“Okay, now hit it as hard as you can,” Carr instructed as he stood on the other side, holding the bag lightly in his garden rake-sized hands.
Jaz fixed her eyes on the bag then flickered a look at him. He told her the correct starting position and when she got it, he nodded his head once. She concentrated on the bag, let out a hard breath and then jabbed. It barely shifted him or the bag. She looked up at him with upturned brows and made a face showing how much she thought that had sucked.
“Again,” he encouraged. There was no sign of teasing or disappointment in his voice.
She hit it again.
“Again.”
She got the idea and began throwing punches with both fists, always keeping her knuckles flush against the bag. Her moves were slow at first and uncertain, and her punches weren't very strong but she was a quick learner and she listened well. She attacked the bag with focused eyes.
Then he began moving the bag around, pushing her to move her feet and jab it from different positions. She'd punch it a few times and then move and punch it again. She did this solid for half an hour until she was panting so hard she thought she'd faint. But to her surprise, she was really enjoying it.
If she'd been on her own punching it, it wouldn't have been the same. Carr was an encouraging but vigilant trainer. He saw her weaknesses fast and showed her how she could improve. When she got angry he persevered and motivated her to challenge that anger on the bag and away from the frustration she felt for herself.
After an added hour and a half of punching, resting, stretching and more punching, he announced she was done. She was so tired her legs shook and she couldn't lift her arms properly when he passed her a bottle of water.
The wrestling match had calmed down -either that or Jaz had just got used to the noise- and had changed challengers several times. Now it was a man and a woman and, to Jaz's delight, the pretty blonde was whooping the black-haired man's ass. She was quicker where he was stronger and it was paying off, this round at least. Carr muttered to Jaz as she watched, that the black-haired man was called Kaname, a lone Were who had come over from Japan many years before, and the woman was Phillipa. She was one of three sisters and they were her only living close relatives.
Jaz watched them fight, sipping her water -Carr told her to sip slowly- as she calmed down her heart. When she glanced at the boxing ring, Driver wasn't there. She scanned the room unable to find him, until, as she peered over at the office window, she caught sight of the inside just as the blinds were shut.
She was sure she'd seen him on the other side.
~Chapter 24 - Caution~
Monday June 6th, 10:48 a.m.
Gym office
Nik Driver closed the blinds and sat down on the swivel chair. His companion, who had just entered, parked himself on the chair opposite.
Nik was having a busy day.
He'd already been to the council meeting which decided Fraya's punishment for her violent and abusive actions towards a fellow Pack member. He'd just finished a two-hour shift in the gym that involved controlling overzealous teenagers, whilst he avoided stealing glances at Jaz and failing, and now his Pack Leader duties were calling him to attention. Today's agenda: keeping his Pack alive, keeping himself alive, and finding out who the traitor was within his Pack.