Page 9 of Covert Operation

I came into this… concerned.

In the year she’s been here, Savannah’s been more of a shadow than I could ever claim to be. Quiet. Hidden. Easy to look past.

For most people. I’m not most people.

From the second I first saw her, the hollow look in her eyes made it impossible for me to see anything else in the room when she was there. The fear she carried haunted me as much as the ghost I’ve carried for over a decade.

But the woman standing tall in front of me now doesn’t look afraid. She looks fierce.

Defiant.

And it renders me speechless. “Uhh.” Now I’m the one swallowing hard, trying to collect my thoughts in the face of this new development.

I like knowing how shit is going to unfold, and this is not what I was expecting. At all.

“Wait.” Savannah walks past me, going to where she left her bag in the corner. Crouching down, she digs through it before pulling out a band. As she stands, she begins to smooth the curled strands of her dark hair away from her face. After twisting it into a ponytail at the back of her head, she gives me a smile. “Okay. Ready.”

I turn to the mats I’ve already spread across the floor in preparation for this morning. “Okay.” I slowly walk to the center of them, fighting back nerves I haven’t felt in years as I face her. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Savannah looks me over, a flicker of hesitation passing across her features. “You just want me to attack you?”

I give her a single nod. “Yup.”

“But you’re going to see me coming.” She licks her full lips before pressing them together. “Do people usually see their attacker coming?”

“I do.” I’m not trying to be cocky. It’s simply a fact. “And I’m going to teach you how to see them coming too.”

She rubs both palms down her hips, wiping them against her leggings. “That would be nice.” Her eyes drift to the trio of windows looking out into the wooded area surrounding the compound. Savannah’s brows pinch, eyes squinting as she leans closer.

I turn to see what has her attention. I’ve barely got my back to her before I hear her sneakers against the mat behind me. A second later she hits my back full force, arms looping around my neck. Using the hold for leverage, Savannah hoists herself onto my back, legs latching around my waist as she locks my head into a remarkably tight hold.

“I’m sorry.” She sounds genuinely remorseful. “I couldn’t do it with you looking at me.”

I crack a smile, amused at her sneaky tactics. “Don’t apologize. It was a smart move.”

“I don’t know how smart it was.” She sounds breathless as she clings to me.

“It’s smart if it works.” I pause, trying to figure out how I’m going to get out of this without dropping her straight down onto the mat. Savannah doesn’t like the feeling of falling, so I’ve got to come up with an alternative that will keep her descent to a minimum. “I’m gonna be honest with you. I wasn’t expecting this to be your first move.”

“This is possibly my only move, so you might want to get used to it.” She pauses, her hold on my neck loosening a little. “And I’m not sure how I’m going to pull that whole diversion thing off next time.”

“That is kind of a one and done sort of thing.” I eye the stack of mats and head toward it, Savannah’s slight weight barely slowing me down. “But you won’t have to trick most people more than once.” I put my back to the mats then tuck my chin, protecting my airway in case Savannah doesn’t react the way I’m expecting.

Again.

Carefully, I reach over my head, gripping her shoulders in a way that puts my thumbs right in her armpits.

Then I give her a gentle but firm jab in each one.

Finally, she does what I anticipate. Letting out a squeal, she releases me and drops to the stack of mats. The pile is a few feethigh so she doesn’t fall far, but I still turn to make sure she’s okay.

Savannah stares up at me, mouth hanging open, brows slashed above her eyes, looking fully affronted. “You just tickled me.”

“There’s no rules when it comes to what you can do to save your own life, Savannah.” I offer her a hand. “You do whatever it takes to get out alive.”

Her accusing glare drops to my extended hand. She hesitates for a split second, but then slips her small palm in mine. I keep my grip only as tight as I need to help her up. Her bones seem so fragile. So breakable.

Like I thought she was.