of the training room. I swiped away drops of sweat as they trailed down my face to my bare chest.

It was late into the evening and right about the time when the next self-defense class would start, but I was alone.

I had promised Tim, the owner, when he left about half an hour ago, I would lock up when I was done. He was a retired cop and owned the boxing gym with his brother, Ron.

I completed two more series of punches before movement caught my eye in the mirror directly ahead. I placed my wrapped hands on the swinging bag to steady it and turned to the woman who had occupied my thoughts for the last two weeks.