Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

She loosened up, bending her neck to one side then the other. “Let’s give it another try.”

She went through the routine quickly, pulling her punches so she wouldn’t connect and hurt him.

“The more speed you build up, the better off you’ll be. Practice it in your head when you’re not on the mat.” He was pleased with how quickly she learned. She was fast, but not so much as to make him suspect she might have been taught all that before.

He showed her a few other moves, then grew serious. “There are two kill moves I’d also like to teach you.”

“Kill?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I could kill anyone. Even under direct threat, I’d hesitate.”

His admiration for her grew. She’d been brutally honest-with herself, and with him.

“You managed to fire that handgun yesterday in self-defense, didn’t you? You’d be surprised what you’re capable of when fear mixes in with the need to survive, or you’re forced to protect an innocent.”

Despite her protests, Ranger taught her how to deliver two fatal blows, one to the chest, and the other delivered to the nose. Although she learned both quickly, he could see she wanted to move on.

They spent the next two hours training in the garage. Though he’d thrown her to the mat several times, she always came back up ready to learn more. He had to hand it to her. Dana didn’t give up, or hesitate to get right back into the fray.

“Okay, that’s enough for now,” he said at last. “Let’s get something to eat. You might want to soak in the tub after lunch, too.”

“I’m just catching on to some of this. Couldn’t we train just a little longer?” she asked.

He shook his head. “You can’t learn it all in one day, and tonight you’ll have to be limber, not sore, in case something happens. I’ll be within reach all night, but the bars I’ve got earmarked are rough places.”

After eating a light lunch, Dana managed to talk him into giving her a few more lessons. This time, they mostly worked on techniques for breaking an opponent’s hold.

Once he saw how tired she was, he moved away. “That’s enough for today. You can think about what you’ve learned, and go over things in your head, but you need to rest.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to access some Web sites and do more research,” he answered. “After that, I may try to get a couple of hours sleep since I’m not sure when we’ll get that chance again.”

The day passed quickly. Around three, while he worked on the computer in the living room, she went into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

When she awoke a few hours later, she found Ranger asleep on an easy chair he’d positioned between her and the door. Her first thought was that he’d been protecting her-putting himself between her and any potential intruder. But then another thought came to her. Maybe he’d just been making sure she didn’t leave the house again without him knowing.

The thought annoyed her and she sat up. As she got off the bed, the mattress creaked slightly. Ranger’s eyes suddenly popped open.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Dana said.

“That’s okay. I’m a just a light sleeper.” He stood, then stretched.

By the time she’d found her shoes and slipped them on, Ranger had slid the chair back into place beside the wall and left the room.

“It’s already eight. When do we leave?” she asked, going to join him in the living room.

“As soon as you get your disguise back on,” he answered. He was gazing out the window toward the road. It was dark, but clear, and with the living room light still off he wasn’t presenting a silhouette to anyone outside. “But there’s a stop I want to make before we hit the bars. It may narrow our search. I’ll tell you about it once we’re on our way.”

Dana freshened her makeup-she was wearing more than she ever would have outside a disguise-and picked out a short, jet-black wig she’d found in the back of the closet. When she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.

They were in the car and on the highway ten minutes later, driving west toward the city. He looked over to appraise her, then back to the road. “You look sexy,” he said with a quirky half smile.

Her heart did a little dance, but she quickly checked herself. She knew it was all an act. “It must be the new wig. It’s completely black, no lighter highlights anywhere. It changes my whole look.”

“No, it’s the way you fill out those tops…and the jeans, too.”

“The same can be said about you,” she answered.

He burst out laughing. “Thanks, darling. It’s good to know I’m appreciated. Now if you’d let me show you my appreciation in a more…tangible way.”

“Shouldn’t we be concentrating on what we have to do next?” she chided in her best teacher’s voice.

“You’re too wound up,” he said quietly. “Try to relax,” he said, glancing at her lap.

That’s when she suddenly realized that she’d bunched up the bottom hem of her sweater into her fists. “Oops. Stage fright, I guess.”

“Stop worrying. I’ve got your back,” he said, his voice soft as a summer breeze.

As their gazes met, she felt herself drowning in those dark eyes that promised far more than she could accept. “Neither one of us has put all our cards on the table, Ranger. You don’t trust me, and I can’t say I trust you, either. We can’t go beyond that.”

He looked back at the highway, where traffic was starting to pick up as they got closer to Farmington. “You can trust one thing. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he answered.

“That’s because you need me to ID the medicine man’s killers,” she said, determined not to let him see how much that admission hurt.

“That’s one reason. But there are others.” When they stopped at a traffic light, he cupped her chin and made her look at him. “Your own instincts tell you that there’s more between us. Trust yourself.”

She tore her gaze away. Her instincts…They told her that she wanted him and he wanted her, that there was more than just a physical attraction between them. But she’d heard how he was manipulating her to get information.

“We’re about to stick our necks way out tonight. I’ve got to know that I can trust you and you’ve got to believe I’ve got your back. If we aren’t in complete agreement on that much, our chances of success are slim.”

“No problems there,” she said. “Now tell me where we’re going first.”

“About a year ago we hired a guy at Birdsong Enterprises who turned out to be a thief. He was caught stealing tools from the shop. But he and I got along, and though I had to fire him, there were no grudges. I learned later that the guy’s got a bit of a gambling problem and is always looking for a way to make a few quick bucks. If I approach him just right, he may give us a few leads.”

“So we’re going to his home?”

“No. There’s a tough-man competition, in this case an illegal cage fight, that he attends regularly. I’m guessing we’ll find him there. But brace yourself. It’s brutal, with few rules, all for a cash prize.”

Out of all the recreational sports she’d hoped never to see, this one topped the list. “Okay,” she said, managing to keep her voice steady. “Just don’t be surprised if I throw up on somebody.”

“You don’t have to watch. Just stick close to me-no matter what. Got that?”

“Not a problem.” Dana tried to prepare herself. She even hated school fights, pulling boys with bloody noses off each other. But she’d do what had to be done. Somehow, she hoped.

They arrived less than twenty minutes later. The fight was being held in a large metal warehouse located in an industrial section just southeast of downtown. Vehicles lined the curbs on both sides of the street, and Dana could see mostly young men, some with beer bottles in hand, walking toward the structure.