by Steve Lee
Few people yet knew of the homicide at Riverside. Buses still picked up passengers; pedestrians still shuffled along sidewalks; cars still honked and growled.
A yellow cab pulled up to the curb in front of her. A fat guy in a gray overcoat struggled out and then waddled down the sidewalk. Within seconds, he became just another nondescript face in the crowd that people passed without even noticing.
In a city of eight million people, it was easy to disappear, to be but a blur in the hectic shadows of the most vibrant city in the world.
With a picture of a tiger on his black T-shirt, visible through his open red puffer jacket, a tall black guy ambled toward her. He was so scrawny he looked like the only thing making him three dimensional were the tire-like ribs of his coat. Head down, staring at his phone, forcing other pedestrians to move out of his way because he was way too busy and way too important to make any allowances for anyone else, he caught an old lady with his elbow and knocked a blue box out of her hands.
The box hit the concrete sidewalk to the sound of shattering glass. If Tess heard it, he must have, but he didn’t even turn, let alone apologize or offer to make amends.
As the scrawny guy neared Tess, he drained the last drops of the drink he was carrying and, without looking up from his phone, let the paper cup slip from his hand to the sidewalk.
Okay, his reaction to the box incident was contemptuous, however, the incident itself hadn’t been intentionally malicious. But the paper cup?
Yes, in the grand scheme of things it was only a cup. A tiny scrap of paper. Something totally inconsequential. As was the box of broken glass that the old lady was struggling to pick up. As would be the guy’s next tiny act of misconduct. Selfish individuals like this lived lives of endless ‘inconsequential’ mercenary acts that had barely any true impact on other people and the world – in isolation. But added together?
For people like this, a line had to be drawn. And someone had to draw it.
Tess stopped and pointed at the cup, speaking loudly so he couldn’t fail to hear. “Excuse me, you dropped something.”
He blanked her and walked on past.
She watched him saunter away with total disregard for anyone or anything around him. She shook her head. The crime scene was active right now. It was imperative she get there as soon as possible, not least to try to catch the detective she’d seen interviewing people in the background on the news broadcast. But…
Scampering back the way she’d come, Tess scooted past Scrawny Guy, and then stood directly in his path.
He walked straight into her.
He looked up from his phone with an expression of total amazement, as if wondering why the world had stopped moving out of his way. After the initial shock, he frowned down at her.
She pointed back at the cup he’d dropped. “Do you want to pick that up?”
He looked at her, completely emotionless. “Do you wanna go fuck yourself?”
Tess sighed. Though it was an extremely rare occurrence, there was never a cop when she needed one. Typical.
But then, she already knew there wasn’t – she’d checked the moment she’d left the coffee shop. As naturally as looking for traffic on wanting to cross a road, the moment she stepped out onto any street, she checked for law enforcement officers and vehicles. She had to know who might be watching, who might be a threat.
Staring upward, she locked Scrawny Guy’s gaze. At five feet seven inches, she was taller than the average woman, but this guy towered over her. “You’re going to pick that up.”
He said, “You want it picked up, pick it up.”
She glowered at him.
He rolled his eyes and sidestepped to go around her.
She matched him to block him still.
He stepped the other way.
And again, she blocked him.
He shook his head, and then leaned down right into her face. His breath smelled of stale cigarettes.
His eyes wide and wild, in a hushed voice, he said, “You’re angling for a slap, bitch.”
She didn’t want to get into this here, now, but she was not giving this guy a victory, which would confirm to him that such behavior was acceptable. He obviously saw threats, intimidation and violence as justifiable means to get whatever he wanted. Conversely, she saw those as legally justifiable grounds for the use of physical force.
She glared back. “Pick it up.”
He huffed. He pushed her on the upper left arm to shove her aside, but she’d already spread her feet for a stable stance. She didn’t budge.
In a court of law, his action would be deemed an assault. Not that she was remotely interested in anything the law had to offer – if something didn’t work, you stopped using it.
“You’re going to pick it up.” She cocked an eyebrow at him.
He shoved her harder. Hard enough that a normal woman could have fallen.
That was all the invitation she needed.
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Angel of Darkness Series Information
Can I read the series in any order?
Each book is a self-contained story, so they can be read out of sequence (with the possible exception of Nightmare’s Rage).
However, small subplots run through the series to make it more fun, so you’ll enjoy it far more if you read the books in order (these threads come together in Nightmare’s Rage, so it’s wise to read that last). But this is only a suggestion.
Book 01 – Kill Switch
Believing its above the law, a savage European gang attacks a mother and daughter. Can no one get payback? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 02 – Angel of Darkness
A trained sniper is mowing down random targets whenever, wherever they like. Can no one protect the innocent? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 03 – Blood Justice
A bloody corpse lies in the gutter and a loving family lies in tatters. Can no one avenge a senseless killing? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 04 – Midnight Burn
A mutilated body hangs in a blood-drenched alley but the police are clueless. Can no one see justice is done? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 05 – Mourning Scars
A vicious street gang gets its kicks abusing the innocent and posting video of it online. Can no one punish them? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 06 – Predator Mine
An axe murderer is hacking up the city’s kids, leaving parents frantic with fear. Can no one save the next victim? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
Book 07 – Nightmare’s Rage
A sadistic crime boss rampages across the city, destroying lives while basking in luxury. Can no one demand retribution? Enter the Angel of Darkness.
About Steve N. Lee
Steve lives in Yorkshire, a county in the north of England, with his partner Ania and a cat who adopted them.
Picture rugged, untamed moorland with Cathy running into Heathcliff’s arms – that’s Yorkshire! Well, without the running. (Picture a jet-black bundle of fur – that’s their cat.)
He’s studied a number of martial arts, is a certified SCUBA diver and speaks 10 languages. And he loves bacon sandwiches smothered in brown sauce.
Click the link below to learn more – some of it true, some of it almost true, and some of it, well, who really knows? Click the link below and decide for yourself.
Click here for more about Steve
Copyright
Copyright © Steve N. Lee 2015
www.SteveNLeeBooks.com
978-0-9556525-6-1 – ePub edition
978-0-9556525-3-0 – Kindle edition
The characters and events in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other
wise — without the prior permission of the publishers.
Published by Blue Zoo, Yorkshire, England.
