Reborn by Melody Anne

Chapter Eleven

Jasmine Anderson had just finished her second day of freshman orientation at the University of Washington, and she was on cloud nine. She’d been accepted to almost every college she’d applied to, but she’d known if the Huskies accepted her, that was where she was going to get her undergrad degree.

Jasmine was destined to work within the FBI and she knew she’d get degrees in both Psychology and Sociology before moving on to get her master’s. That wasn’t enough. She’d finish off with a doctorate. She wasn’t sure where she’d do her higher degrees, but she’d be ready to leave Washington by then. Right now, though, she was free from being smothered by her overprotective family. She was meeting new people, and she was happy, very, very happy.

“Hey Jasmine,” a girl’s voice called out.

Jasmine turned to see two girls quickly walking up to her. Both of them had friendly smiles and she recalled meeting them the day before in a breakout group. If she remembered correctly their names were Colleen and Lyla.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Jasmine asked.

“We saw you walking alone and thought you’d like company. We’re running up the road to get some Korean barbeque for an early dinner. Do you want to join us?” Colleen asked.

“Yeah, come with us. We can get to know each other more,” Lyla encouraged.

Jasmine didn’t have to think about the offer. Not only did she love meeting new people, but she wanted friends in college that had nothing to do with her family and didn’t know she was one of those Andersons. There were a few kids from her high school attending U-Dub, and she’d begged them not to reveal her secret. They’d promised to act as if she was a typical blue-collar girl like the rest of them. She felt as if she could fly with her new freedom.

“I’d love to go. Korean BBQ is one of my favs. It’s been too long since the last time I had some. My car’s parked in the south lot. Do you want a ride? I’ll need directions,” Jasmine said.

“You can ride with us,” Lyla said.

“Perfect,” Jasmine replied. She knew her father would have a fit about her riding with strangers without a full background check ran, but she was officially a college student now, and he’d have to get used to her being just like anyone else. She wanted freedom, and she wanted to experience a normal college life without bells and whistles . . . and without protection all of the dang time.

“I need to call my dad really quick. Since I’m not officially in college yet, I still have to check in with him or my mom,” Jasmine said as she pulled out her phone and found the contact number for her dad. She still respected her parents. She just wasn’t going to tell them absolutely everything.

The three girls walked toward Colleen’s car while Jasmine told her dad she wouldn’t be home because she was having an early dinner with two girls she’d just met. Her father, ever the protective one, wanted to know the girls’ names and where she was going. She omitted that she was riding with them. Then he told her to have a wonderful time and not be out too late. She could’ve been a jerk about it as she was eighteen, but she truly did respect her parents and knew they only wanted to keep her safe. That’s why they’d kept her face out of the media as much as humanly possible. There had been a few scares in her family over the years. Of course there were when the kind of money was involved that was in her family.

“Sorry about that,” Jasmine said.

“No worries. I had to do the same thing, just happened before we caught up with you,” Lyla replied.

“This is my car,” Colleen indicated a blue Toyota Camry as she pulled out the key fob and unlocked the doors.

Jasmine waited a half second for Lyla and Colleen to open their doors and get in before mirroring the same on her side. Since she’d begun her mentor/mentee relationship with Smoke and Mallory, any time she got into a car with passengers she’d scan her surroundings, ensuring no one was approaching a door they could jump into, or grabbing anyone riding with her. The likelihood of that happening was low, but it was always better to be cognizant of the surroundings than to be surprised.

“It smells so nice in here. What’s the scent?” Jasmine asked.

“It’s shimmer by Febreze,” Colleen said in a mock haughty voice.

“Oh, shimmer you say. How regal!” Lyla replied back in the same voice.

The three young ladies started laughing as Colleen pulled onto the road toward their destination. They chatted about school and what classes they were taking for the few minutes it took to get up University Way.

“The restaurant’s here on the right,” Lyla said.

“Where do I park?” Colleen asked.

“Go up to the light and hang a right, and then at the alley take another right. There’s a small parking lot behind the restaurant,” Jasmine said as she looked at the map on her phone.

They found the small parking lot, parked the car, and made their way to the restaurant. They tried to find a way in from the back side of the eatery, but the kitchen staff wouldn’t let them walk through. It wasn’t a long walk around the strip mall and while the weather was starting to cool in the Northwest it was still warm enough for the girls to get by with long-sleeved shirts.

“Have you been here before?” Jasmine asked.

“No. We were talking about what to eat tonight as they finished orientation and Lyla had the perfect idea for Korean BBQ. This is the closest one we could find,” Colleen replied.

“Yep. If it turns out to be terrible it’s not my fault,” Lyla said with a smile as they reached the entrance to the restaurant.

“Oh, I’m definitely blaming you,” Jasmine said as they opened the door, a simple bell chiming as an indicator that patrons had entered.

The girls quickly got a table, but it was obvious the place would soon be full.

“We got here just in time,” Jasmine said with a laugh. She’d been so spoiled her entire life she didn’t know what it was like to wait for anything. She was excited to start college and be like any other normal, poor student. She refused to use her trust fund. She wanted to live on a budget and feel as if she was in the real world.

“Yeah, this junior who was helping us earlier said get here soon cause it’s a hot spot for the campus,” Colleen said.

“How long have the two of you known each other?” Jasmine asked.

“We’ve been besties since the sixth grade,” Lyla answered.

“That’s amazing. Where did you grow up?”

“We grew up in Yakima, which really blows compared to Seattle. We’ve made a vow of never going back unless it’s for a visit,” Colleen said.

“Yeah, it’s gone downhill,” Lyla said. “But like everywhere, there are some really amazing places there. They have a botanical garden that’s absolutely beautiful. I think, though, when I’m finished with school I’m going to live on the coast. I’m ninety percent sure I’m going to get my degree in marine biology.”

“That’s amazing,” Jasmine said. “You could travel the world with a job like that.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing. I want to travel and see what’s out there. We didn’t have much money while I was growing up, so we didn’t vacation much. I’ve never been farther than Idaho, so I want to go all over the world. I want to be single and have fun until I’m at least twenty-eight. That’s ten solid years of freedom.” Lyla finished.

“Lyla and I have a vow that we won’t get married a day before we turn twenty-eight. We’ve seen too many family members, and classmates, get pregnant young, or married young, and then hate their lives. When I’m married I want to be an amazing wife and mother. So, I need to be selfish for a while first,” Colleen said with a smile.

“I never thought of it that way before, but I think that’s smart,” Jasmine said. “I’m going to join you in your vow. No marriage until at least twenty-eight.” She started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Colleen asked.

“We’ll have to make sure my grandfather doesn’t hear that. If he finds out I’m not going to give him a great grandchild for another ten years it might cause a stroke.”

Both girls joined in laughter with her.

“My mom feels the same. She always says she wants me to live, but then in the same breath she tells me she can’t wait to be a grandmother,” Lyla said.

“Yeah, my gramps isn’t like anyone you’ve met before. He thinks it’s a sin for his friends and family to not give him more grandchildren and nieces and nephews,” Jasmine said.

“I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds like an amazing man,” Colleen said.

“He truly is,” Jasmine told them. It gave her a little pang in her heart to not have these girls whom she had a feeling were going to become great friends, meet the most important man in her life. She idolized her gramps. He was her favorite person on the planet. Of course, she loved her parents, but she and her gramps had something special that Jasmine was well aware not many people had. Once she was secure in her friendship with these young women, Jasmine would take them to meet her grandpa — just maybe not at the mansion.

The girls finished their meal while learning more about one another and were walking out when Colleen asked if they could run across the street to Target. Jasmine and Lyla readily agreed. Jasmine sent her dad a text of where she was going just so the National Guard wouldn’t be sent out if she was a little late getting home. She internally laughed at that, but if her gramps thought she was missing for even five minutes, it wasn’t too far off that the Guard, the Navy, the Marines, and the entire Seattle PD would be sent out to search for her. There was comfort and annoyance in her family’s protectiveness over her.

Jasmine loved shopping — and she loved it even more on a budget. That might sound strange to many who’d love to buy anything they wanted whenever they wanted. But learning to live on her own was a huge treat for her. She got to pick out every single item that came into her room. She got to choose her clothes, how to wear her hair, and how to live. It was heaven. She hadn’t grown up in a controlling house, she’d just grown up in an environment where safety had needed to come first. And, unfortunately, if she’d acted like a typical bratty teen it would’ve been all over the papers. Now, if she wore a pair of sweats and her hair in a ponytail, she’d look like every other college kid. It was freedom to the max.

They went through the clothing department, helping each other pick out some clearance items, then to household goods where they bought the minimal of what they’d need for their dorm rooms. Jasmine didn’t enjoy spending her allotted budget on soap and sponges. But she wasn’t quitting on day one of making her decision. The pretty earrings that were full price were out of her budget. It made her laugh to realize she couldn’t afford a thirty-dollar pair of earrings when she literally had ten-thousand-dollar earrings sitting in her jewelry box at home. Those had been a present from her grandfather on her sixteenth birthday. They were stunning and she only wore them on the most special of occasions.

By the time the girls left Target, it was dark and getting damp and chilly outside. They knew it was time to head home. “We have a couple of weeks left and then we can stay out for as long as we want,” Jasmine said as they jumped in the car.

“I love that your parents still have rules for you until you head to college,” Lyla said. “It makes me feel like less of a freak. Colleen and I are staying in a weekly hotel with our parents during orientation, but they’re still here. I can’t wait to get into my dorm room and be on my own.”

“Yeah, my dad has definitely lightened up, but he’s always worried, and he wants me to set an example for my unruly teenage brothers, who are just itching to see the world. I don’t mind respecting his rules because he gave me a good home for my entire life and he loves me unconditionally,” Jasmine said.

“Some of the kids here have been assholes about it,” Colleen said. “They’ve been disgusted that we check in with our parents. Some of them have been doing whatever they want since they were fifteen.”

“I thought that would be heaven when I talked to kids in high school who had similar experiences at home, but then I realized they weren’t as happy as they thought. A lot of those kids got into drugs, and some even dropped out. There’s security in knowing your place in life and where you belong. Yes, I want freedom, but I love that my parents have always made sure I’ve been responsible enough to earn it,” Jasmine said.

“I haven’t thought about it that way, but I love that. We should make a poster. Where are you living?” Colleen asked.

“I have a room in a house one block from campus,” Jasmine said. She’d allowed her grandfather to secure that for her. She hadn’t wanted him stressed. She had a feeling he’d bought the house, but she’d rather not know the truth. If it did belong to her gramps, she’d feel as if she had less freedom.

“Oh, that’s so much better than the dorm,” Lyla said, her bottom lip pouting.

“There’s one more room left with two beds in it,” Jasmine said, feeling suddenly excited.

“I can’t afford a house. They cost more than the dorms,” Lyla said.

“No, it doesn’t. This place was a real deal,” Jasmine insisted. It was another reason she had a feeling her gramps had gotten it even though she’d gone through a property management company that her gramps had insisted she go through.

“How much?” Colleen asked.

Jasmine pulled out the card for the company and handed it to Colleen. “Tell them I sent you. It’s a huge room, and there’s a fully fenced backyard with a barbeque area, horseshoe pit, and volleyball net. There are only four other roommates in the entire house. It has a huge living room, kitchen, and study area. I was shocked at the price. My gramps is good at finding deals.”

“I’m going to call tonight,” Colleen said, jumping up and down. “I don’t know if they’ll answer, but I don’t want to lose out. I can save a lot of money if the price is better than the dorms. That means more late-night Denny’s runs while studying.”

All three girls laughed at that. Midnight Denny’s was supposed to be the ultimate for college students. Jasmine was in no way admitting she’d never eaten there. She was sure she’d love the food.

They’d stood there too long so they speed-walked to their car. Each of them would get a lecture if they didn’t return home soon. They started driving back to campus as soon as they jumped inside. Luckily they weren’t far away.

“You can drop me off here at the sidewalk,” Jasmine said.

“You sure?” Colleen asked.

“Yeah, my car’s right there and it’s a pain to turn around in this parking lot,” Jasmine insisted.

“Thanks for coming with us. It was fun. I’ll give you a call and we’ll talk soon,” Lyla called out her window.

Colleen leaned over and echoed the same sentiment and then they pulled away. Jasmine watched the back of the Camry drive down the road and smiled at how easily this new friendship was forming.

After the taillights were gone, Jasmine began moving to her car when she saw two men walking toward her. It wasn’t that they were intimidating looking, or that they’d given any signal they meant to harm her, but it was the fact that she’d let her guard down enough to not notice them until they’d gotten so close. She quickly put her hand inside her purse, ensuring the pepper spray cartridge was in its familiar location while she grabbed her keys and placed them between her fingers.

When Jasmine reached her car door she realized she’d been holding her breath. The men passed right on by her without even glancing her way as they talked sports. She watched their backs and finally realized her lungs were burning as she took in a deep breath.

After she shook her head, disappointment in herself for getting so worked up over what was nothing, she wondered if the training she’d been going through the last few months was actually making her overly paranoid. Instantly panicking at seeing two men on the street made her think that maybe she was starting to get in a little too deep with her training.

“What’s your issue, Jazz?” she quietly asked as she unlocked her car door and opened it.

As Jasmine began stepping inside the vehicle she was violently pulled back. She couldn’t feel the earth beneath her, completely weightless for what felt like an eternity. Then her back violently landed on the ground, knocking the breath from her. She tried to get her feet underneath her but couldn’t as the attacker drag her toward the back of her car.

“Nooo . . .” Jasmine hissed as loud as she could, but her shirt was pinching her throat, closing off her ability to speak.

“You’re mine, beautiful,” the attacker whispered in her ear, his vulgar hot breath hovering over her skin.

Jasmine finally regained her footing, and as she did, she pushed backward hard. She knew she could knock the attacker off balance enough to turn her body and confront the man who was trying to harm her. It didn’t happen quite the way she wanted, though. Instead of having both hands on her shoulders, her attacker moved one hand up to her hair, grabbed it tight, twisted her body hard, and threw her to the ground again, this time face first. The weight of his body was instantly on her back, pushing the air from her. The pavement and loose pieces of gravel scratched her face.

Jasmine knew she was in trouble. She knew if she panicked, she’d likely get raped, and possibly killed. The man was speaking vulgar words to her, making bile rise in her throat. She had to fight to calm herself.

She closed her eyes and stilled, and then Smoke’s voice entered her mind. The man’s lewd comments, the aches and pains from his rough treatment of her, and the fear that had been consuming her all disappeared. There was nothing else in this moment but Smoke’s low, calm voice as she thought of their training sessions.

When the world’s crashing down on you, you must keep your mind clear. No matter what the situation, no matter how terrifying. If you keep your mind calm you’ll set yourself up for success.

That’s easy for you. You’re an uber military superstar badass,Jasmine had replied.

Smoke would stop the training and remind her that everyone finds their courage, and their ability to get through those situations, from training over and over again. The training, and responses to the training, would become more and more severe as their knowledge of themselves grew.

It was that training she was thinking of when the man flipped Jasmine from her stomach to her back and slapped her in the face, grabbed the hair at her forehead and pushed the back of her head against the pavement. Outside of the sting on her cheek and the pressure between the back of her head and the asphalt, she calmed herself and took in the situation.

The man looked fiercely into her face, sliding his hands to her neck and starting to squeeze. Jasmine saw the moves play out in slow motion and she performed them to perfection. She brought her hands together, in the middle of her chest, and quickly slid them up with as much force as she could in between his arms. The movement stole the grip off her neck and left the attacker off balance.

Before the man could regain his composure Jasmine wrapped her left arm around his outstretched right arm, bringing it down tight against her ribs. At the same time, she took her left leg, placed it over the back of his right leg, and slid it up so his butt was resting on her knee. All of this happened as fast as he’d ripped her away from her car.

Then in a fraction of a second, she gave a hip thrust, throwing the man’s balance forward. As he started to fall Jasmine put her free hand against his jaw and twisted hard. The two of them fell over, and for a moment she was on top. It was enough for him to start to scramble, his arms and legs flailing.

She knew if she tried to get up at that point he’d easily drag her back down, so she had to incapacitate him. She took advantage of the position they were in. In rapid succession she hammered her knee into his groin. It was quick and hard enough to take his mind off of the desire to harm her and turn his attention to protecting himself from the onslaught.

As his grip became non-existent Jasmine scrambled to her feet, quickly turning around to run. Standing in her way was a large, dark figure. Her heart was thundering. She’d been lucky to get away from the first man, but there was no way she was going to get through this giant of a man.

“FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!”Jasmine screamed. Her grandfather had preached to her over and over again to not yell for help. If she were to get into a situation she needed to yell fire. If strangers heard the word fire, they’d come running to help. If they heard the word, help, they’d be too afraid to get involved.

Her grandfather had also told her if she was ever alone and someone tried to break into her house, she needed to call the fire department. They’d be there within five-minutes where the cops might be too far away. He said he’d pay whatever fine needed to be paid just as long as she was safe. He’d told her to start a damn fire if need be, that her life was far more important than anything material in the whole wide world.

She went from a physical mindset to a strategic mindset as she faced a new giant in front of her. If she couldn’t beat him, hopefully she could get enough attention to scare away the beast. Until someone did show up and, hopefully, help her, she was going to give every ounce of energy into keeping herself upright and out of this man’s hands.

Jasmine planted her feet, balled up her fists and was ready to fight. The man who’d attacked her started retching as he rolled onto his hands and knees. Through his fits of trying to catch his breath he was trying to say something that was undiscernible.

Then he finally choked, “What the hell was that?”

“You’ll be fine,” the new man said.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at the big man. “What did you say?”

“I told him he’d be fine,” the man said. His voice smooth, even, and deep.

Jasmine narrowed her gaze in suspicion. No way! She might be wrong so she was still on total alert, but if she was right someone was going to die. Her new shirt she’d paid for with her very small budget had been ruined.

The man took a step forward and Jasmine steadied her feet, trying to keep her body loose enough to move but tight enough to weather any type of blow the person might throw. The new attacker took another step forward and Jasmine lunged, attempting to surprise him, giving her at least a small chance of getting free. The quick jab to his mid-section was like hitting a brick wall and before she could make her next move a hand snatched her wrist like a vice.

“Enough,” he said.

He wasn’t disguising his voice anymore and Jasmine wanted to hurt him . . . and knew there was no chance of that happening. She took a half step back, looked through the shadow of the night, straining to see the face of the man who could lift her off the ground with one hand with two broken fingers on it . . . it was Smoke.

“What in the hell?” Jasmine spat, filled with indignation.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Smoke said, holding up his hands as he tried to calm her. Good luck with that!

“What the hell, Smoke?” Jasmine said again, pulling away from him.

Smoke released her wrist, and a big smile crossed his lips as he did. Jasmine took another retreating step. She was seriously pissed off.

“Jazzy, calm down,” Smoke said, but he didn’t seem repentant at all with the grin he was wearing.

“Smoke, what’s going on?” Jasmine demanded again.

“I told you when we started this to always be ready. Your training is never going to stop as long as we’re working together. This man’s an associate of mine — well, he might quit after the ass-kicking you handed him tonight.” He paused, seeming quite pleased by that. “While it felt like he was going to hurt you, he was in control the entire time. Well, until you kneed him in the nuts,” Smoke said with a smirk.

“What?” Jasmine asked. She was still trying to calm her nerves and not understanding what Smoke was saying.

“Take a breath, Jazzy. You’re safe. You handled that situation perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. However, you should’ve brought that lead arm up to stop the slap because it could’ve easily been a fist. We’ll work on that this week,” Smoke said.

“This was a test? I could have . . . But he,” Jasmine stammered as she turned back toward the man who was now standing but still trying to regain his composure.

“Yes, a test. I told you the world will roll you at any time or any place. It doesn’t care if you’re a man, woman, young, old, black, white, or any other thing. The violence of life can rip you from your comfort zone in the blink of an eye. It isn’t that you need to be looking over your shoulder every second of every day but, like you did tonight, you need to understand how to keep yourself calm enough to get yourself out of the situation as fast as possible,” Smoke said, a proud look on his face.

“You did good, kid,” the man who’d attacked her said as he gingerly walked past her, stopping next to Smoke, shaking his hand briefly, and then continuing on into the darkness with a noticeable limp in his gait.

There was a pause, the only sound around them coming from a car slowly driving past, and then Jasmine started to laugh. It started as a slow chuckle but within moments it was almost enough for her to keel over in an attempt to catch her breath.

“That was awesome!” Jasmine said once she brought herself back from the laughing fit.

“Yeah, it was.” Smoke smiled at her.

“Everything slowed down, just like you said it would. Did you see the mount defense move? I rolled him over like a baby!” She’d gone from furious to elated in a single heartbeat. She was so much more capable than she’d realized. It was a euphoric feeling.

“Just like we’ve been training for,” Smoke said.

“Oh man! That was perfect. You’re right, I should’ve defended that slap. Such a newb move. But that was so cool. When I locked his arm in I knew I had him. Once I had that it was simple to thrust and spin him over. So friggin’ cool.”

Her energy was starting to reach maximum level and Smoke could see that if he didn’t stop her, she might start jumping up and down.

“Okay, enough of the chatter. Let’s get out of here. Your mom and dad know you’re with me, so we’re going to get some ice cream and talk about what’s next for your training,” Smoke told her.

“Ugh, fine! But you’re driving because I need to call Mallory and tell her everything!” Jasmine said as she tossed her keys at Smoke.

Jasmine pulled out her phone as she walked to the passenger side of her car. The last thing Smoke heard before he started the car was Jasmine say, “Mallory, hey, yeah, I’m good. Guess what just happened!”

Smoke smiled. He was hella proud of this spitfire of a young woman.