Five minutes later, the helicopter lands on the highway. Sam and Kathy exit to see the beaten and harassed Noah in his oversized state trooper’s outfit.
“You should be on a weight loss infomercial for whatever it is you’re eating,” says Sam.
“Yeah. Prison food does that to you.”
“Tell me about it. My dad has lost fifteen pounds since he’s been there.”
“We were coming to bail you out, but I guess you did that on your own,” says Kathy as she hands Noah a spare change of pilot’s clothing. “Saw you on TV. Says you killed a senator.”
“I was framed.”
“So why did you escape?”
“'Cuz we got to get to Coyote River el pronto. The tribal council’s about to do a deal with the devil, or I should say dragon. Kathy, is there some kind of dragon weirdness going on around here?”
“Turk’s got one tattooed on his ass.”
Sam looks at Kathy.
“Okay, we had a thing going, Sam. He and I are adults. I… I saw it and… touched it a few times.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Chin’s daughter, Prez, has one on her ass. The warden had one too. And Sandy, the politician I was accused of killing? Her too.”
CRACK!
“Duck!” yells Noah.
The three duck and look down the road. Wally, the state policeman, is driving while Lester, hanging out of an approaching car, shoots at them with a Remington 700 rifle. He’s not the greatest shot, but it only takes one bullet, and he’s only fifty yards away.
“Get out of the way!” yells Noah.
Kathy and Sam dash to the side of the road while Noah runs toward the car. Lester tries to fire, but the moving Noah darts elusively from side to side.
Ten yards away, Noah lunges to the ground, hands first.
A bullet narrowly misses as he does a front handspring and lands on the roof of the car. Lester tries to jab at him with the rifle, but Noah grabs its barrel and pulls it out of his grasp.
Wally slams the car’s brakes, throwing Noah from the roof to the ground.
Lester and Wally get out of the car and run toward the fallen foundation president from one direction while Sam and Kathy come from the other.
As the woozy Noah tries to get up, the two-hundred-and-fifty-pound Lester runs at him.
Sam runs from the other direction toward Noah, and Kathy runs at Wally.
As Lester lunges forward and is about to perform a belly flop on Noah, Sam does a Noah imitation and flips a handspring.
Sam’s feet land on Lester’s shoulders, pushing his body just enough so Noah does not catch the full brunt of the blubbery mass on him.
Lester flops in pain as Sam sends a knockout punch directly to his nose.
Nose broken and bleeding, Lester stops moving as Sam helps Noah to his feet.
“What would you do without me?” asks Sam.
Meanwhile, Wally’s got his Glock out and fires. However, Kathy knocks Wally’s arm just a fraction—enough to knock the trajectory of the bullet harmlessly away.
Wally whips around and swings a roundhouse at Kathy.
However, this girl has spent a lot of time on the streets and dealt with guys a whole lot tougher than the part-time trooper.
She ducks and hammers a punch at his nuts. Wally buckles but has presence of mind to take his gun and points it at Kathy.
Kathy whips out her pocket pepper spray and shoots it into Wally’s face. He backs off screaming while she delivers a swift kick to his balls.
Wally controls his pain enough to aim at Kathy, but she grabs him, and the two start wrestling.
Big mistake for Kathy. Even if blinded and in agony, Wally is still a whole lot stronger than the young girl.
One punch lands on an eye, and he aims a knee at her groin. However, Kathy’s fast. She grabs his arms and then pushes off, doing a standing somersault over his head and using the momentum to push him to the ground.
Noah, fully recovered, runs and then leaps on Wally’s chest, knocking the wind out of him and breaking a few ribs at the same time. Noah squeezes his hands on Wally’s temple, and the trooper soon falls unconscious.
“Kathy, I knew there was a reason I hired you,” pants Noah. “Where’d you learn that?”
“Lousy choice of boyfriends.”
“Gonna kill these turkeys?” asks Sam.
“No, but we certainly gotta hide them somewhere where they won’t bother us.”
The three walk to the trooper’s car. Noah pops open the trunk—it’s jam packed with video equipment. A high-def camera, several lights, hard drives, specialized camera mounts and a 17” laptop. Noah starts throwing the stuff onto the side of the road.
“Wait, wait,” says Sam as he grabs the laptop. “I’ll take this.” He quickly takes it out of sleep mode.
Noah takes off Wally’s clothes and changes into them. He and Kathy then lug the unconscious Wally and Lester toward the state vehicle’s trunk.
“Can you help?” complains Kathy.
“No, no.” Sam looks up. “You gotta see this.”
“You’re useless,” says the young Native American woman as she and Noah toss the bodies into the trunk and close it.
“I mean it. You better look at this,” insists Sam.
Noah and Kathy walk over to Sam and look at the laptop.
Sam’s pulled up several raw and processed video files—some show Prez, some show Noah, some show the steps of video editing and transformation.
“Betcha Olivia would be kinda mad if she saw this. Huh?”
“That’s the understatement of the millennium.”
Suddenly, a dragon hologram appears, scaring the crap out of Kathy. “Aah!”
Sam laughs and fires up another dragon, “This guy is pretty damn good.”
“This proves my innocence. We really gotta rocket back to the reservation,” says Noah.
THUNK! A three-pound rock hits Noah on the head. He drops to the ground.
As Sam turns to look, a flying kick to his body greets him, knocking him down—it’s Prez. Clothed entirely in black leather, Prez is a black widow spider—lovely to look at, deadly to touch. Although she rarely uses her martial arts background, she is still one of Chin’s children. Sam tries to get up, but Prez does a double kick in the air.
She kicks out high like a Brazilian capoeira fighter, first her left leg then right, her feet whacking Sam’s head hard. The blow knocks Sam out cold.
Landing on her feet, she chops Kathy in the throat. Kathy gurgles as she falls to her knees. With the flexibility of ballet dancer, Prez lifts a long leg high in the air and sends it down on top of Kathy’s neck. Kathy’s lands face first on the pavement, almost knocked out.
Noah has had a whole lot more tossed his way than a little rock.
He quickly recovers and charges at Prez. She stands her ground defiantly until the last possible moment then bobs and weaves, ducking Noah’s windmills of tiger claws.
Changing tactics, Noah throws down a hammer fist on the top of Prez’s head, but this lady’s fast.
Going with the follow-through of the blow, she drops to the ground, minimizing its impact.
She rolls over and into his feet.
Noah doesn’t stumble though. He uses his falling motion as the impetus for a handspring then immediately does a cartwheel to the side.
Prez rushes at the foundation president, but Noah’s ready—he throws out a straight-arm, and Prez’s face is just about to collide with Noah’s fist when she drops to the ground and grabs his forearm.
She’s about to twist it when Noah swings his arm hard, yanking it out of Prez’s grip. He stretches both arms forward and then quickly swings his arms from one ear to the other.
He continues the pivot, bringing his right leg up, and his right foot lands hard on Prez’s shoulder and sends her flying a dozen feet.
She runs toward her Corvette with Noah in pursuit. In full flight, she aims her remote at the trunk, and it pops open.
Prez
grabs a squirt bottle of blood and sprays it over Noah as he arrives.
Two Komodo dragons leap out at him. Two quick arm sideswipes allow him to avoid their sharp teeth, but the lizards snap again.
Noah turns and runs. The dragons follow in hot pursuit, gaining on him quickly.
Noah sees what he’s looking for—the grapefruit-sized rock that Prez threw at him. He picks it up.
As one of the Komodos leaps in the air and descends toward Noah with its jaws open, Noah stuffs the rock into the dragon’s mouth as the Komodo chomps down hard.
Noah pushes the animal to the ground, shoves the stone farther back into the animal’s mouth and down its throat.
He leaps in the air and comes down full force on the Komodo’s head.
Now for dragon number two.
Noah falls to the ground.
Sensing an easy kill, the Komodo, darting its forked tongue in and out, rushes to Noah and leaps.
Noah, lying flat on his back, springs up and grabs the dragon’s front feet. Pushing his arms straight and twisting them like a stilted driver, he keeps the Komodo’s teeth away from his body and arms. Confused, the animal tries to bite, but it is off balance and can’t get proper bearings.
Noah tosses the reptile into the air then steps away a few feet. The Komodo descends, and Noah grabs the creature by its tail before it hits the ground.
He spins like a hammer thrower and tosses the Komodo against a tree.
However, the scaly, leathery tough skin of the animal protects it from hurt or injury. It starts bounding back at Noah.
Noah turns around and runs as fast as he can, but the galloping lizard gains ground on him.
Then disaster—Noah trips and falls headfirst into the ground.
The Komodo charges at him, forked tongue flickering in anticipation, but suddenly Prez’s Corvette comes charging speeding right at the Komodo.
It overtakes the dragon and drives over it, killing it instantly.
Noah looks to the driver and sees a grinning Sam looking at him and giving him the thumbs-up—thank God for juvenile delinquents.
However, Sam is not paying attention and doesn’t see Prez leaping into the car.
She has three inch-long Komodo teeth in her hands and jabs them into Sam’s neck, skull and heart.
Sam starts to gush blood as the Dragon Lady jumps out of the car. Prez throws another tooth at a front tire, puncturing it.
The car loses control, and Sam crashes Prez’s $85,000 Corvette Stingray convertible into a tree. The impact sends Sam flying thirty feet in the air as the vehicle explodes.
Prez bullets down the road while above the sound of a low-flying jet grows louder.
“NO!” screams Noah, dashing toward Sam.
But the mission to catch Sam is aborted—a body thrown from the jet lands on him, causing him to stumble: it is the corpse of Mrs. Wang. A moment later, Sam’s bleeding body thuds in front of him.
Noah grabs the note attached to Mrs. Wang’s dead body.
There is a clearing half a mile ahead.
Noah sees Kathy, now getting to her knees, and shouts, “Call 911. I got a meeting to go to.”
“I’m going with you,” says Kathy.
“You stay with Sam.”
“I’m more useful with you than with Sam.”
The assertiveness in her voice belies her fear.
Chapter 21
Noah and Kathy blitz down the highway to the empty meadow to see the door of the private aircraft opening.
Two people come to its entrance. Two people who stop Noah in his tracks. One of the faces belongs to Olivia. The other belongs to Chin, who stands right beside her with a dao, the Chinese short dagger, at her throat.
“I wouldn’t suggest doing that, Chin!” yells Noah.
“What I do depends on you. You have spent almost all of my money. I want the rest of it back.”
Chin pushes the knife in a little harder. Noah can see a drop of blood trickling out of Olivia’s neck.
“You can’t give in, Noah. Not now,” says Olivia softly.
Noah is so conflicted. He instituted the foundation policy of not giving in to terrorists’ demands. He hasn’t done so before, even when it meant his life or Olivia’s.
But now, it’s different. There’s another consideration. From someone who had no choice in the matter. But matters everything to Noah.
His unborn child.
“I’ve got to, Olivia. I’m not going to sacrifice you or the baby.”
“Well spoken, Noah,” says Chin as he turns his face into Olivia’s.
And then suddenly, the totally unexpected.
Olivia tears herself off Chin and delivers an elbow blow to his neck. At the same time, Noah dashes for Chin, allowing Olivia to step away.
Noah and Chin. Mano a mano. For the second time in their lives. The first time was in Chin’s penthouse where Chin threw everything including crazed cranes and tigers at Garret, Olivia, Abby and Noah. Garret sacrificed himself that Olivia, Abby and Noah might live. He and Chin were lit up like a burning torch. Garret lost his life, but somehow Chin survived, and his recuperation is now as complete as it is going to be.
This time though, things are different. Chin was confident, strong and definitely superior. Noah was a fresh, untested newbie who had never been in a serious fight. However, now Noah has fought all of Chin’s children: Duke—the Tiger; King—the Snake; Queenie—the Crane; Prince—the Leopard. Noah was victorious in every case—all of Chin’s progeny, save Prez, are dead.
Chin may have his mojo back, but Noah is the man on a mission. Unlike Chin, whose interests were money and honor, Noah’s are that of one thing only—the thing that is more precious to him than life itself.
Noah flashes back a moment to the last time that he met Chin under similar circumstances.
Two warriors. One with experience of a thousand battles against the giants of the world, the other driven by the most powerful force in the universe—love.
Hammer-punching, bone-breaking blows. Punch, counterpunch.
Broken rib exchanged for teeth knocked across the room.
Bloody, broken nose traded for lacerated, bleeding eyeball.
Savage, spinning drop kick countered by head butt to the jaw.
Noah grabs Chin by the mouth. Chin bites down hard, causing Noah’s fingers to bleed, but the young lawyer will not let go as he squeezes and tries to pull the jaw out of the sockets.
Then suddenly, Noah lets go. Chin is caught off-guard for a split second, just long enough for Noah to leap and double kick the Tiger Master. Once, twice, three times.
Noah’s possessed—acrobatic, artistic and awe inspiring as he knocks Chin to the floor.
Reverie over, a shrieking Noah rockets at Chin and begins pounding on the Tiger Master.
Sheer angry power of hammer fist after hammer fist fueled by rage and protective instinct.
However, feelings alone are hardly a weapon against the superbly conditioned, battle hardened rogue Shaolin master.
Chin strikes back with double claws and the full force of the Dragon. Swipe after swipe.
Noah stoops to duck the relentless windmill assault then dives at Chin’s feet.
The Tiger Master leaps into the air, intending to stomp on Noah’s head, but Noah quickly rolls out of harm’s way.
He jumps up and delivers a double twirl kick to Chin’s head.
Pulling back, Chin evades the human propeller’s feet and counters with his own flying leap, arms and fists outstretched. A double punch to Noah’s head sends the foundation president to the ground.
Only a few months ago, this would have been more than enough to subdue Noah, but no more.
Noah gets up and charges again. Chin again kicks Noah’s legs from under him.
Chin jumps on top of Noah and whips out his dao.
Noah thinks hard—there is no way he is going to beat Chin unless…
Noah shouts, “Code! Human only!”
Chin is surprised and hesi
tates. Code stands for an unspoken code of honor that means an ensuing battle will use only their bodies, no extraneous weapons. For years, Chin has ignored the code, but somehow, this is different… his honor is at stake.
Chin stands up, steps back a few feet and tosses the dao aside.
“Code,” says the Tiger Master as Noah struggles to his feet.
“Ten Form Fist,” pants Noah. The Ten Form Fist means that the Five Elements of the classical Chinese and the Five Animals of Shaolin martial arts will inspire all battle moves.
Metal. Wood. Fire. Water. Earth. Tiger. Crane. Leopard. Snake. Dragon.
This is about life broken down into its basic elements. Good versus evil. White versus yellow. Past versus present. It cannot get simpler or rawer than this.
Noah spreads his arms like a crane in flight as he launches an attack like with the energy of Fire.
Fists like iron rain down on Chin, who stands his ground, absorbing the pounding with the stoicism of Earth.
Chin’s powerful wooden limbs attack Noah with the speed of the Tiger, pinpointing Noah’s vital organs.
One mistake on Noah’s part in protecting the life points means death, but Noah displays the fluidity of Water and the agility of the Leopard in avoiding Chin’s human blitzkrieg.
The cunning of the Snake, the intense power and energetic vitality of the Dragon courses strong in both men.
Both exhibit the superb technique of their mutual mentor—Master Wu would be proud of the accuracy, precision and beauty of the physical forms.
The late master would also be burdened with unbearable grief to see what his two disciples are doing to each other. But he would also be proud to see the most magnificent display of Shaolin kung fu that the universe has ever witnessed—in the way it was designed for. A fight to the finish, not for glory but for honor.
And yes, Chin is no longer a member of The Way, but he is still part of Master Wu’s fabric. A prodigal son who never repented, but he is still a son.
It’s the art of war combined with the act of war with Shaolin kung fu as the weapon.
Tiger Chin leaps to strike, but Snake Noah slips away and morphs into the Dragon.
RITUAL SACRIFICE: The Ultimate Alpha Female & Political Corruption on the West Coast (Noah Reid Action Suspense Thriller Series Book 5) Page 16
