Claire escaped slowly.
Not because she had to.
Because Emily needed practice.
Second attempt.
Claire allowed Emily to finish the takedown.
Then recovered guard.
Third.
She reversed.
Smoothly.
A purple belt named Noah watched from the next pair.
After the round, he walked over.
“You want to rotate?”
Claire shrugged.
“Sure.”
Noah was stronger than Emily.
Thirty-three.
About twenty pounds heavier than Claire.
He started confidently.
Claire let him work.
He drove.
She shifted.
His pressure disappeared into an angle he had not expected.
He tried again.
Claire stepped around.
Noah laughed.
“Okay.”
They reset.
This time he increased the pressure.
Claire felt it.
So she gave him less.
Ten seconds later, Noah was sitting on the mat with Claire controlling his shoulder.
He looked up.
“What belt are you?”
“No belt tonight.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Claire smiled.
The timer sounded.
Logan had been watching.
He walked over.
“You said you had a little experience.”
“I do.”
“What kind?”
“Judo. Some jiu-jitsu.”
“How long ago?”
“A while.”
Logan looked at Noah.
“You letting her work?”
Noah frowned.
“No.”
Claire immediately said, “He was.”
Noah looked at her.
She gave him a tiny smile.
He understood what she was doing.
Giving him an exit.
Logan did not.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
He turned away.
Noah whispered, “Why did you say that?”
Claire picked up her water.
“Because it doesn’t matter.”
“To you.”
Claire drank.
Noah looked toward Logan.
“Apparently.”
The advanced class began immediately afterward.
Claire intended to leave.
She had trained enough.
Her left hip was already reminding her that forty-four was not twenty-eight.
Then rain began hammering against the windows.
Miguel texted.
Ten minutes away.
Claire decided to stay.
Logan noticed her sitting against the wall.
“You doing advanced?”
“No.”
“Probably smart.”
Claire looked at him.
He smiled.
“Nothing personal. It’s faster.”
“I’m waiting for Miguel.”
“You know Miguel?”
“A little.”
There it was again.
A little.
Logan had begun to dislike those two words.
“How?”
“Old friend.”
He nodded.
“Miguel knows everybody.”
Then he walked onto the mat.
Advanced training began with standing entries and chained takedowns.
Claire watched quietly.
Logan’s competition students were good.
Fast.
Aggressive.
One brown belt named Jason moved particularly well.
Claire found herself analyzing the same way she used to.
Weight distribution.
Grip choices.
Head position.
Where pressure leaked.
She hated how quickly the old part of her mind returned.
She loved it too.
That frightened her more.
Logan demonstrated a sequence from a failed single-leg into an outside trip.
During the explanation, he noticed Claire watching.
“Want to jump in?”
“No, thank you.”
“Too much?”
“No.”
A few students looked over.
Logan smiled.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
He returned to teaching.
But five minutes later he called out again.
“Claire, right?”
She looked up.
“Yes.”
“We’re one person short.”
There were actually even numbers.
Claire counted automatically.
Logan had already selected Jason to sit out.
She knew what he was doing.
So did Noah.
Claire stood.
“Fine.”
Logan tossed her a training jacket.
“Put this on. We’re switching to grip work.”
Claire tied the jacket.
No belt.
Logan pointed toward a large blue belt named Derek.
“Pair with him.”
Derek was perhaps six feet three and 230 pounds.
He looked embarrassed.
“Coach.”
“What?”
“She’s half my size.”
Logan smiled.
“Then control yourself.”
Claire looked at Derek.
“Don’t worry.”
He laughed nervously.
“I was going to tell you that.”
They drilled.
Derek was careful.
Too careful.
Claire stopped.
“You can grip normally.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
He increased pressure.
Claire adjusted.
Derek’s balance changed instantly.
His eyes widened.
“Oh.”
She released.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
They went again.
This time Derek tried to surprise her with a stronger pull.
Claire stepped.
Turned.
Stopped before completing the throw.
Derek was suddenly balanced on one leg with his entire upper body loaded across her hip.
Claire held him there for half a second.
Then gently placed him back on his feet.
Derek stared.
Noah laughed from across the room.
Logan stopped the timer.
“What was that?”
Claire looked at him.
“Entry.”
“You almost threw him.”
“I stopped.”
“This drill isn’t about showing off.”
Derek immediately said, “She wasn’t.”
Logan ignored him.
Claire loosened her grip.
“Understood.”
Something about her calmness irritated him more than an argument would have.
Logan walked toward them.
“You’ve done judo?”
“Yes.”
“What rank?”
Claire paused.
“Does it matter?”
A few students went quiet.
Logan gave a short laugh.
“It matters if I’m responsible for the room.”
“Then ask before you pair people.”
The room became completely still.
Not because Claire had raised her voice.
She had not.
But it was the first time she had pushed back.
Logan stared at her.
“Okay.”
He folded his arms.
“What rank?”
Claire looked at him.
“Black belt.”
Derek immediately stepped backward.
Noah whispered, “I knew it.”
Logan’s eyebrows rose.
“In judo?”
“Yes.”
“What degree?”
“Second.”
“How long since you trained?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Eight years.”
Logan smiled.
There it was.
The number he wanted.
“Eight years.”
Claire nodded.
“That explains it.”
“What does?”
“Your timing’s decent, but you’re rusty.”
Noah looked toward the ceiling.
Derek bit the inside of his cheek.
Claire simply said, “Probably.”
That answer denied Logan the argument he was looking for.
He turned back to the class.
“Okay, live takedown rounds. Two minutes. Controlled intensity.”
Then he pointed at Claire.
“You can sit this out if you want.”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“Keep up if you can.”
A few students laughed.
Not cruelly.
Mostly because their coach had said it like a joke.
Claire smiled too.
“Okay.”
The first round was with Derek.
He refused to go hard.
Claire knew it.
So she increased movement enough to force him to react.
Thirty seconds in, Derek attempted an inside trip.
Claire countered.
He landed gently.
They reset.
He tried a body lock.
Claire hit an outside reap.
Reset.
Derek laughed.
“This is not fair.”
“You’re fifty pounds heavier.”
“That apparently doesn’t matter.”
The timer sounded.
Next partner.