“You don’t ever lose an opportunity to list your talents. Modesty sure ain’t one of them. You also should have started with hacking, which I’m sure is the strongest skill you have. You should have stuck to hacking. It would have hurt less.” She grunted with a smile and patted him gently on his very well developed forearm. “OK, but whatever you do, don’t throw me on the ground again, or I will start crying.”
“Deal, but only for today. And you get to do whatever I ask you to do, without argument. We’ve already wasted forty-eight minutes squabbling. We only have a few days, so let’s make the most of them.”
“Yeah, OK, but you know it’s Christmas week, right?” She flashed him a full-blown manipulative smile.
“Don’t care. So please give me twenty ab crunches on my count. Go!”
She sat on the wet sand, scowling. Louie started counting and coaching her.
The deserted beach, just north of Torrey Pines State Reserve, was one of her favorite places to come and relax, enjoy the constant crashing of the Pacific waves, and bask in the gentle sunlight. Today, and most probably for quite a few days to come, it had become their own private dojo. Louie Blake, the newest addition to The Agency’s team, had just finished his first case. It made Alex feel competent, tenured, and a bit protective: although Alex was only one case ahead of Louie in terms of experience, although he obviously didn’t need any of her protection. Six-foot-three and built like a rock, the ex-SEAL seemed very able to take care of himself.
“Up,” he interrupted her ab crunch session, “let’s run.” He sprinted ahead of her, and she struggled to catch up. He was leading her where the waves touched the shore, making running a splashy, annoying, and difficult exercise.
“It sucks here, in the water,” she complained, “why not run six feet to the right? What’s wrong with that? My feet are wet now.”
“You can’t postpone or reschedule a fight because your feet are wet. This is not about comfort; it’s about focus and pushing your limits outside your comfort zone. So push yourself, focus, and endure.” He smiled discreetly, his head turned away from her.
“Bastard,” she mumbled.
He was right, and she knew it. Their work was very dangerous. Infiltrating organizations and conducting undercover investigations without being part of any law enforcement entity was a risky existence that could turn deadly at any time without warning. It had happened in the past and would, in all likelihood, happen again in the future. She hated him for being right and hated this cold, wet, and miserable alternative to what could have been a day of luxurious indulgence in front of the fireplace, complete with Belgian chocolates, Martinis, and a good book.
“OK, we’re stopping,” Louie said, “now drop down and give me twenty.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Wrong. Drop and give me twenty pushups, now. On my count. One, two, three. Good.”
Yep, great sacrifices I’m making for my job today, Alex thought, but well worth it, I might say. Her job had been a continuous adventure since the day, not so long ago, when she had walked through The Agency’s door to interview with its founder, Tom Isaac. Tom and his small team had since become like a family to her, a closely-knit group of top notch, highly intelligent professionals, with Louie Blake as the latest addition. Each assignment required a different approach, and her low tolerance for repetitive, boring work was fully satisfied. The job was challenging and dangerous but very rewarding. And quite well paid, too, she thought, letting a smile of satisfaction make it through her effort-strained features. This was going to be her first financially-comfortable Christmas ever.
“Enjoying yourself, huh?” Louie’s voice brought her back to reality.
“No, not at all, let me be very clear about that.” She laughed.
She stood up, panting, knees and arms trembling from the prolonged effort.
“All right, let’s start some real training now,” Louie said and winked.
“Kidding me? What was this I’ve been doing here since 8AM?”
“Well, mostly bitching, and some warm-up.” He laughed. “Now we’re getting into the interesting part. The purpose of our training is to give you the basic self-defense knowledge required, at minimum, to deter relatively simple attacks. Tom briefed me on some of the adventures you’ve had in the past. So please pay attention: this is important.” He sat down on the wet sand, crossing his legs in a