Chapter 1

Not again! That was all Amanda Harrington could think as she caught her first glimpse of the instructor sitting at the table outside the room she'd been assigned to at the gym. Her steps faltered for just a moment as reality hit that it really was none other than Jake Marshall signing in students. She couldn't believe she was getting the same physical training instructor she'd had the last time she'd been at the academy. What were the odds of that happening? Whatever they were, they obviously weren't in her favor. Oh well. Might as well get it over with, Amanda thought as she headed over to the sign in table.

"Last name?" asked Jake Marshall, not even bothering to lift his head from scanning the roster sheet.

"Harrington," replied Amanda.

Jake looked up in response to the husky, yet obviously female tone of voice. For a moment he thought his eyes were deceiving him. It was the same woman he'd had in his class just last year!

"Don't I know you?" Jake asked.

"Nice line," Amanda answered. Jake frowned and thought back to the last time he'd had her in his class. She'd had a big chip on her shoulder then. Guess not much had changed.

"Nice attitude," was Jake's reply and Amanda felt herself turning red. Great. She'd been trying for a little levity, but as soon as she'd said the words she wished she could take them back. She wasn't very good when it came to having a quick come back. Oh, she could come up with the perfect one…it was always just ten seconds too late.

Nice start to the twelve weeks of hell she was going to have to endure here at the academy.

"Start stretching out on the mats," Jake told her, indicating the doorway behind him as he continued on to the next person in line.

So, here she was back at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, commonly referred to as the"academy" by the law enforcement personnel that were trained