The Raven Conspiracy

Chapter 28 - I Get to Beat Up My Boss

Chapter 28 – I Get to Beat Up My Boss

“Think fast, Maya!”

“What?”I shrieked and jumped out of the way. The dagger Kairo tossed at me embedded itself in the wall.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I exclaimed, curling my hand over my pounding heart.

“Well...It’s more like you need to learn how to not get killed.”

“I was managing that quite fine until you came along and started throwing pointy objects at me!”

I yanked the knife out of the wall and pointed it at him. Flecks of plaster showered from the blade like confetti. I was surprised that the office was still standing and that the walls weren’t on the point of crumbling with all the bullet and stab holes in them.

“This is for your own good. The better you get at dodging these pointy objects, the longer you’ll survive. Welcome to your first lesson,”

Out of nowhere, he swung a fist at me. I froze; he stopped the punch just before it hit my face. He frowned and stepped back. Then he paced to the back of the office and perched on his desk.

“You could have been dead if I didn’t stop,” he said seriously, tilting his head back. I shivered; it was a cold morning, I lied to myself. The office was still in shadow with the dim light-bulb. Kairo wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt and tracksuit trousers instead of his usual shirt and jeans. His hair fell across his eyes, hiding them. The effect was a little scary.

“Can I get a chance to put down my bag, at least?” I complained, striding to my desk to deposit my bag.

“No,” he answered, leaning back to pick something up out of his desk drawer. As I approached my desk, I felt something whizz past my head. I screamed as the blade thrummed into the wood, millimetres from where my hand was.

“Dammit, stop doing that!” I cursed. “You’re crazy.”

“I don’t think you quite realise how important this is, Maya.”

He jumped off the desk and took a few steps towards me. I spun around to face him.

“What?

“This work – it’s not game. This sh*t is serious, okay? If someone wants you dead, they will not wait for you.”

I held his gaze so that he knew I was focussed on his words.

“I know that. It is dangerous – I get it, alright. Don’t you think I’ve realised that by now?” I felt annoyance hint my voice as I rolled my eyes.

“I thought that you would have, but you don’t respond as if you did. Take this seriously. I don’t want to see you dead.”

“Are you sure about that? You act like you want me dead! In fact, most of the danger I’ve experienced was because you’ve been shooting and throwing knives at me!”

I paused, breathing heavily. His expression darkened. He stepped closer, shaking his head. He placed one hand on the side of the desk next to me and leaned forward so that my attention could not move from him. My breath caught in my throat.

“I missed on purpose every single time,” he said slowly. “If I really wanted you dead – like you seem to think – you would have been long gone. You need to get used to living in fear, because your life changed the day you got this job.

“What if you didn’t miss?” I murmured. “If you were just a few centimetres off I would be dead. How dare you risk my life like that, if you’re so concerned with keeping me alive?”

“To train you,” he answered. “Like I wanted to do this morning. We’re wasted more than enough time on this discussion already.”

He moved away from me, but I could tell that he was fuming; his jaw and fists were clenched tight.

I was annoyed, but I pushed it aside. He was right; I needed to listen to what he could teach me if I wanted to stay alive.

“Did you play any sports?” he asked with a sigh. “School, or wherever?”

I shook my head,

“Was never any good at any. No-one really wanted me on their teams anyway.”

“Not even athletics?”

“No...I was always too slow.”

“Great,” he muttered sarcastically. “You dodged surprisingly well.”

“I’ve got younger brothers who love playing soccer. None of them are any good at it, except when aiming the ball at their big sister’s head,” I answered.

He smirked,

“That’s a start. Okay...Where from now?”

He thought for a moment, before swearing and beckoning me over.

“Punch me,” he said calmly.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m great. You heard what I said, didn’t you? I can take a punch.”

I raised an eyebrow then grinned. It would be so much fun to deck him. I ran my eyes over him, deciding where to hit.

“Fine,” I said, balling my hand into a fist and slamming it into where I judged his solar plexus to be. He barely flinched.

“Well placed, but you won’t knock over a feather with that sheer lack of force.”

I glared at him, but he didn’t react.

“Oh? How do I punch you then, Mr Amazing?”

“The sarcasm is unnecessary, Maya. Listen and pay attention.”

He took my hand and curled it into a fist.

“You’re punching with the wrong part of your hand,” he said. He brushed his thumb over my knuckles.

“You punch with them, or you’ll break your fingers. Put as much force into it as possible.”

I nodded and rotated my hand the way he suggested. He stepped back as I tested it out on my palm a few times. I spun around and punched without looking. I felt my hand jar against something.

“F*ck! What did you just do?” Kairo exclaimed, touching his lip. There was blood on them and on his fingertips.

“Did I just do that?”I asked, more excited than I should have been. “I just punched you bleeding!”

I jumped up and down, grinning. I was happily surprised that I actually managed to pull off the move – albeit accidentally.

“I’m so glad you’re enjoying my suffering. Really, I am,” he muttered, his words muffled by the hand he kept pressed against the injury.

“I’m sorry,” I said, not sorry at all. “You did tell me to punch you.”

“I didn’t expect you to punch so hard...Or get it right!”

“So you thought I was a weakling?”

“Yes,” he answered bluntly. “This is more difficult than I thought it would be.”

“What is?”

“Teaching you to fight. I didn’t want to start with a gun – the destruction that would cause is unimaginable – but I’m starting to regret that decision. Just...just keep practicing those punches for a while – but not anywhere near me!”

“Wouldn’t this be easier at a gym?” I asked.

“Gyms aren’t open this early. Less talking, more punching,” he said, pulling up his chair and finding his notes.

I rolled my eyes and grinned. It was surprisingly fun so far, even though my arms were starting to pain from the effort. I hoped that it would be worth it.