Read Online Nine Dragons - A Beatrix Rose Thriller: Hong Kong Stories Volume 1 (Beatrix Rose's Hong Kong Stories Book 2) by Mark Dawson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mark Dawson
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empty.
She looked down at her hands. Her left was lacerated, three bloody tracks running across the fleshy part of her palm and into the lower joints of her fingers, but her right wasn’t as badly cut as she had feared.
She took the gun from Grace, turned back to the window and looked out. The four triads were at the parapet. She drew down on one of them and squeezed off a round. It found its mark. The man clutched his gut, stumbled over the parapet and toppled into the void beyond. Beatrix watched as he plunged down, slamming through a makeshift wooden roof and then crashing into a chicken run, the mangy birds scattering and squawking their dissatisfaction.
The three survivors drew back and then ran for the door.
She was almost dry. Two rounds left.
“We need to hurry,” Beatrix said to Grace. “We need to beat them to the bottom.”
#
SHE YANKED the door open and led the way into the room beyond. It was empty. There was a cloth on the table. She took it, tore it down the middle, and wound it around her left hand to try to stem the blood.
The door was locked so she drew back and kicked, shattering the lock so that she could pull the door open. The hallway outside was similar to the one in the building that they had just escaped, and she navigated accordingly. There was an elevator shaft with a flight of stairs that wrapped around it. She knew that the elevator would be too slow, so she started down the stairs. Grace followed behind. Beatrix took them two at a time, drawing away from the girl. She reached the bottom first, pressed herself against the wall and peeked out. The road outside was busy with pedestrians and traffic. The entrance to her building was flung open and the first of the three men appeared there, glancing out with caution on his face.
Grace reached the bottom. Beatrix took her hand and led her to a small storage room that reached into the space beneath the stairs. She pressed the girl against the wall and followed her until they were both out of sight of anyone who might come in through the door.
She waited.
The door opened.
Voices.
Three different voices. Angry. One voice angrier than the others, barking orders in Cantonese.
She heard footsteps clattering up the stairs.
Two sets of feet.
Two men going up.
She waited.
The third was standing guard below.
She held up her hand to tell Grace to stay where she was, took a breath, and then slipped out of cover. The third man was standing with his back to the stairs, looking out into the street below. He had a meat cleaver in his hand. He hadn’t seen or heard her. She moved to him, looped her right arm around his neck, placed her left on his temple and yanked his head up and to the right. His neck broke with an audible crack and his body went limp. She dragged the corpse backwards and dumped it in the alcove. Then she pressed herself against the wall, out of sight of the stairs once more.
She heard the sound of footsteps coming down from above.
She waited until it sounded like they were on the final flight, leading down to the lobby.
“Li?”
Beatrix turned out of cover. The two were halfway down to the lobby.
“ Li ?”
Two rounds left. She couldn’t afford to miss.
She fired. The triads collapsed and slid down the remaining few steps. Beatrix grabbed the nearest man beneath the shoulders and dragged him into the storage room. She returned for the second man. Grace stared at the three bodies with her hand clasped over her mouth.
“Come on,” she said, taking the girl’s hand and leading her into the busy street outside.
#
BEATRIX TOOK GRACE back to the building they had just escaped.
“What are we doing?”
They were out of sight of the street. Beatrix paused and turned the girl to face her.
“Grace, listen to me. They were looking for something.”
The girl frowned.
“Did your sister hide something?”
She shook her head, confused.
“They said something about a video.”
Grace paused. “There is something.”
She looked down at her hands. Her left was lacerated, three bloody tracks running across the fleshy part of her palm and into the lower joints of her fingers, but her right wasn’t as badly cut as she had feared.
She took the gun from Grace, turned back to the window and looked out. The four triads were at the parapet. She drew down on one of them and squeezed off a round. It found its mark. The man clutched his gut, stumbled over the parapet and toppled into the void beyond. Beatrix watched as he plunged down, slamming through a makeshift wooden roof and then crashing into a chicken run, the mangy birds scattering and squawking their dissatisfaction.
The three survivors drew back and then ran for the door.
She was almost dry. Two rounds left.
“We need to hurry,” Beatrix said to Grace. “We need to beat them to the bottom.”
#
SHE YANKED the door open and led the way into the room beyond. It was empty. There was a cloth on the table. She took it, tore it down the middle, and wound it around her left hand to try to stem the blood.
The door was locked so she drew back and kicked, shattering the lock so that she could pull the door open. The hallway outside was similar to the one in the building that they had just escaped, and she navigated accordingly. There was an elevator shaft with a flight of stairs that wrapped around it. She knew that the elevator would be too slow, so she started down the stairs. Grace followed behind. Beatrix took them two at a time, drawing away from the girl. She reached the bottom first, pressed herself against the wall and peeked out. The road outside was busy with pedestrians and traffic. The entrance to her building was flung open and the first of the three men appeared there, glancing out with caution on his face.
Grace reached the bottom. Beatrix took her hand and led her to a small storage room that reached into the space beneath the stairs. She pressed the girl against the wall and followed her until they were both out of sight of anyone who might come in through the door.
She waited.
The door opened.
Voices.
Three different voices. Angry. One voice angrier than the others, barking orders in Cantonese.
She heard footsteps clattering up the stairs.
Two sets of feet.
Two men going up.
She waited.
The third was standing guard below.
She held up her hand to tell Grace to stay where she was, took a breath, and then slipped out of cover. The third man was standing with his back to the stairs, looking out into the street below. He had a meat cleaver in his hand. He hadn’t seen or heard her. She moved to him, looped her right arm around his neck, placed her left on his temple and yanked his head up and to the right. His neck broke with an audible crack and his body went limp. She dragged the corpse backwards and dumped it in the alcove. Then she pressed herself against the wall, out of sight of the stairs once more.
She heard the sound of footsteps coming down from above.
She waited until it sounded like they were on the final flight, leading down to the lobby.
“Li?”
Beatrix turned out of cover. The two were halfway down to the lobby.
“ Li ?”
Two rounds left. She couldn’t afford to miss.
She fired. The triads collapsed and slid down the remaining few steps. Beatrix grabbed the nearest man beneath the shoulders and dragged him into the storage room. She returned for the second man. Grace stared at the three bodies with her hand clasped over her mouth.
“Come on,” she said, taking the girl’s hand and leading her into the busy street outside.
#
BEATRIX TOOK GRACE back to the building they had just escaped.
“What are we doing?”
They were out of sight of the street. Beatrix paused and turned the girl to face her.
“Grace, listen to me. They were looking for something.”
The girl frowned.
“Did your sister hide something?”
She shook her head, confused.
“They said something about a video.”
Grace paused. “There is something.”
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