The Legacy of Shadows. William Speir

dojo outright after five years, and he’d be fully retired by then.

      “Jamie, I’d like to introduce you to Doug and Beth Collins,” Tobias said when he reached her. “They’re thinking about joining, and you should talk to them.”

      Tobias’ tone told Jamie that the couple was not looking for the typical classes that the dojo taught. Jamie stood, and Tobias stepped away to help set up for the first classes of the morning.

      “Pleased to meet you.” She shook hands with Doug and Beth.

      “It’s our pleasure,” Doug replied.

      “That was an impressive display,” Beth said.

      Jamie smiled. “Thank you.” She motioned for the couple to follow her to her office.

      In addition to her desk, which Jamie always kept neat and organized, the office had an oversized couch and several comfortable chairs surrounding a coffee table. The white painted walls were covered with edged martial arts weapons from Japan, China, and Korea, including swords, throwing stars, and knives. She closed the office door and invited the couple to sit on the couch. She grabbed three water bottles from the fridge next to her desk and placed them on the coffee table. Then she quickly put on her black martial arts uniform and belt before taking a seat in one of the chairs facing Doug and Beth.

      “What can I help you with?”

      Doug looked at Beth, but neither spoke up immediately.

      Jamie watched them closely. They seem nervous. I wonder what’s bothering them.

      Finally, Beth spoke up. “I have a problem—”

      “We have a problem,” Doug corrected her.

      “Yes, we have a problem,” Beth agreed, “but it’s directed mostly at me. And I’m… we’re afraid.”

      “What kind of problem?”

      “An ex-husband problem,” Doug answered.

      The couple fell silent. Beth still looked nervous.

      “You’re safe here,” Jamie reassured them. “Tell me as much as you’re comfortable sharing, and then I’ll tell you what we offer that can help. Believe me, we’ve helped a large number of people who were having problems with their exes.”

      Doug nodded and gave Beth a nudge. She flashed a tired smile at him and then began telling Jamie her story.

      “Doug and I met six years ago when I was going through a nasty divorce, and we married shortly after the divorce was finalized. Abdul, my ex-husband, and I were happy at first. He was charming, and I thought that his Mediterranean features were handsome. But after we got married, everything slowly began to change. He attacked my self-esteem to make me totally dependent on him, and he was verbally and physically abusive whenever I did something that he thought was wrong. I wanted to leave him, but I felt trapped. And he made it clear what he’d do to me if I ever tried to leave or have him arrested.”

      Jamie nodded. This was an all-too-familiar story.

      Beth took a drink of water from one of the bottles. “We were together for thirteen years, and we had two beautiful children – a girl and a boy – two years apart. I didn’t want them growing up without their father, so I suffered the abuse in silence for the sake of my family. But when Abdul’s abuse began including the children, I knew I had to do something.”

      “Your ‘mamma bear’ instincts took over?” Jamie asked.

      Beth nodded. “I looked into shelters where the kids and I could go, and after weeks of planning, the kids and I escaped one morning after he left for work. We lived in a shelter for two months.

      “It was right after she filed for divorce and moved out of the shelter that we met,” Doug interjected. “Before we knew it, we were dating.”

      “The kids loved Doug from the very beginning,” Beth added. “Anyway, the divorce was an ugly affair. But in the end I got full custody of the kids, and he only got minimal visitation. And then, a month after the divorce was final, Doug and I got married.”

      “That’s when the real trouble began,” Doug explained. “Abdul was humiliated by the divorce and the loss of the kids. When he found out that Beth and I were married, he decided that he had to get the kids back at any cost, and he became obsessed with avenging the perceived loss of his honor. That’s when I took a transfer at work, and we moved out of state.”

      “But you’re back now,” Jamie noted.

      Doug nodded. “Six months ago, my company asked me to move back here. We hoped that Abdul would have forgotten about us by now, but we were wrong.”

      “We tried to avoid Abdul,” Beth said, “but somehow he still found out that we were back. He started stalking us two months ago. He has confronted us twice. He was angry before, but he’s now completely insane.”

      “So that’s why we’re here,” Doug said. “We’ve talked to people who have gone through your classes, and they all say that you’re the best. After what we saw earlier, we believe you can help us protect ourselves.”

      Jamie nodded. “I’m glad you talked to people who have gone through our classes. I can tell you what we do, but they’re the ones who can tell you if it was worth it. First of all, do you have a security system at your home and panic alarms on your vehicles? If not, get them installed immediately.”

      Doug indicated that they had both already.

      “Good,” Jamie said. “As for what we provide, we teach a self-defense class every Tuesday night for men and women, and a special self-defense class on Wednesday nights for women only. We also have instructors who teach a pistol safety and proficiency class at one of the local gun clubs. I suggest that you both apply for a concealed carry permit and purchase a pistol for each of you.”

      “Why?” Beth asked. “Won’t the self-defense classes teach us all we need?”

      Jamie leaned forward. “No one class will teach you all you need. Self-defense classes are good for when your attacker is right next to you, but a pistol can keep them from ever getting near you. Both are equally important for different reasons. I carry a pistol at all times.”

      “You?” Doug was surprised. “I wouldn’t think you needed a gun to protect yourself.”

      “What if my attacker is armed with a gun and is standing out of my reach? Hands and feet won’t stop bullets. You need different tools for different situations.”

      Beth and Doug nodded. “Do you teach all of the classes?” Beth asked.

      “I help out with most of the classes when I’m in town, but I have dedicated instructors who usually teach these classes. I travel a lot teaching combat martial arts, but the instructors here are the best, and they can teach you everything you need to know.”

      Beth looked at Doug, and Doug nodded.

      “We’d like to sign up,” Beth said.

      “Wonderful!” Jamie stood up, grabbed two pens and two membership applications from the bookcase next to the door, and handed them to Beth and Doug. “Just fill these out, and we’ll get your identification cards made while you’re here. That way you can start on Tuesday.”

      Jamie grabbed a couple of brochures from the bookcase. “These give you all the details about the dojo, the gear you’ll need, and where to purchase everything. I’m also giving you information about getting your gun permits and how to sign up for our pistol classes at the gun club. There’s an extra fee for that because the gun club is private, but you don’t have to join there if you’re taking one of our classes.”

      Beth and Doug finished filling out the applications, which included a liability release form, and handed the completed paperwork to Jamie, along with their driver’s licenses. She scanned the documents and licenses into the dojo management system, and then she had each