Distracted by A.K. Evans

THREE

Ellery

Today was the day.

Something about that had me feeling a mix of emotions.

On the one hand, I felt nervous. This was going to be a completely new experience, and I’d be doing it on my own with people I didn’t know.

On the other hand, I was excited. I was ready for this. I’d been preparing for this moment for ages now.

Granted, yesterday was just as monumental of a day. Sure, I’d done a lot prior to yesterday to prepare, but roughly twenty-four hours ago, I’d embarked on what would surely be one of the most pivotal moments of my life.

As life changing as it had been, there was still something about today that was simply different. Maybe it was because yesterday felt more like the end of a chapter in my life. Today was about a new beginning.

And even though there was no question this wasn’t exactly the kind of new beginning I would have ever expected I’d want or need in my life, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take full advantage of it.

It was far better than the alternative. It beat needing to be lost inside the hell I’d been in for the last eight years, living with Patrick.

So, I’d decided that, despite all the horrific reasons it was even necessary, today was going to be a good day.

Before I took off this morning, though, I had one thing I needed to do.

I walked out of the house, a place I was truly beginning to adore for all of its quirky natures, and I made my way to the reception and registration house. Last night, I’d gone over the calendar of events Hanna had given to me when I arrived, and I wanted to talk to her about them.

Much like had happened the first time I’d walked in, the door had barely just closed behind me when Hanna appeared.

“Good morning, Ellery. Did you have a good first night here?”

“Good morning, Hanna. And yes, I did. It was fantastic, and I’ve got to admit, I really love this place already,” I returned.

Hanna’s face lit up. “I’m so glad to hear that. Have you had breakfast? Would you like a doughnut?”

“What?”

Gesturing toward the counter, Hanna indicated, “I was up early this morning and went to grab some breakfast at The Early Bird. It’s only the best coffee and doughnut shop in town.”

When she opened the lid on the box, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to turn her down. The treats looked far too delicious.

I plucked one out of the box. “Thanks.” After taking a single bite, I marveled, “Wow. These are excellent.”

“If I had known you were going to stop in this morning, I would have grabbed you a cup of coffee, too. It’s incredible,” Hanna replied.

“What’s the name of the place again?” I asked her, after swallowing another bite.

“The Early Bird.”

Nodding my understanding, I said, “I’ll have to stop in there one day soon to grab a cup.”

“You won’t be disappointed,” she assured me. “So, is there something I could help you with this morning?”

I shook my head. “Not exactly. I have somewhere I need to go this morning, but I thought I’d stop in on my way out to let you know that I looked at the calendar of events for this week here at Short and Sweet.”

There was no missing the change in her expression. It was clear she was feeling hopeful without trying to appear as such. “Oh? Did you have a question about something that’s on the schedule?” she wondered.

“No. I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking I’d like to join you here tomorrow night for game night,” I told her. “I wasn’t sure if you had an official sign-up sheet or anything like that.”

Surprise washed over her. “Really? You’re going to come to game night?”

I nodded. “Yes. You’re still planning to have it, right?”

Hanna couldn’t respond fast enough. “Yes. Yes, game night is still on. There’s no sign-up sheet for it, but it’s definitely happening.”

Smiling at her, I replied, “Perfect. I’m looking forward to it.”

The look on her face matched mine as she declared, “Me too. I’ll see you then, Ellery.”

“Sounds good. Have a great day, Hanna.”

“You, too.”

With that, I turned and walked out.

Once I was in my car, I couldn’t manage to wipe the smile off my face. It felt really good to do what I’d just done. I’d didn’t know what it was—maybe it was that she reminded me so much of my younger self, even if I didn’t think we were very far apart in age now—but I wanted to do something nice for Hanna.

I couldn’t miss the despondency in her tone yesterday, and I just wanted to do something to brighten her day. The truth was, she had already given me something I’d desperately needed by being willing to host me for such a long time, and I thought it would be nice to return the favor.

Plus, I was new in town. There was no question that I didn’t necessarily need to find myself caught up in a million different things that might take my focus off of what my ultimate goal was here, but I didn’t think it would be a bad idea to make a friend while I was doing that. I couldn’t say for sure, but based on Hanna’s reaction, I wondered if she might have been in a similar situation when it came to having friends.

But game nights and new friendships would have to wait, for now.

Because I was on my way to the place that I believed was going to become like a second home to me over the next several weeks and months.

Harper Security Ops.

Being in the position that I’d been in for so many years, I’d often thought about what it might be like if I ever attempted to walk away. Not once had I imagined that I’d be in such a dire situation, but when it became clear just how bad things were, I knew that I couldn’t make any rash decisions.

If there was any chance I’d be able to get out of my situation and do it safely, I needed the help and expertise of professionals.

Sure, I could have gone to the authorities about what I knew, but I was terrified. While I believed they would have done what was necessary regarding Patrick, I wasn’t convinced they’d do anything to protect me from the fallout.

And the truth was that there could be significant repercussions for any involvement I had in taking Patrick down.

So, I started doing research. I never imagined, though, that I’d find a place so close to where I lived.

I mean, it was three hours away from where I’d lived all my life, but it was still close. And considering they were as good as I had learned they were, I felt both relieved and fortunate.

When I finally pulled into the parking lot outside the Harper Security Ops building, the relief I felt turned to something else.

Determination, maybe?

This was it.

This was the final missing piece to my plan. It was the one thing that was going to help ensure my safety. Or, at the very least, it would be the one thing that made it possible for me to be able to defend myself in the event someone came after me.

There wasn’t a moment to waste.

I got out of my car and made my way to the front door.

No sooner did I step inside when I was welcomed by a gorgeous woman at the front reception desk.

With a blazing smile on her face, she greeted me. “Hi, how can I help you?”

“Hi, I was doing some research and found your company, and I was hoping I could speak to someone about self-defense,” I answered.

“Sure. Have you ever taken any self-defense classes before?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I’m afraid not. Is that going to be a problem?” I worried.

“Absolutely not. Our guys work with individuals of all skill levels, and I should note that most of the people who do come in for the first time have never had any formal training,” she shared as she stood from her chair. Extending her hand to mine, she added, “I’m Avalon.”

I reached for her hand and returned, “Ellery.”

“It’s great to meet you, Ellery. There’s a class that’s about to start right now. If you’d like, we do offer first-timers an opportunity to sit in on a class to see how we do things. You’re certainly more than welcome to join the class if you’re feeling up to it, of course. But if you’d like to just talk to someone about it for now, I can certainly have Royce, who is the owner here, sit down and go over things with you.”

My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t expected I’d be starting this soon. “I can join a class today?” I asked.

She shrugged, a smile still plastered on her face. “Think of it as a trial run of sorts. It’s better that you know what to expect before you officially sign up and dive in. You might decide this isn’t for you.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that no matter how tough this turned out to be or how badly I might struggle to learn the material, there wasn’t any chance I’d decide that this wasn’t for me. I didn’t have that luxury. Making sure I knew how to defend myself and keep myself safe were of the utmost importance.

“I’d love to try out a class,” I told her.

“Great. Come with me, and I’ll take you over to meet the guys who are teaching,” she instructed.

With that, I caught up and fell into step beside Avalon as she led me to wherever the class was being held. I had to admit that with each step I took, I grew more and more nervous.

I was going to do this.

There was an overwhelming amount of pressure I felt, but I was certain that had nothing to do with Avalon or being inside the Harper Security Ops building. I was willing to bet that all the pressure I felt was the result of me realizing just how real this was about to become.

This was my life.

And this situation was life-or-death.

Because if there was one thing I knew to be resoundingly true, it was that Patrick wasn’t going to just accept that I’d left him or that I wanted to be divorced from him. He believed I was his property, that I was his to keep, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to make sure things stayed precisely how he wanted them to stay.

Yep.

There was pressure in this situation.

But I wasn’t going to buckle. I was going to stay focused, learn what I needed to learn, and be diligent.

Just as I had that thought and took in a deep breath, I realized precisely how difficult this was all going to be.

“Here we are,” Avalon declared, coming to a stop at a large picture window.

I looked through the window and saw quite a few people inside.

Avalon spoke. “The two guys at the front of the room are Kane and Jake. I’ll introduce you to the both of them, but you should note that there is a group of guys who teach classes in our self-defense and tactical training unit. Brixton is on weapons training with Greyson and Huck this morning, so you’ll want to meet them at some point, too.”

Weapons training.

It would probably be a wise idea to consider that at some point, too. In fact, it wouldn’t just be wise. It was likely critical.

One thing at a time, though.

Before I had the chance to speak, Avalon urged, “Come on. Let’s get you inside so you can meet the guys before class starts.”

I followed behind her around the corner, then through the steel door that led into the training room.

It was clear that the class hadn’t started yet, because not only were most of the people standing around, talking with one another, but the two men that Avalon initially pointed out to me from outside the room turned their attention in our direction.

“Hey, Avalon. What’s going on?” one of the men asked as his eyes shifted between the two of us.

“Hey, Jake. This is Ellery. She’s looking to start some self-defense classes here, and she wanted to try out a class to make sure we’re a good fit,” Avalon answered.

Jake’s eyes slid to me. “Cool. It’s nice to meet you, Ellery.”

“Likewise,” I replied.

“And this is Kane,” Avalon declared, pointing to the man standing beside Jake.

“Hey,” he said, as he jerked his chin up at me.

“Hi,” I returned quietly.

My attention drifted between the two men, and I quickly compared the both of them. While both men were decidedly built in the physical sense, there was something softer about Jake’s look. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the muscle or bulk that Kane did, but something about him was less intimidating. Maybe it was the smile he wore on his handsome face, or it might have been the laidback vibe I got from him the moment Avalon and I approached.

There was a much stronger sense of foreboding I felt when it came to Kane. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I certainly wasn’t afraid of him. But he just seemed… harder? More intense, maybe? Perhaps it was his dark hair and dark eyes. It could have been the fact that it had been a few days since he last shaved. Or, maybe it was something else altogether. I couldn’t seem to put my finger on just what it was, but I couldn’t deny that the look held me captive for a moment.

“Well, I’m going to get myself back down to the reception desk,” Avalon started. “But enjoy your first class, Ellery. Kane and Jake will take great care of you, and if you decide after you’re done that you’d like to officially start, I’ll handle getting everything set up with you then.”

Offering a friendly smile, I said, “Thank you, Avalon.”

“You’re welcome. Later, guys.”

Kane and Jake said goodbye to Avalon before they returned their attention to me.

“Have you ever taken any self-defense classes before?” Jake asked.

I shook my head. “No. I told Avalon that I don’t have any experience, but she said that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“It’s not,” Kane assured me. “This class is a great one for you to join today, because we’ve got a lot of new faces here. You won’t need to feel alone or like you have no idea what’s going on. But Jake and I will be thorough, and we’re happy to answer any questions you have as we go along.”

That was a relief.

I had been feeling a bit concerned that I’d slow everyone in the class down a bit, since I had not the slightest clue about any of it. It was nice to know that most of the other individuals in the class would be in the same boat.

“Thanks for sharing that with me. I feel much better now,” I returned with a smile.

A sympathetic look of understanding washed over him. “Don’t feel nervous. We’re here to help you learn, and everybody has had to start at the beginning, so you’re not alone.”

“Yeah, we’ll generally take it slow and offer a lot of instruction at the start of class,” Jake added. “When we’re ready for execution of specific moves, we give you plenty of help and ample time to practice. And if you decide you like it here and want to continue, we’ll practice over and over until it all becomes like second nature to you.”

This was exactly what I wanted.

It was precisely what I needed.

My eyes shifted to the side, where I presumed I needed to be standing to learn whatever was in store for me. “Should I just go anywhere?” I asked, not wanting to intrude or take anyone else’s spot in the room.

“Yeah. You can set your things down at the back or the side of the room, and then find an open spot anywhere that works for you, because we’re about to get started,” Kane answered.

Grateful that I’d had the forethought to wear comfortable yet functional clothes today, I moved to the side of the room to set my things down. I did it feeling slightly nervous, but also very motivated.

And as I found a spot not far from where I’d put my things, I said a silent prayer that this would go well. I hoped I wouldn’t make a fool of myself and that by the end of the class I’d be left feeling encouraged and excited about when I could come in for the next one instead of the opposite.

Suffice it to say, I got a lot more than I had bargained for.