Execution (2020 Ed) Read online

  Execution

  by Lucia Franco

  Book 2 in the Off Balance series

  Copyright © 2017 by Lucia Franco

  Edited by Nadine Winningham

  Proofread by Amber Hodge

  Cover Design by Romantic Book Affairs

  Photography by Lindee Robinson

  Cover Models Shelby Smith and Andrew Kruczynski

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  More titles by Lucia Franco

  Introduction

  Preface

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  More titles by Lucia Franco

  Standalone Titles

  You'll Think of Me

  Hold On to Me

  Hush, Hush

  Say Yes

  Off Balance series

  Balance

  Execution

  Release

  Twist

  Dismount

  Dear Reader,

  The Off Balance series is a continuation series. The novels must be read in order to follow the story.

  This story is purely fictional and does not reflect on real-life events.

  Each novel in this five-part series follows a heavy May-December romance between a gymnast and a coach. If you consider this subject and any related content disturbing, then the Off Balance series is not for you.

  Gymnastics is a hands-on sport that involves hours of close contact with a coach. My goal was to focus on the beauty of the sport in detail, show the emotional aspect of the dedication an athlete makes, and show how two people are able to cross forbidden boundaries and evolve together.

  This story will push you, question you, and take you outside of your comfort zone.

  The Off Balance series is intended only for readers 18 years of age and older. Reader discretion is advised.

  —Lucia

  "Listen, human nature is fucked up. It’s more honest, and more humane, to just lie."

  —Anonymous

  To the patient and loyal readers who've waited for this book…

  I'm sorry about the cliffhanger in Balance.

  Just kidding.

  Glossary

  All-Around A category of gymnastics that includes all the events. The all-around champion of an event earns the highest total score from all events combined.

  Amanar A Yurchenko-style vault, meaning the gymnast performs a round-off onto the board, a back handspring onto the vault with a two and a half twisting layout back flip.

  Cast A push off the bar with hips and lifts the body to straighten the shoulders and finish in handstand.

  Deduction Points taken off a gymnast's score for errors. Most deductions are pre-determined, such as a 0.5 deduction for a fall from an apparatus or a 0.1 deduction for stepping out of bounds on the floor exercise.

  Dismount The last skill in a gymnastics routine. For most events the method used to get off the event apparatus.

  Elite International Elite, the highest level of gymnastics.

  Execution The performance of a routine. Form, style, and technique used to complete the skills constitute the level of execution of an exercise. Bent knees, poor toe point and an arched or loosely-held body position are all examples of poor execution.

  Giant Performed on bars, a swing in which the body is fully extended and moving through a 360 degree rotation around the bar.

  Full-In A full-twisting double back tuck, with the twist happening in the first back flip. It can be done in a tucked, piked, or layout position and is used in both men's and women's gymnastics.

  Free Hip Circle Performed on the uneven bars or high bar, the body circles around the bar without the body touching the bar. There are both front hip circles and back hip circles.

  Handspring Springing off the hands by putting the weight on the arms and using a strong push from the shoulders. Can be done either forward or backward, usually a connecting movement. This skill can be performed on floor, vault, and beam.

  Heel Drive A termed used by coaches to inform the gymnasts they want them to drive their heels harder up and over on the front side of a handspring vault or front handspring on floor. Stronger heel drives create more rotation and potential for block and power.

  Hecht Mount A mount where the gymnast jumps off a spring board while keeping their arms straight, pushes off the low bar, and catches the high bar.

  Inverted Cross Performed by men on the rings, it is an upside down cross.

  Iron Cross A strength move performed by men on the rings. The gymnast holds the rings straight out on either side of their body while holding themselves up. Arms are perpendicular to the body.

  Jaeger Performed on bars, a gymnast swings from a front Giant and lets go of the bar, into a front flip and catches the bar again. Jaeger can be done in the straddle, pike, and layout position, and is occasionally performed in a tucked position.

  Kip The most commonly used mount for bars, the gymnast glides forward, pulls their feet to the bar, then pushes up to front support, resting their hips on the bar.

  Layout A stretched body position.

  Layout Timers A drill that simulates the feel of a skill, or the set for a skill without the risk of completing the skill.

  Lines Straight, perfect lines of the body.

  Overshoot, also known as Bail A transition from the high bar facing the low bar. The gymnast swings up and over the low bar with a half-turn to catch the low bar ending in a handstand.

  Pike The body bent forward at the w
aist with the legs kept straight, an L position.

  Pirouette Used in both gymnastics and dance to refer to a turn around the body's longitudinal axis. It is used to refer to a handstand turning moves on bars.

  Rips In gymnastics, a rip occurs when a gymnast works so hard on the bars or rings they tear off a flap of skin from their hand. The injury is like a blister that breaks open.

  Release Leaving the bar to perform a skill before re-grasping it.

  Relevé This is a dance term that is often used in gymnastics. In a relevé, the gymnast is standing on toes and has straight legs.

  Reverse Grip A swing around the bar back-first with arms rotated inwards and hands facing upwards.

  Round-off A turning movement, with a push-off on one leg, while swinging the legs upward in a fast cartwheel motion into a ninety degree turn where legs come together before landing on both feet. The lead-off to a number of skills used to perform on vault, beam, and floor.

  Salto Flip or somersault, with the feet coming up over the head and the body rotating around the axis of the waist.

  Sequence Two or more skills performed together, creating a different skill or activity.

  Shaposhnikva A clear hip circle on the low bar then flying backward to the high bar.

  Stick To land, and remain standing, without requiring a step. A proper stick position is with legs bent, shoulders above hips, arms forward.

  Straddle Back An uneven bar transition done from a swing backwards on the high bar over low bar, while catching the low bar in a handstand.

  Switch Ring Performed on floor and the balance beam, the gymnast jumps with both feet, lifting their legs into a one-hundred-eighty degree split with the back leg coming up to touch their head.

  Tap Swing Performed on bars, an aggressive tap toward the ceiling in a swinging motion. This gives the gymnast the necessary momentum to swing around the bar to perform a Giant or to go into a release move.

  Toe On Swing around the bar with body piked so much the feet are on the bar.

  Tour Jete A dance leap where the dancer leaps on one foot, makes a full turn in the air, and lands on the other foot.

  Tsavdaridou Performed on beam, a round-off back handspring with full twist to swing down.

  Tuck The knees and hips are bent and drawn into the chest, the body is folded at the waist.

  Twist The gymnast rotates around the body's longitudinal axis, defined by the spine. Performed on all apparatuses.

  Yurchenko Round-off entry onto the board, back handspring onto the vaulting table and Salto off the vault table. The gymnast may twist on the way off.

  One

  Kova was a heartless, cunning man.

  Hate swelled through me at an alarming rate. Rage unlike I’d ever felt before slithered through my veins, consuming me. I detested the ground he walked on, the air he breathed. I loathed every fiber of his being. After everything we shared, after all we knew about each other—our goals and desires in life, our dreams and aspirations—this was the dirtiest move of all, and I wasn't sure how we would come back from it.

  There was no one else other than Kova who knew how important each gymnastics meet was on my journey to the Olympics, yet he had the audacity to rip it from me for his own selfish reasons.

  His job was to catch me if I fell. Not sweep the rug out from under my feet and watch me hit the ground.

  I had played him dirty too, though. I'd threatened rape. A low blow, and I felt terrible for playing that card, but he deserved it. I wanted to ruin him, but ruining him meant ruining myself, and that was something I couldn't chance.

  Overcome with exhaustion, I stood at Hayden's car and released an anguish-filled breath. I'd run out to the parking lot to stop him after he caught Kova and me having sex.

  The image of Hayden's expression when he barged into Kova's office played like a broken record in my head and slowly seared my brain. Stunned, mortified, shocked, and the absolute worst of all, disappointment had flitted across his face. He'd been rendered speechless and left Kova's office. I had to beg him not to open his mouth and report us to the authorities. And by doing so, I promised to come clean with him. Not something I wanted to do, but I would in return for his word.

  I cried into his shoulder, not caring I got my tears and snot all over him. He only hugged me harder to him. My heart ached. My head hurt. I was drowning inside, sinking. The more I thought about the whole thing, the more my heart shattered into a million little pieces. Tears continued to trickle down my cheeks as I cried harder.

  I let out a desperate sob, and he kissed the top of my head.

  "I can't believe he did this." My voice was muffled in his shirt. "He's heartless, Hayden. He knew how much testing elite meant to me. He knew the Olympics was my endgame since I'd come to World Cup."

  "Shhh… " He held me tighter. "Let me take you home."

  I swallowed a sigh and stepped out of his embrace. "Okay, but I have to take care of something first. Meet me at my place in twenty?"

  Hayden grabbed my forearm, confusion written all over his face. "Where are you going?"

  I eyed the ground, reluctant to answer. "I need to tell Kova something."

  "No!"

  I looked up. "Hayden, I'll explain when I see you later, but you have to let me go talk to him."

  Hayden's nostrils flared, not pleased with my response but he agreed anyway. The very last thing on earth I wanted right now was to look at Kova after we were caught, but the truth of the matter was I needed something from him. I needed that stupid little white pill he loved to feed me like candy.

  With my shoulders back and chin up, I marched back toward the entrance of World Cup. Each step filled with a little more determination. By the time I reached the front door my emotions had cooled and my tears had dried up. I pulled the door open and stepped inside. The smell of powdery chalk permeated the air and the sound of parallel bars ricocheted in the background. Making my way to Kova's office, I turned left and walked down the narrow hallway. Once I reached his door, I grasped the handle and flung the door open, then slammed it shut behind me.

  Kova sat motionless, his eyes unmoving. His eerie silence and calculating stare riled up my nerves. I sucked in a small gasp, my heart pounded as his eyes lowered to thin slits, and an unspoken warning filled the air.

  Barely concealing his feelings, I could feel his anger simmering below the surface. My skin prickled with awareness. He quietly laid his pen down and leaned back in his leather chair.

  "Did you fix things with Hayden? He is going to keep his mouth shut, yes?" It was a statement, not a question.

  "Yes…for the most part."

  He growled, his top lip curling under. "For the most part is not enough for me. Fix it, Adrianna. Now."

  I lowered my eyes. "I trust him not to say anything."

  "And I do not."

  "Seems like a personal problem." Deep creases formed between his brows and I let out an aggravated sigh. I shook my head. "I made an agreement with him to cover your indiscretions."

  One brow lifted to a high peak. His eyes hadn't moved from mine. "Surely you must mean to cover our indiscretions. You are as much to blame as I am, and very willing if I remember correctly." He smirked. "The way you tightened around me as you came… How you breathed hard in my ear and locked your legs around my back. Do not pretend that you did not enjoy what you got or that this is somehow all my fault." He paused, and his eyes darkened. "You loved every second of it. Admit it."

  I looked away, my cheeks blushing. I was embarrassed. "Listen, you need to get me the pill again."

  "What makes you think I will get it for you this time?" he asked, his voice low and controlled.

  My lips parted, astonished by his indifferent attitude and lack of caring if I got pregnant.

  "Why wouldn't you? You've gotten it every other time."

  He gave me a blasé shrug. "You are a big girl, more than capable of getting it yourself."

  I clenched my jaw, my anger growing from his unmoving gaze.
He got under my skin in one sentence and monotone voice. "God! Why do you have to be such an asshole? Do you wake up every day with a goal of people to piss off? Do you get off on hurting people? What is your issue?" I shook my hand back and forth, dismissing him. "You know what, don't answer that. I don't give a shit. You're a disgusting person."

  He frowned, but didn't say a word. Unbelievable. Seething, I marched to the door and grabbed the knob.

  "Adrianna." He called my name and I ignored him.

  "Adrianna." I stiffened, my back rigid from the way Kova stressed the pronunciation of my name a second time. I peered over my shoulder and watched as he grabbed a set of keys off his desk. Leaning down, he opened a drawer and pulled something out. He slammed it shut, relocking the drawer, and waved the offending box in my direction.