Page 49 of Babe's Bounty
“Not alone you aren’t. We’re all going. Scorch, grab the men.”
I want to protest, but I know I can use the help, even if I consider every man a possible threat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: MIN
“Don’t just stand there! Get her!” Fenhua shrieks at his goons.
They shoot him twin looks of contempt as they nurse their wounds. Interesting. I file that information away as they stalk toward me. I gesture for the girls to move further down the hall. We all step over Blankenship’s body, putting it between us and them.
“When they attack, run,” I whisper to Thea and Jessica. “I’ll keep them busy. Get into the car, lock the doors, and go get help.”
I don’t wait for their agreement, as I assume a defensive stance, my knife at the ready. One’s limping while the other can’t open his right eye. Combined with the close quarters, I have the advantage. So I’ll use it.
The limper swings at me, but I dodge it. Grabbing his arm, I use his forward motion to propel him into the wall. The drywall crumbles on impact. Before he can regain his footing, I kick his knee. The pop of torn muscle, coupled with his screams of pain, is satisfying. With my thoughts on the girls, trapped and scared only feet away, I yank his head back and slice his throat. Turning, I focus my attention on the weeper.
He lunges toward me, his arms wide as he tries to wrap them around me. But his eye-hand coordination is off. I feint to my left, kicking out with my left leg. The blow lands on the left side of his face, snapping his head back. I jab the knife into his exposed neck. He gurgles and clutches at the wound before dropping to the ground. I turn toward Fenhua and stop.
He has an arm around Thea with a knife pressed against her throat. How the hell did he get her? She and Jessica should be driving away from here.
I stalk toward him, carrying the bloody knife. Images of me slicing his throat have me grinning in anticipation. He must see my intent, because he tightens his grip around Thea and presses the knife until a drop of blood appears. The sight of her blood stops me.
“Let her go.”
“I don’t think so. Drop the knife or I’ll cut her.” He applies enough pressure to make Thea squeak, so I drop the knife and kick it toward the wall. “One of those assholes has zip ties on him. Grab one and bind your hands, or my knife finds a new home. Do it!”
I share a glance with Thea before kneeling to search Blankenship’s pockets. Finding the zip ties, I pull one out along with something that might prove useful. Using my teeth to tighten the zip tie, I show my bound hands. “Now, let her go.”
“Not a chance. She’s my way out. Grab another tie and bind her hands, too.”
I follow his instructions, looking for an opportunity to separate Thea from his grasp. But the knife is too close to Thea’s jugular. If he cut her, she’d bleed out before I could save her.
“Step back,” he orders when Thea’s hands are bound in front her. “Now, call out the little girls. I know you hid them in one of these rooms. Do it!” He shouts when I don’t move.
“No,” says Thea. “Kill me and Min will take you apart. I’ll impale myself on your knife before I let you get near those girls.”
“Don’t think I won’t kill you,” he snaps back.
“If you hurt her, I’ll take you apart by pieces,” I threaten him. “Let her go and I’ll let you leave. That’s the best offer you’ll get.”
He snorts. “I hold all the cards here, not you! Your hands are bound. I’m the one with a hostage and a weapon. Should have killed you that day.”
“Yeah, you should have. But you didn’t. Your brother rescued me.”
He sneers. “Dailin is weak. He’s always been weak.”
“He beat you. I’m surprised you’re still alive. I understand the Triad doesn’t accept failure.”
“You bitch! I’m not a failure. Dailin failed when he didn’t kill you. He turned his back on the Triad. We would have made a good team and risen in the ranks, but he rejected us. He rejected me. Now that I have you. I’ll find him and kill him. That will fix everything.”
“You should hope you don’t find him, or more accurately, that he doesn’t find you. Dailin is not the same man you remember. He’s no longer Dailin. He goes by Ghost now and he has an army behind him.”
“What army?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“He wouldn’t dare attack me. He knows that will mean his death. The Triad is more powerful than any army he could find. Once they know who they’re up against, they’ll leave him to us.”
I snort. “You have no idea how little they fear you, or what’s left of the Triad.”