“True, but we haven’t evaluated their combat skills yet. There’s no way of knowing how this will play out. He’s bigger, got more muscle mass. If Rosario doesn’t really know what she’s doing, she could end up getting hurt.”
To be fair, it took more than brute strength to win a fight. Regardless of size, a man or woman could overpower a much stronger opponent with proper technique, agility, and speed. And from what he’d seen so far, Pinto wouldn’t screw with either of these women. Rosario was a Marine veteran who carried herself in a way that suggested she knew how to fend for herself. Vogel previously worked in military intelligence. Which organization, he had no idea, but it wouldn’t surprise him to learn she knew six ways to kill a man with a pair of eyebrow tweezers.
Ryan didn’t seem concerned. “Rosario ran with the big boys and saw combat overseas. I don’t think she’d poke the bear if she didn’t think she could handle it. We’ll tap the brakes if things start to go off the rails.”
“So what’s it gonna be, Garrett?” Rosario taunted. “I’ve got the guts to step into the ring. Do you?”
Moreooohsfrom the peanut gallery left Garrett with little room to maneuver. Now his manhood was at stake.
“Fine,” he ground through gritted teeth. “But I don’t want to hear any bitching when you get hurt.”
Pinto insisted they wear protective gear to reduce the risk of injury. He didn’t want anyone going home for the holidays with black eyes, broken bones, or missing teeth. Once they were ready, they stepped into the ring and stared each other down like two gunslingers in the middle of the street at high noon. Garrett was a good four inches taller and outweighed Rosario by at least fifty pounds. But she didn’t appear intimidated. To the contrary, she seemed to be looking forward to the fight.
Ryan stood between the pair. “You know the rules. If you hear the whistle, everything stops. Got it?”
Each voiced their understanding and went to their respective corners.
The bell rang, and Garrett charged out of his corner. Rosario ducked his swing, pivoted, and delivered a kick to the side that sent him stumbling.
Within a matter of seconds, their combat strategies became apparent. Garrett fought like a street brawler intent on inflicting maximum damage, while Rosario’s style was more along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Badass: dodge or deflect, and then counterstrike. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Each time, she targeted vulnerable areas, wearing him down with each passing strike.
Going low, Garrett hooked an arm around Rosario’s waist and slammed her back against the corner post. He angled his lower body to avoid a shot to the groin and drove a fist into her side. Rosario grunted, pain etched on her face, and responded with a knee to Garrett’s ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him tumbling backward. She followed up with a shot to the chin, and a kick to the chest that knocked him to the ground.
Calibuso let out a whoop. “Pay up, bitches!”
A whistle pierced the air as Ryan climbed into the ring and inserted his muscular frame between the two fighters. His features hardened, providing a rare glimpse of the cop he once was before joining his family to form Six Points. “All right, that’s enough. You proved your point. In fact, you proved it so well that I’m changing the assignments. Vogel, you’ll be working with Calibuso. Rosario, you’re with Garrett. That’s it for today. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Vogel and Calibuso didn’t seem to mind the change, but Rosario and Garrett each looked as if they’d just found out they’d been scheduled for an impromptu colonoscopy.
Tomorrow should be pretty interesting.
“You think that’s a good idea?” Pinto asked as the recruits headed for the exits.
“Sooner or later, they’ll have to work together. We might as well find out if that’s going to be a problem.” Ryan pushed off from the wall. “I’ll see you in the morning. Get plenty of rest, and make sure your medical bag is stocked.”
Once he was alone in the fitness center, Pinto switched on his phone. There was a message from Hatch, letting him know that Fiona was now the proud owner of shiny new locks and a kickass security system. He replied with athank you, grateful to know that Fi would be able to sleep at night without having to worry about some creep breaking into her apartment.
And yet a part of him that was becoming harder to ignore liked the idea of her spending another night in his bed, preferably with him. Doing all sorts of naked, sweaty things. Just thinking about it made his blood pressure skyrocket. But like it or not, that wasn’t part of their agreement, so he’d settle for keeping her safe.
There was one more thing that he wanted to do for her, but it was beyond his skill set. Well, technically, he could do it, but it would most likely land him in jail because he lacked the finesse to pull it off without getting caught. So he scrolled through his contacts and called the only person he knew who could turn his idea into a reality.
Essie answered the call on the second ring. She sounded breathless as though she’d been running, but her voice sounded calm. “Hey, Pinto. It’s been awhile. What’s up?”
“I need to call in a favor.” At the rate he was going, he’d be tapped out of favors by the end of the week. Not that it mattered. Fiona was totally worth it. He’d even be willing to owe a favor or two if it made her life easier. “I’ve got a situation where—”
“Hold that thought.” Essie cut him off. She said something too low for him to make out, and seconds later, the sound of multiple explosions carried over the phone.
“Essie, are you okay?”
Another explosion, and then he heard Essie shouting in a language he didn’t understand.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” She’d switched back to English. “Just taking care of business for a client. Now, what can I do for you?”
Curiosity nearly ate him alive, but he knew she wouldn’t divulge any details, so he didn’t bother to ask. Instead, he laid out exactly what he needed. Given the skills Essie had acquired during her years as a covert operative for the United States government, this should be a walk in the park for her.
“That’s it?” Essie sounded incredulous. “If you want, I could eliminate the problem altogether. Save you some trouble in the long run.”
He didn’t want to know what she meant by that statement, though he had a pretty good idea. Being a spy required a moral compass with a fair degree of flexibility. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
