The Recruit: Book One (8 page)

“Something on my face, Hannah?”  Leanne asked.

“What?  Oh no – I’m sorry.  I was just lost in thought.”  Hannah
smiled at her.

Leanne nodded and gave her a cool, appraising look.  “How
did your tests go this morning?”

“Good – I think.”

“Just the hand-to-hand this afternoon?”

“Yes.”  Hannah replied.

“I hear that’s your weakest – good luck.”

“Thanks.”  Hannah gave her a tense smile.  Did everyone know
everything in this place? Leanne was the third person today to wish her luck at
the combat test, and she was starting to think Selena was right – she did have
her head in the clouds.

She cleared her throat nervously as Leanne continued to
stare at her.  If this many people knew about her struggles with her training,
how many of them knew what had happened between her and Will?  She hadn’t told
anyone, and she was positive that Will hadn’t said a word about it but what
about Chen?  She knew nothing about the man and he rarely joined the other
instructors in the cafeteria.  When he wasn’t training the recruits, he spent
most of his time in his private quarters.

“She’ll be just fine.”  Selena said firmly.

Hannah realized that Leanne was no longer looking at her but
at something beside her.  A large smile crossed her face and she said in a low,
seductive voice, “Hello Will.”

Hannah groaned inwardly and glanced upwards to see Will
standing next to her. 

“Ladies.”  Will said curtly.

“How are you today?”  Leanne was practically purring and a
strong thread of hatred for the girl shot through Hannah.  Its ferociousness
surprised her and she took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down.

“Fine thanks, Leanne.”  Will replied.  He gave her a small
smile and another emotion, Hannah recognized it reluctantly as jealousy, reared
its ugly head within her.

Will glanced at Selena and Hannah, the smile dropping from
his face.  “Your final test is in an hour – don’t be late.”

“Yes sir.”  Selena squeaked.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”  Hannah said, giving him a fake
brittle smile.

He frowned at her and walked away as Leanne turned in her
seat to stare at his ass.

“Jesus, he’s so hot.”  She moaned, turning back to Hannah
and Selena.  She grinned wickedly at them as Selena laughed and took a sip of
her water.

“He seems fond of you.”

“I know right?”  Leanne said dreamily.  “We have a special
relationship.”

“Oh really?”  Hannah arched an eyebrow at her.  “My
understanding is that you threw yourself at him and was quickly rejected.”

Leanne glared at her before pasting a smile back on her face.
 “The first time yes, but trust me – he couldn’t resist the second time.”

Another stabbing twinge of jealousy went through Hannah as
Selena raised her hand and high-fived Leanne across the table.  “You go, girl!”

She glanced around and leaned in.  “Spill your guts.  What’s
he like in bed?”

Leanne grinned.  “Let’s just say he knows his way around a
woman’s body and leave it at that.”

“You’re killing me!”  Selena giggled.  “At least tell me if
he’s as demanding in bed as he is in the training field.”

Leanne winked at her.  “He knows exactly what he wants, and he
goes right ahead and takes it.  I don’t think that man has a gentle bone in his
body.”

Hannah stood up abruptly.  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to
do some exercise and work off this lunch before the next test.” 

* * *

Hannah winced as Selena rushed Mannie and leaped at him. 
The force of her small body propelled him to the ground but before she could
pin him, he flipped her onto her back.  With a loud grunt, she lifted her knees
and shoved him away before leaping to her feet.

“Bring it, little baby.”  Mannie grinned and crooked his
finger at her. 

“Ladies first.”  Selena panted, and Mannie gave her another
broad grin and dove for her legs.  She leaped nimbly to her left, falling on to
her shoulder and jumping back to her feet in a flash as Mannie stumbled and
fell.  She jumped on Mannie’s back and wrapped her arms around his head and
neck, squeezing fiercely.  Mannie staggered to his feet and tried to shake her
but she clung like a monkey.  After a few minutes Mannie’s face was nearly
purple, and Richard blew the whistle that hung around his neck.

Grinning, Selena released her hold on him and dropped to the
ground.  She danced around the mat, fist-pumping the air as Hannah and the
other recruits clapped and cheered.

“Well done, Selena.”  Richard smiled and checked the
clipboard he was holding.  “Okay, last one.  Hannah, you’re up.”

Selena squeezed her shoulder as they passed each other.  “You
can do it, Hannah.”

Hannah nodded nervously and waited for Ryan, one of the
older recruits, to approach the mat.  Mannie and Ryan had been taking turns acting
as the assailants for the recruit’s test, and she was thankful she had Ryan. 
He was smaller than Mannie and not as strong, and she could feel her confidence
level rising as Ryan slipped off his shoes and started towards the mat.

Her newfound confidence turned to dread when Will clapped
Ryan on the shoulder.  “I’ve got this.”

Ryan nodded and stepped back as Will, wearing a t-shirt and
sweats, took his shoes off and moved on to the mat.  He stood in front of her.  “Ready?”

She paused and glanced desperately at Richard who frowned. 
“Is there a problem, Hannah?”

She looked back at Will.  He was staring silently at her,
and she could clearly read the expression on his face. It practically screamed
‘chickenshit’ at her.

“No, Richard.  I’m ready.”  Hannah took a deep breath and
thought quickly.  She had to rethink her strategy.  Will was big and strong,
and she didn’t have a chance at besting him with strength.  She would have to
be fast on her feet and avoid getting caught up by him.

They circled each other silently as more recruits and
instructors gathered around them.  Hannah could see from the corner of her eye
that even Chen was standing still and quiet at the edge of the crowd.

“What’s with all the people?”  Selena whispered to Mannie.

He shrugged and said quietly, “No one’s ever seen Will
engage in a combat test with a baby before.”

“Come on, little baby.”  Will sneered softly.  “You gonna
just stare at me all day?”

“You want me – come and get me.”  She taunted.  “Or are you
afraid of a little girl like me?”

With a low, angry growl he sprinted towards her. 

“Breathe, Hannah.”  She muttered to herself and as he
reached for her, she grabbed his forearm and turned her body, socking her hip
into his midsection, exactly as Mannie had taught them.  The move worked like a
charm.  Will sailed over her hip, landing with a thud on the mats.

Before he could stagger to his feet, she had dropped onto
his chest.  She pinned his shoulders down with her knees and pushed all of her
weight down.

“Give up?”  She asked.

He looked up at her, his chin nestled firmly in her crotch,
and wrapped his large hands around her thighs.  She shuddered a little at his
touch, cursing her traitorous body as he grinned.

“Oh it won’t be that easy, baby.”

He squeezed her thighs and heaved her body off of him as if
she weighed no more than a feather.  She hit the floor hard, her breath
escaping in a harsh whoosh, but she immediately scrambled to her feet.  She had
just gained her feet when she felt Will’s hand snake around her ankle.  She
yelped as he yanked her feet out from under her and she fell onto her back, her
head bouncing off the mat. 

Quick as a flash he straddled her, pinning her arms down
with his hands and leaning over her.  He grinned wolfishly at her.  “Give up?”

She wheezed something at him and he leaned further down.  “What
was that, baby?”

She head butted him viciously and he roared in shock and
pain, his grip loosening.  She used his shock to her advantage, bucking her
entire body upwards and twisting violently to the left.  He fell off of her and
she scrabbled to her feet, backing up to the far end of the mat as the crowd
cheered. 

Panting, he stood and faced her.  She could see the red mark
on his cheek where she had hit him and as he rubbed it with his fingers, she
grinned cheekily at him.  “Give up?”

He started towards her and she surprised him and the crowd,
by racing forward to meet him.  As he reached for her she dropped to her knees
and slid across the slippery mat under his arms.  As she slid past him she
elbowed him directly in the crotch.

He grunted loudly and dropped to his knees, cupping his
balls as the entire crowd gasped and the men winced. 

“No fair!  She hit him in the jewels!”  Mannie cried and
Selena grinned at him.

“You’ve told us time and time again to do whatever it takes –
remember, Mannie?”

She turned back to the fight just in time to see Hannah leap
onto Will’s back, and wrap her arms around his head and neck like she had done
with Mannie.

“Go Hannah go!”  She shouted as Hannah wrapped her long legs
around Will’s waist and locked them firmly around his sternum.

Will clambered to his feet.  His face was bright red and
Hannah was squeezing so hard, Selena had no idea how he was even breathing, let
alone standing.

With a loud wheeze he pulled her legs apart, the muscles in
his arm bulging with the effort, and bent over, flipping her over his head. 
She lost her grip on his neck and slammed down to the floor, the breath knocked
out of her.  He fell on her, straddling her once more and pinning her arms
above her head.

She squirmed furiously underneath him.  He leaned over her
and she tried to head butt him again, but this time he was ready and dodged it
easily.

“Give up.”  He demanded.

“Never!”  She spat and continued to struggle.

Hannah writhed and twisted under him.  She was furious and,
she realized with dismay, more than a little turned on.  The feel of Will’s
body on hers was making her ache with need despite her anger.  As his gaze dropped
first to her mouth and then her heaving breasts, she felt a thin thread of
satisfaction when his eyes turned yellow.

Will stared at Hannah’s mouth.  His balls ached with a deep,
throbbing pain and his throat felt like it was on fire, but he had an almost
undeniable urge to kiss her.

“Fuck it.”  He thought and leaned his head down.  Her eyes
widened with shock but she made no attempt to avoid his mouth.  Instead, her
lips parted in anticipation.  Before he could kiss her, Richard’s voice broke
through the haze.  “Enough, Will.”

He looked up.  The crowd had fallen silent, and they were
staring at him and Hannah.  He let her go and stood up, holding his hand out to
her.

“Fuck!”  Hannah shouted.  She ignored his hand and staggered
to her feet.  Her face was red and her body was shaking with anger.  She
stomped off the mat, pushed through the crowd and disappeared through the doors
of the gym.  Selena hesitated and then ran after her.

“Alright folks, shows over – go on.”  Richard addressed the
crowd as Will slipped into his shoes.

“What was that about?”  Richard frowned at him as the crowd
broke up.

“Nothing.”  Will muttered.  He wasn’t about to tell Richard
he had stepped in because the thought of another man touching Hannah, even in a
mock training drill, made him crazy with jealousy.  He left the gym and headed
to his living quarters for a cold shower.

Hannah stared at the closed door of Richard’s office.  A
combination of dread and anxiety was coursing through her, making her palms
sweat and her stomach nauseous.  It was early the next morning.  The recruits
had eaten breakfast together and then gathered in the common area, waiting
nervously for Richard to call them individually into his office.

One by one they had been called to his office, until only
Hannah was left.  The others, who had all graduated to the next stage of
training, were waiting patiently for her back in the common room.  She
swallowed hard before knocking lightly on the door with a badly-trembling hand.

“Come in.”  Richard called and she entered the room.  She
crossed the room and nearly collapsed into the chair in front of the desk.  She
gave Richard a small, sick smile while her hands twisted and turned in her lap.

“How are you today, Hannah?”  He asked.

“Fine.  I’m fine – good.”  She croaked out.  

It was a complete lie.  After her humiliating defeat at the
hands of Will she had stormed back to her dorm and locked herself in the
bathroom, ignoring Selena’s pleas to come out and talk to her.  She would be
kicked out of the program, and the thought that she would never find revenge
for her sweet Sara filled her with shame and anger. 

Long after Selena had fallen asleep, Hannah had stared
dry-eyed at the ceiling.  She had alternated between thoughts of how long she
would last back in the real world before a vampire tried to finish the job
Nathan had started, and how to convince Richard to give her a second chance. 
Finally, as the alarm clock had edged towards three, she had fallen into a
restless sleep. 

Richard smiled gently at her.  “You know, Hannah.  You’ve
done very well for yourself in the recruiting program.  Will, of course, has
his doubts but I’m impressed by how much you’ve improved.”

She nodded.  Her face was pale and her hands were clenched
together in a tight fist.

He stared silently at her for a few minutes and then
straightened the papers on his desk.  “Well, let’s not drag this out.” he said
briskly.  “Congratulations, you’re moving on to the next level.”

“Richard, listen to me.”  Hannah blurted out, her voice
heavy with desperation. “I am begging you for a second chance.  I’ve excelled
at every part of the program other than the combat section.  And if you really
think about it, hand-to-hand combat is completely useless against vampires
anyway.”