Beauty and the Assassin

“Fucker. I’m ambidexters!” The thug’s scream rings with a gleeful “gotcha.”

What?

“I’m gonna skin her, bitch!”

He tries to lunge closer. Tolyan kicks again. The thug scrambles out of range. Now Tolyan’s between me and Rings. My angel of protection and retribution standing like an impenetrable shield.

Hot tears gather in my eyes. I can’t decide if they’re from relief, remorse, gratitude or love. Maybe all of the above.

“You fucker! I’m gonna kill you!” Rings is screaming, but there’s a shakiness to his words that betrays his fear.

Tolyan has a hooded, almost sleepy look, like he’s bored. “Less talking, more fighting.”

The thug swings his knife. Tolyan twists, but the thug drops a little, shifting to his right. The blade sinks into Tolyan’s torso, and I scream.

Tolyan grabs Rings by his hair and drops his whole weight on the man while at the same time sweeping his leg and destroying the thug’s balance. The thug falls, his face hitting the concrete floor hard. There’s a wet, crunching sound and Rings quits moving, blood pouring out of his now-crooked nose and mouth.

Tolyan slowly rises to his feet. The blood continues to seep from his wound. The knife’s still buried, to the hilt. My vision blurs.

“Hello, little fawn.”

My breath hitches. His thumbs brush over my face. I realize I’ve been crying. He glances at the handcuffs, then searches the thugs’ pockets until he finds the key and frees me. My arms tingle, and my fingertips feel like a million ants are crawling over them.

“Oh my God, Tolyan… You’re hurt.” I start to reach for him, then stop. I don’t know if he has other injuries that I can’t see. I don’t want to inadvertently touch them and hurt him. And I still don’t know what to do about the knife. If I should pull it out or not… “I’m so sorry.”

He smiles. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.” He dries my tears again. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

Then slowly, like a folding ladder, he collapses in front of me. I kneel by his side and hold his hands until the quiet of the warehouse is broken by the approaching police sirens.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tolyan

The police questioning is tedious. But it’s their job to dig, and they follow me all the way to the hospital to do so. Lizochka freaked out when she heard from the sobbing Angelika that I had been stabbed. I hope a doctor here gave them both something to calm down.

Lizochka sends a lawyer to stand by my side while the police get my statement. I cooperate with the cops, since it’s part of the plan.

See? I’m not the bad guy, officer. I’m the good guy who went out and saved a girl.

Some of the officers look at me funny. Or in awe. The foundation donates significant sums of money every year to the department, to be used for fallen officers’ surviving families and for college scholarships for the officers’ children. Many of them know me as Elizabeth King’s assistant. They probably suspect I don’t spend my entire day alphabetizing files and organizing paper clips. But it’s the first time they’ve gotten a sense of what I’m capable of. I’ve always wanted to avoid that, but keeping Angelika after Roy’s gone is the higher priority.

I respond to everything, then act like I’m shaken by what happened. My voice trembles, my hands clenching and unclenching. The heels of my feet tap, then stop, then tap again. I bury my face in my hands every so often, like I can’t bear the memory of the thugs lying on the bloody floor. Two are dead, and the third one is alive, but he’s an idiot now.

God, I’m good. I wanted the third alive as a brain-damaged fool. And I know just how much force to exert to get the result I want.

But I can’t let the police see how satisfied I am with the outcome. So I keep on acting.

Yes, I am a longtime practitioner of many different types of martial arts. Of course I was scared, but I was more fearful for Angelika’s safety than mine. Yes, I care about her. We live together, and

I like her. I wanted to help. I wasn’t sure if I should have waited. I don’t know.

The police nod. They found three guns that belonged to the gangbangers. Plus the knives. It’s obvious what I did was self-defense.

Even if they suspect something, Lizochka’s lawyer will make sure the jury thinks it was self-defense. And I give the cops nothing they can use against me.

Lizochka’s lawyer leaves along with the cops. Finally alone. Lizochka got me a private room, in case I need to stay overnight. I don’t, not because of some little prick with a cheap knife. I unbutton my dress shirt and untuck it as well. Must display my battle scar for full effect.

The door opens. I perk up a little, thinking the doctors are done looking Angelika over and she’s here to check up on me. But no. It’s Antoine.