Let's Kill Her (Book #1)

(ﾒ￣▽￣)︻┳═一(36)

I've reviewed my strategy over and over in my head, although it's heard to plan for someone like Rose. I look at the door for the hundredth time. Sehun should have been back by now.

On top of my anxiety over meeting Rose and over the network of peopler clearly trying to kill me, my thoughts keep going back to my parents and everything I don't know about them. What they were like when they were my age, whether they liked being Strategia, how many assassins they ultimately had to kill to protect themselves and me, where I factored into the decisions they made. It's almost more than I can take.

My door opens and I jump from my seat near the fireplace.

Sehun wears the same worried expression he had when he left. "It's done," he says quietly as he latches the door behind him.

"And? Did she say anything or give my indication that he would show up?" I ask, searching his face for clues.

"No. But we're talking about Rosé, and this is an opportunity to get you in a vulnerable position. I doubt she'll miss it," he says.

Sehun removes his cloak and rolls up his sleeves. I give him a questioning look. He's not getting ready to spar with me, is he?

I flip my hair over my shoulder, and just as I do, Sehun aims a punch at my stomach. I block and immediately adjust my stance so that I'm not open to him. Well, I guess that answers that question.

"Mediocre defense," he says, and takes a swing, this time at my face.

I dodge his fist.

"If I were Rose, that punch would have hit you. You can't be that slow," he says. "And if she comes after you in the trees, it's mostly going to be hand work. She might manage a kick if she's able to brace herself, but otherwise you can expect that any attack will be aimed at your upper body."

I jab at him, but he easily steps out of reach before I'm halfway there and grabs my wrist, pulling me off balance. I stumble forward. He hooks his arm around my neck in a loose choke hold, pulling me into his chest.

"Don't counter unless you absolutely have to. I've told you that," he says roughly, and releases me. "You'll instantly put yourself at a disadvantage. You're fast and you learn quickly, but you need to be ready. You need to pay attention to visual cues."

"But I saw your shoulder move and -"

"That's not what I'm talking about," he says, and it's obvious that he's still frustrated about the Rose meeting. "I gave you three cues that I wanted to fight you and you fixed your hair instead of getting yourself into a defensive position."

Wow. He's in a mood.

"Okay, well, what were your cues?" I spit back at him. "Rolling up your sleeves?"

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "You're frustrated. That's good," he says. "Maybe now you'll pay better attention."

Man, I wish I could fast-forward to being a better fighter so that I could knock him out.

"I taught you what to look for when you're already fighting - which foot is back, where your opponent's eyes go before they take a swing, and which muscle tense. But what you don't know are the signs that tell you someone wants to fight," he says.

"Are you getting any of those vibes from me right now? Because you should be," I say.

He lifts a brow again. "Look at your opponent's chin to jut out or their jaw to clench - like this," he says, gritting his teeth and lifting his jaw in my direction. "When people are angry, they frequently grit their teeth. And jutting your jaw is a territorial gesture - a sign that you're threatening someone's personal space. Now, it'll never be as pronounced and obvious with Strategia as with some idiot in a bar, so you're going to have to be alert for a more subtle version of it."