Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(36)

“So are you,” Cole said immediately.

“True. But I’m a guy.”

Cole resisted the urge to laugh. Joel might be male, but he was shorter than Sarah, and she definitely outweighed him. But he wanted Sarah to understand that in self-defense, size didn’t matter. It was all about learning how to leverage your body and getting away from whoever was trying to hurt or detain you.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl,” Cole told Joel. “As I’ve told you many times, it’s how you use your body mass, not how big or small you are, that matters.”

Joel nodded.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sarah told Joel. “I’m kinda nervous about today, so I’d appreciate any help and pointers you can give me.”

At that, Joel’s chest puffed out again, and he nodded seriously. He walked over to her and patted her arm. “I’ll help you. It’s not that scary. If Nathan or Cole grab you from behind, just remember that it’s them and not a bad guy, and don’t really try to knee them in the nuts. Okay?”

Cole saw Sarah hide a smile behind one of her hands before she cleared her expression and nodded soberly. “Good tip. Thanks.”

Then Joel took Sarah by the hand and dragged her over to the wall to see the dummies they’d practice hitting later.

Nathan wandered over to Cole’s side and put his hands in his pockets. “I’ve never seen Joel take to someone so quickly before.”

Cole didn’t take his eyes from the woman and little boy across the room. “She seems to have that effect on everyone she meets.”

“I like her,” Nathan told him.

Cole dragged his gaze from Sarah to look at his friend, and Nathan continued speaking. “She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. She isn’t just depending on others to keep her safe. She’s wanting to learn what she can do to help herself. And when the cops stonewalled her, she didn’t give up, contacting Ace Security. She have family?”

Cole shook his head. “Her fathers were killed in that nightclub bombing up in Denver a few years ago.”

“Shit,” Nathan said. “That sucks.”

Cole nodded.

“And she doesn’t live here in town, does she?”

“No. In Parker. But I think this thing with Owen has convinced her once and for all to sell the house she grew up in and get an apartment down here. We have a meeting after this with the manager of those apartments on the other side of town, the ones that have the doorman and all the security.”

“Good. Something about this case isn’t right.”

Cole narrowed his eyes at his friend. “In what way?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know. It’s not presenting like any other stalking case we’ve had. Owen doesn’t seem dangerous. He seems like a little kid with a crush. Even the presents he’s left her are weird. He hasn’t tried to talk to her or hurt her. Isn’t tailing her everywhere. He hasn’t caused any damage to her property. It’s just . . . off.”

Cole took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m glad it’s not just me. I’ve been uneasy from day one. But I can’t blame the cops for not being able to help her. This Owen guy hasn’t broken any laws. He hasn’t threatened her in any way. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. That he doesn’t have something planned.”

“I know. As soon as Alexis finds out more about his disability claim, I’m going to look into his finances a little deeper. Maybe look at his mother’s too. Blake is hunting down information on his father, to see if he’s still around or what’s up with him. There are just a lot of question marks in this case, and that makes me nervous.”

“Same, bro. Same,” Cole told him.

“Are we gonna start sometime today or what?” Joel called out from across the room.

“Keep your pants on!” Nathan yelled back. “Are you that eager for me to kick your butt?”

Cole chuckled as Joel smiled huge and took off running for Nathan, as if he were going to football-tackle him. Luckily, Nathan was ready, and he caught the little boy around the waist and hoisted him high in the air. They were both laughing by the time he put Joel back on his feet.

Cole gave the duo a wide berth and went to where Sarah was watching and smiling. “You ready for this?” he asked quietly.

She nodded. “Yes. I’m nervous, as I told Joel, but also excited. Ever since I was adopted, I let Mike and Jackson fight my battles for me—not that there have been that many,” she was quick to add when she saw Cole’s frown. “But learning what to do when someone puts their hands on me in a bad way makes me feel as if I’m truly taking control of my life. Is that weird?”

“Not at all,” Cole reassured her. “Come on, let’s get this started.”



An hour later, Sarah knew she was going to be sore in places she didn’t even know she had muscles, but she felt hyped up. Cole had taught her how to slip out of someone’s hold if they grabbed her from behind, and what to do if they took hold of her arm too. She’d learned all the vulnerable spots to aim for with her elbows, knees, and even her fingers.

The main point Cole got across was that she would never win in a one-on-one fight with someone bigger and stronger than she was. Her goal was to make as much noise as she could and use her moves to get away from whoever was trying to overpower her.