The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series: Books 1-3 (plus special bonuses)

by Wesley Robert Lowe

  The Ram spun out of control and smashed into the concrete bridge ramp. It exploded into a flaming spectacle.

  But the black Mercedes had crept up dangerously. Noah saw Duke’s sights set on the Porsche. Duke fired but Garret quickly turned the steering wheel—the arrow sliced the side mirror off the car.

  Noah worried, “That gorilla’s good.”

  “He should be. He’s Duke, Chin’s son,” glowered Garret.

  Noah shook his head. “We gotta go on the offensive. Sooner or later, Duke’s going to connect.”

  “Try this,” said Abby, taking some martial arts stars from her purse.

  Seeing Noah and Garret’s quizzical expressions, she explained, “They were in the same cabinet as the acupuncture needles.

  Duke was loading another arrow into the crossbow when Noah launched three stars at him. He shot an arrow that destroyed one of them. He nabbed the other two with the same calm ability as his father and Garret.

  Noah saw Duke disappear into the car, then re-emerge, this time shouldering an assault rocket launcher. Noah blew out a resigned gasp of air. “We’re done for. He’s breaking the honor code.”

  “What honor code?” Abby asked.

  “The unwritten code of the Shaolin.” Disappointment mixed with worry appeared on Noah’s face. “He violated the Way. The only weapons we use are those we can control with our bodies. No guns, no artillery and no explosives.”

  “Then get out some more of those stars, Noah,” yelled Abby, checking out the back window to see their foe less than twenty feet away.

  “I don’t have any more but, even if I did, they’d be useless. And no one could miss from that distance.”

  Darkness of inevitable doom fell upon the Porsche.

  Chapter 42

  Marco shook his head. “Dammit. All the accounts are here, but I got a problem. It’s voice- and fingerprint-activated. I have enough stuff of Garret and Tommy so I can break through that, no sweat. Trouble is, they’ve put in an extra personal access code, and it seems only Garret knows what it is. It’s not in any of the records of any of the account managers. Nothing is working, and I tried everything I could think of, boss.”

  Enraged, Chin lifted the chair Olivia was tied to and threw it at the big screen in front. He made a phone call and screamed, “Leave them alone! We need Garret! Alive!”

  Noah watched Duke fire the portable rocket launcher. However, instead of heading directly at the Porsche, the warhead overshot the racing vehicle. Fifteen hundred feet later, it hit a low-flying traffic helicopter, which exploded like the fireworks finale on the Fourth of July in New York City.

  Duke pulled himself back inside his car as the black Mercedes braked to a halt and then drove off in the opposite direction.

  Noah was baffled. “He could have killed us but didn’t. Why?”

  “This was the outcome I was hoping for,” Garret said in a low tone. “What that means is they realize they still need me. It also means that Olivia is still alive. If they hurt Olivia, Chin knows I will never give him what he wants. If he kills me, then he’ll never have the information he needs unless... The bottom line is that Chin wants me... and I want him.”

  “Um, do you mind if I drive?” asked Noah. “I’ve never taken a car worth more than a bagful of Big Macs for a spin.

  No wonder Olivia likes him. Noah’s fun. “Be my guest.” Garret pulled to the side of the road.

  When Noah drove into Macau, it was just past daybreak. Like in Las Vegas, gambling never slept.

  The Tiger Palace was three blocks away, and Noah gunned it one last time before slamming on the brakes in its driveway.

  Chapter 43

  Garret led Noah and Abby as they flew out of the car and into the entertainment palace, hurtling past the terra-cotta warriors, caged Bengal tigers, patrons, acrobats, entertainers and staff. They waded through gambling tables, slot machines and a hundred-yard-long buffet to arrive at their goal of the huge picture of a tiger taking up the entire wall at the other end of the casino.

  “This is it,” said Garret. “We just need to figure out how to get in.”

  “You don’t know?” asked Noah.

  “Never had to get in by myself.”

  They started feeling the walls for hairline cracks or hidden switches, but the surface was smooth.

  “Hello, Mr. Southam,” sounded a voice familiar to Garret. He turned to see Wing and Duke standing in front of him. “Mr. Chin wishes to see you alone.”

  Scanning Duke’s solid body, Noah didn’t see anything other than muscle. The harder they come, the harder they fall. “No dice. I’m going, too,” asserted Noah.

  “Me, too,” added Abby.

  Duke stepped in front of Noah. Without the car masking part of his body, Chin’s son was huge. “Alone means alone.”

  Hate was in each man’s eyes as Noah retorted, “You are not only fat, but you are real ugly.”

  Infuriated by the insult, Duke launched a barrage of obscenities as he lunged for Noah. Noah quickly sidestepped the hulk, and Duke’s fist plunged into one of the toes of the tiger painted on the wall.

  “Did I also mention you’re stupid and a lousy shot?” taunted Noah.

  “At least I’m not dead, which is what you’re going to be in three seconds,” snarled Duke.

  This would be no genteel martial arts competition. It would be down-and-dirty fighting. Each man was a master of the Five Traditional Animals of the Shaolin: the Dragon, Snake, Leopard, Tiger and Crane. The battle would be brutal in nature, but exquisite in its execution of the martial arts. Noah showed the power of the Dragon as he attacked Duke’s vital organs.

  Crouching like a Snake, Duke sprung out to repel Noah, who countered with the focused, ferocious movement of a tiger’s paw. Noah’s tiger-like quickness blocked Duke’s hand and, with the velocity of the feline, jabbed his hand toward Duke’s throat.

  Duke parried the attack and used the Crane’s quick foot movements to catch Noah ever so slightly off guard and power-kicked him in the thigh. Wincing in big-time pain, Noah lost his balance. Duke, as the Crane, stretched tall and kicked out, but Noah reached for inner strength. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he found a new element of power—the element of Metal. Hard like iron, he resisted Duke’s attack and, with the power of a steel bar, he hammered his arm on Duke’s back, causing him to stumble.

  Garret tried to intervene, but Noah snarled, “No! This is my time!”

  “That was dumb,” mocked Duke. “Baby could use the help.”

  With both combatants exhausted, sweating and breathing heavily, the battle continued through sheer willpower. Gathering strength, Duke drew from another power source—Water. His arms and legs attacked Noah like the relentless pounding of waves upon the seashore.

  Noah could not withstand the barrage and stepped back, but Duke relentlessly pounded on. However, Noah refused to break, angering Duke. The huge man reached into an inside fold of his jacket and pulled out his knife. With blazing speed, he stabbed Noah in the gut.

  Noah’s eyes filled with hate. “You broke the code.” He repeated this louder. “You broke the code in the car and you broke the code of honor now.”

  “Who gives a shit about honor?” Duke smirked.

  “I do.” With the knife still in his stomach, Noah became an inspired dervish, kicking and hammering. Duke grabbed for the knife and pulled it out, causing more blood to flow. Instead of weakening Noah, the gushing blood infuriated and inspired him. He began a rapid series of combinations of left, right, upper, kick, kick, right, right... with a final pirouette ramrodding Duke into submission.

  A desperate Duke tried in vain to knife Noah again, but Noah easily deflected the attack and, with a swift kick, directed the knife into Duke’s heart. The huge man’s eyes bulged. His mouth gurgled, then foamed, and he keeled over, dead.

  Noah stood over his vanquished foe, panting as he bled. He was in mental and physical shock—he had never killed a man before.

  Garret walked up t
o him. “Now you know what blood tastes like.”

  Suddenly there was the sound of thunderous applause. Noah turned to see the restaurant and casino patrons, and even the Chinese acrobats, giving him a standing ovation, thinking the battle between Noah and Duke was staged. Shouts of “Bravo! Fantastic! Best show in town!” rang through the celebratory atmosphere.

  One giggling girl came up to Noah, “Can I have your autograph? I watched the whole thing from the time you entered. This was just so perfect.”

  She handed him a pen, and Noah signed. “Thank you and...” She whispered in his ear and handed him a card. “Call me anytime.” She made a little roar like a tiger. “Raar!”

  As she left, Noah collapsed to the ground. The combination of the strenuous battle and loss of blood was too much. Abby grabbed a tablecloth and, using a table knife to cut off a strip, she tied it tightly around Noah’s middle to stem the bleeding.

  Garret picked Wing up by the scruff of his neck. “Now get us up there, Wing.”

  Suspended a foot off the ground, the swinging Wing whined, “I don’t know how. Mr. Chin always does it himself.”

  Noah, lying on the ground, looked up at the huge picture of the tiger. He struggled to stand up and stumbled to the wall. From the restaurant’s impressive collection of martial arts weapons, Noah picked out an ancient gold-headed spear with a jet-black shaft.

  Noah eyed the tiger, aimed the spear and hurled it. Bull’s eye. The spear slammed directly into a lever that was disguised as a tooth inside the tiger’s mouth. The wall slid open, revealing the doors to a hidden elevator.

  Garret eyed Noah. “I’ll bring her back for you.”

  The weakened lawyer nodded. “You better.”

  As Garret and Abby entered the elevator, there was another round of applause, and shouts of “Bravo!” came from the guests.

  Noah turned around, smiled weakly and bowed.

  Chapter 44

  There were no elevator floor numbers on the panel. It rocketed upward by itself with a mind of its own.

  “I hope Olivia’s all right,” ventured Abby.

  “Don’t worry. She is,” stated Garret confidently.

  The elevator stopped and opened automatically. A welcoming party of Chin and his henchmen waited. Beside Chin was Olivia, bound in a chair with her mouth taped.

  “You certainly are irritating, Garret. I take you, you escape and then you come back on your own,” mocked Chin.

  “I changed my mind.”

  “Does that mean you are reconsidering my offer? However, I told Duke you were supposed to come by yourself. Or is Tommy’s daughter a present for me?”

  “Duke won’t be taking orders from you anymore,” said Garret icily.

  The meaning was not lost on Chin. He ripped out a dagger and put it to Olivia’s neck. “You have taken my son.”

  “Not me. Duke lost to Noah. And Duke broke the code.”

  Chin thundered revenge, “Your daughter will see you die!”

  “You have never beaten me in a fair fight, Chin.” Garret sneered contemptuously.

  “That was thirty years ago. You are no match for me now, Garret. A fat cat lawyer’s life has made you soft. You have lost the heart of the Tiger.”

  Marco screamed. “Get the access codes first!”

  Garret snickered. “Predicament, isn’t it? I’ll only give you the numbers if you kill me. But, if I am dead, I won’t be able to tell you what they are.”

  Chin pressed the dagger to the base of Olivia’s skull. Garret stopped cold and said softly but firmly, “She’s a bystander, Chin. Killing her means you break the code, too. But you and I know that’s the only way you can beat me.”

  Enraged at the taunting, Chin threw the dagger at Garret with the force of a rocket launcher. Garret easily deflected it with a flick of the wrist into the hands of Abby. Abby whipped over to Olivia and slashed the ropes.

  “Bring it on, cowboy,” sneered Garret.

  His words incited a battle royale; everyone got into the act.

  Abby hurled the knife into the forehead of one of Chin’s men, causing instant death.

  Olivia grabbed a sword as another tough lunged toward her. She stuck it in front of her and impaled her attacker with such force that it went through his stomach and back, severing his spinal cord. He lurched, teetered and slumped to the floor.

  Behind her, another aggressor waving knives in each hand like a banshee screamed as he rushed to the attack.

  Garret yelled, “Watch out, Olivia!”

  Olivia wheeled around and kicked the knife-waving henchman in the windpipe with such force that it snapped his neck.

  “Where did you learn that?” asked her astonished father.

  “A girl has to learn to defend herself in New York,” answered Olivia.

  Abby was a whirling dervish, clawing, kicking and slapping with both hands and feet. A well-placed knee into the groin of a would-be assailant caused him to drop to the ground, helpless. A double hand chop to the neck, followed by a ferocious stomp onto the vertebrae, finished him off.

  “Enough of this! Finish them off!” shouted Chin.

  Four brutes walked up to Abby and Olivia. The two women were no match for them. Blows deflected off them; kicks hurt them more than they hurt their opponents. The experienced thugs subdued them easily by grabbing their hair and putting them in headlocks.

  Chin barked out, “Garret, our audience is ready.” He turned to Olivia and leered, “I am the man your father never was.”

  The girls’ captors twisted their bodies so they could watch the main event between Garret and Chin.

  A lifetime of hatred, love, jealousy and competition culminated in an intense, dirty, personal mano-a-mano combat.

  Evil versus more evil, white versus yellow... power versus power.

  Chin charged Garret with circular arm movements, hands formed in the trademark Tiger claw with thumb and fingers spread through his open hands. Garret prepared with the Leopard paw, a half fist that prepared to strike with the second knuckles of his fingers.

  Switching on a whim to the Crane’s beak, the Snake’s hand and the Dragon’s hand, these skilled veteran warriors mixed up their stances and moves as they put on a dazzling display of Hung Gar Shaolin martial arts kung fu.

  Dancing with precision and control, efficient and lightning fast, power rocked the room for the prize of being king of the lair.

  An unexpected snapping kick from Chin propelled Garret against a stone lion statue. His passport flew out. Chin caught it in midair and scanned through it.

  “Well, well, Garret.” Almost invisible was a tiny set of numbers on the back page prefaced by the letters KOK. “The King of Kentucky access codes, I do believe.”

  The impact broke Garret’s leg, and he remained on the ground as Chin tossed the passport to Marco. The computer specialist typed furiously. Then his face filled with horror. “There’s only eight million dollars in these accounts.”

  Garret’s firm voice explained, “That’s the base salary you’ve paid me for the last fifteen years. I never took a cent of it since you killed Mary in the plane explosion. And, as I have told you, there is no more. Now let Olivia and Abby go.”

  Silently, Chin walked to the wall and took down one of the ancient iron swords.

  Olivia and Abby tried to break free but were no match for their captors’ strength. Chin’s hoodlums brought the girls beside Garret.

  “Please don’t, Chin,” pleaded Olivia.

  Chin walked to Garret and plunged the sword into him. Garret gurgled in death throes.

  Olivia screamed, “No!”

  Chin turned to Olivia and Abby and said, “Your fathers not only pronounced their own deaths, but yours as well.”

  Chapter 45

  Chin raised his sword over Olivia’s neck, readying to behead her when an arrow flew through the air and stabbed him in the back, going right through his body. The arrow’s head protruded through the front of his chest. A dumfounded look crossed Chin’s
face. The henchmen fled as their boss began reeling.

  All eyes turned in the direction the arrow came from to see Noah holding a crossbow. “Say hello to the fat boy for me.”

  Chin, bleeding profusely and ignoring pain, pulled the arrow out. “My son will be avenged.”

  “Yeah? Like father, like son, and I’d say you’re both going to the same place, so you can have coffee with him there.”

  Howling like a banshee, Chin charged at Noah and began whaling on the younger man. Left uppercut. Right uppercut. Chin’s arms rose, forming double claws and attacks with the full force of the Dragon.

  He followed up with a double twirl kick to the head, knocking Noah down. As Noah got up, Chin performed a flying leap with arms outstretched that sent Noah crashing to the floor again. He rose but, just as quickly, Chin kicked his legs out from under him. Rather than a battle between warriors, it looked like a man playing with a boy.

  Olivia went to grab a spear, but Noah shouted, “No!”

  Totally spent, Noah collapsed under a series of machine-gun blows to the head and midsection.

  Chin sneered and pushed a button on the wall. The wall opened, and a dozen enraged cranes charged out. Majestic birds with huge wingspans, these feathered animals had been trained as malicious, savage predators. Their long beaks bit and pecked at the air and anything in their way.

  “I think maybe now is a good time to do something,” called Noah to Olivia.

  “It’s about time.” Olivia yanked a sword from the wall and threw it to Noah. She took a spear for herself as Abby grabbed an ax.

  Together, the three hacked away at the onslaught of the feathered foes. The cranes were formidable and fed with a maniacal desire for destruction, using their wings, beaks and talons.

  Gradually, though, the unlikely triumvirate prevailed. They hacked the heads off the long necks of the birds, skewering them with spears or with hands and feet, kicking their bodies into submission.