Page 86 of Mafia and Protector

“That’s better,” Gabriel gritted out. “Anyway, I’m done. It’s all yours.” He turned on his heel and left us.

I don’t know what he’d said to her, but I was shocked that she’d actually just stood up for herself.

“Do you want us to use the treadmills today instead of running outside?” asked Jessica, frowning.

“No. I want to teach you some self-defense moves.”

“Self-defense?” she said, her voice quivering.

I put my hand against the small of her back, urging her further into the gym area. “Yes. I know you’re pregnant, so we won’t do anything too physical, but I want to teach you some basic moves.”

“For what?” Her voice was wary.

“In case you ever find yourself in a position again where you may need to defend yourself. It’ll be useful for you to know a few things.”

She looked at the floor and was silent for a while, before finally looking up at me. “You think it was my fault?” she whispered, emotion gleaming in her eyes.

“No.” Damn. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant it could be helpful. Every woman should know a few basics.”

I gave her a moment, and when she had composed herself and was ready, we began. I wasn’t going to allow her emotions to prevent her from learning this—I was determined that she wouldn’t be so powerless in her life ever again.

I showed her a couple of basic moves and we practiced them side by side, looking at our reflections in the large mirror so that she could copy what I was doing.

I prowled in a circle around her, assessing her moves and using my hands to encourage her body into the correct sequences. “Relax your shoulders,” I commanded as I met her eyes in the mirror.

She hesitantly did as I instructed.

“Good girl.”

Once I was confident that she had gotten the sequencing moves down, I said, “Let’s put what you’ve learned into practice.”

“What does that mean?” she asked in alarm.

“I’m going to come at you and reach out to grab you. I want you to block my hand like I’ve shown you. Understood?”

She didn’t reply.

“Do you understand, Jessica?” My voice was terse. This was important and she needed to get on board with this.

She gave a small nod.

I allowed her a couple of moments and then I approached her slowly, making a gesture as if to grab her.

But she didn’t react. She just froze.

I stopped before my hand grabbed her, clenching my jaw. I could see my focus on her was making her nervous, but this was what she needed to be prepared for—this is how she would feel if something ever happened to her again. “Next time, you need to block my arm,” I said sternly.

We resumed positions and I swiftly stalked toward her, grabbing at her with my arm.

She stumbled a few steps back, her eyes wide and her lips trembling, before tripping over herself and landing on her butt.

I held out my arm to her and, taking her hand, I hauled her back up. Her eyes were huge on her face.

“You don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you—ever. This is just to give you a few skills. Not only that, it will help to build your confidence.”

We tried once more, but Jess just stood immobilized and made no attempt to put a fight up.

I tried to bite back my frustration. “What’s the matter, Jess?”