Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
My thoughts turned to my friends. Jing would certainly move heaven and earth to make sure I was safe; she’d already shown her resolve by calling in Isaak. Dante would put himself in danger to save me, without question. Darius as well. They were coming. It was just a question of when.
I gritted my teeth at the sound of heavy footsteps outside the cell door, tensing as soon as I heard the scraping sound of the lock’s mechanism being turned. At the clank of the bolt being thrown back, I steeled myself, preparing my mind for the ordeal my body would face today.
The door swung open, and Fang walked into the room. He was accompanied by two big, muscular guys with no necks. I was in agreement. I could have skipped this as well.
I was tall, six four, but all of them were taller than me. It did not bode well. I cataloged one with narrow eyes and a three-inch scar that sliced down the side of his right cheek, and the other, slightly shorter, had a bald head and an unpleasant gold-toothed grin on his craggy face, that looked like it had seen its share of fights.
The moment of truth had arrived, and I found myself disappointed in Fang. He’d proven he could take me down alone, but he’d brought friends?
“Three against one? Are you overcompensating for a personal shortcoming?”
“No. Today you get to fight back.”
“How sporting of you,” I spat.
“Are you ready to begin, Colonel?”
“Are you serious? Just get on with it.” As if I had a choice.
“Your bravado does you credit, Colonel, but it will not save you.”
I remained silent. Let them do their worst. Take it like a soldier.
“Very well,” Fang sneered.
Against so many, I was outmatched, but I didn’t give a damn. I’d wanted my fighting chance, and now I had it. If I was going to die, this was far better than systematic torture. I relished the idea of inflicting even a small amount of pain on the men who had devoted themselves to hurting me and others. At least this way I could possibly take one or two of these bastards with me.
I could feel the surge of adrenaline and willed myself to stay calm. I had so much pent-up anger for these men, but now wasn’t the time to get sloppy. Precise, calculated counter moves and attacks were the only way I would survive.
“Attack!” Fang commanded, hanging back as the two men moved in.
For such big men, their speed took me by surprise. Before I could register their movement, the first man, Goldy—the one with the gold tooth—struck me with two lightning-fast hits to the chest. I did my best to counter and punch back, but the man was just too fast. I fell backward as Scarface, the second one, lashed out with a heavy kick to my ribs. I managed to block the kick with a lateral movement of my forearm, and then assumed a martial stance as the man swung at me. Deflecting the blow, I landed one of my own on the man’s jaw, connecting with such force, I felt my knuckles burn. The man fell backward and crashed into the wall.
Goldy came in again, putting the entire weight of his body behind an almost balletic pirouette roundhouse kick aimed for my face. I feinted, and he missed, hitting only air. I didn’t even see Scarface’s left leg lift and straighten to deliver a stunning ax-kick at my face, but I managed to feint again, far enough that the guy’s heel missed my face, the blow catching me on my right shoulder.
I reeled back against the wall, just in time to see Goldy closing in, one foot coming up. In that split second, my hand shot out, fingers rigid, executing a perfect knife strike to the front of the man’s throat, killing him instantly. He toppled to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
“Oh, Colonel”—Fang sounded pleased—“you are skilled. This is good. But your training means nothing. You are old and weak.”
Before I could react, Fang moved in, his right hand delivering a powerful blow to my solar plexus, knocking the breath out of me. I fell to my knees, gasping for air, my chest on fire as Fang stood back, ready to kick. It had been a strong blow, but not one meant to kill. I knew that had he wanted to, he could have shattered my sternum.
In the next instant, Fang moved in and delivered three hard kicks to my head until I was on the ground. I attempted to rise and grab his foot to ward off another blow, but I was too stunned to react with the required speed. Against a man like Fang, I was simply out of my league. His next kick sent me into a black void.