In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (24 page)

“There
must have been some last minute enrollments,” Shae surmised. “I’m glad we made
extra training manuals.”

We
pulled together a few more chairs for the students who were standing and
widened our discussion circle before claiming our seats.

Shae
began the introductions. “I’d like to welcome everyone to our three day personal
risk seminar. If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to record your
name and contact information on the sign in sheet so we can ensure you receive
credit for attending the course. My name is Shae Garlington. My colleague’s
name is Kristine Stone. We’d like to share some information about who we are
and the reasons why we’ve developed this course before we delve into the agenda
items that are listed in the front of your binders.” Shae looked at me.

I
took a deep breath. “This is our second year attending George Mason’s master’s
program in conflict analysis and resolution. We have completed the training
offered by the Northern Virginia Mediation Service to become certified
mediators. We currently work at Seeds for Peace, which is an NGO dedicated to peacebuilding.
Shae and I develop and teach conflict resolution seminars at universities in
conflict ridden countries for this organization. Our end goal is to empower a
subset of university students to help resolve conflict among their classmates
and to start conflict resolution programs in high schools and middle schools
within their communities. It’s basically a train the trainer program.”

Shae
nodded. “We learned some valuable lessons about personal risk when we were
teaching in Ukraine earlier this year. Our preliminary research did not prepare
us for the risks we faced. We were assigned minders who followed us everywhere
we went. The minders were helpful at times, but they made attempts to hijack
our schedule and limit our access to SIM cards. We needed the SIM cards and
cell service for security purposes. The Russian mafia attended a government
function honoring our work in Ukraine. We felt threatened by their presence.
Little did we know, the Russian mafia attends all government functions in
Ukraine. They are that entrenched in governance. Still, the mafia proved to be the
least of our worries, especially after we were abducted by the SVR.”

“The
SVR?” a student asked.

“Formerly
known as the KGB,” I explained.

A
number of students gasped.

“The
SVR accused us of being spies. We were brutally beaten and tortured in ways you
can’t even imagine,” Shae continued. “The Russian mafia helped secure our
release.”

The
students’ jaws hung open, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“We’ve
learned some valuable lessons,” Shae repeated. “We’re going to share those
lessons with you over the next three days, but we’re also going to explore some
strategies for reducing risk and strengthening personal security.”

I
glanced at Shae, then leaned forward in my seat. “Let’s review the agenda.
We’re going to start with some basic instruction that mirrors to some extent
the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Training offered by the military.
We’ve scheduled two guest speakers to review the SERE training they received while
serving in the United States Air Force. Their instruction will begin at nine
o’clock and run the rest of the day. A therapist who specializes in PTSD will be
joining us tomorrow morning. She’ll be speaking about the trauma that results
when your life is threatened and the treatment options that are available. We’ll
run through a simulation tomorrow afternoon. We’ve invited a security expert to
teach self-defense Saturday morning, so be sure to wear comfortable clothing.
Gym clothes are preferable. Each of us will develop a personal security plan
Saturday afternoon. The seminar will end with a short quiz. We’ll also be
asking you to complete a survey, to assessing the quality of the speakers and
the training materials offered in this seminar.”

Shae
stood and approached the white board. “Now, before our guest speakers arrive,
I’d like to capture some of your questions about risk and personal security so
we can ensure these questions are answered over the next few days.”

I
counted thirty eight hands in the air.

*
* * * *

Kadyn
was standing by the red and white checkered counter. He was waiting for Five
Guys to finish cooking our burgers. Chance and Jase were pushing two chrome
tables together while Cenia, Shae, and I filled everyone’s drink order.

“Here,
let me help you with that,” Rafael insisted.

I
turned and smiled at him. “I didn’t hear you walk in.” I added a little more
Sprite to the cup I was filling before snapping the lid into place.

Rafael
reached for the cups I’d already filled. “Thanks for inviting me to join you
guys. How’d it go today?”

I
followed him over to the tables Chance and Jase had secured. “It went well.
Kadyn and Cenia did a fantastic job. They taught our students water and
wilderness survival, the importance of having a knife on hand, and…”

“Who
knew
that
would prove more important than having a SIM card?” Shae interjected.
She and Cenia set the remaining drinks on the table.

I
handed Jase his drink. “Next time we travel for work, we’ll be purchasing
knives
and
SIM cards.” I wasn’t joking.

Rafael
pulled a chair out for me before sitting in the bright red chair to my left. “Did
you cover any other topics?”

“We
discussed various forms of interrogational torture, why it’s important to
resist and evade questioning, and the military code of conduct while in
captivity,” Cenia replied. She handed Chance his soda as she sank into the seat
next to him.

“Their
presentation was outstanding,” Jase opined. He claimed the chair between Rafael
and Shae, who was sitting on the other side of Chance.

“Thanks,”
Kadyn said. He set a tray full of burgers and fries in the center of the table
and dropped into the seat next to me. “That’s quite the compliment coming from
special ops.”

“I
was really proud of Shae and Kri for describing the electro-shock torture they
endured. I know that wasn’t easy, but I think that, more than anything, drove
home the importance of traveling with a security detail and staying close to
your bodyguards,” Chance remarked.

I
sifted through the pile of burgers until I found the two that had “jalapeno”
and “no mayo” scribbled across the foil wrappers. I kept one of the burgers and
handed the other to Rafael. “We have forty-three students, which is a lot more
than we anticipated. How hard is it going to be for you to work with that many
people during the self-defense training?”

Rafael
unwrapped his burger. “I think we should pull in some additional instructors.
The smaller the student-teacher ratio, the more hands on experience they’ll
gain.” He glanced at Jase. “Would you mind helping out Saturday morning?”

Jase
grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“There
are a lot of cute girls in my program,” I explained, when Rafael looked
surprised. “I’m sure he’s just dying to get his hands on them.”

“Can
I help?” Chance asked. “I was planning on being there to watch over this one,
anyway.” He jerked his head toward Shae.

Shae’s
hand fell in her fries. “I suppose you’re just dying to get your hands on all
those cute girls too.”

Chance
took a bite out of his burger before responding. “So what if I am? You’re still
pining after that mafia guy, Constantinople, or whatever his name is.”

“Konstantin.
His name is Konstantin,” Shae responded drily.

Rafael’s
eyes flitted between our two friends. “Are they a thing?” he asked, leaning
toward me.

“Not
yet,” I replied, “but they should be.”

Chance
grinned, but Shae shot me the stink eye. “You hush!”

I
looked pointedly at Chance. “Why don’t you stop dancing along the sidelines and
kiss her already?”

Chance
didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed Shae by the shoulders and drew her to her feet
in one fluid movement. He kissed her long and hard as he locked her in his
arms. Shae melted as she fell into the kiss. Our entire circle of friends and a
few other tables full of people whooped and hollered, cheering them on.

We
held our breaths when Chance released her. I was curious to see how she’d
respond.

Shae
touched her lips a bit dazedly. Her eyes looked glazed when she turned toward
me. “What have you done?”

Kadyn
stuffed the last of his burger into his mouth as an alarm sounded on his phone.
“We have to head over to the dance studio.”

“Saved
by the bell!” I announced cheerily. I glanced at Cenia. “Are you ready to get
your groove on with Katia and Anton?”

Cenia
reached for a handful of fries as I kissed Rafael goodbye. “Sure. I’ll follow
you over there.”

“I’ll
make sure Kri gets home safely,” Kadyn assured Rafael.

His
warm brown eyes sought mine. “I’ll meet you at home then.”

That
word,
home
, warmed me straight through to the bone. I shared one last,
lingering glance with Rafael as Kadyn and Cenia nudged me toward the door.

*
* * * *

Shae
sprawled across three hard plastic chairs. She looked completely exhausted.
“That was tough.”

I
propped her feet on top of my lap as I sank into the end chair. “I feel awful.
I can’t believe the simulation made them cry.”

“Some
of the students who assumed the interrogator role were brutal. Shoot. I thought
I was going to cry,” Shae replied.

I
trembled violently. The mock interrogation had been deeply unsettling. “Do you
think the simulation was too intense?”

“Turning
the lights off and having the victims bound might have been a little over the
top,” she whispered hoarsely. I suspected she was battling the same memories as
me.

Chance
pushed off from the wall. “If you thought that was over the top, you’re not
going to like what Rafael’s got planned for tomorrow.”

My
heart stalled. “Oh, God. Please tell me he’s not planning to bring the red
Stormtrooper suit.”

Jase
straddled the chair in front of me. “We’re bringing three Stormtrooper suits.”

Shae’s
eyes widened as she sat up. Her feet slowly found the floor. “Wh… what are you
talking about?”

Chance
sat in the chair next to Shae. “Padded assailant suits.”

Shae’s
eyes locked on mine. “This is so not going to end well.”

*
* * * *

Shae
and I stood on the sidelines while Rafael, Chance, and Jase attacked our
students. They were sparring on three different mats, which ran nearly the
entire length of the room. The vast majority of our students had proven eager
to take on the three handsome men, despite those God-awful suits. “So, has anything
more developed between you and Chance?” I asked. Between dance lessons, the
training, and Chance’s near-constant presence, we hadn’t been able to discuss the
big kiss.

Shae
scowled at me. “Thanks to you, Chance is officially courting me. What am I
supposed to do when Konstantin returns next month?”

One
of our female students let out a blood-curdling scream. Rafael had her pinned
to the mat. I was kind of wishing it was me he had pinned to the floor. I tore
my eyes from the mat so I could respond to Shae. “If you’d like, I can mediate
a dating agreement between the three of you.”

Shae
laughed. “I don’t think so."

I
glanced at the clock. “I think we should wrap this up. They’re going to need a
couple of hours to complete their personal security plans, the quiz, and the
end-of-course survey.” I caught the guys’ attention and twirled my finger in
the air.

Rafael,
Chance, and Jase spoke to their sparring partners before releasing them. The three
students joined the rest of their classmates along the outer edges of the mats.

Shae
walked out onto the center mat to address the students. “I’m sorry, but we need
to wrap up the self-defense training. All three of our instructors volunteered
for this assignment, so let’s give them a warm round of applause.”

Our
students gave Rafael, Chance, and Jase a standing ovation.

“The
pizza should be here any minute,” I announced. “Let’s take a break so everyone
can get something to drink and eat. We’ll begin work on your personal security
plans in twenty minutes.”

Rafael
joined me at the edge of the mat. He had already peeled the assailant suit off.
“So, what do you think?”

I
fingered the muscle shirt that was sticking to his chest and ran my hand along
his glistening skin. “I’m
thinking
I’d like you to pin me against the
floor, a countertop, and maybe the wall when we get home,” I replied wickedly.

A
grin spread like wildfire across his face. “I
think
you’ve got yourself
a date.”

*
* * * *

I
threw my practically new jeep into park, tapped the garage door opener to lower
the door, and tromped up the stairs. I nudged the kitchen door open and tossed
my purse on the counter. “You better be naked!” I shouted, then chuckled
softly.