Bound to my Enemy-Chapter 161.
"Great. Just great"
Aaron rolls his shoulders slightly.
"And just so you know," he adds casually, "he meant what he said."
"About what?"
"Me not going easy on you."
I glare at him.
"You Traitor."
Aaron smirks.
"Ready?"
I raise my hands again.
"Let’s get this over with."
Aaron rolls his shoulders once, loosening them.
"Alright," he says.
I stare at him.
"You’re actually going to continue?"
"You heard him."
Aaron raises one eyebrow.
I sigh heavily and drag my hands down my face.
"Fantastic."
He gestures to the mat.
"Come on."
I step back onto it reluctantly, stretching my arms out a little to shake off the stiffness from earlier.
Aaron watches me carefully.
"Ready?"
"No."
"Good enough."
He moves first and Unlike Zane, Aaron doesn’t strike immediately. He circles me slowly, watching my stance like he’s studying a puzzle.
"Your guard is too low," he says.
"It’s not."
"It is."
Before I can argue, he flicks his hand forward and taps my shoulder.
"See?"
"That barely counts."
"Point proven."
I grit my teeth and tighten my guard.
Aaron’s style is different from Zane’s. Zane fights like a storm....fast, aggressive and overwhelming.
Aaron is calmer and more calculated.
He attacks suddenly, I block the first strike but the second, his foot sweeps lightly behind my ankle and I hit the mat with a dull thud.
"Damn it."
He offers me a hand bt I slap it away and push myself up.
"Again."
Aaron shrugs.
"Your funeral."
The next twenty minutes are brutal, every time I think I’ve improved something, Aaron dismantles it.
My punches are too slow, my stance shifts too much and my balance is terrible. At one point he literally steps aside and lets me trip over my own momentum.
I hit the mat again hard.
"Oh my God," I groan, staring up at the ceiling. "This is humiliating."
Aaron crouches slightly above me.
"You’re improving."
"That’s a bloody lie."
"It’s not."
"You’ve knocked me down seven times."
"Eight," he corrects.
I sit up and glare at him
"You’re enjoying this aren’t you."
"Just a little."
I push myself back to my feet, breathing harder now. Sweat is sticking strands of hair to the back of my neck.
Aaron watches me again, then he says something strange.
"You know he’s not doing this for fun right?."
I pause.
"What?"
He crosses his arms loosely.
"Training you."
I frown.
"Of course he’s not doing it for fun. He’s doing it because he likes controlling people."
Aaron’s mouth twitches faintly.
"You think that’s the reason?"
"Yes."
He shakes his head.
"You really don’t see it, do you?."
"See what?"
Aaron hesitates and for a moment it looks like he might say something more. Then he steps back.
"Never mind."
"Oh no," I say immediately. "You don’t get to say that and walk away. What does that mean?"
"Focus on your stance."
"Aaron."
He gestures toward the mat again.
"Come on."
I stare at him.
"You’re unbelievable."
But I raise my hands again anyway.
"Fine."
We start circling but I’m distracted now.
"What did you mean?"
Aaron doesn’t answer me he lunges forward suddenly and I barely block in time.
"Focus."
"I am focusing!."
"You’re not."
He knocks my arm aside and lightly taps my ribs.
"Dead."
I groan.
"Can you stop doing that?"
"Can you stop leaving yourself open?"
I swing at him in frustration and he dodges easily.
"You fight angry," he says.
"I am angry."
"I can tell."
Another strike, another block and stumble. By the time we finally stop I’m exhausted and my arms feel like lead and my breathing is uneven.
Aaron tosses me a towel, that I catch it and wipe sweat from my face.
"Remind me why I agreed to this again."
"You said you didn’t want to be fragile."
I sigh.
"Yeah Right."
Aaron leans against the wall near the weight rack and for a moment neither of us speaks, then his phone buzzes, he glances down at it.
His expression changes.
"What?" I ask.
He doesn’t answer immediately. Instead he types something quickly and slips the phone back into his pocket.
"What’s going on?" I ask again.
Aaron straightens.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
That answer does not reassure me, but before I can push further, the door opens again.
Zane walks back in, his expression is darker than before like whatever he was Called for in his office didn’t go well.
Aaron pushes away from the wall.
"Well?" he asks.
Zane doesn’t answer right away, Instead he looks at me then at Aaron.
"We have a problem."
My stomach tightens slightly.
"What kind of problem?"
Zane ignores the question and turns to Aaron.
"Thomas called again."
Aaron’s posture stiffens.
"What did he find?"
Zane runs a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.
"Something about the crash."
The air in the room changes instantly as the memory of that night flashes through my mind without warning.
The screeching tires and the smell of smoke.
"What about it?" Aaron asks.
Zane’s eyes flick to me briefly before returning to him.
"They finally traced the source."
"Who?"
Zane’s jaw tightens.
"That’s the problem."
A beat of silence passes..... then he says quietly,
"I don’t think the hit wasn’t meant for Elaine."
My head snaps up.
"What?"
Aaron frowns.
"What do you mean?"
Zane’s voice drops slightly.
"It was meant for me."
Aaron says slowly,
"You’re sure?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"The car that hit us was following my route that night," Zane explains. "Not hers."
My heart starts beating faster
"So... the attack wasn’t about me at all."
"No."
Zane’s eyes darken.
"Someone wanted me dead."
The silence that follows feels heavy.
Aaron crosses his arms thoughtfully.
"Did Thomas figure out who ordered it?"
Zane hesitates.....rhat hesitation sends a chill down my spine.
"What?" Aaron presses.
Zane exhales slowly
"He has a lead."
"Who?."
Zane’s gaze shifts briefly in my direction and something unreadable flickers in his expression.
Then he looks back at Aaron.
"It might be Lucas."
My breath catches. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"My brother?"
