Carin Nakashima was an incongruous splash of elegance within the grimy setting of Wharf. She was tall, expensive and gracefully blonde, a rarity in the city nowadays. As the trophy wife of a Japanese gangster, she had the money, and oddly, the freedom to live as she desired. It didn’t surprise him that her desire was to haunt the fight circuits, picking up lovers and protégés with equal generosity. She’d spent a couple years in the cages before Nakashima had found her.
“She’s lovely.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
She smiled in amusement at the dry comment. “Is she as good as the rumors suggest?”
He nodded to where she’d just entered the ring. “Watch and decide for yourself.”
Today’s opponent was owned by an Italian from North Beach. The woman had the backing of money, training and technology. They’d discussed her at length. Unfortunately, Annie hadn’t been able to see the woman in action before meeting her in the ring. Sophia Copelli usually fought in a mixed style with a focus on old boxing techniques. She was fast, technically clean, and had twice the strength that Annie possessed. Her hair-trigger temper was her biggest liability and her greatest asset. When that temper blew, her opponent would be down and broken before they realized the danger.
When the whistle blew, Annie crouched in a defensive position, testing, allowing herself to be tested. They started slowly, carefully, and in a sudden blaze of movement, the Italian fighter dodged in, scoring a blow to Annie’s ribs. A quick blur of movement in return, and the Italian had lost her footing, taken down by a low kick.
Once more they circled, Annie allowing the other to attack while she dodged, parried and blocked. The Italian changed tactics, suddenly shifting to a kicking-punching style. Annie was driven back against the mesh cage, just barely avoiding being trapped. Uneasiness settled into his gut.
Next to him, Carin hissed in disgust. “Not impressive so far, Aiden. If Sophia gets a hand on her…”
He didn’t answer. The whistle blew, signaling the first round. Normally, he didn’t distract her in the ring, but Aiden was worried. She seemed didn’t seem right. Annie leaned into her corner, fishing out a bottle of water.
“You okay?”
She nodded, unhooking her mouth guard.
“You look off.”
“I’m okay. Getting her routine. She’s using Tae Kwan Do. I expected more western style fighting.”
He nodded in agreement. “Sophia’s got a temper. If you set her off, you might foul her up, or just piss her off enough to get yourself killed.”
She sipped again. “She’s strong. I’m going to finish fast. If she gets many hits in, it’ll go bad for me.” That blow to the ribs had carried enough force to break bone. She’d been very, very lucky.
“If you push her, she’ll start high kicks. You know how to block the kicks?” Her form didn’t practice high kicks, so he wasn’t sure.
“When a fighter’s doing high kicks, they only have one point of balance. But if I keep knocking her on her ass, she’s going to get pissed and blow. I need to hurt her. Inner thigh, you think?”
“Yeah. Yeah, when she opens to set up and kick, nail her up high. Or even at the inside of the knee. Target that same spot. Deaden her muscles, make her hurt. If you can hand lock her…” She nodded and pushed away from the mesh as the whistle blew.
“I’ll finish her in round three.”
“Go for it.”
She turned and gave him a fierce grin, barely noticing the woman who stood listening. The smile faded quickly as she went back to her game face, turning back to the other fighter.
“I want a piece of her.” Carin said.
Aiden looked at the woman in surprise. “You weren’t impressed a minute ago.”
“That was before I saw her eyes. She’s playing, isn’t she?”
“No, Carin, you’re the one that plays with your food. She’s planning her strategy.”
The idea of Annie in Carin’s entourage of beasts and beauties fairly turned his stomach. He’d done his time at her side, as well as in her bed. That wasn’t for Annie.
“It’ll be fun, Aiden. I’ll fund her, get her out of Wharf and into the high stakes in the City.” She sidled closer, close enough that he could smell her expensive perfume. “Have you fucked her yet?” He set his jaw and shook his head slightly. He could only afford to cross Carin to a degree, then she was truly dangerous. Much like her husband.
“The three of us, Aiden. Think about it. I’ll fund her. You train her. We’ll be equal partners.” To his satisfaction, his cock didn’t even stir at the image.
“They’re starting.”
He couldn’t help but watch in admiration as the two women glided around the ring. Sophia was a real talent, but she simply didn’t have the level of training that Annie possessed. What appeared to be a casual posture was actually perfect balance. She was grounded, ready and lethal. Her right hand drifted up, relaxed and light. She’d taken Pi stance. Metal. Stabbing and deadly.
The crowd around the cage grew tighter. The noise level rose as the two fighters moved cautiously and then with heightened aggression. Sophia came in, jabbing and punching, switching gears quickly with savage, high kicks. Kicks that connected with nothing but air.
Annie stepped in and hooked her down low at the ankle, bringing the Italian to a crashing heap on the floor. Quickly, Sophia came to her feet, her color rising, lunging to engage. Annie blocked and twisted an arm, flinging the other woman into the cage wall, and then retreated to the center of the ring. She breathed and settled into Tiger stance, more for the benefit of the crowd. Annie preferred Water Strider, but that form looked deceptively tame. Tiger would do. She hooked her fingers into lethal claws.
Blood began to trickle down Sophia’s dark cheek. She wiped it away almost casually. She spat on the floor. There was a crazy fire in her eyes. She was dying to get her hands around Annie’s slender neck.
Once more they engaged. Sophia came around for a high kick and shrieked in pain when an iron-like fist pounded into her inner thigh, followed by a crushing kick to the knee of her other leg. Almost without thought, Annie pivoted, her heel catching Sophia’s knee from behind, and the Italian crashed to the ground. Again Annie backed away, letting her rise and recover. He wished she’d finish it, not give Sophia a chance to get back on her feet. The cut on her cheek was already closing. It would time to wear her down, and Annie was running out of time.
For the first time, Annie felt fear. Sophia was limping, but she should be down. Every time Sophia’s guard slipped, Annie landed a knee to the same injured spot on her thigh. Again and then again she hammered her-- punches, slaps and kicks to the same vulnerable region until the whistle blew. Even as Annie watched, the fighter’s wounds were healing. Sophia had grown careless in her anger and wasn’t protecting her injury, she should be on the ground, writhing in pain. But she wasn’t.
Annie glanced outside. Aiden still stood next to the blonde woman. He nodded just slightly at Annie. He did see what was happening. But he wasn’t worried. His confidence settled her.
She paid little attention to the crowd, though the noise had risen so high she could barely hear herself. Across the ring Sophia was massaging her injured thigh, eyes blazing with maniacal anger. How did the nanites act that fast? Was she recovered? The cut on her face had already vanished. Annie breathed deeply, centering herself, acknowledging her fear. Using it.
The whistle blew and they closed, and Annie was the aggressor this time. She kicked low, attacking the other fighter’s good leg, targeting hamstrings and shins, going for maximum pain. When Sophia gathered herself and tackled, Annie threw herself backward, just barely missing being pinned by the enraged woman. She went for Sophia’s injured thigh again, and was rewarded when Sophia’s leg gave out completely.
Sophia struggled up once more, and this time, Annie allowed her too close. They crashed to the filthy floor and grappled. Annie scissored to the top and clasped the woman’s hand in a screaming nerve pinch, s
lowly manipulating her to a face down position. She rose to her feet, keeping the other woman stationary on the floor, part of her mind hearing the slow countdown from five to one. The screaming around the ring ascended to a fever pitch, and she glanced up, looking for Aiden.
Instead, an angry gaze caught hers, held hers, black and hard and angry. She didn’t see a face, only eyes.
She staggered back, letting the other woman free, backing away from those eyes, completely stricken with terror as the cage opened and Aiden pulled her to safety. He slammed the door and barred it, giving Sophia time to cool down from her fury. All Annie could think about was escape.
She fled. As soon as Aiden’s hand slipped free of hers she ran, dodging into foggy alleys, racing up ramps and ladders, and then coming to a sudden and abrupt halt, feet teetering over the edge of a narrow precipice.
She wasn’t high, only two or three levels up so she could see the water, see the waste that floated on the dirty surface. There was no trash pick-up in Wharf. They were low tech all the way. What couldn’t be recycled was hauled to the landfills. Food waste went into the water. Most sewage was crudely piped west to the City’s system. That was a fairly recent development. Annie could remember when human waste fouled the water. She’d once nearly drowned in it.
Food drew the fish, and in turn, residents dined well.
Down below, the dark water was still and serene. She breathed, allowing the panic to flow through her body. Slowly, she took control of her mind.
Panic was not an option. It was acceptable to be afraid, but not to run. She wouldn’t give the creature that power over her.
Resolutely, she turned back. It was there, somewhere in the crowd. It wasn’t hunting her. It would be more likely to target Aiden Chen. There’d been other Nanos in the crowd, but to return to his loft, Aiden would be isolated and in the darkness. He’d be a target.
Annie lightly ran along the length of the building, staying on the narrow lip that jutted out from the surface of the structure. These apartments hadn’t been built to any code; hell, they’d probably been built without plans. But there was an eccentric logic to their design. The lower streets were often so narrow that a person could stretch out and brush their fingers against the walls on either side.
On the outside of the city, the building surfaces were sleek; an intruder had little chance of scaling the walls. But inside, pathways abounded.
She jogged lightly, hopping from ledge to ledge, ignoring the addicts shooting up in the alleys, the occasional couple fucking in the darkness. She crept back to the scene of the fight.
From above, it was easy to see. Lights blazed and a new pair of combatants were inside the mesh cage. The noise was muted by fog and buildings, but she heard voices shouting and calling.
Off to one side Aiden stood peering into the darkness, looking for her. The blonde was still at his side. Yards away, partially hidden in the shadows, a man stood still and quiet, almost invisible. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps.
“Aiden.” She spoke in a normal tone of voice, betting that he’d hear her over the crowd. He didn’t respond so she carefully made her way closer. She was high overhead but almost directly above him. “Aiden. Three west, three up.”
Praying that he’d heard her and that the killer hadn’t, she headed west, pausing to watch as he broke away from the woman. The blonde woman tried to hold him there, a hand on his arm, but within moments, he was working his way in her direction.
The shadow man had vanished.
“Annie, are you all right?”
She was as far back in the shadows as possible, the black of her suit merging into the darkness. He hopped lightly to the ledge, and looked deeply into her eyes. She was frightened, but had overcome the panic that had compelled her to run like a panicked rabbit.
“It was watching. There was a man, an Asian man, I think. It was hard to see his face. I’m not sure if he’s it but the monster was there. I felt its…hunger. We need to go. If we stick together, we might be able to spot it.”
His fingers grazed her cheek. “Okay, we’ll do that. But first off, how’re you doing?”
She stood very still under his touch, letting it calm her racing heart. “I’m okay. My ribs are bruised, but other than that, I’m good.”
“How are you otherwise?”
She started to tell him that she was fine, no fear, no panic, but she couldn’t. Annie opted for the truth. “I’m terrified. I ran, got just down the street a ways and realized I’d left you behind. So stupid.” She stepped away from his hand, shaking her head in self-disgust. “I owe you an apology. I saw the eyes and just bolted. I abandoned you.”
“Oh, Annie.” He reached out and took both her hands, inspecting bruised, battered knuckles. “You were amped on adrenaline. Of course you bolted when the fear registered. It might be good, might confuse him.” He pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Bit by bit, she relaxed into his embrace.
Unable to resist, he moved closer, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight. She pressed her cheek to his chest. She stood there listening to the steady beat of his heart, to the sound of his breathing. How long had it been since anyone had held her? Kept her safe? Annie rubbed her face against his chest, her tears soaked into the rough fabric of his jacket.
“God, Annie.” Aiden gathered her closer, cradling her head in the palm of his hand. He dropped a kiss to her forehead and then rested his chin on her hair, letting his eyes close.
“I’m sorry.” Her whisper was hoarse with tears. “I’m not usually like this.”
“No, you’re always the strong one, aren’t you? Just for now, let it go and let someone else be strong, even for a couple minutes.” She nodded against his chest. She smelled good. She always did, it was an odd mixture of herbs and incense and her own body. Even back when they’d been new detectives, he’d always loved her scent. Now, the exotic spices of his liniment blended into her usual fragrance. He inhaled, savoring the moment.
When she leaned away, trying to break free, he wouldn’t allow her, and the kiss that followed was the most natural thing in the world.
Their lips traced together like silk. Only the slightest pressure joined them. Aiden brought one hand up, supporting her head, controlling the kiss, controlling her breathing, her very heart rate. She allowed her lips to part just the slightest bit and he pressed his advantage, tasting, teasing, and finally taking her completely in a kiss that left them both shaking.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.” He said.
She looked steadily up into his face, her slightly battered face soft and vulnerable. He’d been her friend and her partner, her enemy for a time. She’d never looked at him
like this before. “How long?” She asked.
“Too long, Annie.” The softness faded, leaving him slightly bereft.
She stepped back, out of his embrace, but still touching. “Don’t say that, Aiden.”
“Before Lisa died. I don’t know when I knew, just one day I looked at you and I wanted to kiss you.”
She looked up at him, and he was shaken by the sadness on his face.
“I loved my wife, I really did, Annie. And one day I looked at you and loved you as well. Why do you think I turned away from you after she was killed?” Saying it should free his soul, even just a tiny bit. Instead, the expression on her face crushed him, and once again, he relived that old feeling of guilt.
Guilt. Not survivor’s guilt like hers, but the primal emotion that whispers dark thoughts. Perhaps this happened because I was unfaithful. Perhaps this happened because I willed it.
“She’s gone, Aiden. Neither of us was at fault.” He nodded, swallowed, and his eyes burned with tears, long unshed. “We can only deal with it. Deal with the killer. And then we go on.”
“Together?”
“I don’t know, Aiden. I really don’t know.” She took another step back, gathering her self-possession. “We need to go.”
He n
odded, following her example, and pulled himself back under control. “Where do we start? Back at the ring?”
“Yeah, then we’ll work our way back to the outer wall.”
“It’ll go faster if we split up.”
She turned and looked up at him, staring until he felt more than a little humbled.
“Okay, okay, I’m food and it can smell me.” He laughed uneasily.
“If it’s trailing you, it’ll have to deal with us both. And this time, it won’t win.”
The trail had gone cold fast. In fact, there wasn’t a trail. They canvassed the area using her instincts and his senses, to no avail. In frustration, they returned to Annie’s home, high above the alleys and waterways. She had a high tech lock installed on her door, and even to Aiden’s critical eye, the place looked secure. She slid the panel door aside, allowing him in. Apparently her family had lived here for years. The small apartment was spotlessly clean and spare.
Against the window-lined wall, several bonsai grew and flourished. Many were ancient, some very young. He went across the room to look. He’d never seen anything like them. Not in person.
“My grandfather Tanaka taught me about bonsai.”
He squatted, looking at one that must surely be ancient. It was an evergreen, perhaps a cedar. The trunk of the tree was twisted and gnarled, graceful and elegant in its antiquity.
She disappeared into a room and within moments Aiden heard the water running. He grinned. She probably got only cold water here unless she had a small solar heater, and given the foggy conditions of San Fran, that wouldn’t be particularly effective.
He was grimy as well and now regretted the decision to stop by her place. His big tub would be a welcome indulgence. The water shut off, and she emerged wearing a thigh length silk kimono and a towel wrapped around her hair.
“That was fast.”
She grinned and tossed him a dry towel. “See how long you can stand it!”
Dragon's Blood (Black Planet Book 1) Page 5
