Knock Out (A Reynolds Security Novel) Read online

  “What’s the matter? What happened?” The elevator doors slid closed and the elevator continued its ascent. She jumped when it lurched and straightened away from him.

  “Sorry.” she mumbled. She was shaking. The elevator doors opened and he managed to herd her out.

  “Why don’t you catch your breath in my office?” He hoped his voice sounded soothing because he didn’t feel very soothing at the moment. He led her to his office and sat her down on the sofa. She immediately leaned over and put her head between her knees and began drawing in deep breaths. Clearly she knew what to do for herself better than he did. He sat down in the chair adjacent to the sofa and waited while she calmed herself down. Finally she sat back up and grabbed a tissue dabbing at her eyes.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yes.”

  “You wanna tell me what happened?”

  Lou stared at him, was he crazy? Of course she didn’t want to tell him. “Um, just PMS.” When in doubt claim female problems. His eyes narrowed a bit and she knew he could tell she was lying.

  “PMS doesn’t cause a panic attack.”

  “How do you know? Have you ever had PMS?”

  “I have four older sisters. I had PMS by proxy.” He said dryly. Much to her surprise she actually smiled. Almost felt like laughing. “Would you like some tea?” He offered her the cup and she took it.

  “You drink tea?”

  “No. Well yes I do drink tea, but sweet iced tea not the hot stuff. That was for Ethan’s admin.”

  “You are giving me someone else’s tea?” She lowered the cup.

  “It’s okay she didn’t know I was bringing it anyway.”

  “Then why were you?”

  “I have a favor to ask her. I thought it might help.”

  “Doesn’t she work for you?”

  “Technically.”

  “So can’t you just tell her to do whatever you want?” Jace laughed at that and Lou frowned.

  “I’m sorry I will have to introduce you to her. No one can tell her what to do. It would be like ordering around your mother.” Lou nodded and took a sip of the tea and he realized that she had completely redirected the conversation.

  “Hey you’re good.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You completely distracted me from my original question.”

  “Look.” She sighed, “Yes, I had a panic attack at the thought of close combat training. No I don’t want to talk about it. Obviously if I had a panic attack it is a touchy subject.” Jace smiled. He knew it wasn’t the appropriate response but he couldn’t help it. He appreciated the bluntness.

  “Fair enough.” He saw the relief that he wasn’t going to push in the set of her shoulders, they relaxed a bit.

  “Close combat training is a requirement for personal protection certification.”

  “I know.”

  “So are you going to quit?”

  “I never quit.” She was indignant and he smiled. He let her sit there thinking about it for a moment before he gave her an alternative.

  “I could certify you.”

  “Without seeing me fight?” She looked suspicious and he laughed.

  “Of course not. But you could spar with me. If you can give me a challenge I will certify you.”

  “I could knock you on your ass.” She said immediately and he forced himself not to laugh.

  “Oh really? Can you actually back that up or are you all talk?”

  “I can back it up.”

  “Okay I’ll meet you in the gym at ten thirty.”

  “Fine.” She stood and walked out taking the tea with her. He smiled to himself at least he knew how to distract her from her fear. It seemed that his little boxer couldn’t back off a challenge.

  He should not be nervous. One tiny little grey haired woman should be easy for him to handle. He could handle men twice his size. Though he rarely encountered anyone that big. He drew a fortifying breath and passed through the door.

  “Good afternoon Mr. Carpenter. I am afraid you just missed Mr. Reynolds.”

  “That’s okay ma’am it’s you I came to see.” He let the full extent of his southern drawl escape into his speech. Norma cocked one eyebrow as she evaluated him. She reminded him of his mother. He was constantly ribbing Ethan about her being his mommy but the truth was she was a lot like his own mother. He should really call her.

  “Me? What could you possibly have to see me about?”

  “The truth is I have come to throw myself on your mercy and grovel.”

  “Grovel?”

  “Yes ma’am. I even brought you some tea. Unfortunately I encountered someone who seemed to need it more.” Norma’s second eyebrow joined the first high on her forehead.

  “Whatever do you need to grovel for?”

  “I need your help. I know you are very busy and I know that I often give you a hard time. Though I am only teasing Ethan I would understand if you held a grudge.” At that point Norma burst out laughing. Jace froze unsure of how to respond. Should he laugh too? He wasn’t sure what was funny.

  “Jace, you knew my Bobby.” He and Ethan had both served in the Marines with her son.

  “Yes ma’am he was a good man.”

  “He was that. Also a terrible troublemaker. I used to have a curled hair style that only got combed out once a week. One Halloween he put plastic spiders in it. I walked around that way for a whole week! No one told me because they assumed I did it on purpose for Halloween.” She laughed and even Jace had to chuckle. “I am not one to hold grudges and I know how boys are about teasing each other. It’s how you all show affection. I never take it personally.” Jace breathed an inward sigh of relief. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  “I need an assistant. I would like you to hire her. I need someone competent. Someone good at what they do, like you. Not some airhead with nice legs. Unfortunately that is what I end up with when I do the hiring.”

  “You want me to hire your new assistant?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have full discretion?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think I know someone who would be perfect.” Norma grinned and Jace felt a prickle of unease on the back of his neck.

  Chapter 3

  Lou angrily clicked through her email without really comprehending anything flashing across the screen. She was angry at herself. She had completely over reacted. She had totally lost it. And of course at that worst possible moment she had run into her boss. Literally. Not a good way to demonstrate that she was professional and capable. No she looked like a complete basket case. Once again he could have fired her. Only he didn’t, he was very nice. Caring and compassionate even. She didn’t want him to be caring and compassionate. She didn’t want to like him. It was bad enough that he looked like a blond Greek God. Tall, over six feet blond with brown eyes. Not a combination she’d seen before. He was in perfect shape. She’d never seen him in anything but a suit but they were cut to fit every firm muscle and hard plane perfectly. If it weren’t for that sexy southern accent she would swear he was a born beach bum. Just thinking about him brought life to parts of her she would rather stayed dead. She flung her mouse in frustration. It was attached to a cord so it simply slid across the desk. Very unsatisfying.

  She wanted her life back. It had been more than a year since the attack. Almost a year and a half. She wanted to stop being afraid to be in her apartment alone. She wanted to be able to feel attraction again without worrying something would set her off. She wanted to stop having things set her off. She wanted to be around people again. She wanted to laugh again. She wanted to stop being a victim. She picked up a pencil and snapped it into little pieces.

  “Gee I hope that wasn’t metaphorical.” She looked up sharply. She recognized one of the men from the class. She kicked herself for being so distracted that she hadn’t heard him approach. “You look like you could use a beer.” The man was nice looking, not like a blond Greek God, but definitely cute. He had longish brown hair t
hat he was constantly flipping out of his eyes. He looked like a front man for a boy band rather than a bodyguard.

  “Thanks Colby, but I don’t date people I work with.” He smiled and sat down on the edge of her desk.

  “No offence hun, but if I were going to go for someone in that class it wouldn’t be you.” Lou was confused. She was the only woman in the class. She looked at him and he smirked.

  “Oh,” she said realizing what he was saying.

  “Oh.” He mimicked.

  “I ah didn’t know.”

  “Well I am out, I don’t hide it, but in this industry… I don’t flaunt it either.” She could understand that. Suddenly she was bombarded by a number of questions she wanted to ask. She had never known a gay man before and she was innately curious.

  “I see a question, just ask. I am not easily offended.”

  “Who would it be?”

  “Huh?”

  “If you were going to go for someone in the class, who would it be?” He laughed a deep hardy laugh and she grinned.

  “You go straight for the kill don’t you? Come on you can buy me a beer and maybe I’ll tell you.” Lou still hesitated. She didn’t have any friends. She wasn’t sure she still remembered how to be social. She’d had a couple of male friends in the army. The only close girlfriend she’d ever had turned out to be sleeping with her fiancée. Colby might be the best of both worlds. He wouldn’t hit on her and yet they wouldn’t be going for the same guys either.

  “Sure, let’s go.” She grabbed her back pack and followed him to the elevator.

  Colby was funny, it was nice. She still didn’t really laugh but she appreciated his humor. He didn’t ask her why she flaked on the class. He didn’t ask her why she sat with her back against the wall at the restaurant. Instead he told her random stories about his life. He was a middle child with an older sister and a younger brother. He had come out to his family at eighteen. His mom was accepting but his dad was still waiting for him to come to his senses. He didn’t seem to mind telling her intensely personal stories and yet he seemed reluctant to tell her who in the class had caught his interest. She didn’t push him. She knew firsthand what it was like to not want to talk about something.

  “Alright I have been talking about myself all night. Tell me about you. Where did you grow up?” Lou was reluctant to talk about her past but she figured he’d earned it and besides this was the next step in claiming her life back. That was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to reclaim her life and move forward.

  “I grew up in LA, south central.”

  “Rough area.”

  “Yeah, my dad grew up there. He was a boxer and when he retired he went back and opened a gym. Started training inner city kids.”

  “That is admirable.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So you box?”

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “Only a little?”

  “My dad was born in LA but he is Latino to the core. He didn’t think women should box. He wouldn’t train me but I spent every spare minute in that gym, a lot rubbed off on me.”

  “I bet.”

  “So why did you leave?”

  “Joined the army.” She took a swig of her beer and avoided his gaze.

  “Some guy break your heart?” She looked up and met his eyes.

  “That obvious?” He shrugged and signaled for two more beers.

  “He was my high school sweetheart. A boxer, read what you want into that.” She took a swig of the beer. “We dated through high school, sort of on again off again I guess. After graduation I was thinking of going away to college. He didn’t want me to go. He asked me to marry him and I said yes. He wanted to get married right away but I wanted a big fairy tale wedding. I kept pushing back the date. Finally it was set.” She stopped remembering the awful scenes that had unfolded. “My best friend, my maid of honor, came to me one day a few weeks before the wedding. She was hysterical. She was pregnant. He had been sleeping with her for more than a year. He was only with me because my father wouldn’t train him otherwise. He wanted to be a professional boxer. Having my father as a trainer gave him credibility he didn’t have otherwise. Turns out my father offered him a share of the gym if he married me. He wasn’t going to give that up, not even for his child. He wanted Sara to get an abortion. Bastard.”

  “Bitch.” Colby added and she looked up surprised.

  “You blame her?”

  “I blame them both. Just wanted to include her in your cursing.” He smirked and she actually smiled. She had never told anyone the whole story. She had kept it buried deep. Getting it out almost felt like expelling poison.

  “So did you confront him?”

  “I broke his nose.” She smiled at that part of the memory. “Big bad boxer cried like a baby.”

  “You do like to go for the nose don’t you?” Something about his tone made her look into his eyes.

  “You know about Evans?”

  “Only rumors until now.” He laughed.

  “Yeah I like the nose. I don’t care how big the guy is, punch him in the nose then kick him in the balls and he’s down for the count.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a boxing move.”

  “No that is something I learned later, in the Army. It’s too bad too because Juan really could have used a kick in the balls.”

  “Remind me never to piss you off.” Colby laughed.

  Chapter 4

  Lou knew it was a bad idea to drink before she had to spar but she had needed the beer to get through the conversation and the conversation had been cathartic. She felt as if the band around her chest had loosened. It wasn’t the worst of her demons of course, some things she would never talk about, but it was nice to just connect with another person again. Jace was already in the gym when she entered.

  “I was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

  “I had things to do. I am off the clock you know.” His raised eyebrows made her want to bite her tongue. Everything about this man made her defensive. He was wearing shorts and a gray t-shirt that said Reynolds Security on it. His gym clothes made him look more human, more approachable, made her forget he was her boss and strictly off limits. She quickly stretched out and warmed up her muscles before climbing in the ring. She was nervous. She wanted to get this over with.

  “Rules?” He asked as he climbed in the ring. She was surprised, she thought she was just supposed to prove she wasn’t a weak little girl.

  “Ah, whatever you want I guess.”

  “Well you seem to have a boxing style, thought you might want to stick to straight boxing rules.”

  “If I have to fight on the job my opponent isn’t going to stick to straight boxing rules.”

  “That is true but since this is just a sparring match how ‘bout if we keep it simple and say no fighting dirty.”

  “Fair enough.” She borrowed a phrase she’d heard him use. He handed her safety gear and they each suited up in silence. She bounced on the balls of her feet trying to shake out her nerves and warm up her muscles. They touched gloves and to his surprise she launched into the offensive. Her first blow landed on the left side of his chin. Thankfully his headgear absorbed most of the force. She was a swarmer, he should have expected it and yet somehow he hadn’t. She stayed close delivering a series of hooks and uppercuts interspersed with body jabs. Jace countered but she had him on the defensive, blocking her blows rather than inflicting his own. When she swept her leg behind his and knocked his feet out from under him he was completely unprepared.

  He stared up at her from the flat of his back and grinned. “That was awesome, let’s do it again.” She looked at him like he was crazy but he bounded to his feet again anyway. They touched gloves again, this time he jumped back before she could start the barrage. She bobbed and weaved trying to get closer without getting hit. He managed to land a few jabs and she backed off but then she switched to feet. She landed a couple of well-placed kicks that elicited grunts from him
. He finally called a halt when they were both out of breath and neither was gaining the upper hand.

  “I am going to feel this tomorrow.” He said rubbing his ribs where she had landed a solid kick. “This was fun, we should do it again.”

  “You have some weird fetish about getting beat up by a girl?” She mumbled stripping off her gear.

  “Ha no! Plus I wouldn’t say you beat me up. I got a couple good shots in there. I happen to like to fight, call me crazy. I think you do too or you wouldn’t spend so much time on the heavy bag.” She looked up sharply.

  “You’ve been watching me?”

  “Ah come on. Don’t make it sound stalkerish. There are cameras everywhere. They are connected to monitors in my office.”

  “I have news for you Mr. Carpenter that does sound stalkerish.”

  “You can call me Jace. It would be stalkerish if I intentionally watched you on the cameras. I don’t. But late at night when nothing is moving except in one frame… well you notice.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You have good form. Do you compete?”

  “No.”

  “Ever thought about it?”

  “Once a long time ago.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “Anyone ever tell you you ask a lot of questions?”

  “Yes, I am a curious guy.”

  “Well I am a private girl.”

  He was quiet for a minute as if considering that. “Tell you what, I’ll keep asking questions. The ones you don’t want to answer you don’t have to.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not really, I mean I am bound to keep asking questions.” She smirked at that. She had to admit he wasn’t at all what she had expected. When she dropped him on his back she expected him to be pissed. But he had actually laughed. She had knocked plenty of men on their butt’s not one of them had ever laughed, sparring or not.