Bodyguard: Target (7 page)

‘Ready yourselves for the
Gauntlet!’ announced Steve.

With nervous reluctance, Charley joined
the others at the edge of the hall as they suited themselves up in sparring gear
– gloves,
shin pads, gumshields and headguards. This was the part of the
lesson that she least looked forward to. While the other recruits seemed to relish
the challenge of the Gauntlet, for Charley the gruelling experience just emphasized
how far out of her league she was. Surrounded by bigger and stronger opponents, she
was like a lamb among lions.

‘Ladies first,’ said Steve,
indicating
for Charley to take up position at the head of the two rows.

Charley braced herself for the walk of
pain that was the Gauntlet. Its purpose was to test their developing martial arts
skills in preparation for an assault in the real world. She simply had to get from
one end of the sports hall to the other … in one piece.

The first time Charley had faced the
Gauntlet she’d
almost fled the hall. The prospect of fighting nine
adrenalin-fuelled boys each in turn had been daunting to say the least.
But Steve had talked her through it, offering instruction at
each attack. After a month’s training, though, he evidently thought it was
time she walked the Gauntlet alone.

Heart thumping, Charley took her first
step. The hall seemed to stretch on forever
while her opponents multiplied like
gremlins. Almost at once Blake grabbed the sleeve of her T-shirt. He raised a fist
and Charley hesitated, her mind racing through the techniques they’d been
taught.

‘Thumb compression,’
whispered Blake, fist hovering in mid-air.

Grateful for his suggestion, Charley
grasped his hand on her T-shirt. Catching hold of his thumb, she squeezed
it as if
she was gripping a pair of pliers. Blake winced as his thumb joints were compressed.
He dropped to his knees in submission.

‘Nice choice of technique,’
remarked Steve. ‘Subtle yet effective. But, gentlemen, don’t hold back
just because it’s Charley. The enemy won’t.’

The next recruit took their instructor
at his word and launched a left hook that caught her
across the jaw. Although the
gloves and headguard took the sting out of it, the punch still hit hard and her head
rang like a temple bell, stars sparking before her eyes. As she staggered backwards,
a second blow struck her in the ribs, winding her. Charley instinctively curled up,
shielding herself with her arms and elbows. More punches rained down.

‘Come on, fight back!’
urged
the recruit.

Charley reeled from his attack. Her
brain jarred by the first punch, she couldn’t think straight.

Seeing her struggle
under the onslaught, Steve called out, ‘Stun then run!’

A technique from a previous lesson
flashed in her mind. Charley flung out her hand in a wild arc, aiming a ridge-hand
strike towards the boy’s neck. Steve had told them this
was one of the best
targets to temporarily disable or drop an opponent. A single sharp blow could cause
involuntary muscle spasms and intense pain, while a powerful one focused just below
the ear could result in unconsciousness through shock to the carotid artery, jugular
vein or vagus nerve. It was the ideal target for a ‘stun then run’
counter-attack.

The edge of her
hand impacted against
the boy’s nerve and he lurched sideways, the blow disorientating him enough
for her to get away.

But Charley had barely recovered from
that attack when David rushed at her with a rubber knife. She instinctively blocked
the weapon with her forearm. It was a messy defence, and if it had been a real knife
her arm would have been cut to shreds. He went
for another attack. Charley lashed
out and punched him in the face. He backed off. But Charley knew that in real life
she’d be the loser.

‘Don’t punch –
palm!’ Steve instructed her. ‘Remember, palm strikes are just as
effective as closed fists, without the risk of damaging your hand. Also the strike
looks less violent in the eyes of the public. Never forget someone is always
watching or filming your Principal and consequently your every move too.’

Charley had just enough time to absorb
this advice
when she was grabbed round the throat by José.
In this instance, with the jugular takedown still fresh in her mind from earlier in
the lesson, Charley jabbed her fingers into José’s windpipe. A sharp
thrust towards his feet and he dropped to the floor
like a stone.

‘Excellent!’ praised Steve.
‘That’s the sort of response I’m looking for.’

Charley felt a rush of accomplishment.
Finally a technique that worked for her! With four down and only five to go, her
confidence began to rise. But she wasn’t allowed to relish the moment for
long. Jason came up behind and seized her in a reverse chokehold.

‘Let’s see you escape
this,’ he hissed.

Charley struggled in his grip. She knew
the first thing she had to do was to twist her head in the direction of the
attacker’s elbow to relieve the pressure on her windpipe. But Jason was too
strong. Charley couldn’t breathe … at all! His bicep pressing on her
carotid artery, her head began buzzing. She clawed at his arm, trying to loosen his
grip.
She elbowed him in the stomach, but to no avail. Within seconds, all the fight
went out of her and darkness seeped into her vision …

‘Did you
have
to strangle
Charley till she blacked out?’ cried Blake.

‘Steve said don’t hold
back,’ Jason replied, his tone defensive. ‘Anyway, it was for her own
good.’

‘How’s
that?’

‘If she can’t fight me off,
what chance does she have against a real attacker? We’re not playing games
here, Blake. There are no second chances. If you get it wrong on an assignment,
you’ll be coming home in a body bag. I mean, what was the colonel thinking
when he recruited a
girl
?’

‘Don’t let Jody hear you say
that,’ warned José.

‘Jody’s different.
She’s an instructor. She knows what she’s doing. Charley doesn’t
seem to have a clue. Don’t forget it was her fault we didn’t spot that
second casualty during the first-aid assessment. If it weren’t for Charley,
we’d be passing all our assessments.’

‘That’s unfair,’ said
Blake. ‘Charley did her best.’

‘Come on, she virtually talked you
to death!’ said Jason. The others
laughed.

‘It’s
important to reassure the patient,’ Blake replied evenly.

‘Yeah, I bet you’d like
Charley to
reassure
you,’ teased David.

‘Leave it out!’ said Blake,
obviously embarrassed.

‘Well, she certainly didn’t
hesitate to give you mouth-to-mouth!’ sniggered José.

Charley had heard more than enough.
Grateful as she was for Blake’s defence of her dignity,
she now knew the
team’s true opinion of her. As the boys continued with their banter in the
adjacent changing room, she quietly closed her locker and headed for the door.
She’d been in two minds whether to join the team for dinner anyway. Now
she’d lost her appetite entirely.

Escaping the old Victorian school
building that housed their training facility, Charley tramped
across the gravel
forecourt and wandered the grounds aimlessly. She discovered an old well and perched
herself on the lip, her slender legs dangling over the fathomless black hole.
Tossing a stone in, she watched it tumble then disappear. A few seconds later she
heard it plop into the unseen water below.

Charley contemplated the void beneath
her feet. If she’d been in this
dark mood back home in America, she’d
simply have gone surfing. But there were no waves within a hundred kilometres of
Buddyguard’s remote headquarters. Here it was all sheep, craggy hills and
bleak rain. She wasn’t even sure if Wales had sun! The place was a far cry
from the warm beaches and glistening waters of California.

Charley had hoped
that Buddyguard would be a
fresh start for her. So had her foster-parents,
who’d readily agreed to the colonel’s proposal – sold to them as
an extension of the peace corps. Jenny had declared that volunteer work was the best
thing for a wayward teenager like Charley and had even helped pack her bags.

But after four weeks of intensive
training Charley was still struggling to clear the start line. Aside
from martial
arts and advanced first aid, she was required to learn about foot formations,
body-cover drills, Cooper’s Colour Code, threat assessments, operational
planning, world affairs, hostage survival and a whole raft of other security topics
that left her head spinning. Then there were early-morning runs up the Welsh
mountains, followed by gruelling gym sessions and daily
combat classes. On top of
all this, she was expected to complete her normal school studies. The learning curve
wasn’t so much steep as vertical!

Charley realized she may have caught the
once-in-a-lifetime wave, but she was already on the verge of wiping out. Jason was
right: what had Colonel Black been thinking when recruiting her? And why
hadn’t he told her that she’d
be the only girl recruit?!

Hearing the crunch of gravel, Charley
glanced over her shoulder to see Jody heading her way.

‘Hey, Charley,’ her
instructor called cheerily. ‘Bugsy said he’d spotted you by the well.
Are you OK?’

Charley shrugged. ‘Yeah,
fine.’

Jody wiped the dirt from one of the
well’s granite stones and sat down next to her. ‘You don’t look
fine.’

Charley stared into
the black abyss of the well and said nothing.

‘I heard you passed out in
Steve’s class. You’re not suffering any ill effects, are you?’

Charley shook her head.

‘Then what is it? You can talk to
me, you know.’ Her instructor’s tone was soft and sympathetic. ‘Us
girls need to stick together.’

After almost a minute’s silence,
Charley thought
she might as well come out with it. There was no one else she could
talk to. ‘I’m not cut out to be a bodyguard.’

Jody blinked. ‘What on earth makes
you say that?’

‘
I’m
not saying it.
The rest of the team are.’

Jody frowned. ‘Those boys are
simply intimidated by you.’

Charley let out a humourless laugh.
‘Yeah, right. I don’t see them making so many mistakes.’

‘Well, I do. All the time.
You’re barely a month into training. It’s bound to feel
tough.’

‘But everything seems to come more
naturally for the boys.’

‘Don’t you believe
that!’ scoffed Jody. ‘They’re struggling just as much as you are.
They simply won’t admit it.’

‘But I don’t have their
advantage of size or strength. Jason’s right. If I can’t beat him, what
chance do I have?’

‘That’s why you need to be
in good shape and in the gym every day.’

Charley made a face. ‘I
don’t want to become some butch bodyguard.’

‘You
don’t have to. Look at me.’ Jody spread her slim, well-toned arms and
displayed her slender yet strong physique. ‘You can be a rose yet still have
thorns. Did you know that Wing Chun – the martial arts
style Steve is teaching
– was developed by a woman?’

Charley shook her head.

‘Well, remember that when
you’re training against the boys. Bodyguarding is far more about brains than
brawn.’ She tapped a finger to her temple. ‘So next time fight smarter,
not harder.’

Jody leant in close to ensure she had
Charley’s full attention. ‘You see, the skills required to be
an
effective bodyguard aren’t based on gender. Whether you’re a guy or a
girl, you need common sense, good communication skills, awareness, self-discipline
and confidence. And we girls do have advantages over the boys.’

‘Like what?’ asked
Charley.

Jody shared a conspiratorial grin.
‘For a start, women think differently from men. We can multi-task more
effectively.
We’re able to see and hear many separate events at once,
processing them simultaneously. This means we can spot a suspect or early signs of
an attack before our male counterparts do. And, if an attack does occur, your
opponent certainly won’t expect
you
to be a weapon!’

Charley felt a spark of hope. ‘So
you’re saying we’re better at this than the boys?’

‘I’d like to think
so.’ Jody smiled. ‘Female intuition and the element of surprise give us
the upper hand. However, we can sometimes talk too much. And that’s where
there
can be conflict between male and female bodyguards. If
I’ve learnt one thing in my career, it’s that action speaks louder than
words.’

Charley nodded, recalling Jason’s
criticism of her during the first-aid test.

‘Remember, we’re both girls
in a man’s world,’ said Jody. ‘This role isn’t for the
faint-hearted. You need guts. You have to stand your ground with the boys.
It’s a matter of pride for them, so they’ll do whatever’s
necessary to stop a girl showing them up. But prove yourself and you’ll earn
their respect.’