Free Brooklyn's Baddest: A Bad Boy Fighter Romance by Susan Westwood

was all that there ever could be between them. She was determined to make sure of it. He had potential, and she was there to encourage him and help him reach it, and nothing else. She had to put the dojo and the competitions first. There was no other way around it.
    Jake found Koichi sitting on a mat on a small wooden deck before the shallow end of a pool of water that was part of a large water garden. The pool grew deeper at the far end, and at symmetrically placed intervals throughout the pool, there were stands of reeds growing out of wooded pots, and water lilies floated on the surface in places. There were two waterfalls; one constructed of bamboo, and one constructed of stone, and water quietly bubbled and streamed over and through them both, creating a relaxing and peaceful sound.
    Koichi was not moving. He was deep in meditation, and even the sound of Jake’s arrival had not stirred him, though Jake was certain that the older man knew he was there. Jake waited silently near him until the older man finally opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Jake.
    “Good morning.” He said simply. Jake wasn’t sure if he should nod or bow, and wanting to make a good impression, he decided on a bow. Koichi rose up in the same fluid motion that he had moved in the day before. He bowed in return, and took a deep breath.
    “Before we begin, there are things that need to be discussed.” Koichi said calmly.
    Jake nodded silently.
    Koichi pointed to the wooden beam near them, which was holding up part of the canopy over the walkway beside the building. “You are like the beam of wood; no longer a tree, but not carved into anything more than a simple square. You are a basic form. It will take time for you to carve your own self into the future that you want. Right now there is much anger in you. Much anger…” he repeated, lowering one brow slightly in concern.
    “You are using your anger and frustration to fight, and that will always lead to loss; loss of a competition, loss of self, loss of future. You cannot center yourself around anger and hatred. There is no seed that can grow in fire. Fire destroys; it does not foster growth. You must learn to find peace and serenity at the center of yourself, and when you find that, you will have balance, and your martial arts will no longer be an act of war, but rather a form of self, of expression, and of defense.
    When you are balanced, you will find that your competitions will be much easier won. You will have focus, and you can see your competitor, you can see the way to overcome each one of them, and you will find the success that you seek.” He looked sharply at Jake then. “There is no other way. Do you understand?”
    Jake nodded. He pressed his lips together in a tight line. He didn’t understand. The fires of anger and frustration in him had always helped him to win his battles. He knew that was the way he would be able to go forward. As he looked at Koichi watching his eyes, he knew that the older man fully expected him to give that up, and he didn’t know how to do it. Fear twisted in his stomach.
    “But… how will I-” he began, but Koichi’s face darkened.
    “You will call me Master Koichi.”
    Jake took a breath and nodded. “Master Koichi, how will I win if I have to let go of the only way I know how to fight? I win all of my fights now, and I do that with all the anger inside of me.”
    Koichi watched him silently for a long moment. “You must unlearn everything that you think you know. You must let everything in your past go and focus on your future with a clean and fresh start, and you must not bring any of your anger or hatred or frustration with you, or you will not succeed.” Koichi took a step toward him.
    “You must let go of all of that right now, or you must turn and walk out of that gate and not return.” Koichi’s voice was as steady as it had been all along, but Jake knew that he was giving him an ultimatum. He knew he had no choice. Let