Free Broken Ferns (Lei Crime ) by Toby Neal Page A

other, faces intent. Marcella opened with a couple of jabs, then a high kick, a move that had Ang grabbing her foot and flipping her on her back with a whoosh of lost breath. But it didn’t end there. Ang followed up the advantage with a grappling hold, locked around Marcella’s midsection like a python. Marcella thumped and heaved to no avail, eventually smacking the mat with her glove-protected hand, a signal the bout was over.
    Ang let go and sprang back to her feet in a fluid motion. “I told you to knock off those high kicks unless you know I can’t grab you,” she chided.
    Marcella hauled herself back up much less gracefully and spotted Lei. “Oh good. You made it. Let’s take a break, show Lei the ropes, and you can finish kicking my ass in a minute.”
    “Sure. Glad you made it, Lei.” Ang went to a nearby gym bag and brought back a pair of the split-fingered padded gloves the other women were wearing. “Let me introduce you to our coach and show you around.”
    “Sounds good.”
    “Oh, Lei—the coach is someone you know.” Marcella grinned. “That’s the surprise.”
    “Who is it?”
    “I’m not saying. I don’t want to spoil it. I’m going to do some cardio, warm up some more.” Marcella headed over to a stationary bike.
    Lei trailed Ang as she pointed her to the warm-up area, weight area, practice mats, and sparring ring. “Bathrooms and showers back here. We get three hours every other night for Women’s Fight Club, when we get to use the practice area and ring exclusively. I think you’ll like our coach—he’s only part-time, but he’s really helping the women’s aspect of the sport get some good events and exposure.”
    Lei stood slightly behind her as she knocked on a door and pushed it inward. “Hey, Coach,” Ang said.
    A man turned around from a file cabinet to greet them. Tall and brown, with a shock of ruffled dark hair falling over his brow, dimples, and a white grin that faded at the sight of Lei, Alika Wolcott was the best of hapa , mixed Hawaiian and Caucasian heritage.
    “Lei Texeira.” He stuffed the file back in the drawer and slammed it hard. “This is a surprise.”
    “Hey, Alika,” Lei said. He wasn’t the only one surprised. She regrouped first, stepped forward to give him the awkward A-frame hug of people who’ve dated and ended badly. His hands barely brushed her shoulders before he pulled away.
    “What’re you doing here?”
    “I’d ask you the same. Thought you were totally embedded in Kaua`i.”
    “You know each other.” Ang glanced between them as she picked up on the vibe. “Well. Hey, that’s great. Coach, Marcella invited her.” Her delicate inference set the blame on Marcella as the culprit. “I’ll leave you two to catch up. See you back on the practice pads, Lei.” Lei hardly noticed her departure as she and Alika took each other’s measure.
    “Never thought I’d see you again.”
    “Kinda mutual there.” Lei groped for something to say to the man she’d dated on Kaua`i before choosing Stevens in the end. “I went to the Academy, as you must have heard—and they posted me here. Small world.”
    “Yeah. Well, I—decided I needed to get off the rock, expand the business in a different direction.”
    “This sure is a different direction.” Lei gestured to the vast barnlike space outside the office.
    “Oh, no. Coaching is just my hobby. I own the gym building, though. Still doing real estate development, working with mostly apartment and office buildings now.” He leaned on the desk, a pose that emphasized his chiseled shoulders and back. “When Marcella started coming here, I should have known you wouldn’t be far behind.”
    “Well, they invited me. Thought I’d give it a try. I do Tae Kwon Do; that should help.”
    “Not necessarily.” Alika’s normal confidence reappeared as he pushed away from the desk, leading her back out into the main workout area and toward the practice pads. “A lot of MMA is groundwork. Got