The Grandmaster's Legacy (HOT Historical Suspense, Box Set)

by Taylor Lee

  Bai’s face was impassive. He nodded. “Agreed.”

  ~~~

  Elena had grown up in a kung fu dojo. She had sparred since she was three years old, fighting and watching remarkable fighters. She had been trained by her father, one of the few grandmasters in the country, and by Lei, the only other female master. But all the matches she had watched were regulated sparring matches. The fighters bowed respectfully to one another at the conclusion. She had never seen a death match where one of the fighters would die; and she had never seen Bai fight.

  The next five minutes were a blur of fierce horrific artistry. She had heard the stories about Wichi Fan. He was the strongest fighter in the Rongue Ri. And he was a dirty fighter. There was nothing he wouldn’t do or hadn’t done to opponents. He had been waiting for years to take on the Frenchman. He had fought many death matches and fought with cruel abandon, roaring ecstatically at the moment of the kill.

  Watching Bai, the challenge for Wichi was clear. Bai had earned his reputation. He wasn’t a dirty fighter, he was a savage one. Every strike, whether with his legs, feet, hands, or elbows, was delivered with the intent to destroy – to set up his opponent for the kill. And he was fast and cool. He looked like a lithe, sleek animal: aloof, fierce. He flew, floated, and twisted, his feet barely touched the ground. He leapt from one position to another, a graceful vicious apparition, landing every one of his blows seemingly without effort, but with devastating effect. The last minute of the fight, Wichi never knew what hit him. It was as though Bai was a leopard cat playing with a mouse -- giving his prey a little room to taunt him, to make it interesting, then with a snarl went in for the kill.

  A cry she had never heard before, that could only have come from an animal in the wild, escaped Bai’s lips. Elena saw the flash of a blade an instant before it struck Wichi’s neck. The force of the blow severed Wichi’s head. It hit the floor with a hideous smack, the eyes staring vacantly as the lifeless body crumpled to the floor.

  Elena felt rather than saw the man holding her draw a knife.

  She screamed, “Knife!”

  In one fluid motion, Bai rose from the floor, a knife left his hand landing in the fighter’s throat by the time Bai was on his feet. Elena jumped back in shock as the dead man fell across her knees, a bloody knife splitting his throat.

  Bai nodded to three of his men, who went to Nianzu, dragging him to his feet. Without a word, he kicked Wichi’s beheaded body across the room and walked to the other dead man. With one hand, he removed his knife and wiped it on the dead man’s shirt. He hoisted Elena to her feet. With her in tow, he and his men left the deathly quiet saloon.

  ~~

  Chapter 16

  Elena stayed in her room all morning and most of the afternoon. She had barely slept, unable to stop thinking about the horror last night at the saloon. Elena was most stunned by Bai’s casual viciousness. She had watched Chinese fighters all her life, but until Bai she had never seen a kung fu warrior kill. She knew he killed those men in the saloon to protect her and Nianzu, but even so, she was shocked at how quickly, efficiently he did it. He decapitated Wichi Fan and then kicked his body across the floor. Almost as an afterthought, he kicked the head after the body. Just as coolly, he retrieved his knife from the other man’s throat, wiped the blood on the dead man’s shirt, and walked away. And he never looked back at either one of them. If she hadn’t understood before why men were afraid of the Frenchman, she did now.

  But what Elena thought about most of the day was how angry he was with her and furious with Nianzu for letting her go to the saloon. After they walked out of the saloon, leaving the terrified Rongue Ri behind, he held her close while whispering orders to the rest of the men. He mounted his horse and without a word grabbed her roughly by her arm and jerked her up in front of him, as though she couldn’t be trusted to ride on her own horse. She was mortified, but he was so angry, she didn’t dare protest. It felt like he might crush her, his grip was so tight. All the way back to the compound, he rode hard and fast and never spoke to her. When they arrived, he threw her down to the ground, jumped off his horse, and tossed the reins to Wamso.

  He nodded to Nianzu, who was riding behind them. With a harsh voice, he growled, “Come to my office, now.”

  He grabbed hold of her arm. “You, too.”

  With that, he dragged her after him. When they got to the office he pushed her in ahead of him, then walked in and closed the door behind him. She stood by the door shaking, not knowing what to do. He went to the cabinet, poured himself a glass of bourbon, and took out one of the thin Bolivian cigars he smoked. At that moment, Nianzu knocked, came in, and closed the door.

  Bai sat down behind the desk, then clipped and lit his cigar. He motioned to them both to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. He took a sip of his bourbon, then leaned back in his chair. He puffed on his cigar, looking from one to the other, his face taut with rage.

  No one spoke for a long moment, then he said, ‘Why, Nianzu?”

  Nianzu’s face was mottled with bruises. Every time he moved, he winced in pain. But it was clear his physical pain was nothing compared to the anguish he felt facing Bai.

  “I have no excuse, Bai. She wanted to go to the saloon and I didn’t… I mean…I know I should have refused… stood up to her. I’m sorry, Bai. Goddamn, I am sorry.”

  “You let a silly little chit of a girl talk you into doing something you knew was dangerous, likely to cause precisely the kind of incident that happened? Do you understand that you both could have been killed if the men and I hadn’t arrived when we did?”

  Nianzu nodded and looked down, shaking his head.

  Elena was stunned. Bai knew how badly Nianzu was hurt. Yet he struck out, castigated him, shamed him. Elena grasped the arms of the chair, her fingers white with the strain. Hate twisted in her belly. God, she despised him. He was cruel, arrogant. Who did he think he was calling her ‘a chit of a girl?’ She was Wan Chang’s granddaughter, and even more important, she was Wyatt McManus’s daughter.

  She glared at him. “First of all, I am not ‘a chit of a girl,’ and second, I’m sure Nianzu and I could have taken them … if only it hadn’t been eight against two …we fought hard…You can at least give us some credit, we fought har…”

  “Be quiet.”

  Elena gasped. She couldn’t believe he ordered her to be quiet. He never looked at her the way he looked at her now. If she had any sense, she would be afraid, but he had not spoken to her since he arrived at the saloon, except to give her orders. Damnit, she was done taking his orders. She stood up, crossing her arms across her chest, her hands clenched in tight fists.

  “You mustn’t talk to me that way, or to Nianzu. We have had a terrible night and he is hurt badly... You are being cruel. I won’t permit you…”

  “I told you to be quiet.”

  His eyes were hard with a cool fury that frightened her, but she wouldn’t allow herself to show her fear. She now knew him well enough to know if he knew she was afraid, she would lose more than this argument. She tossed her head dismissively and turned to walk out of the room.

  “Elena. Sit down.” Bai’s eyes blazed like hot coals.

  “Now.”

  His voice was soft, menacing. It sent shivers down to the pit of her stomach. She hesitated, then turned back toward him. She choked when she saw the way he was glaring at her. His amber eyes, wolf eyes, glinted ominously. Her legs started to shake.

  “I said, sit down. Now.”

  She stood for a moment. Then with another toss of her head, she sunk down in her chair, struggling to quiet her pounding heart, her trembling legs. She was frightened and angry. At least for the moment, she didn’t dare provoke him further. He held her gaze until she glanced away,

  He turned to Nianzu and continued talking to him as if the exchange with her had not taken place.

  “Tonight you both could have been killed. As it is, two men are dead because of your actions and our already tense relationship with the R
ongue Ri has been exacerbated. Worst of all, you gave the Rongue an excuse to strike, ratchet up the violence, precisely what Wan and I have been working to avoid.”

  “I’m sorry, Bai. God, Bai, you have no idea how sorry I am. I promise you, it won’t happen again. I will keep better control of Elena …”

  “You are correct. It will not happen again. From this point forward, I am taking personal responsibility for Elena. I no longer trust you to guard her. You have lost my trust. Do you understand, Nianzu?”

  Nianzu stared at Bai, his eyes wide with anguish. It was clear from his devastated expression that Bai’s words struck him harder than any blow received from the Rongue Ri. He dropped his head to his chest and whispered, “Yes.”

  “Do you understand, Elena?”

  Elena met his gaze and shivered, a ripple of fear swamping her. He was regarding her with a casual ruthlessness that made her quake. She was stunned by his cruelty to Nianzu and frightened, but she knew she couldn’t give in. She looked away and didn’t answer.

  Bai’s voice was soft, ominous. “I asked you a question. Please answer me.”

  She sucked in a breath. She lifted her chin, a defiant gesture belying the terror simmering in her belly. “I…I want to talk to Wan first…”

  Within seconds he was standing beside her. One minute he had been sitting behind his desk, the next he was standing next to her, a dark threatening presence. She was terrified. Quaking with fear, she remembered his eyes in the saloon, the knife flying from his hand.

  He loomed over her. “We’ll try this one more time, Elena. I asked you if you understand. Do you?”

  Trembling violently, she clung to the arms of the chair. She tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry she couldn’t. Struggling to find her voice, she finally nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

  “Good. I’m glad that you do. Now you may leave. Go to your chambers. Stay there until I give you permission to leave.”

  He turned to go back to sit at his desk, but stopped when she stayed in her chair. He stood beside the corner of his desk considering her. He waited until she glanced up then said softly, “Good night, Elena.”

  She stood up and almost fell she was shaking so hard. She grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself and held on until she was sure her legs would hold her. She didn’t know which emotion she felt was stronger; her fury or her fear. She stood for a moment, then looked up at him. Swallowing hard, she said in as firm a voice as she could muster, “Good night, Nianzu, Bai.”

  She turned to walk out of the room. When she walked by Nianzu, she stopped and put her arms around him, hugging him tight.

  “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. And you are the one who got hurt. I’m sorry.”

  Nianzu nodded. He dropped his head closer to his chest and whispered, “It’s okay.”

  She walked out of the room with her head held high. It wasn’t until she closed the door behind her that she collapsed against the wall, shaking with fear, furious tears running down her face.

  ~~

  Chapter 17

  Elena spent most of the day deciding how she would deal with Bai. They had turned a corner. She was afraid of him in the past, confused about how she felt about him, not clear what to do. But after last night, she knew she had to stand up to him and she needed her grandfather’s support. After thinking about it for most of the day, she concluded that only Wan could make Bai pull back, leave her alone. When her grandfather returned, she would insist he make Nianzu her bodyguard again. Nianzu wanted to protect her because he cared about her. Unlike Bai, he didn’t treat her as a wayward child he needed to control.

  Although she had never been more frightened of Bai than she was last night, she came away determined he was not going to get the best of her. Watching the way he treated Nianzu was infuriating, but instructive. The more Nianzu apologized and cowered before him, the nastier Bai was. She refused to cower. Everyone else might be afraid to cross him, but she wasn’t. Unlike Nianzu and the rest of the men, she wouldn’t show him her fear. The more she thought about it, the less afraid she was. She just had to wait until her grandfather got back. Between the two of them, they would put him in his place.

  Making the decision bolstered her courage. She no longer cared about Bai’s orders, his pompous decrees. If he thought he could send her to her chambers like a child, he was mistaken. He was not her boss. By God, if she wanted to leave her chambers, she would.

  Elena looked at the clock, surprised it was after three in the afternoon. She hadn’t had anything to eat, having ignored the breakfast and lunch trays of food Angel left at her door. She was hungry, but she knew she would go crazy if she stayed cooped up in the villa any longer. She refused to wait until Bai gave her permission to leave her chambers. She needed to ride, and ride hard. She knew she couldn’t convince Nianzu to ride with her and made up her mind to go by herself. Bai would be angry, but when her grandfather got back they would confront Bai together. She pulled on a pair of riding breeches and an open necked shirt like the cowgirls wore. She crammed her wild curls under her cowboy hat and headed to the barn. She assumed one of the Sing Leon brought Zhenqui back from the Golden Horseshoe. Relieved to find her in her stall, Elena went hunting for her tack.

  She was saddling Zhenqui when she heard a noise. She whirled around to see Bai standing in the entryway to the barn, his amber eyes gleaming like a predatory animal stalking his prey. She had not heard him come up and fought to stifle the wave of fear that crashed over her. All her brave resolve fled at the sight of him. Her heart beat so loudly against her chest she was sure he could hear it. Her hands were shaking so badly she was afraid she might drop the saddle. It took every ounce of her courage and strength to turn back to Zhenqui. She lifted the saddle on Zhenqui’s back and began to cinch the straps.

  Bai’s cool voice was like shards of glass scraping her screaming nerve endings. “Where are you going, Elena?”

  She buried her fingers in Zhenqui’s mane to steady herself. Without turning around she said as calmly as she could, “None of your business.”

  “Ah, but it is. I asked you a question.”

  His calm arrogance infuriated her. So much so that she was no longer afraid, just angry. She turned and glared at him.

  “So?”

  His dark gaze locked on her. “Elena, I told you to stay in your chambers until I gave you permission to leave.”

  “And I’m telling you to go to hell.”

  She turned her back on him and finished tightening the straps on Zhenqui’s saddle.

  “Elena, please go back to the house.”

  The fact that he asked her rather than ordering her, even saying please, gave her courage. She knew she had to take a stand, hold to it. Clutching Zhenqui’s reins, she tossed her head and glared at him. A surge of adrenalin helped toughen her stance.

  “I am done taking orders from you. You are not my boss. You may be able to intimidate everyone else, but not me! I am a guest of my grandfather who happens to be your boss. I’ll do what I want when I want. You aren’t stopping me. Now get out of my way.”

  Grabbing the pommel, she put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg up, mounting her horse in a fluid movement. With a quick tug on the reins she urged Zhenqui closer to the entrance, clicked to signal go, and prepared to run over Bai if she had to.

  Just as he did last night, one moment he was at the entrance to the barn, the next he was beside her. With arms much stronger than hers, he reached up and dragged her off her horse. She shrieked in surprise, struggling against him. Zhenqui gave a startled nicker and trotted out to the courtyard.

  Elena knew how to fight, but Bai held her in a body lock, her back tight to his chest, her arms pinioned helplessly at her sides. All her kung fu skills were useless. She kicked furiously but he trapped her tight against him.

  She choked back a frustrated sob, demanding that he put her down.

  His voice in her ear was soft, ominous. “I asked you a simple question that required a simple an
swer. Now let’s try this again, Elena. Where were you going?”

  “Goddamn you, Bai. Put me down, you fucking bastard!”

  “Ah, that is naughty language from a spoiled little girl. Didn’t anyone tell you nice little girls do not talk like that?”

  She twisted as hard as she could and managed to break his lock. She faced him, her face flaming with fury. “You fucking son of a bitch! Goddamn you. Get out of my way or I’ll scream!”

  He smiled at her, but his eyes were narrow and hard.

  “Is this how you get your way? Throw a temper tantrum? Say naughty words? Will you hurl yourself on the ground, kick and scream, threaten to hold your breath until I give in?”

  Tears of rage filled her eyes. She screamed a fierce spirit yell and spun around. She aimed a full roundhouse kick at his groin, but he was too quick. He caught her leg and twisted it, flipping her to the ground.

  She jumped up and leapt at him shrieking with rage. He caught her in mid-flight. Once again, he yanked her up against him, her back to his chest. His grip was so tight she could barely breathe.

  His voice was a harsh whisper in her ear. “Didn’t Lei or Wyatt tell you that kung fu masters learn how to control their anger? That they don’t throw temper tantrums when they are trying to fight?”

  Outraged, she bucked against him. “Let me go, you goddamn fucking son of a bitch!”

  She couldn’t stop her torrent of tears, she was too angry. With a furious twist, she broke free. Whirling around, with all her strength, she reached out and slapped him across the face.

  Seeing the rage in his eyes, she jumped back assuming a fighting stance. She was shocked at the red welt on his face, but more than anything she was frightened by the anger smoldering in his eyes. Certain he would hit her back, she threw up her hands to protect her face.