Chapter 2 - The Mask Slips
A deep blast from the cruise ship’s heavy horn rattled the crystal glasses on the suite’s private bar as the massive vessel began moving away from the docks. The ship was officially departing the coast of California and slipping smoothly past the coastline into the expanse of international waters.
“Well, my sweet bride,” Gregory said, his voice dropping an octave into a dark tone I had never heard before. “We are finally all alone.”
“Should we pour some of the champagne to celebrate?” I asked hesitantly, stepping toward the chilled bottle resting in a silver bucket.
Gregory completely ignored the champagne and walked with slow, deliberate steps toward the king-sized bed where our luggage had been placed. He opened his custom leather suitcase, but he did not pull out a silk robe or a romantic gift for our first night together.
Instead, he pulled out a cold, heavily dented aluminum baseball bat that looked deeply out of place in the luxury cabin.
“What is that for, Gregory?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as the air in the room suddenly felt freezing cold.
“My father gave this to me right before our wedding ceremony,” Gregory began, his tone horrifyingly conversational as he slapped the metal barrel rhythmically against his open palm. “He told me that a marriage is like a wild horse that needs to be broken in early if you want to ride it in peace.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I demanded, taking a slow step back toward the large glass windows overlooking the ocean. “Put that down right now.”
“This is exactly how my father established absolute order in his marriage,” Gregory grinned, his eyes gleaming with a sick and euphoric thrill as he stepped closer. “It is a Hartman family tradition, and you need to learn who the master is in this house because this will only hurt as much as you fight it.”
“Gregory, step away from me right now or you will regret it,” I warned, dropping my hands to my sides as my posture shifted.
“Shut up and take your punishment like a good little wife,” Gregory yelled, pulling the bat back for a violent horizontal swing aimed directly at my ribs.
He expected me to scream and drop to my knees to beg for mercy like a fragile corporate bride, but he had completely forgotten my military training. As he swung the heavy bat with full force, my body underwent an instantaneous transformation into pure combat survival mode. My heart rate slowed to a steady rhythm, my breathing deepened, and my eyes locked onto his center of gravity to assess his terrible footwork.
In one fluid motion of muscle memory, I sidestepped his wild attack so the aluminum barrel whistled harmlessly past my chest. Before his brain could register the miss, I stepped inside his guard, trapped his extending arm, and drove the heel of my palm hard into his wrist joint.
A loud snap echoed through the room as his wrist hyperextended, causing Gregory to scream in absolute shock as his fingers opened and dropped the bat onto the floor.
“My wrist! You broke my wrist, you crazy bitch!” Gregory shrieked, clutching his hand in agony.
Before he could process the blinding pain, I swept his front leg with a devastating kick to his calf, sending him crashing face-first into the hardwood floor with a bloody crunch. I descended on him instantly, driving my knee into his spine to pin him down while locking his arm behind his back.
May you like
“Do not move a single muscle,” I growled into his ear, applying pressure to his shoulder joint until he gasped for air.
“You think you won something here?” Gregory choked out, spitting blood onto the floor as a hysterical laugh suddenly bubbled up from his throat. “The Chief of Ship Security is on my family’s payroll, and when they see my shattered nose, you are going to spend the rest of this voyage in a locked cell for assaulting your helpless husband.”
