continued One-eye, "I will kill the man myself." Shan gritted her teeth. So much for that safety net. She saw One-eye run a hand over his chest...over the wound that Ian had given him. It must have been a deeper cut than she had suspected. Shan smiled, pleased.
"Enough. They are almost here. Go tell Dart and help her with the bitch. After you've killed her, join me in the side chamber for other instructions." One-eye grabbed Baldy just as the huge goon was about to head for the stairs. "Quietly! Don't make a noise," he said. "The teacher suspects something, or they wouldn't have split up. But he'll do something stupid if he thinks the woman is dead. Do not let that happen."
Oh, don't worry, Shan thought. It's not going to.
One-eye disappeared through a door she could hear, but not see, and Baldy headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time by the sound of it.
He popped into view the next second and turned down the corridor, heading for the door at the end of the hallway concealing Dart and her prisoners. Shan leaped up behind him and struck the sides of his neck with her thumb, forefinger, and middle fingers bunched into a point. The snakebite strike. Baldy stopped immediately and tried to turn around. Shan had already stepped backward, ready to catch him. Baldy gurgled, his eyes confused, and lurched forward into her waiting arms.
Her knees almost buckled under his immense bulk. She wished she had the strength to stow him in the attic, but there was simply no way she could lift him. As it was, she barely managed to drag him backward, past the trap door in the ceiling, and into a bathroom just beyond it. The man smelled strongly of wine, and Shan wondered if One-eye knew his men were helping themselves to the Fortier's collection. Shan looked around the bathroom for something to tie Baldy's hands together, but found nothing. More people needed to keep rope handy, she decided.
In the end, she propped up Baldy's torso against the toilet. The snakebites to his neck had sent a quick blast of blood to his brain. In order to compensate, his brain had told his body to lessen the flow. So, when the quick surge ended, there was less than the necessary amount of blood in the man's brain, causing him to pass out. Keeping his head elevated would prolong the effects for as long as possible. Long enough, Shan hoped.
Now, it was time to take out Dart. If their fight made any noise, One-eye would assume that Dart and Baldy were winning the tussle, and that Shan would soon be dead.
Interesting, she thought suddenly, that One-eye wanted to take out Ian personally, but had no problem if his lackeys shot her in the back. Things just hadn't changed over the years, had they? Her ancestors had formed the Order of the Jade Circle so that women could learn the ancient martial arts of her people, because they weren't allowed to study at the Shaolin temple, or with any of the martial monks. And now, even after the Jade Circle had proven itself formidable, One-eye dismissed her as unworthy of his personal attention. Amazing.
When Shan stepped back into the hallway, she heard laughter from downstairs. The charade had begun. Charles Fortier, whom she had yet to see, would put on a great show of welcoming Ian and Buckley into his house, all the time worrying about his family, dead or alive, hidden upstairs. And Ian and Buckley had games to play, too. Shan had it easy. Kicking ass was a lot less stressful than word games, in her opinion.
Speaking of thrashings, Ponytail-Dart was certainly due.
Shan strode down the hallway this time, not caring if she made noise. When she got to the door, she knocked lightly on it three times and wrapped her hand around the knob.
Dart moved inside the room. "Who's there?" she whispered from the other side of the door.
Shan didn't answer. Instead, she twisted the doorknob and smashed the door inward, into Dart's face. Dart staggered backward. The woman clutched at her blood-streaked nose with one hand and held
"Enough. They are almost here. Go tell Dart and help her with the bitch. After you've killed her, join me in the side chamber for other instructions." One-eye grabbed Baldy just as the huge goon was about to head for the stairs. "Quietly! Don't make a noise," he said. "The teacher suspects something, or they wouldn't have split up. But he'll do something stupid if he thinks the woman is dead. Do not let that happen."
Oh, don't worry, Shan thought. It's not going to.
One-eye disappeared through a door she could hear, but not see, and Baldy headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time by the sound of it.
He popped into view the next second and turned down the corridor, heading for the door at the end of the hallway concealing Dart and her prisoners. Shan leaped up behind him and struck the sides of his neck with her thumb, forefinger, and middle fingers bunched into a point. The snakebite strike. Baldy stopped immediately and tried to turn around. Shan had already stepped backward, ready to catch him. Baldy gurgled, his eyes confused, and lurched forward into her waiting arms.
Her knees almost buckled under his immense bulk. She wished she had the strength to stow him in the attic, but there was simply no way she could lift him. As it was, she barely managed to drag him backward, past the trap door in the ceiling, and into a bathroom just beyond it. The man smelled strongly of wine, and Shan wondered if One-eye knew his men were helping themselves to the Fortier's collection. Shan looked around the bathroom for something to tie Baldy's hands together, but found nothing. More people needed to keep rope handy, she decided.
In the end, she propped up Baldy's torso against the toilet. The snakebites to his neck had sent a quick blast of blood to his brain. In order to compensate, his brain had told his body to lessen the flow. So, when the quick surge ended, there was less than the necessary amount of blood in the man's brain, causing him to pass out. Keeping his head elevated would prolong the effects for as long as possible. Long enough, Shan hoped.
Now, it was time to take out Dart. If their fight made any noise, One-eye would assume that Dart and Baldy were winning the tussle, and that Shan would soon be dead.
Interesting, she thought suddenly, that One-eye wanted to take out Ian personally, but had no problem if his lackeys shot her in the back. Things just hadn't changed over the years, had they? Her ancestors had formed the Order of the Jade Circle so that women could learn the ancient martial arts of her people, because they weren't allowed to study at the Shaolin temple, or with any of the martial monks. And now, even after the Jade Circle had proven itself formidable, One-eye dismissed her as unworthy of his personal attention. Amazing.
When Shan stepped back into the hallway, she heard laughter from downstairs. The charade had begun. Charles Fortier, whom she had yet to see, would put on a great show of welcoming Ian and Buckley into his house, all the time worrying about his family, dead or alive, hidden upstairs. And Ian and Buckley had games to play, too. Shan had it easy. Kicking ass was a lot less stressful than word games, in her opinion.
Speaking of thrashings, Ponytail-Dart was certainly due.
Shan strode down the hallway this time, not caring if she made noise. When she got to the door, she knocked lightly on it three times and wrapped her hand around the knob.
Dart moved inside the room. "Who's there?" she whispered from the other side of the door.
Shan didn't answer. Instead, she twisted the doorknob and smashed the door inward, into Dart's face. Dart staggered backward. The woman clutched at her blood-streaked nose with one hand and held
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