Read Online Dragon's Blood (Black Planet Book 1) by Belinda McBride - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Belinda McBride
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his cock made a valiant effort to stand forth against the chill of the water, only to retreat. He laughed quietly.
The need in his heart lingered.
He quickly toweled off and wrapped himself in a robe she’d left hanging on the door. It was navy blue silk, delicately painted with white cranes. He slipped on a pair of scuff sandals she’d left outside the door. Annie was such an interesting blend of cultures with her Japanese slippers and bonsai, her Chinese robes and rooftop shrine to General Kwan. Kwan was the protector of martial artists and soldiers. The General stood guard over his home as well.
Aiden toweled his hair and then finger-combed his thick curls. They’d be unruly regardless of how he dried them so he just let them coil in on themselves. Lisa had kept him in neat trim. He’d grown sloppy over the years. It had been a while since he cared what he looked like. Suddenly, it seemed important again.
Annie had disappeared. He heard noise in what he assumed was the kitchen and pushed through the door.
“Is pasta okay?”
A pot of water boiled violently on the stove. There was a deli container of Parsottie’s Best Marinara on the counter. He grinned. It was three a.m. and she was cooking.
His stomach rumbled.
* * *
O nce the pasta was ready , they took their plates to a table by a window. They ate while looking out over the rooftops to the bay. He could see Oakland gleaming across the water. Alcatraz Island was a dark smudge in the night. The view was as elegant as that of a top rated restaurant.
“So, what do we do next, Chen?” She soaked up a bit of red sauce on a crust of bread and looked at him expectantly.
“Fighting or the investigation?” He decided to forget his refusal to help. Now he was invested in the hunt. And he was intrigued.
“Both. I think it came out to look at me. Maybe it remembers me from before. The last body was a week ago. We’ve got about three days.” Greene’s people had complied a rough profile. The thing was killing about every ten days.
That wasn’t much time. Annie was in rough shape from that last fight. She needed time to recover. But how else were they to track and lure the killer?
“There’re matches almost every night in the City. I could talk to some people.” He looked down at his plate, unhappy to bring up the topic of another fight.
“Okay, but aren’t the City fight a little high stakes for me?”
“Not you. Me.” He looked at her. “It’s after me, isn’t it?”
Annie looked stricken. So, she did care, and more than a little. Or maybe she was still locked in her terror of the beast. She set down her fork and folded her hands on the edge of the table. In all their hours of training and preparation, they’d both ignored the fact that he wasn’t just a coach, he was a fighter. An elite fighter. Many didn’t survive the City matches.
“It’ll be good, Annie. Out there, I won’t be the only target. And I’ll have you free to watch my back.” It made sense. And it kept her safe a little longer.
She bit her lip, and he fixated on her sweet, bee-stung mouth. She wasn’t wearing make-up, but her lips were rose-red, her teeth straight and white. She looked up, saw him staring and even in the dim light, he saw color rise to her cheeks. He looked away, out the window. Cool breeze swept in, ruffling his hair.
Lisa would never have allowed him to let it grow so long. Annie liked it. He’d caught her looking more than once. She was looking now.
She cleared her throat and picked up her fork. Her vulnerable moment had passed. “I’m just not that familiar with the City. I’d have a better chance hunting it here in Wharf.”
“Then I can look for a match here. Tell folks I’m getting back to the alleys, looking for raw talent. Would that work for you?”
“Yes, that would be better.”
She still looked troubled. Her black hair was damp. It tumbled down her white silk robe in an inky spill. She looked at him fully. “Why’d you
The need in his heart lingered.
He quickly toweled off and wrapped himself in a robe she’d left hanging on the door. It was navy blue silk, delicately painted with white cranes. He slipped on a pair of scuff sandals she’d left outside the door. Annie was such an interesting blend of cultures with her Japanese slippers and bonsai, her Chinese robes and rooftop shrine to General Kwan. Kwan was the protector of martial artists and soldiers. The General stood guard over his home as well.
Aiden toweled his hair and then finger-combed his thick curls. They’d be unruly regardless of how he dried them so he just let them coil in on themselves. Lisa had kept him in neat trim. He’d grown sloppy over the years. It had been a while since he cared what he looked like. Suddenly, it seemed important again.
Annie had disappeared. He heard noise in what he assumed was the kitchen and pushed through the door.
“Is pasta okay?”
A pot of water boiled violently on the stove. There was a deli container of Parsottie’s Best Marinara on the counter. He grinned. It was three a.m. and she was cooking.
His stomach rumbled.
* * *
O nce the pasta was ready , they took their plates to a table by a window. They ate while looking out over the rooftops to the bay. He could see Oakland gleaming across the water. Alcatraz Island was a dark smudge in the night. The view was as elegant as that of a top rated restaurant.
“So, what do we do next, Chen?” She soaked up a bit of red sauce on a crust of bread and looked at him expectantly.
“Fighting or the investigation?” He decided to forget his refusal to help. Now he was invested in the hunt. And he was intrigued.
“Both. I think it came out to look at me. Maybe it remembers me from before. The last body was a week ago. We’ve got about three days.” Greene’s people had complied a rough profile. The thing was killing about every ten days.
That wasn’t much time. Annie was in rough shape from that last fight. She needed time to recover. But how else were they to track and lure the killer?
“There’re matches almost every night in the City. I could talk to some people.” He looked down at his plate, unhappy to bring up the topic of another fight.
“Okay, but aren’t the City fight a little high stakes for me?”
“Not you. Me.” He looked at her. “It’s after me, isn’t it?”
Annie looked stricken. So, she did care, and more than a little. Or maybe she was still locked in her terror of the beast. She set down her fork and folded her hands on the edge of the table. In all their hours of training and preparation, they’d both ignored the fact that he wasn’t just a coach, he was a fighter. An elite fighter. Many didn’t survive the City matches.
“It’ll be good, Annie. Out there, I won’t be the only target. And I’ll have you free to watch my back.” It made sense. And it kept her safe a little longer.
She bit her lip, and he fixated on her sweet, bee-stung mouth. She wasn’t wearing make-up, but her lips were rose-red, her teeth straight and white. She looked up, saw him staring and even in the dim light, he saw color rise to her cheeks. He looked away, out the window. Cool breeze swept in, ruffling his hair.
Lisa would never have allowed him to let it grow so long. Annie liked it. He’d caught her looking more than once. She was looking now.
She cleared her throat and picked up her fork. Her vulnerable moment had passed. “I’m just not that familiar with the City. I’d have a better chance hunting it here in Wharf.”
“Then I can look for a match here. Tell folks I’m getting back to the alleys, looking for raw talent. Would that work for you?”
“Yes, that would be better.”
She still looked troubled. Her black hair was damp. It tumbled down her white silk robe in an inky spill. She looked at him fully. “Why’d you
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