CHAPTER 7: SNOW
Koi and Jin-Ho, another Elite Academy member, were late to sparring class. Lateness was unacceptable. Usually, I’d get on their case. 200 crunches, 15 laps around the gym, and one hell of a bitching out session were standard. But today, I went easy on them. 100 crunches, no laps.
There was only one guy I wanted to bitch out this morning.
“Tell me again, Bae Bae.” I circled the big man, looking for an opening.
“Nothing to tell,” he grunted.
“Why do you even like her?” I said. “Min-Hee’s all fun and sunshine. And you’re like…no fun, no laughs. You’re basically Sir Frowns-A-Lot year round.”
His jaw twitched.
“She’s 18,” I said, faking a strike.
“And?” He would’ve blocked me easily, but I pulled my hand at the last second. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Min’s too young for you, old man.”
Bae frowned. “Old?”
“You heard me.”
Bae Bae was two seconds away from a total beat down.
“I’m not old, Snow.”
“Yeah, you are,” I said, landing a solid kick to his solar plexus. Bae’s breath left him in a rush. “Shouldn’t have let your guard down. No way would I have gotten that hit a year ago. You’re losing it, Ahjusshi.”
Bae firmed up his stance.
I struck out at his jaw, but Bae Bae spun and landed a punch to my ribs.
“Easy shot,” I gasped, trying to get my breath back.
“Nice one,” someone shouted. A quick glance told me everyone had stopped their one-on-one sessions to watch ours. No problem. The more witnesses to Bae Bae’s humiliation the better. There’d been plenty of people at The Singing Fish last night. That embarrassment fresh in my mind, I laid into Bae Bae even harder.
“And Snow takes a hard hit to the ribs,” Koi said, assuming the position of sportscaster. “But now she looks angry as a bull in a china shop. Bae better watch his back.”
I feinted to the right, aimed a kick at his chest. Bae caught my foot and twisted. Rolling with him, I snapped my other leg out at his shoulder. He dropped me, but the blow connected. Bae was rubbing his arm as I stood.
“Ah, what’s wrong, Ahjussi,” I taunted. “You need some recovery time? I’ll wait.”
Bae smiled then, which felt like he’d landed another hit. Bae hardly ever smiled. It was a scary sight.
“What?” I said.
He raised a brow. “She doesn’t think I’m old. Min-Hee likes to call me Oppa.”
I paled. No…no, she wouldn’t. Oppa was too cutesy. Even for Min.
“I like to call her things, too”—Bae Bae shrugged like it was some big secret—”but that’s between Min-Hee and me.”
“If you hurt Min…” I said, letting the threat hang.
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. But I promised her I’d take you out”—I landed a quick kick to his hip just as a warning—”And I’ll do it if I have to. I’m already pissed that you guys kept this from me.”
Bae smiled again. Two in one day? What the…it was like a sign of the Apocalypse or something.
“It was none of your business, Snow-Soon.”
“I am so gonna kick your ass, right now,” I said. He knew I hated that name. Only Omma had permission to use it.
Without waiting for a reply, I aimed a punch at his face. He blocked and tried to get under my arm to flip me, but I escaped. Bae Bae and I circled each other. He kicked, I sidestepped. I grabbed his arm, he spun away. It was like a dance. Bae and I had been practicing together since we were kids. Both of us knew the other’s moves. Koi was officiating the entire time. Two more strikes, two more blocks. This could’ve gone on forever.
Good thing I knew Bae Bae’s weakness.
He was totally by the book, and I was a risk taker.
Striking high with my right hand, I gave Bae the perfect opening. He took it. My stomach burned from the punch to the gut, but I quickly dropped to the ground, lashing out with my left foot. Perfect sweep. Bae went to the mats, face-first, with a boom. Grabbing his arm, I twisted it and jumped on his back, thighs putting the strangle hold on his ribcage.
“Reckless, Snow-Soon,” Bae shot over his shoulder. His face was so surprised I wheezed a laugh.
“Yeah, but it paid off,” I said. “Will you love Min-Hee for the rest of your lives?”
“Yes,” he said.
I gave his arm a nice yank. “Will you treat her good?”
He winced. “Yes, of course.”
“Okay, last thing,” I said. “This is a big one. Will you promise not to paw all over her and subject me to huge amounts of sickeningly sweet PDA?”
Bae was silent.
“Bae Bae,” I warned.
“Alright,” he muttered. “No PDA.”
“Then tap out before you pass out, old man.”
Bae sighed, put his head down on the mat, tapped twice. Smiling, I rolled to my feet. Bae Bae got up and brushed off his gi. Leaning in, he mumbled, “Sorry.”
I knew he wasn’t talking about the fight. I looked into his eyes, could tell he meant it.
“It’s okay, Bae Bae. We’re cool.”
The Academy was filled with applause as Koi lifted my arm into the air and shouted, “Winner!” The time’s Bae Bae had been pinned could be counted on one hand. Once when he had the flu, another time when he had a broken arm, the other three were all me. He pretty much always came out on top. Which meant everyone here had gotten their butts kicked by him a time or two. My victory was a win for everybody. I did a little jig to celebrate.
Bae Bae shook his head.
“The Snow Queen just dropped the boom on you, Bae.” Koi smacked him on the back.
“She took a stupid risk,” he said.
“I did not,” I said. “That leg sweep was perfection.”
Bae looked like he wanted to argue but couldn’t. The sweep had been textbook. My dance was moving into gloating territory—especially when I whipped out the sprinkler—but it couldn’t be helped. Bae Bae needed to let go sometimes. He was too serious as it was.
“I was talking about before the sweep,” he said. “You left your mid-section wide open. What if I’d had a knife?”
“You didn’t have a knife.”
“But what if I had?”
“But you didn’t.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
“Listen, if you’d whipped out your imaginary knife, I’d have pulled my imaginary katana, sliced your puny weapon, and pinned your ass to the mats with my Jedi mind tricks. Different scenario, same results.”
He tried to disguise his chuckle as a cough, but I caught it. Bae Bae liked to pretend he disapproved of everything. I liked to think it was his strict diet that made him so uptight. Truth was, even with all the muscle, he was a big softie at heart. Maybe that was why he and Min-Hee had fallen for each other.
“I should post that shit on YouTube,” Koi laughed. “It’d get a million hits easy.”
Bae Bae’s face went blank-slate. “You do, and you’re a dead man.”
“No need for threats.” He nudged my side. “Hey, about last night...you’re not really mad right?”
“Nope,” I finished my dance with a shimmy-shake. “But I’m still going to get you.”
Koi paled.
The guy seriously thought I was planning something. No joke. I could see the paranoia in his eyes. I gave him a finger-twinkle, and he tripped on his way back to his sparring partner. This was too fun. I figured I’d let him sweat it out a day or two before I made my move.
“Everyone back to work,” Bae said—then to me, “Let’s talk.”
Uh-oh. I knew that look. Something was bugging him big time. Thinking he wanted to chew me out some more about the match, I said, “Look, I know it was a dumb move, but it worked. You can’t deny that.”
Bae Bae didn’t say anything until we were on the other side of the room.
“What’s with you and Ash Stryker?”
I was so not prepared for that. “What do you mean?”
“He’s coming to The Academy, staring at you, making trouble.” Bae crossed his arms. “Come on, Snow. The idiot obviously has a thing for you. I want it to stop. Now.”
“You’re wrong,” I said.
“Am I?”
I thought about last night. The memory of Ash’s hands in my hair as I puked, the drunks who’d made the mistake of jumping us, the beer bottle, his poor face. But Ash had smiled right before the door closed. That told me he wasn’t totally disgusted by what’d gone down in the alley. The way he’d looked at me...
I smiled before I could stop it.
Bae groaned. “Please, don’t tell me you’re falling for him.”
“I’m not.” Was I? Good Lord, I hoped not. That’d be a disaster.
“Snow-Soon.”
“Shit, Bae Bae. You know I hate that,” I snapped. It hurt like hell to admit it, but I wasn’t an idiot. “There’s nothing going on, okay? I’m not falling for him, and Ash would never be interested in me. Not in a million years.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ash has got prettier, blonder chicks to go after. Why would he waste his time?”
“And what’s wrong with you?” Bae Bae wanted to know. “Why wouldn’t the jerk want you? You’re great, Snow.”
Wonderful. He was offended on my behalf. It’d be funny if it wasn’t so depressing.
“Have you looked at me lately?” I asked. My hair was falling out of its knot as usual. After our match, the sweat had dried to my forehead. My gi fit like an ugly over-sized potato sack, and a tube of cherry Chap Stick was the closest I got to makeup. Was Bae seriously that blind? “There’s not a feminine bone in my body.”
“I’m looking at you right now.” The big man shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “You’re kinda pretty. I guess.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said.
“He’d be lucky to have you.”
“This conversation’s getting weird, Bae.”
“No really, you’re strong, quick, clever”—he held up a finger for each attribute—”Great upper body strength. You’ve got a side-kick that could take out a brick wall. Your biceps are as hard as…”
“Stop,” I grimaced. “You make me sound like some kind of science project gone wrong.”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Which is exactly why Ash wouldn’t be interested,” I said. Man, the truth hurt. My heart was as bruised as my body at this point. I bit out the next words. “I think I can safely say that Ash Stryker won’t be coming back.”
Bae Bae looked so relieved I forced a laugh.
“I mean, why would he? He has absolutely no reason to…to…”
My voice trailed off.
“Snow?”
Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew Bae Bae had said my name. But I didn’t respond. Couldn’t. My eyes were glued to the front door, to the person who’d just walked in. It was like he’d known we were talking about him.
Ash caught my eye and grinned.
“Oh,” I breathed.
Eyes closed, Bae Bae mumbled, “He’s here, isn’t he?”
I nodded like an idiot as Ash waved. My hand lifted on its own.
Bae cursed then turned to get a look at our now full lobby.
Ash was standing at the Academy’s front desk with a woman I assumed was his mother. Early forties, body of a twenty-something, the blonde started talking to my mom, gesturing with her hands. Omma listened, cold stare in place. Smith the Security Guard was there, too, but he stood off to the side, looking like the kid who had to keep quiet while the grownups talked.
“What do you think she’s saying?” I asked.
Bae Bae shook his head. “No idea. Judging by Ahjumma’s face, though, it looks serious.”
As we watched, Mrs. Stryker leaned in and handed Omma a manila folder. She looked tense. There wasn’t a blonde hair out of place, but I could see the stiffness in her shoulders from here. Something she said got Ash’s attention because he rolled his eyes and interrupted. Omma shut the folder, looked up—and locked eyes with me.
I swallowed.
“Looks like she wants you,” Bae said.
“You sure?” I said back. “I think she’s looking at you.”
“Snow-Soon Lee!” I winced as Omma raised her voice to call me over. “Could you come here, please? Bring Bae with you.”
“Man, she sounds pissed.”
“The longer you wait the worse it’ll be,” Bae said.
He was right. I knew it, but that didn’t make the walk to the front desk any easier. Mom’s frown paired with Ash’s grin and Mrs. Stryker’s obvious distress. It felt like a trap.
“Yes, Omma,” I said, trying my best not to look at Ash—though I could feel him staring at me. My eyes didn’t listen. This close I could see that almost the entire left side of his face was purple. The bruise on his jaw had blossomed over night. Jeez. No wonder his mom was in freak-out mode.
“Mrs. Stryker has just told me some interesting news,” Omma said, face giving nothing away. “She says you and her son were attacked last night at The Singing Fish. Is this true?”
“It is.”
“And you took the men out?”
I gave her a look. “Of course. I did exactly what I was trained to do. Those drunks didn’t get in a single hit.” Looking over Ash’s face again—Lord, the boy was still grinning like a fool—I conceded, “Well, maybe one, but that was all.”
“Good.” She nodded. “I’m proud of you, Snow-Soon.”
Mrs. Stryker stepped forward. “So, you’re the young lady who defended my boy.”
Before I could blink, the woman had me wound up in a tight bear hug. Her fingers dug into my sore ribs. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t protest. For such a well-groomed woman, she had arms of steel.
“Thank the good Lord you were there,” she said. “I’m in your debt, Snow.”
“It was nothing,” I managed to gasp.
“Nothing?” Mrs. Stryker laughed as she released me. I caught the light, girly scent of her perfume as she flipped her hair. “Oh, it was something alright. You can imagine how I felt, seeing my baby walk into the house, his face swollen up like a pomegranate. Goodness, I was ready to just kill somebody.”
Though said as a joke, she obviously meant it. Smith shuffled his feet as Mrs. Stryker laughed again, an edge to it this time. With a grip like that, I was surprised the man was still standing.
“I told you, Mom. It wasn’t that bad,” Ash said. His eyes were still on me. “Two drunks against my ninja girl? It was over before it got started.”
Omma lifted an eyebrow at that. “Your ninja girl?”
If Ash’s face was a pomegranate, then mine was a tomato. I wasn’t even sure the guy realized what he’d said. Didn’t matter, though. Omma caught it, and from the look on her face, she wouldn’t let it go.
“Sorry, Mrs. Lee.” Ash winked. “It slipped.”
Was he suicidal? Must’ve been, I decided. No one winked at Omma like that. Not if they wanted to keep breathing.
“Hmph,” she said, and I could’ve sworn I saw a blush.
My jaw dropped.
Shooting Ash a glare, Bae Bae said, “Snow could take on twice that many in her sleep. You had nothing to worry about, Mrs. Stryker. Your boy couldn’t have been in better hands.”
“Exactly,” Mrs. Stryker said, face brightening. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I raised my eyebrows in question, and Ash shrugged, confused as I was.
“Mrs. Lee, is there a place we can talk in private?”
“My office,” Omma nodded. “Follow me.”
It only took us a moment to get there. Mom’s office was in a little hallway off the main lobby. Once we were all seated, Mrs. Stryker got right to business.
“As I’ve already explained to Mrs. Lee,” she said to the room, “my husband’s been receiving death threats for the better part of five months. When he decided to run for Senate, he automatically became a target. And as his family, so did we.” She took Ash’s hand. “I can’t explain to you what it feels like. To be threatened. To be continuously harassed. These people, whoever they are, can’t be tracked. The police say they can’t do anything. The security team we’ve trusted for years hasn’t been able to catch them. I’ve run out of options.”
“I’m sorry for your troubles,” Omma said. “Truly, I am. But like I told you before, I don’t see how we can help.”
“But you already have,” she smiled.
“How so?”
“Those men who attacked my son, I don’t think it was an accident. They could be the very same people threatening Wesley.”
Ash frowned. “Mom, it was just a couple of drunks.”
“They seemed like a couple of drunks,” his mom corrected. “But what if they weren’t? What if this attack was planned? I shudder to think what might’ve happened had your daughter not been there.” Mrs. Stryker nodded to me. “Thank you again.”
“No problem,” I said.
Smith cleared his throat. “Mrs. C, as I said, we have no reason to believe this incident was in any way related to the threatening letters. Ash was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Mrs. Stryker pinned him with a glare. “And where were you, Agent Smith?”
Smith did the smart thing and shut up.
“Listen,” she said, turning back to Omma, “I’m not stupid, Mrs. Lee. I know it might be unrelated. That doesn’t change anything. I hope you don’t mind, but I did some checking into your background.” Mrs. Stryker pulled something out of her purse. This folder was red and considerably larger than the one I’d seen her hand Omma in the lobby. “I’d think someone with your experience could appreciate the need for good security.”
Silence.
“But that’s illegal,” I blurted. There was no way these people had access to Omma’s personal files. No one except me, Bae Bae, and the U.S. government even knew what she’d really done for the twenty years up until my dad’s death. “Those files are classified.”
Smith threw me a smirk. “There are ways of gaining access.”
Yeah, illegal ones, I thought.
My mom gestured to Mrs. Stryker to go on.
“Twenty-five years in the United States Secret Service,” Mrs. Stryker read aloud. “Twenty of those spent as Special Agent in Charge, guarding some of the most famous figures in current history. Presidents, politicians, foreign dignitaries. Your record speaks for itself, Mrs. Lee.” Her voice softened. “If your husband hadn’t gotten sick, I’m sure you’d still be at the top of your field. I’m sorry for your loss by the way.”
Omma nodded stiffly. “Thank you, but I don’t see your point.”
“It’s simple really.” Mrs. Stryker folded her hands in her lap. “Despite the benefits of attending one of the state’s top-rated private schools, Crispin Catholic Day School doesn’t allow personal security for their students. They’re afraid of what people might say. The principal, Mr. Orsino, thinks it’d make the school look bad, unsafe.”
“That’s because it would,” I said. “They might as well post a sign that says, ‘Hey, I know you’re spending like a trillion dollars, but we can’t protect your kids. Sorry.’“
Ash scoffed. “Orsino just doesn’t want to look like a dumbass in front of the Trustees.”
“Language,” Mrs. Stryker tsked.
“It would make them look inadequate,” Omma agreed.
“Exactly,” she said. “I couldn’t care less about the school’s rules. I’m afraid for my son’s life. I want to give him the best security possible which is why I’ve come to you. I need someone capable, but young. Someone who could pass as a student. I’m willing to pay very well for the service, and of course, their tuition would be covered.”
“I see.” Omma leaned back in her chair, considering. “Did you have someone in mind? I have several advanced students who would meet your qualifications.” She held out a hand. “Bae Park, for example, is one of our top teachers. At 21, he’s already graduated, but I’m sure he could pass as a student.”
Ash and Bae Bae looked at each other.
“No way,” they said in unison.
The horrified looks on their faces made me laugh.
“Actually, I was thinking of someone else.” Mrs. Stryker’s eyes twinkled as she flashed a smile. “If she’s willing, I’d love for your daughter to take the job.”
The laughter dried up as I choked. “Me? You want me to do it?”
“Why not?” she said. “You’ve already saved him once.”
“But I’m not qualified,” I said. The stress must’ve gotten to her. There was no way Ash’s mom could be saying what I thought she was saying.
“Mrs. C, you can’t be serious.” Smith’s tone was incredulous. “You can’t hire her to guard Ash. She’s just a girl for Christsakes.”
I nailed him with a stank eye. “I don’t see what me being a girl has to do with anything.”
“Me either.” Mrs. Stryker slanted her eyes at him. “Let me ask you a question, Agent Smith. What’s the number one rule of being a bodyguard?”
“Well,” Smith said, cheeks red from being put on the spot, “that’s hard to say, Mrs. C. There are so many rules, and they’re all very important.”
She turned to me. “Snow? Same question.”
“Always have eyes on your body,” I said automatically. It’d been one of the first things my mom taught me. When Mrs. Stryker cocked a brow, I added, “It means never lose sight of the client. How can you guard someone if you can’t see them? You can’t.”
Looking satisfied, Mrs. Stryker nodded.
“Everyone knows that,” Smith muttered. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
He was wrong. It proved he wasn’t qualified either, but I didn’t say so. Didn’t have to. Smith had made a fool of himself.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” Omma said. “Snow’s trained in martial arts since she was in diapers, but she’s never had to do anything like this.”
“Think on it tonight,” Mrs. Stryker said, standing, “and let me know by Friday. Like I said, I’d offer Snow a very nice salary for guarding my son. It would only be during school hours. I have other guards who can take over after that.”
Smith seemed to settle down a bit, but I was reeling.
“Mrs. Stryker, I can’t be Ash’s bodyguard,” I said.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because…I just can’t.” I stared at the boy in question. He hadn’t said a word. “Ash? Don’t you have anything to say about this?”
He looked up suddenly. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“You do?” I asked. “Good Lord, why?”
In answer, he simply shook his head. “Anything that involves you guarding my body can’t be all bad now, can it?”
“Ugh,” I said, eyes closing as he shot me that bad boy grin. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t take this seriously.”
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, you should have.”
“Call me when you’ve made a decision.” I opened my eyes in time to see Mrs. Stryker pass over a business card. “If I use my connections, we can have her enrolled by Monday. A diploma from CCDS would be sure to get her into a good college.”
“My Snow-Soon graduated a year early,” Omma said, leaving out the fact that I’d done it so I could help her at The Academy. Money had always been tight. That was the only reason I was even considering Mrs. Stryker’s crazy proposal.
“Perfect.” Ash’s mom was apparently a hugger because she embraced me a second time then stepped back. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Snow. I hope to see you again real soon.”
“Nice meeting you, too,” I said as she walked out the door.
Ash stopped in front of me.
I waited.
“What no hug?” he said.
It was my turn to shake my head. “Bye, Ash.”
He smiled at Omma. “Great talking to you Mrs. Lee. Now I can see where Snow gets it.” Before I could ask what the heck that meant, he said, “I’ll be waiting on your answer, ninja girl.”
And then he was gone.
That night I had a lot to discuss with Bruce. I told him about Mrs. Stryker’s offer, and Omma’s odd reaction to Ash. Her blush spoke volumes about the guy’s ability to charm the socks off any woman. Bruce was such a great listener I even opened up about my fears—the worst being that if Mrs. Stryker was right, and they were being targeted, somehow Ash might get hurt. And I’d be responsible.
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
Because what it came down to—what it always came down to—was this: What would Bruce do?
The poster on my bedroom door couldn’t answer, of course, but I knew what he’d say if it could. Real living is living for others. I shuddered as the realization sunk in.
“Me?” I said incredulous. “A bodyguard?”
Not just any bodyguard, but Ash’s bodyguard? My picture of Bruce seemed to nod back at me.
Ah hell, Bruce Lee had a sick sense of humor.