Page 56 of Unseen Danger
They drilled the same defensive technique for the fourth time during their morning training session.
Nevaeh’s confidence had been returning with every technique they practiced—every defense, chokehold, or escape she executed effectively. She could do this. Maybe she had just forgotten that she could.
She’d needed the dust knocked off her skills and her brain, but now her muscle memory was firing again. Though this was only with Phoenix.
While the boss was intimidating, she wasn’t a huge, strong guy—the trigger that changed everything. And given the way Nevaeh’s panic and PTSD flared so easily around Branson, a nice guy who still fit the bill, she knew the results of an encounter with an aggressive man wouldn’t end well. If Walter came back, she—
“Don’t let your thoughts spiral.” Phoenix’s voice halted her pulse’s sprint.
How had she known what Nevaeh was thinking? Nevaeh met the boss’s gaze.
Phoenix’s eyes gave nothing away, not even a glint of her special knowledge. “Control. Discipline. At all times.”
“Or my fear will control me?”
“Let’s take a break.” She led the way to the bottled waters they’d left on the mat by the wall of the jiujitsu school Phoenix had reserved to use for an hour. The boss picked up her water and unscrewed the lid. “What were you thinking about?” She casually took a drink, as if that wasn’t the strangest question she’d ever asked Nevaeh. Or anyone, probably.
Nevaeh fiddled with the lid on her water bottle as she looked at Dag, the dog quietly holding a down stay by the bench along one wall.
Phoenix never showed curiosity about others or pried into anything remotely private. And she certainly wasn’t into small talk or getting to know people in the normal way. But there was no point in trying to hide anything from her. She always seemed to know.
“About Branson Aaberg.” Nevaeh lifted the bottle to her lips, pausing just before taking a swig. “How I get nervous around him because he’s…you know.” She took a drink that nearly got stuck in her throat.
“It’s natural to instinctively guard yourself against the type of person who hurt you before.”
“But I don’t think he’s like that.” Nevaeh surprised herself with her hurry to defend him. “I mean, he doesn’t seem like that kind of guy. Not…” Violent, aggressive. She couldn’t say the words out loud for some reason. Probably because they summoned a memory she had to mentally fight to keep at bay. Control your thoughts, girl.
“I agree. I checked his background. He’s a former Navy SEAL who served two tours and earned a Bronze Star. He has an impeccable service record and a solid reputation as a personal protection specialist.”
A smile stretched Nevaeh’s lips. Why, she wasn’t sure. Maybe because she had confirmation her instincts were better than they used to be. She’d thought Branson was a good guy. If only her PTSD would believe her.
“But he still matches the category and type that your survival system has determined is your greatest threat. That isn’t wrong.”
“It isn’t?” Nevaeh’s confusion probably showed on her face.
Phoenix pushed her long, blond braid over her shoulder. “Your survival instincts are there to protect you. You feel the fear to warn you that danger is possible, perhaps even likely in some cases. Your fear was right to prompt caution with Aaberg before you knew him.”
“But even after I figured he was okay, I still…” Nevaeh shrugged and dropped her gaze to the green mat beneath her feet.
“Rightly so.”
Nevaeh lifted her gaze to Phoenix.
“If your fear still tells you danger can be present, it’s probably right. Don’t ignore that. You can never be sure about anyone. Better to be prepared and aware at all times.”
“Does that mean I have to stay scared all the time?”
Phoenix finished another swallow of water before responding. “No. The fear is your warning danger may be near. You acknowledge the warning, then assess, make sure you're prepared, and dismiss the fear with the knowledge that you are ready.”
“So that’s what you mean by using the fear?”
Phoenix bent to set her water bottle on the floor, taking her time to answer as she often did. She straightened. “Fear can enable you to consider all possibilities and motivate you to prepare for everything.”
“Isn’t that exhausting?”
Phoenix pinned her with a steady look from her blue eyes. “How badly do you want to survive?”
Nevaeh let silence hang between them. They both knew the answer to that question. She glanced out at the middle of the room where they’d been training. She could do the right things, be ready to survive against Phoenix in a studio or even against two brawling teenagers at a hip-hop concert.