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.When Sam promised his mother he wouldn't get lost he'd been serious.He wasall she had left and he had every intention of honoring his words to her.He was smart,young, and fit, but that didn't make him a serious challenge to his enemy, let alone thelethal avenger he needed to become.Time to acquire some new skills."You know anything about martial arts?" he asked from the doorway.Chadwick eyed him warily, but finally answered."I teach Tai Kwan Do over atthe youth center on sixth.""You have an age limit on students?"The detective thawed, marginally."No, I try to match up students for practiceDANGEROUS RESCUE Evanne Lorraine 170based on their skill level--not age or size.You thinking of taking a class?""Yeah, I am.""Then what, learn to shoot, and Detection 101?""Maybe," Sam said cautiously."Do you have any idea what you're getting into?" Chadwick asked with a wearysigh, but he didn't give Sam a chance to answer."Come on, tonight's class is on me.We'll see how you feel about being a tough guy after Jimbo kicks your ass.If you're stillgung ho, we'll talk after class.""Fair enough; who's Jimbo?"Chadwick ignored the question."You can follow me, the red pickup is mine.""Sure," Sam said.There was something likable about the detective, even if he hadrefused to help.A few minutes later, Sam parked next to the beat up piece of junk pickup that ranamazingly well and strolled after the detective, who disappeared inside the smallmunicipal building.The students were all teens or preteens dressed in baggy tee shirts, cutoff tops andlong oversized shorts.Sneakers lined one wall.Sam paused to remove his shoes beforestepping onto the mats covering most of the floor.When Chadwick returned he was dressed in a simple white cotton uniform beltedin basic black.The students immediately lined up and bowed.Sam joined them, a beatbehind the rest of the class.He was surprised and impressed by the respect the motleyyoung men showed their instructor.The class began with the detective demonstrating a position and the studentsimitating the teacher's actions.The lesson started easy, rapidly progressing to harderchallenges.Sam panted, keeping up with the amazing wiry pretzel-boys able to pump offone-handed and fingertip pushups with ease.Then they paired-off.Chadwick introduced him to Jimbo.Who was possiblythirteen years old and no more than one hundred ten pounds at the outside.Sam plannedto go easy on the kid.It didn't take long for him to recognize that worrying about being rough withJimbo was a waste of his time and energy.His practice partner tossed him to the matrepeatedly.Without breaking a sweat.He wasn't mean about it.In fact, Jimbo took the time to show him how to defend himself and applaudedSam's weak efforts with gruff praise."All right, mon."It was humbling, coming from a kid, but he wasn't letting pride stop him.Samwas there to learn.Everybody had to start sometime.Once class was the over, after bowing, the kids had vanished.Leaving behindrumpled mats, the faint odor of old sneakers, their teacher, and Sam.Every muscle in his body already whimpered from the unaccustomed abuse theyhad endured.Gloomily, he knew he'd feel much worse in the morning.He swallowedthe urge to grunt as he straightened and his back cracked.Jimbo, the demon he'd beenpaired with for the Tai Kwan Do session, seemed like a nice kid.But someone should'vetied at least one of his arms behind his back in order to make things a little more sporting."You survived your first lesson," the laidback detective, now revealed in his alterDANGEROUS RESCUE Evanne Lorraine 171ego as an evil sensei, said with a chuckle.Hiding the stabbing pain in his back, Sam replied with an uneven grin."Yeah,battered and bruised, but still standing.That Jimbo is an animal."Chadwick's eye twinkled with suppressed laughter."They're all pretty good andyou're & not.""Ouch! Thanks for the confirmation of the message my poor aching body alreadysent.I'll learn.When's the next class?""Tomorrow night, same time, same place."Sam swallowed another humiliating groan."I'll be here.""Wanna to give me a hand with these mats?""Sure," he lied while manfully pretending the muscle spasms weren't happening.Actually, much as he wanted to lie down and suffer quietly, to keep moving was thesmarter option."Then I'll change and let you buy me a beer while you tell me why it's so friggin'urgent for you to find this weird dangerous dude."Half an hour later, he and Chadwick sat at a corner table, sipping matching bottlesof wicked dark lager, an old favorite for Chadwick, a new taste experience for him.Notone he liked all that well, however.He was really more of a wine kind of guy.But hewas trying keeping an open mind--the bitter brew might grow on him."So tell me what's going on with you and this O'Brien," Chadwick said."It's a long story." Sam took another experimental swallow of the lager, and thenadded."O'Brien killed my father.He's smart, ruthless, and a threat to my family.""Let me ask the obvious question.Why not go to the authorities?""He's an ex-cop, who has a lot more clout with the authorities than I do.Asexample, my father's death was ruled a mugging by person or persons unknown.Trustme, it was nothing like a mugging.It was a torture session, followed by execution.""You gonna tell me how you wound up on the wrong end of a vendetta with anex-cop? Or do I have to guess?"Sam took a longer swallow of the bitter drink."You're better off not knowing."DANGEROUS RESCUE Evanne Lorraine 172Chapter Twenty-twoSeattle, Washington June 3rd 11:00 AMRegan stared at the princess in the mirror, and then tried a tentative smile.DearGod, it really was her.She looked & amazing.The pretty bride's changing room waslovely and romantic, but the reflection in the mirror was an illusion, which Kikiconscientiously worked to perfect.Suddenly everything seemed surreal and false.Whatif Ian came to his senses and realized he'd made a mistake?A delighted laugh spilled from Kiki's lips, distracting her from her rising panic."Pretty damn fine, if I do say so myself." She sat down the hairspray and paused to buffher own gleaming red nails."Course, considering that you're marrying pretty boy, Ian,you need to be at the top of your form."All Regan heard was marrying and Ian in the same sentence and panic was backfull force, blanching her face.Cold seeped through her pores into her bones, finallysettling in her hands and feet.She laughed too shrilly at Kiki's comment, eyes wide withunreasoning terror.She'd sworn that she'd never marry--why would she? There wasabsolutely no point to a childless marriage.The white dress was a bad-taste joke.She wasn't pure.She was hideouslyirretrievably broken.Her breaths came faster, but she couldn't get enough oxygen.Kikiguided her onto an aptly placed fainting couch."Stay right there, don't you even think of running out of here until I get back," herfriend admonished her.Regan nodded, closing her eyes in relief.Kiki was going to help her get out ofhere--everything would be okay.Except she would hurt Ian.Oh dear God, she didn'twant to hurt him--she loved him with all her heart.Which is why it would be a mistaketo marry him.She couldn't do that to him.He needed a woman who could give him thefamily he longed for.What was taking Kiki so long? The ceremony was due to start soon.She neededto disappear now.There was no way she could bear to humiliate Ian by walking awayfrom him during the ceremony.It had to be now.Right now.The door opened and she bolted up, gathering the excess material of her train.She glanced at Kiki, but something had gone wrong because instead of friend there wasIan and he didn't look happy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]