Hadley Chapter 17

I had my adrenaline flowing, and I was excited. It had been several weeks since I could actually practice my fighting. The last time was a few days before the Dark Patriots came and took over our security. Even as young as I was when Dad started me training with various experts, I’d always loved it. The challenge was one reason, and the other was that it let me get out of my head and just be.

Not to brag, but I was considered a genius, and along with that, it wasn’t unusual for me or someone like me to get caught up in our minds. It was hard at times to shut it down and rest. I spent a lot of years not sleeping much because of that. By being able to get out of my head and do the physical, I’d found a way to escape it. It was a welcome distraction from my grief over the loss of my mom.

She’d been my best friend, and her loss went soul deep. In fact, since then, although I had some people I would call friends, I never found someone to be my best friend I could tell everything to. However, as absurd as it sounded, I had a feeling Griffin would become that person. I know Dad and Mom had been each other’s best friends. They’d always included me in their lives, but they’d spent a lot of time just the two of them, too.

This fighting display or challenge, or whatever you wanted to call it, was serving two purposes. One was to show the Marauders and Grif that I was capable of defending myself. The other one was a distraction from my grief over soon losing my dad. I knew intellectually it was fast approaching, but emotionally, I didn’t want to think about it. The idea I’d be an orphan in a year or less made me want to scream and cry. I couldn’t let all the raw emotion out because it might just destroy me, so this was the alternative.

I watched as the last couple of guys joined us in the gym. I had to admit, it was a really good one. Depending on what we wanted to do, we could either use the extensive floor mats or the fighting ring. I could box and do a variety of MMA-style fighting as well as others. This woman knew how to throw a proper punch and not break her thumb. You only did it once before you learned if you were smart. My instructors didn’t believe in coddling me. They made sure not to seriously hurt me, of course, or Dad would’ve killed them, but they taught me well. Bruises, cuts, and minor other injuries had been expected.

I’d tried just about all the top martial arts styles, but the main ones I’d studied the longest and liked the best were jiu-jitsu, krav maga, muay thai, capoeira, and hapkido. A lot of people had heard of these except probably hapkido. Despite the assumption that it was the same thing as Aikido, it wasn’t.

Knowing some of the guys had military training like Griffin, they would be skilled or at least familiar with the others. I wondered how many would know hapkido. I planned to introduce them to it. I hoped they were ready.

Hapkido was Korean-based like Aikido, but it incorporated strikes to various pressure points, throws, joint locks, punches, and powerful kicks. You defeated or controlled your opponent using circular movement and non-resisting movements. There was intricate footwork and body positioning. In addition, it could incorporate weapons like ropes, swords, or canes.

After some debate between the guys, it was decided to use the mats and it would only be one match at a time. They determined this since it seemed they were all eager to watch me and didn’t want to miss anything by having other matches going at the same time. This was the best way in their minds. Thankfully, I wasn’t going to be in the spotlight at all times. They thought it was a good idea for a couple of guys to go first so I could see what I was up against and to give me a chance to back out, they said with smirks. I gave them a calm smile. I was gonna love this even more than I thought.

I might desire only Griffin, but I didn’t dare say love even though I knew that was what I felt, at least the beginnings of it. However, I wasn’t blind. The guys were dressed in shorts or loose pants like Griffin, and most had taken off their shirts. There were muscles and tattoos galore everywhere I looked. They would make a best-selling sexy man calendar women would kill to buy. And I was getting it for free. Lucky me. First up were Mad Dog and Styx. They’d been in the military, so it made sense. Jinx covered the rules before the first match.

“There will be no moves to cause serious injury or death. You can submit if you’re done. As soon as your opponent indicates they’re tapping out, you will disengage. To give everyone a chance to get in on this and so we’re not here all night, each bout will be timed for ten minutes. I know many of us can go for a long time. These are our typical rules, so I’m just reminding you and letting Griffin and Hadley know. Remember honey, don’t kill any of us,” he said with a wink to me.

“I’ll try to hold myself back, but it’ll be hard. I hope you don’t have delicate male egos that’ll be hurt when a woman hands you your asses,” I said with a wink back. They all thought this was hilarious, and they laughed loudly. I only smiled bigger.

Griffin leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “I don’t like that smile, babe. Just try not to kill any of us.”

“I’ll keep you breathing, I promise,” I whispered back. He studied me, then nodded. I think he was realizing I wasn’t just talking out of my ass.

I had to admit Styx and Mad Dog were skilled, and I enjoyed their match. In the end, Styx submitted right before the ten-minute mark when Mad Dog got him in a hold he couldn’t break. I cheered and clapped loudly along with the others.

It was agreed that one more match would go before letting me on the mat with anyone. This one was between Rage and Thrasher. While neither had been in the military, they were skilled, and I loved watching their bout. In the end, the round was called, and it was declared a tie. Neither won nor submitted.

Jinx faced me. “Are you ready to give this a try? You can choose your opponent, or I can. It’s up to you. Or we can do another match or two.”

“I’m ready and I think I’ll let you decide my opponent, at least this time,” I told him as I stood up from where I’d been sitting.

He nodded. “Okay, I choose…Crow. You know the rules. Get into position and tell me when you’re ready.”

As Crow walked to the center of the mats. Griffin grabbed my hand. “Be careful. Don’t push it and get hurt. You don’t have anything to prove.”

“Yes, I do, but I promise not to push beyond reasonable,” I assured him. I gave him a quick peck on the mouth. He let go so I could take my place. Crow was waiting for me. I’d heard the guys talking, and I knew Crow had fewer years of practice than most of the others. That didn’t mean he wasn’t good. It just meant he was a better opponent in their minds for me.

As we stood there, he smiled at me. I smiled back. He didn’t talk smack, which was different. The others who’d gone first had taunted each other. It had been fun to hear, actually. I took deep breaths and let my body loosen. Being tense wouldn’t help. For this one, I thought I’d stick to jiu-jitsu. There was no need to let them know everything I could do this first time.

When Jinx yelled to go, we took a few moments to feel each other out with some punches and light kicks. This wasn’t jiu-jitsu, but it was a way to see how he moved. When he’d had enough and came in for the attack, which was more kicks and punches, I flipped into my style for this one. Jiu-jitsu didn’t have a lot of kicks and punches. It incorporated a large number of holds, locks, joint manipulation, pins, and chokes. You didn’t defend by blocking. Rather, you neutralize your attacker by redirecting their energy and momentum. The style I preferred was Brazilian, and it focused on choking and joint locks on the ground. When I took Crow to the mat, I saw a flash of surprise on his face. It soon changed to alarm, then determination.

We grappled, and he did his best to avoid my joint locks and chokeholds, but he wasn’t comfortable fighting this way, and I think he was afraid to hurt me. In the end, I got him in a joint lock that hurt, and he couldn’t break, so he tapped out. When we stood, he shook his head.

“Goddamn, you’re a demon. I’ve never fought quite like that. Nice job.”

“Thank you, and it’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in case you’re wondering.”

“I’ll have to have you show me some of those moves. I’d like to learn those.”

“I’ll gladly show you. You’ve got skills. You just need to add more styles and expand your moves.”

He shook my hand, and then we took our seats. I saw the guys eyeing me more closely. They were now wondering just what else I knew and how good I was. Griffin told me, “Nice job, babe.”

“Thanks,” I said.

There were a few more matches, which were mesmerizing. When they were done, Jinx asked me a question. “Who do you want to go up against next? It’s your turn again.”

I felt Griffin become more alert beside me. As much as I wanted to go up against him, I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone. I didn’t know if I could beat him or not, but if so, I didn’t want it done this way. However, I wanted a challenge, so that left Jinx and Sarge. I quickly made my choice which caused brows to lift all around the room.

“I choose Sarge. Let’s see what you’ve got,” I told him with a smile.

He nodded and came to the center of the mats. As I faced him, he replied, “I want to see what you’ve really got. Don’t hold back. I won’t. We wanna know what you can do, honey. I think it’ll ease all our minds, especially your man’s.” He gestured to Griffin, who was frowning.

“I can do that, and I prefer you not to hold back. I was taught to fight as if my life depended on it. I won’t break anything, seriously maim or kill, but that’s all the concessions you’ll get.”

“Good.”

The guys were calling out various encouragements to both of us. When Jinx hollered go, Sarge came at me like a streak. There was no feeling me out, and since I hadn’t seen him fight yet, I had no clue about his fighting style or skill. I barely avoided him as I rolled away.

It was apparent right away he was highly skilled and knew a variety of different martial arts. I did use a few of my jiu-jitsu moves, but not a lot. He’d seen those and would be expecting them. Instead, I gave him Muay Thai first. It concentrated on eight points of contact, which were from both knees, shins, elbows, and hands. There were a lot of stand-up striking and clinching techniques. I interspersed it with regular karate. He was quick to counter it and attack with his own.

I just as quickly switched to capoeira. It was Brazilian, too, and involved me constantly in motion with moves that were originally dance moves. It became obvious he knew it, too. Damn! I threw more moves at him from a mix of MMA, judo, and Tae Kwon Do. He knew them, of course. There were more than a couple of times he landed a hard kick or blow and made me think I might not get out of holds and takedowns.

I was sweating hard and knew I’d have to bring more. I had two more: hapkido and Krav Maga. The hapkido wasn’t as much help without a cane to strike with, so I only did a few of those to throw him off balance, then launched into the last one.

I loved Krav Maga. It was what the Israelis used with their military forces. It was a lot of wrestling, grappling, and hand strikes. Yes, he was much bigger than me, and that would make you think I wouldn’t go for the wrestling and grappling, but that was one reason I did it. Another was there were no rules in it. No fighting patterns were adhered to. You could use anything to defeat or incapacitate your opponent.

It was this mentality that had me grabbing one of the metal folding chairs they had along the one edge of the mats. It had been mine. I swung it and made contact. I heard the inhaled breaths of surprise. For the first time, I saw Sarge grin, which fucking scared me. Oh shit, what had I done?

What I did was let the demon loose. He came at me like a tornado, and I fought as hard as I ever had, but in the end, he defeated me. I lay on the mat, panting and weak after he let go of me. Griffin came rushing over to me. I saw the concern on his face. He crouched beside me.

“Baby, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” I panted.

“You sure, honey? I went at you hard,” Sarge asked as he stooped down.

“You’re a damn animal, and I loved it. It’s what I wanted and I’m fine, just tired. Give me a few seconds to get my wind back.”

He chuckled. “I have to admit, you impressed me. You’ve had some really skilled instructors. You can hold your own and then some. We have to do this again. You gave me a good workout.” He held out his hand. I took it so he could literally lift me to my feet.

“Glad to be of service,” I told him.

As I moved slowly to the chairs, I noticed someone had put mine back. I dropped into it gratefully. I was surprised when Griffin didn’t retake his. He took off his shirt. I tried not to get lost in admiring his upper body. It was only curiosity that stopped me.

“What’re you doing?”

“It’s my turn. I can’t let you not know if your man is capable of defending you or not. It’s good to know you can take care of yourself, but I still want to be the one who does it. Sit back and watch.” He gave me a smirk and then went to the center of the mats. I gasped when I saw he was joined by Jinx. Animal took over as the referee.

When Animal told them they could start, it was amazing to watch. They reminded me a lot of Sarge. They easily and quickly flipped from one fighting style to another and mixed them up seamlessly. Watching them, I wanted to spar with Griffin every day. That wasn’t to say Jinx wasn’t good. He was excellent, and they were very evenly matched. I wondered which branch of the military Jinx had been in. He said he was but never said which one.

In the end, both men were breathing hard and sweaty, but neither was able to get the other to submit. I ran over to Griffin and launched myself at him. He caught me, and I gave him a passionate kiss. Not only was I thrilled about how he did and that he wasn’t hurt but watching him had turned me on big time. I was wet and wanted to fuck him right there on the mats. He must’ve caught on because he kissed me back enthusiastically and began to walk off with me in his arms. I heard the catcalls and remarks from the guys, but I didn’t care. If he weren’t inside of me soon, I’d die. Thoughts of how he’d taken me yesterday filled my mind, and I got wetter. Christ, I hoped he’d do it again.

In the car, it was all he could do to get me to sit still so he could drive. I had to keep reminding myself I didn’t want him to wreck. As soon as he shut off the car at Jinx’s, I was attacking him again. I straddled his lap. The steering wheel was biting into my back, but I didn’t give a damn.

Suddenly, I felt us move, and the wheel was gone. He’d released the seat back to as far as it would go. I bit and sucked on his lower lip as I ground my pussy down on the bulge he had in his pants. I moaned long and hard.

“Fuck, Hadley, baby, if you don’t stop it, I’m gonna take you right here and now and fuck whoever might see us,” he warned me hoarsely.

“Do it. I want you to fuck me. I can’t wait. Hurry,” I cried out.

His hand came down hard on my ass. I jumped. “Then get these clothes off before I rip them to shreds. You’ve got one minute,” he growled.

I awkwardly got off him enough to fight off my clothes. My shirt and bra went flying into the backseat, and then I was wiggling down my yoga pants along with my panties. He was still without his shirt, so all he had to do was shove his amazing gray sweats down. He fisted himself and stroked as he watched me with hungry eyes.

In desperation, I kicked off my shoes and used my feet to get my pants off. I barely had them clear of my feet before he reached over and grabbed me. He dragged me back over to straddle him. As I did, his cock nudged my entrance then he was yanking my hips down, forcing his thick cock inside of me in one hard stroke. I cried out and felt myself release more of my cum.

He groaned. “Fuck, you’re so goddamn ready. I’m sorry. I can’t go slow this time. I’ll make it up to you next time.” His fingers bit into my ass as he lifted me up and then brought me back down.

I didn’t want him to do all the work, so I helped him. It was fast, hard, loud, and fantastic. He was sucking and biting on my nipples as I rode him with his help. I couldn’t stop moaning and pleading with him to take me harder. I don’t know how long we were at it before I came. I shook so hard as I gushed around him. I was stunned when he didn’t join me.

He kept hammering in and out, and I had no choice but to hang on weakly as he pushed me toward another orgasm while I was still having the first. I moaned, “I’m gonna die.”

“Then we’ll die together,” he said in a growl.

I ended up coming again, and when I did, I not only flooded him again, but I scratched up his chest. He roared out his pleasure as he filled me with his cum and ground his pelvis against my throbbing clit. I fell limp against his chest and closed my eyes when I was done. God, I was too tired to move. I’d just sleep here.

???

How I wish I were back having fighting matches with the guys and then sex in the car with Griffin. That night had been crazy and so damn hot. After car sex, he’d gotten us inside and into the shower, although that wasn’t the end of it. Afterward, he took me in bed two more times before morning. He’d brought out some toys and rocked my world.

I used those thoughts to distract myself from what was happening now. It was close to a week later, and we were meeting Dad at his doctor’s office. I was as nervous as I could be and felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to hear the doctor confirm what Dad had told us. I prayed there would be a miracle, and he’d be cured or that they would discover they were wrong. I knew it wasn’t realistic, but I prayed for it anyway.

We’d debated whether to fly back to Fairfax or if we should throw things off by driving. In the end, we did both. I flew us to Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport then we drove the remaining three hours and some change there. The Patriots who were accompanying me met us there with two large SUVs, which was a good thing. Beau and Heath were the ones who met us. They had to transport me, Griffin, Jinx, Sarge, Styx, and Mad Dog.

When we got closer to Fairfax, we were meeting Dad. Undertaker, Ben, Justin, Aryan, and Giovanni were to protect Dad. They’d have more cars. I thought they should put more men on Dad, but they disagreed, and I was overruled. They were all on high alert and watched everything from the moment we landed until we met Dad at the designated meet-up spot.

He and I hugged hard. I swear he felt like he’d lost weight. Tears wanted to fill my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. He’d hate to see me cry. After we got our hellos out of the way, we were bundled into the SUVs, and off we went. I couldn’t ride with him, which I disliked, but they explained it was better to keep us apart. I knew it made sense, but it was hard. The guys were great, even working on engaging me in talk to try and keep my mind off why we were here. Griffin held my hand the whole time. They were able to make me laugh a few times.

When we pulled into the parking structure across the street from his doctor’s office, I felt like throwing up again. It was Griffin who got me out of the car and over to Dad. We were surrounded as we made our way there. The stares we received were many. It wasn’t every day they saw someone with this many bodyguards and there was no doubt they were that. They weren’t dressed in suits but combat black, and they were armed even if you couldn’t see their guns.

That wasn’t to say I wasn’t armed, too. No way would I go anywhere without my gun, even before this threat. I knew Dad would be too. It did feel weird to be out without our usual guards from home. If they knew what we were doing, I had no doubt they’d be pissed they weren’t here.

Inside, the waiting room was more than half full. The patients and others in there gave us scared looks when I went with Dad to speak to the receptionist. She recognized him, and we barely had to say our names and got back to a seat before his name was called. Undertaker, Griffin, and I went back with him while the others spread out in the waiting room and the hallway in the back. The staff gave them wary looks, but no one objected.

His doctor didn’t take long to come into the room. Introductions were made, and then he got down to it. It was obvious he knew what Dad wanted because he explained in detail what was wrong, what they’d done, and what the prognosis was, which was as bleak as Dad had told me. The doctor was patient in answering my various questions, but in the end, there was no doubt. Dad would be lucky to live out the year. This time, I couldn’t stop the tears.

It took me several minutes to calm down before we thanked his doctor and then left. He wanted Dad to have bloodwork done again, so we had to stop at the lab on the first floor. While he was doing that, I needed to go to the bathroom. Not only did I have to pee, but I also needed to fix my face. I knew I had makeup running all over it. I had to look a fright.

Griffin checked out the bathroom before allowing me to be in there alone. I thought it was funny to watch him searching, especially when a woman came in, saw him, and practically ran out. I laughed at that. After I finished peeing, I got down to fixing my appearance. It was as bad as I feared. I got out some makeup wipes and cleaned my face. So much for makeup. After it was removed, I splashed cold water on my face to take away some of the puffiness under my eyes.

While I was doing that, I heard a thumping sound, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I felt for the paper towels I’d laid on the counter so I could wipe my eyes. I’d been in here a while. I knew Griffin would be knocking soon to see if I was alright. I wiped my face and eyes, then straightened up. My gaze was immediately pulled to a reflection behind me. I wasn’t fast enough to scream before a hand was over my mouth, and I was wrapped up tight against a body.

I was immediately more upset that I hadn’t gotten off a warning or hit him than I was scared. Maybe part of the reason was because I recognized him. It was Rockwell. He hissed softly in my ear. “Hadley, it’s me. Don’t scream. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to protect you. Please. Listen to me. You’re in danger.”

I glared up at him. He knew what I was thinking. Why, if he was here to protect me, was he sneaking in here and doing this? And speaking of sneaking, how the hell had he gotten in here? The only way in was through the door, and it was guarded. There were no windows in the bathroom. As I scanned the room again, I found out how. The ceiling had a large vent for the ductwork above, and the grill that covered it was off. He’d come in through the air vent. It had to be huge for him to fit through it was my inane thought.

I tried to wiggle loose. He tightened his hold. We’d sparred a lot, so he knew how I fought and was using it against me by trapping my arms and legs between him and the sink in front of me. “Stop it. I’m not gonna hurt you. Listen. These Dark Patriots aren’t the ones to trust. I am. They’ve isolated you from everyone who knows you. That’s not right. You could be safe at home if they’d let us do our jobs. You’ve always been safe with us. Why all this change?”

I tried to tell him, but it came out low and garbled because of his hand.

“I’ll take my hand away, but if you try to scream, I’ll shoot whoever comes through that door. I know that bastard Griffin is out there, and some other guy I don’t know. What the fuck? You have a whole different team on you, and so does your dad. What’s that about? They look more like killers than bodyguards. Do you promise not to scream?”

Everything in me wanted to scream my head off when he moved his hand, but I wouldn’t risk him shooting Griffin or anyone else. I’d have to bide my time until I could get away on my own. Hopefully, I’d do it before Grif came in to see what was taking me so long. I nodded yes. He gave me a warning look before he slowly moved his hand enough that I could talk, but he could still slap it quickly back over my mouth.

“Are you insane? You’re gonna get yourself killed doing this. What do you think Grif and them are gonna do when they catch you? You’ll be lucky to stay out of jail, let alone live. And if you do, what are the odds you’ll keep your job?”

“Why would I lose it? I’m doing my job by protecting you. What’s going on?”

Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door. Rockwell raised his gun to point at it. “Hadley, babe, are you alright in there? Do you need me?” Griffin called through the door worriedly. My heart melted at his tone. He sounded so concerned.

Knowing by his expression that Rockwell meant what he said, I answered, but not the way I wanted. “I’m fine. I just need a few more minutes, please. Don’t come in. I can’t handle anyone seeing me like this, not even you. I’m sorry.”

“Baby, I don’t care what you look like, but if that’s what you want, then so be it. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you,” I told him. He made a sound of understanding, but he didn’t say anything. Rockwell was glaring at me. What now?

“Why the hell is he calling you babe and baby?” he hissed.

I wasn’t about to get into that explanation with him. I had to get him to calm down, not get worked up. I shrugged. “You know how some guys are. It doesn’t mean anything. Let’s talk about you. Why do this?”

“I’ve been texting and calling you for days, and nothing! No one knows where you or your dad went. All we were told was there was danger and you were taken somewhere safe. If that was the case, then why weren’t we taken with you? All that shit they had us doing before you left was stupid. What new danger?”

As he talked, I couldn’t determine if he was talking a good line to lull me into feeling safe or if he really had no idea what he’d been doing. His face looked almost manic. Was he crazy? He was hyper-alert and tense. I decided to play along until I could escape. I gave him a tentative smile.

I made sure to keep my voice low like him. “We’ve received threats. Dad panicked and brought in the Patriots, you know that. He was worried about me then someone tried to get into my room at the house. That’s why they took us away. I admit it scared me when it happened.”

He got a guilty look. I stared hard at him until he confessed. “It was me. I was the one trying to get into your room that night before you left. I wasn’t there to hurt you. I just needed to see you and talk to you without one of them breathing down our necks. I wanted to know why you had me reassigned. You’re not safe without me, Haddie. You know that. No one will guard you like I will.”

He sounded so earnest and sincere. I hated when he called me Haddie but I kept my mouth shut. “Why aren’t I safe without you? They’re all highly trained men. They do this for a living.”

He scowled. “Yeah, they do, but it’s work for them. I do it because I love you. No one will protect you like someone who loves you. This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you, but I think you know it already. I can tell you love me too. I wanted you to know so we can tell your dad. I want to marry you.”

His confession left me speechless. I had no idea what to say. It was so off-base and wrong in so many ways. As I scrambled to form words, I saw a body drop out of the hole in the ceiling. Rockwell turned his gun that way automatically. I screamed a warning, but it was too late. Rockwell fired. The bathroom door came crashing open, and the room was filled with bodies. It was chaos.