Just a place to keep kids off the streets and teach them about respect and tradition. If nine out of ten kids ended up falling in love with her, that wasn’t her fault. She just shrugged and taught them to redirect their energy. She was working a class full of green belts through the katas—Rush always thought of it as that routine the Japanese Secret Service did in You Only Live Twice when they were showing off to James Bond—when Rush came in, a reluctant Amelia in tow. Gail bowed to her students and dismissed them. Then she headed over to Rush. The sweat on her face only made her look more bright and glowing. “Is this the girl?” she asked. Amelia crinkled her nose. “It smells all locker-roomy in here.” “You get used to it,” Gail said with a smile. Amelia eyed her with distrust. “This is your teacher, huh,” she said to Rush. “What does she teach you?” “Martial arts,” Rush said. “Taekwondo. Kung fu. Kallaripayattu. Savate. Judo. Muay Thai. Karate.” “So she can whip your ass.”
