Fight For Your Life, Catherine Holland [the two towers ebook .txt] 📗

fault Thea Poppy would’ve done this regardless, you tow are best friends and you know within yourself that she would do everything she could to keep you safe.”
Thea shook her head as though she didn’t believe him and carried on out of the room, she headed upstairs and got changed into loose sweats and a t-shirt and found a pair of old sneakers, she then went down the hall and knocked on Poppy’s door. “Poppy? It’s Thea, can I come in?” She asked, “Sure, come on in.” Came the muffled reply from within.
Thea opened the door and stepped inside Poppy’s room, and she then closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed while Poppy did up the laces on her sneakers. Thea took a deep breath and said, “Poppy I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch to you lately, you don’t deserve it and now I feel as guilty as hell. What with you getting us extra lessons and paying for the assault course and this ranch and the land, and everything else.
“It took me a while to realise how hard I’ve been on you, and I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you. I’m so sorry.” Poppy straightened up and turned to her friend who looked absolutely miserable sitting on the edge of her bed. “Thea, it’s OK. I understand why you’ve been this way and I mean what I say, you’re my best friend and I respect and love you as though you are my own sister.
“Everyone has their down periods and I guess you’ve hit rock bottom, but you know that I’ll never hold a grudge against you. And you know that I’m here if you ever need to talk or to have a cry, I promised you I would do everything I can to keep you as safe as possible and I intend to see that promise through. It may seem like you’ve been a bitch towards me but in truth I’m as much to blame.
“I haven’t been there when you needed me the most; I’ve been too busy wrapped up in my own little world. I guess we both needed to wake up and get our shit together, but I’m glad that we have. You don’t need to apologise to me for anything, it’s the other way around, I should be saying sorry to you for not being there for you.” Thea and Poppy both stood up at the same time and hugged each other, they stayed that way for a few minutes until a knock at Poppy’s door drew them apart.
Poppy opened the door and saw Sean, “Just to let you know that Mr Nagati is here.” “OK, thanks Sean.” Poppy replied, she looked at Thea and said “Ready?” Thea nodded and the three friends descended the stairs, meeting Jamie in the lounge. They then headed outside onto the front porch and started doing the warm-up exercises they’d been shown and told to do before each lesson.


Chapter Three


Two hours later Jamie, Thea and Sean were doing the cool down exercises whilst Poppy spoke with Mr Nagati about extra sessions, as Mr Nagati got into his jeep Poppy stretched and walked over to join the others in the exercises. “Mr Nagati has agreed to come out here five days a week for two hours each day to train us, and I’ve asked him to teach us everything he knows, he’s agreed and has said that it would take roughly six months to teach us everything he knows.
“Mr Nagati claims that we’re fast learners and that we don’t whinge as much as some of his other students.” Poppy moved on to the next set of exercises as she let her friends digest what she’d just told them. “Does Mr Nagati know about the donation yet?” Sean asked with a grin. Poppy grinned back and replied, “He mentioned that an anonymous person had donated a large sum to hid Do-Jo but he doesn’t have a clue who sent it or why. I think he knows it was us, but he never said anything.”
Thea was just finishing up her last set of exercises and asked, “Just how much did you donate?” Poppy shrugged, “Not much, a few hundred thousand dollars. From the way Mr Nagati was going on about it you’d think I’d just saved his life.” Jamie rolled his eyes and said “No you didn’t save his life, just his Do-Jo.” “What do you mean?” Poppy asked. Jamie laughed, “You don’t read much do you?” Poppy shook her head, “No I tend to stay away from the papers, too much violence in them, why what did I miss?”
Sean stood up and said “It was in the papers a few days ago that Mr Nagati’s Do-Jo was in dire needs of funding or he’d have to close, the money we all donated has helped to keep his Do-Jo open or another fifty years or so.” Poppy finished her exercises and stood up, “You’re joking?” Sean, Jamie and Thea all shook their heads. “Oh well, he’s a damn good tutor, I’m glad we could’ve helped.” Poppy said.
The four friends headed inside for a shower and a change of clothing, the two hour work out had left them all sweating profusely. An hour later the four friends were in the lounge watching television and drinking energy shakes, later on that evening a knock on the door startled them into action, they never had unexpected company as a rule and didn’t know anyone other than Mr Nagati and the personal trainer who’d recently quit.
Poppy walked to the door and looked through the spy hole, and to her surprise it was Mr Nagati. She opened the door and invited him inside, Mr Nagati shook his head and said, “No I’m sorry I can’t stay, but I wanted to thank you for your donation to my Do-Jo. I overheard a conversation you had a few weeks ago with the other man that comes here to run with you about some kind of vest.
“I thought that since you did me a great service by saving my Do Jo that I could return the favour so I called my brother who is in the police force and he ordered some of these in for me. I hope they’re useful to you.” Mr Nagati then handed Poppy a black canvas bag and turned around and got back in his jeep. Poppy closed the door somewhat stunned.
She took the bag to the living room and opened it, inside was four police issue bullet proof vests. The four friends all gasped in shock, then Poppy tentatively lifted one of the vests out of the bag and handed it to Sean, she then handed one to Jamie and Thea and took the last one out for herself. Stuck to the first vest was a sheet of paper. Sean took off the paper and looked at the note it read;

My brother Hiro Nagati has informed me that you require these vests. I wouldn’t normally help out civilians but as you did a great service for my brother and saved his Do-Jo along with his honour and pride, I feel the only way I can re-pay this debt is to give you something that will aid you in the future.
Best Wishes
Ensei Nagati
Sean showed the note to the others and they all found their respect for Mr Nagati increase ten-fold. The four friends then went upstairs to put the vests on under their shirts where they would stay until the danger had passed.
In the early hours of the next morning Poppy found herself awake and thinking. She’d managed to fall asleep at around midnight, but had woken up four hours later. Feeling frustrated Poppy got out of bed and walked downstairs in a pair of shorts and tank top to the kitchen to make herself a mug of coffee, she kept thinking that whilst planning to keep them all safe she’d missed something important.
It wasn’t until she’d added the milk that inspiration hit her, she left her coffee on the side and ran into the lounge, and tripped over the coffee table. Poppy righted herself and grabbed the canvas bag then returned to the kitchen, she opened the door leading to the utility room and grabbed another three canvas bags, then opened a kitchen drawer and took out a pad of paper and a pen, then started writing a list.
Once the list was completed Poppy drank the remains of her coffee and tore off the top sheet of paper, she then made herself a fresh mug of coffee and returned to the lounge where she looked in the yellow pages for driving schools. The sun was up by the time she’d written out several numbers for different schools, and then waited for her three friends to descend the stairs and wake up before she told them her plans. Thea was the first one downstairs so Poppy made her a mug of coffee and a bowl of cereal then waited whilst she ate.
An hour later Jamie and Sean came downstairs looking slightly more awake after their morning shower. Poppy made them all a fresh mug of coffee and said “I’ve been thinking.” Jamie jerked his head up and said, “Uh oh, careful Poppy, thinking is dangerous.” Then winked. Poppy smiled and playfully slapped his arm. “what have you been thinking Poppy?” Asked Thea. “Well I’ve realised something, we’re out here on our own miles from anyone and anything, there’s a few things we’ve over-looked.” Poppy replied.
Sean sat up straighter and ran a hand through his light brown hair, “What has we over-looked Poppy?” Poppy cleared her throat and said, “How do we get out of here in a hurry if we need to? We have no transport and it would take a cab far too long to get here in an emergency. Plus we’re not prepared to deal with this killer, I mean we are on the fighting side of things, but say we get chased out of the house in the middle of the night? We won’t have any supplies or anything.”
Jamie nodded, “That’s true, and so what have you thought of?” “I think that we should take driving lessons and prepare o ‘go’ bag.” Poppy replied proudly. Jamie shook his head and tried to hide his smile, Sean looked at Poppy as though she’d finally gone crazy but Thea asked, “What’s a ‘go’ bag?” Poppy took a sip of her drink and replied “A ‘go’ bag is basically one of these canvas bags filled with everything we’d need for any situation, like a change of clothes, first aid kit, flashlight and spare batteries, money and passport.
“That way we’d be pretty much covered if anything happened and we got separated, we could arrange for a safe place to meet up and then go from there.” Thea and Jamie seemed to like the idea and nodded in agreement, Sean asked, “How would we know where to meet up if we got separated? I like the idea of the ‘go’ bag and the driving lessons, but on that list of yours I suggest you add cell phones. And how exactly are we supposed to go to this driving school? Like you said we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Poppy shrugged, “Easy, I’ve written down a list of driving schools and I intend to phone them up and ask