Dragon's Blood (Black Planet Book 1) (5 page)

“I have a portable, you know. On solar. It’s got an Internet chip.”

“You do?” He stood, pushed back his chair and gathered their bowls. He picked up her teacup and swirled it, glancing into it, a slight frown on his face. He then looked at her, a smile crossing his face. “And you didn’t tell me? God! Do you know how hard it is to find a functioning computer around here?” He stacked her cup on top of his and took the dishes into the kitchen. He rinsed them, then returned, pulling his jacket from a peg on the wall.

“Where you going?”

“Your place.”

She stood, cocking her head slightly. “My place?”

“You need to shower and change, I need to get online. We’ll catch Cappie’s second run across the bay.”

“
I
’d heard
rumors you were starting a new fighter.”

“Hello, Carin. How are you today?” He gave his smoothest smile, keeping one eye in Annie’s direction. She was in a secluded corner, stretching hamstrings. Her opponent was notoriously unstable, and just as likely to start the fight outside the ring as inside. He angled a bit, keeping an eye on both women at once. “Don’t tell me you came slumming just to see my girl.”

“I’ve heard she’s a Norm. And cutting a swath through the other females.”

“This is only her third match. She’s barely getting a feel for the thing.”

“That’s her?”

He nodded. She gave a tiny huff of cold amusement.

“Why’s she dressed like that? That’s barely interesting.”

“Her school was Chinese. She lets her fighting talk, not her fashion.”

Annie was wearing a dark, sturdy kung-fu suit with a white T-shirt underneath. Where most street fighters wore flashy, dangerous looking costumes, they’d opted for practicality and coverage. Her black hair was tightly braided and pinned in on itself. She’d have preferred to fight barefoot, but he’d nixed that in favor of flexible leather shoes for protection. The woman next to him hissed when Annie stretched, bringing her leg impossibly high against the wall. He had to agree with Carin’s arousal. His own cock had grown heavy at the sight of Annie’s limber body.

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.

F
or 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, slowly 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.

* * *

“
A
nnie
, are you
all right?”