This time he tried to grab her with both hands, but she stepped back and sidestepped him. Rick lost his balance and slammed into a table, sending a glass of water shattering to the floor. A woman screamed. Bill growled: — “Enough! Back off!” Rick, red-faced and panting, stepped back. Danny looked at Eleanor more closely: — “Boss, something’s wrong here.”
Bill felt it too. Twice was no accident. The timing was too perfect. Mike, watching from the kitchen, felt his pulse pounding. This girl was the real deal. Bill stepped toward her: — “Where’d you learn to move like that?” Eleanor just reached for her wallet: — “I’m paying and leaving.”
Bill blocked her path: — “We aren’t finished.” Eleanor pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and laid it on the table: — “Mike, keep the change.” Bill swiped the bill and tried to shove it back at her: — “Take it. Lunch is on the house. We’re talking now.” Eleanor didn’t take it: — “I pay my own way.”
Bill’s gaze turned predatory: — “You think this is a game?” Danny moved to the door and locked it. The diner was a cage now. Bill began to circle her again: — “Do you know what happens to people who cross me?” Eleanor didn’t answer.
Bill stopped: — “They all regret it. Every single one.” Suddenly, Rick tried to grab her from behind again, this time with a bear hug. But in a blur of motion, Eleanor spun, caught Rick’s wrists, and applied a joint lock. Rick dropped to his knees with a sharp cry of pain. — “Agh! My arm!” The diner went silent again.
Mike’s eyes widened. That was a professional takedown. Bill and Danny froze. Eleanor released Rick and said quietly: — “Don’t touch me again.” Rick scrambled up, clutching his wrist, his face purple with fury: — “You bitch!” He swung a wild punch at her.
Eleanor slipped the punch easily. Rick’s momentum carried him into another table, sending plates crashing. A customer shouted: — “Call the cops!” Bill raised his hand: — “Rick, sit down! You’re embarrassing yourself!”
Rick backed off, humiliated. Bill looked Eleanor in the eye: — “You’ve had training.” Danny stepped up: — “Boss, you want me to take a crack at her?” Bill shook his head: — “No, I’ll handle this.” Mike stepped forward: — “That’s enough, Bill! I’m calling the police!”
Bill turned to Mike: — “Stay back, Mike! Touch that phone and you’re out of business!” Mike froze. Bill turned back to Eleanor: — “You think a few fancy moves make you a match for us?” Eleanor’s expression didn’t change: — “I’m not trying to win a fight.”
Bill smirked: — “Then what are you doing?” Eleanor looked him dead in the eye: — “I’m trying to leave.” Bill cracked his knuckles: — “Before you leave, you’re going to apologize.” Danny balled his fists and moved in. The room was a powder keg.
Eleanor adjusted the strap of her bag, settling into a solid stance. Mike’s heart sank. *This is it.* Bill pointed at her: — “Get her!” Rick lunged from behind again, but Eleanor ducked and moved with surgical precision. She wasn’t just avoiding him; she was controlling the space.
Rick stumbled, and Danny yelled: — “Get a grip, kid!” Rick tried to reset: — “She’s like grease, I can’t catch her!” Eleanor said softly: — “I’m moving so you don’t get hurt.” Danny laughed: — “You’ve got a big mouth, but let’s see how long you can run.”
Danny threw a heavy hook, but Eleanor tilted her head and the fist whistled past. Danny’s hand slammed into the wooden doorframe. — “Damn it!” Rick tried a low kick, but Eleanor stepped back: — “You’re going to break your foot doing that.” Rick’s shin slammed into a heavy chair leg, and he let out a yelp of pain.
Mike watched from the counter, mesmerized. Her movements were economical, professional. Bill realized it too. She wasn’t a brawler; she was a technician. Danny charged again: — “That’s it!” He tried to tackle her, but she caught his arm and used his own weight to send him sprawling: — “Don’t use brute force.”
Danny hit the floor hard: — “What the hell?” Rick tried to grab her neck from behind: — “Gotcha now!” Eleanor tucked her chin, grabbed his arm, and executed a perfect shoulder throw. Rick went flying. He sat up, dazed: — “Boss, we can’t get a hand on her!”
Danny, wiping a bit of blood from his lip, agreed: — “Boss, she’s a pro. You gotta do something.” Bill sighed and stood up straight: — “Useless idiots. Can’t even handle one woman.” Rick muttered: — “She’s not just a woman, Boss.” Bill walked toward her: — “Where’d you learn that?”
Eleanor didn’t answer. Bill rolled his shoulders: — “Fine, keep your secrets. You’ll be talking soon enough.” Eleanor replied: — “I don’t think you want to know.” Bill laughed: — “Confidence! I like it. But I’m not like these kids.” Eleanor said: — “I know.”
Bill frowned: — “You know what?” Eleanor met his gaze: — “I know the difference in skill levels. But it won’t change the outcome.” Bill sneered: — “And what outcome is that?” Eleanor paused: — “The process.” Bill tightened his fists: — “Fancy talk. Let’s see if you can back it up!”
Bill lunged. He was much faster and more disciplined than the other two. He threw a lightning-fast jab at Eleanor’s face, but she slipped it. Bill grunted: — “Good reflexes!” He followed up with a left hook, which Eleanor blocked with her forearm. Bill tried a knee strike: — “How long can you keep this up?”
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