4. The Deadly Dance
The Deadly Dance
Havoc
So many dead men lay on the ground, covered in bullets. And they had all been taken down by one woman.
What the fuck?
This black mask covered her entire head.
Another guard charged for her.
She sliced the guard’s eyes, leaving a deep red gash over his nose. Blood and other liquids spurted out.
She’s fucking ruthless!
I shot at her several times, giving the trigger no relief.
And she dodged my bullets, flipping back, twisting, bouncing off the wall, and getting behind the newly blinded guard. I didn’t know if I was shooting at her or shadows. And then she disappeared but not before letting out another long whistle.
A smoke bomb went off in the hall, letting out a thick fog.
Definitely a woman. Too slick. Moves too much like a dancer. And damn near too much showing off.
The blinded guard staggered toward the lobby screaming like a wounded animal and falling over the other dead men on the floor.
Fire crackled and popped around us.
Blood and death soaked the air.
If we’d been in a city on any mainland, ambulances and fire trucks would’ve already been out here.
This has to end now.
I dropped the gun I had, grabbed another one, and checked that it was loaded. Then, I took a chance and tried to lure her out. “Pretty impressive!”
No response.
“What’s your name?!” I slid my finger along the cold metal in my hand, finding comfort in the weapon somehow. At least I had the confidence to know that if she ever revealed herself, I’d destroy that curvy little frame. “Who trained you?!”
Only silence.
Not much of an ego problem, then.
Most male assassins needed attention. It was a lonely world when you murdered as a professional. I’d lured many guys out with just simple conversation.
Women were different—too fucking calculated.
I tried again. “Why are you here today?”
Movement came from my right, but I didn’t turn that way. I continued to stare at the hallway’s darkness as if I hadn’t heard anything.
Come on, sweetie. Give me your best shot.
I’d already planned to torture the fuck face in the bathroom. Now that I knew it was a woman, she might get my cock before she died.
“What if I made you an offer to end this now?” I strained my ears, trying to see if she was really on my right or not.
Smart and silent. I’m starting to like you. Yeah. You’ll definitely get my cock.
As if she heard my thoughts, she leaped from the left. Not even in the direction I’d thought she was.
What?
Two guards came out of the smoky shadows and shot at her.
She flipped to their side.
They screamed and raced away.
Are you fucking kidding me?
She ended up chasing after them, slashing the air behind their backs and waists, before finally slamming both daggers in the back of their heads.
Smoke swirled around, hiding her at times.
I shot that way and missed.
One guard fell to the floor.
The other attempted to fight her. He missed and she twisted, kicking his ass. And. . .I hated to admit it, but I stood there in awe, more entertained than scared.
Damn.
I’d never seen anything like this in my life.
Sure, there were fabulous action movies of men and women beating the shit out of six or seven men at a time.
In real life, it was damn near impossible. The side with the most numbers almost always beat the badass person, no matter how many guns and knives they had.
Here this woman worked by herself.
The final remaining guards ran her way and joined the fight.
She dodged and rolled—her agile body barely avoiding the guards’ bullets.
Maybe I should hire her to be my bodyguard, instead of killing her.
In the midst of the fighting, her mask lifted some, only revealing her dark brown skin, full mouth, and chin. A few long black dreads slipped out.
Beautiful.
She tugged the mask back down and whizzed off.
Damn it. Pay attention.
Once she was on the far side of the lobby, she turned and sprinted, rolling past one man and straight for a wounded man.
I aimed the gun and tried to hit her, but she was too damned fast.
Down on one knee and clutching his wound, a guard only had time to look up and curse before she stabbed a dagger in his eye.
Jesus! She’s a goddess.
She yanked it out as she passed, wincing at the eyeball lodged halfway up the jagged blade.
I shot at her.
She bounced away from the bullet, shook the eyeball off her dagger, and leaped into the air, disappearing back into the smoky shadows and flames rising in the destroyed lobby.
Who the fuck is she?
I stood there hypnotized.
Never in my life had I been so fucking turned on and scared at the same time.
My cock was stiff.
Even more dead bodies lay on the floor.
And my heart pounded in my chest like never before.
I almost didn’t want the guards to kill her. I could’ve studied her for days, but. . .there was that thing about her wanting to kill me.
Too bad. We could have had a fun weekend.
She reappeared to finish us off, this time charging from my right.
Okay. The show is over, sweetheart.
I shot and the gun clicked empty.
Damn it.
Fast, I got another gun and made sure it was loaded.
She leaped into the air and spun, her hand a blur as daggers flew for me.
I ducked, but the guys near me crossed their arms to block their faces.
Not a good idea.
The daggers drove into their arms, those sharp points digging into their flesh.
Blood poured across the marble floor.
“So close, but not good enough!” I charged for her and shot at her legs, missing with each pull of the trigger.
I never missed so much until tonight. It pissed me the fuck off that I couldn’t get a bullet close enough to her.
Anger thundered through me. “Come here!”
She needed her daggers.
I blocked the path to the guards—where she’d left them in their arms.
I shot at her again and missed.
I need to get ahold of her. She’s too fast for a target.
Quickly, I rushed for her and got close.
Yes!
I reached out to snatch her neck.
She twisted around me, dancing almost, twirling and leaping.
I grabbed for her again.
She blocked me and turned out of the way.
Get your ass over here!
Before I knew it, she’d maneuvered me away from blocking the guards.
A sexy feminine voice left those lips. “Thanks.”
Mmmm.
She reached the guards and yanked the daggers out their arms.
“Where’s your whistle?” I shot at her feet.
She shrieked and jumped in the air, flipping back.
I shot again and missed.
She landed on her feet and whistled. “Do you like it when I do that?”
“Yes.” I licked my lips, raised my gun, and targeted her forehead. “When I catch you, I’m going to stuff my cock in your mouth and make you whistle on it.”
“I bet your cock is too small for me to even get a good whistle in.”
I shot at her head.
She twisted away.
“Are you as pretty as you sound?” I pointed the gun at her chest. “Take the mask off.”
“Make me.”
Closing up the space between us, I shot several times.
She focused on dodging the bullets and not the fact that I was getting near her.
Then, I pulled the trigger, and nothing came but a click. “Fuck.”
Well, I’m close enough.
I dropped the gun and charged for her.
She flung those daggers at my chest.
I slammed them away with my hand. “I’m impressed.”
She tried to dive to the floor.
I caught her arm and slammed her into the wall. “But not that impressed.”
She punched the right side of my neck.
“Goddamn it!” I reared back.
“No, come here.” She smashed her fist into my temple and followed it with a swift kick to my groin.
Pain exploded.
I staggered to one knee.
Another punch struck my nose.
I caught her wrist before she could pull her fist back. “Has anyone told you that you hit like a bitch?”
Then, fast her fingers wrapped around my wrist, yanked my hand up, then her body twisted, and somehow I was down on both knees, wincing as my arm burned in pain.
She dug her fingernails into my skin. “I hit like a bitch? Huh?”
“Yes.” I slammed the back of my head into hers.
She grunted in pain.
We fell to the ground.
She let go.
We both rolled away and recovered several feet from each other.
Both of us jumped to our feet, ready to go at it some more.
With no weapons.
Just fucking untamed rage.
Face-to-face we glared at each other.
There were things I was used to when fighting any opponent. I expected fear to decorate their face, desperation to ripple in their eyes.
None of that filled her gaze. Only confidence and energy radiated from her side like she was ready to fight for several more hours.
And then for the first time, I spotted the most breathtaking brown eyes sparkling through those mask holes.
Yeah. You’re going to take my cock after I torture you.
I glared at her. “What’s your plan?”
“Well. . .I kill like a bitch too, so I figured I should just do that.”
“You’re having fun. Aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.” Her voice was also unexpected.
Soft and elegantly feminine.
Nothing I would’ve have imagined coming from such a deadly person.
I leaned my head to the side. “Who hired you?”
“My boss.”
“And who’s your boss?”
“The person that hired me.”
I frowned. “You’re an asshole.”
“No. I’m a bitch.”
“When I get my hands on you. . .”
She cracked her neck. “The moment you get your hands on me is the moment you die.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to fuck you until you bleed.”
“Let’s see you try.”
“You’ll regret that statement one day.”
“Fuck you.”
“Likewise.” I lunged quickly for her, but she was quicker.
She sidestepped my attack, her body turning fluid, like water against the rocks of my determination.
She jabbed a punch at my face, but I managed to pull back in time.
I retaliated with a right hook, which she ducked, only to meet my knee.
Then, I got her with my other fist.
She grunted at the blow to her abdomen and stumbled back. But she was on her feet in no time, bouncing lightly. “You’re full of surprises.”
“You have no idea.”
The fight resumed, a dangerous dance between two determined souls. A waltz of violence and rage. Blows were exchanged, yet her resilience astounded me, even as I landed a solid punch on her shoulder that sent her sprawling across the floor.
She winced but stood again, wiping away the trickle of blood that seeped from a cut on her forehead.
Her gaze didn’t falter as she charged again.
“I hope you know you’re not walking out of here alive.” My voice echoed around us.
My heart pounded as we circled each other like predators sizing each other up.
Then out of nowhere, the crazy bitch crashed into me, knocking me into a wall.
She jumped back before I could punch her.
“This ends soon.” I kicked at her.
She ducked, spun around me, jabbed my throat with her elbow, and then slammed a dagger in my thigh.
Arhh!
It had been so long since someone got close enough to stab me that I had forgotten how much it hurt. I collapsed, yanked the dagger out as I rolled my body, and somehow avoided the blows from her foot.
She damn sure wouldn’t make it easy for me to get free of her as my usual enemies did.
I glared at her. “That wasn’t nice.”
“Sorry, but I told you I was a bitch.” She reared back and kicked me in the side several times.
I caught her heel on her third kick and then shoved it upward. She somersaulted backwards, landed on her feet, drew the last dagger, and hurled it across the room.
The damn thing stabbed into the floor an inch from my head.
GODDAMN IT!!
“This was fun, but all cool things must end.” She pulled a tiny gun out of her side holster.
It appeared more like a toy weapon, something for a little kid with small hands.
Still aching from the dagger, I jumped up. “What the fuck is that?”
“Thanks for the entertainment. . .Havoc.” She shot me.
In seconds, a tiny arrow hit my neck.
What the hell?
The whole area stung and then went numb.
Then suddenly, I realized what she had done.
No.
I grabbed at the arrow and yanked it out, but it was too late.
Drowsiness set in.
I struggled to keep my eyelids open. “Who are you?”
“Onyx.”
My vision blurred. “And what will you do with me?”
“Take you to my boss and get my money.”
I drunkenly wagged my finger, barely able to remain standing. “I can. . . give you double. That’s twenty million.”
She laughed. “Your price tag went up this morning.”
“What?”
“Thirty million, if I bring you back alive. Twenty-five million if I bring you back dead.”
I collapsed to the floor.
Don’t close your eyes. Do not. . .
She walked over, kneeled by me, and took off her mask.
Oh my. . .
She was more than beautiful—she was mesmerizing. A symphony of contradictions—fierce yet alluring, deadly yet captivating.
Smooth dark brown skin with sharp cheekbones and full lips. Her deep brown eyes were brighter and more vivid without the impediment of the mask.
Long thick dreads fell around her face in loose, messy spirals. And they weren’t all black or even brown. Some of the dreads were red and even platinum blonde.
“Too bad you pissed my boss off.” She touched the side of my face and slipped her fingertips down to my lips.
I groaned in pleasure.
“No one told me you were this fine.”
And then darkness enclosed around me.