muttered. âHeâs so close to the ground already that he doesnât have far to fall!â
âPoor old lady,â he chided gently.
She glared in his direction as she swept her arm forward and threw herself down again. âIâm not old. Iâm just out of condition.â
He looked at her, sprawled there on the mat, and his lips pursed as he sketched every inch of her. âFunny, Iâd have said you were in prime condition. And not just for karate.â
She cleared her throat and got to her feet again. âWhen did you start learning this stuff?â
âWhen I was in grammar school,â he said. âMy father taught me.â
âNo wonder it looks so easy when you do it.â
âI train hard. Itâs saved my life a few times.â
She studied his scarred face with curiosity. She could see the years in it, and the hardships. She knew very little about military operations, except for what sheâd seen in movies and on television. And as Jess had told her, it wasnât like that in real life. She tried to imagine an armed adversary coming at her and she stiffened.
âSomething wrong?â he asked gently.
âI was trying to imagine being attacked,â she said. âIt makes me nervous.â
âIt wonât, when you gain a little confidence. Stand up straight,â he said. âNever walk with your head down in a slumped posture. Always look as if you know where youâre going, even if you donât. And always, always, run if you can. Never stand and fight unless youâre trapped and your life is in danger.â
âRun? Youâre kidding, of course?â
âNo,â he said. âIâll give you an example. A man of any size and weight on drugs is more than a match for any three other men. What Iâm going to teach you might work on an untrained adversary whoâs sober. But a man whoâs been drinking, or especially a man whoâs using drugs can kill you outright, regardless of what I can teach you. Donât you ever forget that. Overconfidence kills.â
âIâll bet you donât teach your men to run,â she said accusingly.
His eyes were quiet and full of bad memories. âSally, a recruit in one of my groups emptied the magazine of his rifle into an enemy soldier on drugs at point-blank range. The enemy kept right on coming. He killed the recruit before he finally fell dead himself.â
Her lower jaw fell.
âThat was my reaction, too,â he informed her. âAbsolute disbelief. But itâs true. If anyone high on drugs comes at you, donât try to reason with himâ¦you canât. And donât try to fight him. Run like hell. If a full automatic clip wonât bring a man down, you certainly canât. Neither can even a combat-hardened man, alone. In that sort of situation, itâs just basic common sense to get outof the way as quickly as possible if thereâs any chance of escape, and pride be damned.â
âIâll remember,â she said, all her confidence vanishing. She could see in Ebâs eyes that heâd watched that recruit die, and had to live with the memory forever in his mind. Probably it was one of many nightmarish episodes heâd like to forget.
âSometimes retreat really is the better part of valor,â he said, smiling.
âYouâre educational.â
He smiled slowly. âAm I, now?â he asked, and the way he looked at her didnât have much to do with teaching her self-defense. âI can think of a few areas where you needâ¦improvement.â
She glanced at Stevie, who was still falling on the mat. âYou shouldnât try to shoot ducks in a barrel,â she told him. âItâs unsporting.â
âShooting is not what I have in mind.â
She cleared her throat. âI suppose I should try falling some more.â She brightened. âSay, if I learn to do this well, I