Page 33 of Johnathan

Abby was drenched. It was one thing to run in a full jacket outside when the temps dropped during the night, but inside the gym, even with the AC on, she was sweating an ungodly amount.

The mirrors in the room didn’t lie. She looked like a drowned rat. And in all his glory, John stood, muscles straining the fabric of his shirt an indecent amount.

“I’m not… I can’t. Won’t I hurt you?”

“Nah. Put some ass behind it, Abby. I want to know you can really do it if you need to.”

John charged at her, pinning her arms down and attempting to twist her in his hold. She kicked out, holding back just enough that she was sure he wouldn’t be hurt.

“Good. But I know you were holding back. You can’t do that, okay? Muscle memory is a real thing. I want you to practice how you would use the moves if you ever needed to.”

She nodded, walking over to the wall where her water bottle was sitting.

“I think that’s good for today.”

“No.” She swallowed another gulp of water. “I want you to show me one more thing.”

“Okay. What?”

“How do I get out of a hold like the one he had me in that night?”

The air in the room went still. John shook his head and Abby knew what he was going to say before it even left his lips.

“We don’t have to try that one right now.”

“We might as well. Seems like a pretty popular way to hold someone.”

“I think we’ve covered enough.”

“John.”

“Abby.”

No, she needed it. She needed to feel the very thing she was so afraid of, it continued to haunt her dreams. If he could teach her how to break the hold, it might just be the key to breaking the hold her nightmares had on her.

“Let’s just try it, okay?”

John was still shaking his head, looking as if even the idea of having to put her in that hold was going to break his heart. “You’ll tap out if it’s too much.”

“Yep. Just like a pro fighter. I’ll tap right out.”

John nodded and stepped behind her. His arm slid around her neck and she sucked in a harsh breath. A cold tingle started at the base of her spine and every bit of strength she had left in her body went towards keeping her emotions in check.

“Good?”

“Fine,” she whispered, wishing she had sounded stronger.

“Abby…”

“Keep going.”

His grip tightened, and she blinked. Their bodies were there, clearly visible in the mirror in front of them. She could see the concern on John’s face. John’s face. Not Marco. She hadn’t even seen his face during the attack. It was covered, and he’d come up from behind her. She remembered how confident he sounded when he whispered in her ear.

You look just like her.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she blinked back into the training room.

The hands around her now were there to teach her. They wanted to protect her. They didn’t want to hurt her.