Syndicates //

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I finally decided to be productive and head down to the gym, but first I decided to make a protein shake in the kitchen. It reminded me that I should definitely get some groceries for what I want to make on my own.

The gym was spacious, almost the entire floor plan of the ground floor but entirely just the gym. Liam had room for punching bags and an open mat to maybe wrestle? Of course, there was a great set of equipment. Leg machines, arm machines, weights, even a treadmill and stair master.

After a quick stretch, I got to working on the stair master, listening the music that Liam played through the speakers. He was weightlifting on the bench.

When Liam finished his rep, he came up to me, "How long are you planning on working out?"

"An hour or so," I shrug.

"Would you be up for some combat training? I'll work on you with some fighting and maybe later you and Harry could go to the shooting range."

"Sounds good," I smile. "The heist is sooner than we think." It's four days away, which seems like quite a while, however all of the third day is practically just preparation.

I got off the stair master and met Liam over at the boxing corner, he handed me a pair of boxing gloves, "These might be a bit big, but let's see."

"Nope, nice and snug," I say. I had feminine looking hands but they've always been on the large side, a lucky advantage that I think is misinterpreted as an insecurity for some.

Liam put his own pair on, "Have you done any hands on training before?"

"A while back," I say. "Definitely a little rusty."

"We'll just start with a few punches to get you back into the swing of things... literally."

I snicker, "funny."

He holds his fists up and I create contact, swinging a strong punch from the left and quickly to the right. He lets my gloves ricochet off of his and resists the impact.

"You've still got it in you," he hypes me up. "Try practicing your uppercut into the mix." I follow, swinging a few more punches and adding in that uppercut when he leases expects it. We practice this for a little while.

Eventually we ditch the gloves and he brings out some hand wraps. "I don't know how to wrap these," I admit."

"Here, it's not too hard once you get the hang of it," Liam wraps my first hand and explains, leaving me to do my second hand. While I do that, a little proud of myself, Liam grabs a mat that's like a cushioned shield. "Moving target practice. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do, you just respond and react."

"Got it," I get into my stance.

"Go!"

The mat is the ring and I start punching the moving bag. Liam does a good job at attempting to dodge them or barge me. I calculate his moves and try to dodge his patterns that he's unaware he's making.

Lastly, we spared, light contact but fighting each other. Liam is insanely good. All his daily hours of practice show just how trained he is. I couldn't tell if he was holding back on me or not.

"Good job, Cipher," Liam holds his hand up for a high five. "Hopefully you don't need it on Saturday, but it's good to dust those cobwebs off. You're welcome to spar with me anytime."

"Thanks, Liam!"

•••

I showered off. Liam said he would text Harry while I was in the shower so he had time to prepare. The hot water was nice on my muscles and my bones, sore from all the impact that I wasn't used to enduring.