Read Online The Doomsday Testament by James Douglas - Free Book Online
Authors: James Douglas
Ads: Link
drawback to a fight was the size of the room and the furniture, which precluded any of the Ali-style dancing he favoured. Still, he was certain he could take this guy, even if he was a few pounds heavier and looked as if he could handle himself.
‘I believe you’d better leave before I call the police,’ he said politely.
‘Why don’t you make me . . . ?’ He launched himself across the room, swinging a telegraphed right hook designed to break the younger man’s jaw. Jamie saw it come and timed his response to perfection. With a twist of his body, he swayed clear and stepped aside, allowing his attacker’s momentum to take him past. When he was placed just so, Jamie rammed a lightning one-two into his kidneys that brought a grunt of agony.
The intruder turned and stretched, rubbing at his lower back. He was hurt, but he’d been hurt before. Warier this time, he tested Jamie with a couple of jabs, one of which stung the younger man’s shoulder. So, he fancied himself as a boxer? That suited Jamie just fine. He hunched his shoulders and raised his guard. In the next minute and a half he connected with two good shots to the head that left the other man bleeding from the nose and lip, following them with a right to the solar plexus that doubled him in two. Jamie stepped forward to finish him off, but the intruder had other ideas . The twinkle of a knife point betrayed the blade in his right hand and Jamie felt a surge of adrenalin as he understood the battle was now in deadly earnest. He was close to the kitchen door, but there was no question of retreating. Dropping into the classic self-defence crouch, the voice of his close combat instructor whispered in his ear:
It’s all about the timing, laddie. Let him make his move, then use his own momentum to hurt him
. But his opponent was better with the knife than he had been with his fists. As he feinted a darting jab to the body, the point came slicing up towards Jamie’s eyes. Forced to retreat, he stumbled on a chair and fell to the carpet. As he tried to squirm away, he found the other man looming over him and probing for the opening he needed. ‘Now we’ll hear you squeal, you bastard.’ Helpless, Jamie waited for the knife to plunge. Instead, the man glanced away, distracted for a vital second. Jamie saw his chance and brought his heel up hard into his opponent’s unprotected groin. With a groan, the intruder doubled over and dropped the knife. Jamie hauled himself to his feet. Very deliberately he brought his knee up into the man’s face, sending him backwards over a chair.
‘Right you bastard,’ he said. ‘What—’
The whole world went dark.
He found himself hovering just below wakefulness. He couldn’t be entirely certain where he was, but a combination of scents, sounds and the feel of threadbare linen sheets told him it must be hospital. The pain was out there waiting for him. He decided to let it wait a little longer.
The next time he came to, he realized how sensible his earlier decision had been. From a delicate point just below his waist to the top of his throbbing head, his body was one big ball of suffering, an all-over toothache only time would cure. He had a vague memory of being in a fight, but felt as if he’d been run over by a bus. He risked opening his eyes, or, rather, an eye singular; only one appeared to be working. A female figure rose at the end of the bed and he recognized his secretary. ‘Hello, Gail,’ he croaked. ‘Are we still in business?’ She looked up in alarm and he saw something in her eyes. He wondered why he’d never realized how much she cared for him. As he tried to think of something clever to say, she waved to someone beyond his line of vision and a large, uncomfortable-looking man hove into view, accompanied by a young nurse.
The nurse placed a cool hand on Jamie’s brow, shone a light in his good eye and asked with a professional smile if he felt up to answering a few questions from Sergeant – a
‘I believe you’d better leave before I call the police,’ he said politely.
‘Why don’t you make me . . . ?’ He launched himself across the room, swinging a telegraphed right hook designed to break the younger man’s jaw. Jamie saw it come and timed his response to perfection. With a twist of his body, he swayed clear and stepped aside, allowing his attacker’s momentum to take him past. When he was placed just so, Jamie rammed a lightning one-two into his kidneys that brought a grunt of agony.
The intruder turned and stretched, rubbing at his lower back. He was hurt, but he’d been hurt before. Warier this time, he tested Jamie with a couple of jabs, one of which stung the younger man’s shoulder. So, he fancied himself as a boxer? That suited Jamie just fine. He hunched his shoulders and raised his guard. In the next minute and a half he connected with two good shots to the head that left the other man bleeding from the nose and lip, following them with a right to the solar plexus that doubled him in two. Jamie stepped forward to finish him off, but the intruder had other ideas . The twinkle of a knife point betrayed the blade in his right hand and Jamie felt a surge of adrenalin as he understood the battle was now in deadly earnest. He was close to the kitchen door, but there was no question of retreating. Dropping into the classic self-defence crouch, the voice of his close combat instructor whispered in his ear:
It’s all about the timing, laddie. Let him make his move, then use his own momentum to hurt him
. But his opponent was better with the knife than he had been with his fists. As he feinted a darting jab to the body, the point came slicing up towards Jamie’s eyes. Forced to retreat, he stumbled on a chair and fell to the carpet. As he tried to squirm away, he found the other man looming over him and probing for the opening he needed. ‘Now we’ll hear you squeal, you bastard.’ Helpless, Jamie waited for the knife to plunge. Instead, the man glanced away, distracted for a vital second. Jamie saw his chance and brought his heel up hard into his opponent’s unprotected groin. With a groan, the intruder doubled over and dropped the knife. Jamie hauled himself to his feet. Very deliberately he brought his knee up into the man’s face, sending him backwards over a chair.
‘Right you bastard,’ he said. ‘What—’
The whole world went dark.
He found himself hovering just below wakefulness. He couldn’t be entirely certain where he was, but a combination of scents, sounds and the feel of threadbare linen sheets told him it must be hospital. The pain was out there waiting for him. He decided to let it wait a little longer.
The next time he came to, he realized how sensible his earlier decision had been. From a delicate point just below his waist to the top of his throbbing head, his body was one big ball of suffering, an all-over toothache only time would cure. He had a vague memory of being in a fight, but felt as if he’d been run over by a bus. He risked opening his eyes, or, rather, an eye singular; only one appeared to be working. A female figure rose at the end of the bed and he recognized his secretary. ‘Hello, Gail,’ he croaked. ‘Are we still in business?’ She looked up in alarm and he saw something in her eyes. He wondered why he’d never realized how much she cared for him. As he tried to think of something clever to say, she waved to someone beyond his line of vision and a large, uncomfortable-looking man hove into view, accompanied by a young nurse.
The nurse placed a cool hand on Jamie’s brow, shone a light in his good eye and asked with a professional smile if he felt up to answering a few questions from Sergeant – a
Similar Books
