Free A Darker Shade of Dead by Bianca D'Arc

gathered, Sandra was among them, wearing form-fitting sweats. She was so petite he could span her waist with his hands. The soft fabric clinging to her curves made his mouth water. He’d never seen her in something so…enticing.
    John called the group to order, taking his place at the head of the class. He’d act as sensei and Matt would be his second. They were both highly ranked martial artists. John held a fifth-degree black belt, while Matt’s was third-degree. The other guys were all first-degree black belts in various forms of martial arts and would most likely separate from the ladies, who were mostly beginners.
    Matt didn’t think it would hurt for the women to see just how highly skilled the male team members were. Just as the men would benefit from seeing the women making an effort to learn self-defense. Each of these guys could judge for themselves how well each woman could handle a physical threat. This was as much an exercise in evaluating everyone’s level of skill and preparedness as it was a team-building effort.
    Matt called the group to order and they formed loosely around him on the matted area. The gym was big enough to accommodate them, with a row of machines off to one side that included treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight equipment. They had the area to themselves for this first workout.
    â€œI expect we’ll break into two groups after the warm-up.” Matt stood next to John as everyone else arranged themselves in a loose semicircle around them. “I’ll take the less experienced folks on that side of the mats, and the rest will form up with John on this side.”
    â€œMeaning, you get to work with all us girls,” Donna teased. Matt was glad to see she felt comfortable enough with him already to do so.
    He grinned at her. “Rank has its privileges.” Everyone laughed at his comeback and the easy tone was set for the workout. “John, if you’d lead us in the warm-up.” Matt stepped to the back of the class, letting John sort out who would stand where.
    He lined them up in rank order as would be in a traditional martial arts dojo . Matt should be up at the front of the class, but he decided to hang back. He would observe and nurse the constant pain that went with him everywhere.
    Matt’s combat career had ended with injury—as many Special Forces careers did. He’d messed up his back so badly that it would never be the same again. He still practiced martial arts. In fact, he’d regained a lot of mobility through exercise, but he would never be able to hold his own again with someone like John Petit or the other guys, for that matter. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.
    He still had the skills to be able to teach less experienced students. The women would be easy for him to deal with and it would free up John to work with the front line troops on this mission. All except Sarah.
    When they formed two groups, Matt was surprised to see Sarah Petit go with the less experienced group. Another odd thing—Mariana Daniels hadn’t shown up at all, though Simon was there.
    Before the real work of the class could begin, Matt decided to speak with Simon. They’d finished the warm-up and everyone was milling around, taking a short break before continuing. Matt motioned to Simon and he came over.
    â€œWhere’s Mariana?” he asked without preamble.
    Simon looked decidedly uncomfortable. “She…uh…well…she’s been feeling poorly and I told her to sit it out tonight. She could probably participate in kata practice, but I’d really like to keep her away from any actual sparring right now.”
    â€œWhy?” For the life of him, Matt couldn’t understand Simon’s reasoning. Mariana had faced the zombies more than once. She should take any opportunity to learn how to defend herself, in case it happened