An Act of Obsession (Acts of Honor Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

even flinch.
    “Well, that was pathetic,” I muse out loud. Glancing at Kolan, I catch him smirking at me and notice what a striking smirk it is.
    “Not pathetic,” he says. “I haven’t shown you how to hit it yet.”
    I frown, wondering if the guy has a memory problem. “You just did.”
    “Not with power. Watch.” He moves to the bag, his hands also masked in gloves. “I’m going to throw the same punch you just did.” His fist connects with the bag, making it swing.
    “It makes a difference when you’re a hundred pounds heavier than me,” I grumble under my breath, but not quiet enough because he hears me.
    “This has nothing to do with size and everything to do with technique. Watch the difference with this next one.” This time, when he hits the bag, it flies. He catches it then turns back to me. “Did you see what I did differently?”
    I shake my head, completely clueless.
    “Come here.” Grabbing my shoulders, he places me in front of him again. “When you throw a punch it’s important you step into it. Your power doesn’t come from your arm, it comes from your hips.” He leads me through a new set of motions, adding to the ones he already showed me. “Good. Now make the bag move,” he says, stepping back.
    Sure, no problem.
    I hit the bag again, but of course nothing happens.
    “Again,” he orders.
    I do it a few more times with no success.
    “Quicker. Use your hips and put more power into your step.”
    Taking a deep breath, I back up then move into it faster, doing as he instructed. This time, I barely feel my fist connect with the bag but it actually moves.
    With a gasp, I spin to face Kolan. “Did you see that? It moved!”
    He nods, a smirk lifting his lips. “It did. Now do it again.”
    This time, I have a little more confidence and put more oomph into it, making the bag swing once more.
    I smile over at Kolan, happy about my small feat.
    “Good job. Let’s move to the ring now.”
    I follow him to the center of the gym where the ring is located. He steps on the rope, making an opening for me. After I climb in, I secure my infinity scarf a little tighter around me. His eyes follow my movement but he doesn’t call notice to it.
    “Let’s start with some basic scenarios first. In most cases, attackers strike with the element of surprise. It’s important for you to use the same tactic on them. Your reaction time is everything. So, as hard as it is in that situation, you need to control your fear and act quickly. If I were to jump out in front of you and grab your shoulder”—his large hand covers my bare shoulder—“the first thing you’re going to do is lower yourself. Slightly bend your knees.”
    I do as he says.
    “See how awkward my grip is on you now?”
    I nod.
    “It also makes me lower myself to you, which is good because of our height difference. Now there are a few different things you could do here. There are certain parts on the body that you want to aim for, to cause the most pain. The nose is one of them. Since I’m forced to bend down to keep my grip on you, this would be a good opportunity for you to take the heel of your hand and thrust up against my nose. Do it hard enough and you’ll break it.” Grabbing my wrist, he briefly shows me the motion. “Another place, and always the most effective when dealing with a guy, is his groin.”
    Without meaning to, I drop my gaze. When I realize what I’ve done, I snap my eyes back up to his face, hoping he didn’t notice, but no such luck.
    “You gotta look if you’re going to hit it,” he says with a smirk.
    My face flames, as I wish for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. The reaction only makes him chuckle and the sound does funny things to me again.
    “All right, now with this scenario, if you’re going for the groin you’re not going to push him away, you’re going to bring him closer. Grab his shirt or whatever he’s wearing then pull him in and bring your knee up… Go ahead and do