There was his bloodthirsty fighter. Together, they launched at the Cold Night attackers.
Hit. Punch. Kick. Luke ducked and saw Blair land a hard kick to one man’s gut. He flew back and hit a table. It collapsed under his weight.
“Surrender,” Luke said. “You’re under arrest.”
“Never,” the woman yelled. “For Muramasa and the might of the samurai.”
The attackers charged.
Chapter Sixteen
She spun and kicked. Blair felt her heel sink into her attacker’s belly.
How do you like that, sucker? He staggered backward and she moved fast, kicking him again. Her dress slithered around her legs and, for a second, she wished she was in her damn body armor.
Another kick sent the man crashing down, sliding across the floor. He hit a suit of samurai armor and it fell, toppling on top of him.
She turned just as Luke cried out her name.
“Blair!”
A woman came at her. Her red hair was tied up tight behind her head and her martial arts skills were impressive.
Blair dodged the kicks and hits, dancing backward. The woman kicked again, shouting as she threw herself into the blow. Her foot caught Blair’s injured shoulder. Pain exploded and with a curse, Blair flew backward.
But her ass didn’t meet the ground. Luke’s strong hands caught her and then pushed her back onto her feet. She nodded at him, then turned, charging at the woman.
She was taking this bitch down.
Blair swung in and the woman braced. But Blair spun around the attacker and jumped on her back. She wrestled the woman to the ground. The woman struggled and shouted. Blair pulled an arm against the woman’s throat, and leaned back, cutting off her air.
The woman cursed and thrashed. One of her fists beat the tiles, but slowly her struggles slowed. When she slumped down, unconscious, Blair released her.
Leaping up, Blair saw Luke slamming his fist into another attacker’s face. The man went down.
“You okay?” Luke said.
Blair nodded.
Screams intensified nearby, and they both swiveled. The man with the sword was viciously cutting people down.
“We’ve got to get to him,” she said.
But the man was flanked by several more Cold Night fighters. She saw Lachlan and the others scuffling with other opponents.
How the hell could they get close to the swordsman?
She scanned the room, and her gaze landed on a table with food on it. She nodded at it and Luke frowned, then realization flared in his eyes.
Together, they reached the table and tipped it over. Plates and bowls crashed to the floor, smashing into pieces.
“Now,” she said.
They lifted the table up like a battering ram. Then they charged forward.
They mowed through several attackers. A few dived out of the way.
“Keep going,” Luke growled.
They headed toward the man with the sword. He turned, and when he saw them coming, his eyes widened.
He immediately spun and ran, leaping up onto a long display case. He ran along it and then jumped off.
Blair and Luke abandoned the table, heaving it to the side. They gave chase.
The swordsman was racing toward a group of guests. Several women in short dresses, and a man with his arm around an older woman.
The attacker chased them onto the terrace.
Blair charged through the broken window.
The older woman fell with a cry.
“Luke,” Blair shouted.
He slowed, helping the man pull the woman to safety.
Blair shoved the other screaming women aside and leaped in front of them. The swordsman swung the katana and she ducked, the blade sweeping over her head.
She rose and watched him leap up on the railing. He ran along it, until he reached the side of the building. Then he leaped up onto a ledge. He started moving sideways, away from the terrace.
What the hell was he doing? Blair gripped the railing. He had potential victims here on the terrace, but he was abandoning them.
Wherever the hell he was going, she couldn’t let him get away with the sword. She glanced over the railing, and her stomach lurched. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but damn, they were a long way up.
Then she heard music.
She looked past the swordsman as he kept shuffling along the ledge, passing other plate-glass windows. The air rushed out of her.
One floor down and over from her terrace was another similar terrace. Through the large windows flanking that terrace, she saw a wedding reception was in full swing.
Shit. A dance floor had been set up, and a bride in a large, white dress was dancing with her face pressed to her groom’s chest.
No. No. No.
Blair’s gaze whipped back to the swordsman. He was climbing right toward the wedding.
Adrenaline spurted into her veins. She was not going to let him reach that terrace.
She kicked her heels off and climbed up on the railing. Shit, the stone was cold on her feet. She gripped onto the window and then stepped out onto the ledge.
Her dress flapping in the breeze around her legs, she started inching across. Her hair had long ago been ripped from its roll and it whipped around her face.
Blair moved across as quickly as she dared. She hadn’t gone far when her foot hit a slick patch and she slipped. Shit.
She gripped harder to the edge of the window, fighting for balance. She looked through the glass at the hotel room inside. A couple was sitting on the bed, staring at her, wide-eyed.
Ignoring them, she kept moving. She had to catch the bastard.
She got closer to the other terrace. The door to the inside was open, and she could hear the laughter and music from the wedding. When she glanced through the terrace windows, she saw a group of laughing guests and a handful of kids running around through the crowd. She spied two young girls in pretty dresses and some boys in little man suits.
None of them had any clue about the danger bearing down on them.
Blair moved faster. She wouldn’t let any of them get hurt.
* * *
Luke rammed another Cold Night attacker facedown on the floor. He jerked the man’s hands behind his back and cuffed him.
He lifted his head and saw Lachlan and the rest of Team 52 subduing the last of the Cold Night fighters. Security had managed to get the doors open as well. That meant help would be here soon.
Where was Blair?
He heard screams and straightened. He charged across the terrace.
Suddenly, a woman appeared in front of him, panicked. Blood spotted over her silky white evening dress. She had a cut across her chest. “Help!”
Luke slipped his jacket off and pressed it against her. “It’s okay. The paramedics are on the way.”
“He cut me… Oh, God.”
“You need to calm down.” He gripped her arm. “Breathe slowly and deeply.”
She nodded, her honey-colored hair slipping from its fancy style. He helped her sit down, leaning back against the wall.
Then he raced over to the railing. He saw a small crowd gathered there, and his gut tightened. He didn’t see Blair’s blonde head.
Then, he saw a flash of silver out on the side of the building. He sucked in a breath. What the hell?
Blair was climbing out across a narrow ledge.
Fucking hell. Luke fought back his fear. He saw the swordsman ahead of her.
He looked down and saw the neighboring terrace. He swore. There was a wedding going on. That’s where the bastard was heading.
His gaze moved back to Blair, her silver dress billowing around her legs like liquid. His heart jammed in his throat. If she slipped…
Suddenly, Lachlan and Axel appeared beside him
Lachlan looked at Blair. “Goddammit.”
Axel sucked in a breath. “This brings back memories.”
Luke frowned at them. “What?”
Lachlan scowled. �
��Rowan fell off a building when assholes were after her.”
“Twice,” Axel said.
Lachlan glared at his teammate.
But Luke didn’t have time for chitchat. The swordsman was just about to reach the terrace, and Blair was still a fair way behind him.
Then he saw Blair pause, her body tensing.
Oh, no. Luke realized in a split-second what she was going to do.
The swordsman landed on the terrace. No one had noticed him yet.
“No, Blair,” Luke whispered. Don’t do it, you courageous, foolish woman.
“Shit,” Lachlan muttered.
But she bent her knees, braced, and then she jumped off the building toward the terrace.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
In those few seconds, Luke felt like time stood still. Fear greater than anything he’d ever known crashed into him. She flew through the air, her dress flying out behind her.
“She’s too far away.” Axel’s voice was tense.
Make it. Make it, Blair. Luke repeated the mantra in his head, willing her to reach the terrace.
She slammed against the railing, catching the edge with her fingers. She hung there for a second, then she pulled herself up onto the terrace railing.
Air rushed back into Luke’s burning lungs. Beside him, both Lachlan and Axel cursed softly.
She was damn fearless.
Axel slapped Luke on the back. “I pity you man. If you claim her as yours, she’ll give you gray hairs in a few weeks.”
Oh, she was his. Luke watched her crouch on the railing before she launched herself after the swordsman.
“We need to get over there,” Lachlan said.
Luke nodded, not wanting to take his eyes off her. But even more, he wanted to be there by her side.
Not to protect, but to help her.
He jogged after Lachlan and Axel. Inside, the rest of Team 52 joined them.
“Blair followed the swordsman onto a second terrace,” Lachlan bellowed. “We need to get over there. Now!”
They thundered toward the elevators.
Luke’s focus narrowed. Get to Blair. He had to get to her. He couldn’t lose her. He sucked in a breath. He couldn’t lose the woman he loved.
Chapter Seventeen
Blair raced inside and surged through the crowd. The wedding guests’ screams echoed in her ears.
Ahead, she saw the man swing the sword. A young man in a suit jumped back, arms windmilling, and bumped into a group of women. They went down in a tangle of arms and legs.
The swordsman advanced on them.
Oh no, you don’t. Blair sprinted forward and kicked him in the lower back. He stumbled, before turning and growling. He swung the katana at her. She ducked, and circled around an empty table. She grabbed one of the chairs and lifted it. The sword came at her again, and she hefted the chair up.
Clang. Metal rang on metal.
The man stepped back, raising the sword above his head. His face was flushed, his lips twisted in an ugly scowl. He rushed at her and she kept the chair up, blocking his hits.
He drove her back across the room and back out onto the terrace. The cold wind whirled around them and Blair gritted her teeth. Then her back hit something. She turned her head and looked down at the city below. Shit. He’d pinned her against the railing.
Blair heaved, shoving the chair at him. It slammed into his head and he went down on one knee.
She glanced around to an older woman standing nearby. She was clutching a cigarette and watching the fight with horrified eyes, her mouth open.
She was also wearing a black silky scarf with her dress.
“Hope you don’t mind if I borrow this.” Blair unwrapped the scarf and yanked it from the woman’s neck.
Then she turned back to the swordsman.
He was still on his knee, shaking his head to clear it. She quickly moved in front of him and wrapped the scarf around his body. She cinched it tight, keeping his sword arm locked down against his side. Then kneed him in the face.
He fell backward and she jumped on him, taking him flat to the ground. She pressed her knees hard into his chest.
“I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else,” she said. “This ends here.”
He reared up, slamming his head into hers.
Ow. Pain exploded in her forehead and she fell off him. He scrambled above her, and punched at her with his other hand. Blair growled and punched back.
Then he sprang to his feet. Blair leaped up and she watched him move his wrist, tilting the sword up. It sliced through the scarf.
He smiled at her.
Blair wiggled her fingers. “You still want to dance? Fine. Let’s see your moves.”
He rushed at her, the sword whirling through the air. They danced back across the terrace and moved back into the ballroom.
“It ends here,” she said. “The police and my team are closing in. You have nowhere to go. Show some samurai honor and give up.”
“No. The power of the samurai is endless.”
She snorted. “Yes, it is. But you’re not a samurai. You’re just a samurai wannabe.”
His face twisted. “The sword of Muramasa is powerful. It demands blood.”
He swung at her again and she ducked, kicking out his knee. He stumbled.
“It’s nothing to do with power, and everything to do with science. Muramasa included a chemical when he made the sword. It’s poisoning you. You’re infected. That’s it.”
“Lies.” With a roar, he swung again, the sword whirling in a deadly arc.
Blair dodged, swallowing a curse. Then she heard shouts and the sound of running footsteps.
She looked up and saw Luke and her team charging into the room. They circled around them and she heard them telling people to get back, getting them to move to safety.
The swordsman rushed at her again, and she ducked and weaved. When she could, she darted in. She landed a kick to his chest and a punch to his side. Her next blow hit a kidney and staggered.
They circled each other and Blair saw they were near a long table topped with a huge ice sculpture of a couple entwined in an embrace. Hell, the damn thing was taller than she was.
As the swordsman lunged low, striking out with the sword, Blair jumped up on the table and rammed her good shoulder into the ice sculpture.
It tilted and fell.
It crashed into the swordsman, knocking him down, and pinning him to the ground.
Yes. Blair leaped down, the skirt of her dress flaring, and crouched beside him. His mouth was opening and closing. He was winded and trying to recover.
“You’re done,” she said. “You won’t hurt anyone else.”
“Blair.”
Luke’s voice. He moved in behind her, touching her shoulder.
She looked up. “Good timing, Detective. Showing up just as I took him down.”
His lips quirked, but his gaze never left the swordsman. “Knew you could handle yourself.”
Damn him. He was making her gooey again. And now she wanted to get him somewhere so she could tear that tux off and use her teeth on him.
Lachlan crouched down on the other side of the man. Blair nudged the sword away from the swordsman.
“The samurai are pure power,” the man croaked.
Blair rolled her eyes. “You’re a murderer. You knew what you were doing when you picked up that sword and came here.”
Lachlan handed over some zip ties. She took them and reached for the man’s hands.
“Now you’ll feel the true power of the samurai and Muramasa’s sword.”
The man moved his hand. He grabbed the sword blade, blood blooming on his palm. He shoved the hilt into Blair’s hand.
Her fingers reflexively closed on it and energy bolted through her body like an electric shock.
She tried to let go, but her fingers were locked onto the hilt.
No.
* * *
Luke saw Blair convulse. He frowned and that’s when he saw the hilt of t
he sword in her hand.
“Blair!” he roared.
Lachlan shoved the swordsman down. “Fuck.”
Blair rose, stepping back, the sword held by her side. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly.
Luke rose, holding his hands out. “Baby—”
The breeze whipped her hair around. “I…I can feel it…”
Luke held out a palm to her. “Stay calm. Fight it, baby.”
When her eyes locked on his, those familiar bi-colored eyes, he saw the fear in them.
“Luke.”
Damn, he wanted to touch her. His hands curled into fists.
“Talk to her,” Lachlan said.
“It’s going to be okay, Blair.”
She made a choked sound. “I can’t let go.”
“I’ll help you. We’ll help you.”
“I can feel the urge to use it running through me.” The sword trembled in her grip. “Poisoning me.”
“Fight it. You’re the strongest person I know. Badass to the bone.”
She took another step back. “It wants blood.”
“It’s just a reaction. You know that. It’s just an inanimate object.”
She sucked in some deep breaths, her chin dropping to her chest. “I…can’t.”
Suddenly, she launched forward, raising the sword. Luke went stiff. He didn’t want to hurt her. He saw the deadly blade slash through the air.
But Blair didn’t attack him. She shot past him. He spun and saw two Cold Night fighters break out of the crowd. She twirled, swinging the sword with beautiful, deadly skill, and cut them down.
Shit. “Plan?” he yelled at Lachlan.
“No fucking clue.” Lachlan’s worried gold gaze was glued to his friend. “Smith, Callie, make sure there are no more Cold Night fighters in the crowd.”
Blair stood over the bodies, and Luke saw she was straining against the infection.
He wasn’t letting this take her. He stepped forward. “Blair—”
“Get out.” Her voice sounded like rust. “Get everyone out, while I still have some control.” Her tortured gaze met his. “That means you, too.”
His jaw clenched. “I’m not leaving you.” He jerked his head at Lachlan. “You and the team clear the room.”
Mission: Her Defense: Team 52 #4 Page 15
