As if she knew I was thinking of her, Zaphire came knocking, ready for the self-defence session I had scheduled for Eliza and her. She was half an hour early so I guess she was keen, especially as she wasn't known for her brilliant time keeping. I had just given Eliza another task to do which she needed to finish, so she plonked herself down on the sofa and observed Eliza wistfully. I prodded her in the neck and told her to snap out of it. She seemed to have it badly for her as she wasn't normally this obvious. Interesting. Not something she would readily admit though.
I could do some exercise myself whilst keeping an eye on Eliza and I was craving it. I needed a good work out and I was particularly looking forward to having a good boxing match with Brody. If anyone could kick my ass, it would be him and I had to work incredibly hard to keep on top of him. Not always successfully, I had to admit. He was a much better boxer technically than me. Like Zaphire, my stealth and speed were the only ways I could win a fight against Brody as our strength was equally matched.
Exercise made me focus and get a clear head, which I needed to devise my strategic plan to present to Markus. We somehow had to make a meet happen between Eliza and Rick without arousing any suspicions. I wasn't quite sure what angle I had to go for to facilitate this. There won't be any hiding the fact Eliza is his daughter as he'll detect the familial scent straight away. He probably knew exactly what she looked like anyway. I still hadn't decided whether to make the meet seem coincidental or arranged.
Whilst distracted by my musings I got drawn back to reality by Brody breaking through my defence and splitting my lip. I winced but wanted to keep going. Brody stopped though, and made me clean up my face before proceeding.
“Mate, I can't fight you if you get distracted like that again. Your face will be a mess and you won't thank me for that later. You'll have to explain yourself to Markus then, and you won't want to say you lost concentration! You'll end up in isolation again." he laughed out loud.
I didn't think I'd live that one down for a long time. Great. I landed a right hook right on his chin to shut him up and we were soon fully concentrating on the fight again. I felt elated after we called it a day when both of us were feeling a bit bruised and battered. Such an adrenaline rush, I loved it.
I looked over at Eliza and Zaphire, who, by the looks of it were done too. They were sitting together on the floor doing stretches and having a good old chat. It was nice to see Eliza in such good spirits, but I had to put a stop to it. No rest for the wicked as they say.
“Eliza, get your arse over here, please." I shouted across.
I could see the disappointment in her face but she did get up just about quickly enough not to warrant a shouting at.
“Yes Sir, on my way."
As she stood up she whispered something to Zaphire, who looked alarmed as it was directed at me and it wasn't very polite. The silly girl kept forgetting we could hear whispers, even though she had the same ability now.
“Let's start with an apology for your rude comment and then you can give me fifty push-ups, Miss Mankuzay. I'm tempted to take you to the bathroom and wash your mouth with soap, especially when bad language is directed at me." I said sternly.
She looked mortified and stammered out an acceptable apology. She quickly went down to the floor and struggled through her push-ups. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, but she did not give up. She managed out of sheer determination, but when she counted her fiftieth one she collapsed on the floor in a heap. I ordered her to get up, not giving an inch. I didn't want to know what rude names for me went through her head now, but she stayed calm.
“Time for a bath now. You need to give those muscles time to recover.”
I pushed her gently to get her moving in the direction of our room. She was absolutely exhausted. Zaphire walked along side her, looking concerned. I could feel she was annoyed with me but was wise enough not to challenge me in front of Eliza. I'm sure I would hear her concerns soon enough and as expected when Eliza was in the bath, Zaphire started on me.
“You push her too hard, brother. You are being a complete dickhead." she challenged.
I let out a deep sigh before answering.
“That's my job, Zaphire. I know when things get too much for her, and she hasn't reached that limit yet. Don't worry, she's a tough one. You're letting your feelings for her get in the way. Be careful, Zaph." I warned her.
“How did she get on with her self- defence techniques?”
I changed tack to avoid further criticism.
“She was awesome. Looks like you can do with some more defensive skills though!"
She pointed teasingly at my split lip.
“I gave as good as I got," I said haughtily.
“I think Brody will be wearing a bruise on his cheek too. Serves him right for mocking me!”
CHAPTER 31
The bath was heavenly and Zack had given me, uncharacteristically, quite a long time to soak and pamper myself. I needed it and as usual, Zack knew. My muscles were already sore from the work out and then the annoying punishment push-ups. Why couldn't I just remember to keep my mouth shut! I'd been doing so well, but Zaphire entices the
