“No. I want you to teach me how you fight. I’ve had a bit of training and would like to see how I stack up next to a trained cop.”
“Agent,” she corrected. “And you know I can wipe the floor with you, right?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But I am bigger. And probably stronger.”
“But not smarter.” She smirked. Seriously, if he thought he could take her, he was out of his mind. Even with a leg that wasn’t up to par, she had been training to take down guys bigger and stronger than her from before she even entered the academy.
“I’ve gotten into one or two brawls, Evelyn. And I played football in the South. That shit gets intense.”
She let out a laugh. “High school football! I’ve taken down cartel leaders, murderers, and gangsters. Not exactly the same thing. I can take you in a heartbeat.”
He raised a brow. “Then prove it.”
A surge of adrenaline shot through Evelyn as she stared down Luke. “Fine. Move the weight bench and try not to break your head open when I knock you on your ass.”
He smiled in a way that told her that he wasn’t going to go down easy, and she held her ground while he moved the bench. Probably the first time he actually did what she told him to. Once it was moved, they at least had a little room to move around. The ground wasn’t padded like she was used to while training, but a few bruises would do Luke some good. But she would give him one consolation. Holding onto her weight rack for support, she flipped off her tennis shoes and he followed suit.
The tension swirled in the air and she could tell Luke was probably just as excited about this as she was.
Once everything was moved out of the way, Luke stood a few feet away from her and she stood with her feet shoulder width apart as they eyed each other cautiously. “How do we do this?” He shifted his weight.
She smiled confidently at him. “Come at me.”
A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. “What if I hurt you?”
She snorted. “You’re not going to hurt me.”
“You sound pretty sure of that.”
“I’m one hundred percent sure of that,” she warned. “If anyone is in danger, it’s you. Now, are you going to come at me or are you going to get on the treadmill to do a normal workout?”
He growled low in his throat at her threat and she knew that she’d pushed him enough. She tensed and narrowed her eyes as she looked for any sign that he was about to come at her.
And it wasn’t long before he lunged. If he thought she stood a chance, he probably would’ve gone straight for a punch, but she could tell he didn’t think she could take him, so he grabbed for her arm instead. Evelyn dodged his stretched arm and rammed her foot into his lower shin in exactly the right angle so he fell to his knee.
She stepped back and eyed the oversized man kneeling in front of her; a self-satisfied grin covered her face. “Want to try that again?” she asked cheerfully.
Luke didn’t seem nearly as amused. He pushed himself up and faced her again. “Playing dirty?”
“That was an honest takedown. No dirt required,” she assured. “Now are we going to—”
He rushed her again. This time he caught her off guard and managed to snag her arm before he twisted her around until her back was to his front.
Her free elbow jammed back with all her force into his side and as he grunted in pain, she angled her head back to slam into his, but he released her before she made contact.
She twisted around to glare at him for rushing her when she was unprepared. “Now who’s playing dirty?”
He held his hand over his ribs were she’d jabbed him. “You were going to head butt me!”
What a baby. “You wanted to see what I’m capable of? This is it. I’m not like all your family members and your employees who treat you like some special fucking snowflake, Luke. I’m giving you all I’ve got and I expect you to do the same.”
“What if I hurt you?” he asked again, and she realized he was still holding back.
“If you hurt me, I’ll get better. Now grow a pair and hit me like a man, Luke.”
Just like that, he rushed her again. This time she had enough time to see what angle he was coming at and managed to duck aside and landed a kick to his ankle, sending him sprawling on the floor.
Without missing a beat, he leaped up and came at her again. Except this time, he didn’t rush her, but approached calmly. She retreated until the table pressed into the backs of her thighs and this time he did go for a punch.
Evelyn leaned back just enough to avoid his swing, but she didn’t have enough room to get a solid kick in, so instead she tried to slip under his arm as he regained his balance to swing again. She was just too slow. He caught her as she was mid-crouch, just managing to snatch her arm. From the awkward angle, she didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, so she pushed her leg back as hard as she could from her position and connected with his ankle.