Kiss of the Blue Dragon Read Free Page A

didn’t care what he’d find. Well, except for Lola. But she could handle this guy with her hands tied behind her back.
    As soon as Marco climbed the stairway to my living quarters, I shut the door and raced down the street, stopping at the corner of the blond-brick apartment building that bordered the west side of the green lot. Drummond was sitting on a bench reading a magazine.
    I scoped out the rest of the lot, which was an abandoned area with a few trees and a jungle gym. Empty as usual. It was time to move. For a split second fear chilled me and the contrasting Chicago summer heat suffocated my skin. Beads of sweat slid down my back. I was aware of my muscles—strong biceps, small but rock-solid thighs, sinewy shoulders—especially at times like this when adrenaline pumped them to the max. I was also aware that retribution specialist was a role I played and Detective Marco’s arrival had thrown off my rhythm.
    I took a deep, calming breath and walked down the gravel path to the middle of the tiny park. I stopped twenty feet away. “Drummond,” I called.
    He looked up and put the magazine aside. “You da one who called?” he said in a typical Chicago dems-and-doze accent.
    “Yeah, I called.”
    “What’s dis all about? You got some kinda job for me?”
    “It’s about Janet.”
    He stood and rubbed his palms on his thigh-clad jeans. He towered a foot and a half above me and looked like an overstuffed bear—one that bench-pressed about two hundred and fifty pounds. He had a scruff of blond hair, a drinker’s nose and mean, bloodshot eyes. I’d been briefed on Drummond by the director of the abuse shelter and had hired a private investigator to fill in the gaps. I’d done my research and knew what to expect, but the prospect of fighting a guy who weighed three times as much as I did was always daunting, no matter how much I tried to psych myself up for the fight.
    “You a cop?” he said, his eyes glazed with confusion.
    “Don’t you wish.” I moved in closer.
    “A lawyer? I ain’t givin’ her a divorce.”
    I barked out a laugh. “When’s the last time you saw a lawyer dressed like this?” I tipped up my chin so he could get a good look at my tattoo.
    His sausage fingers clamped into his fists. “You callin’ me stupid?”
    “Yeah, but not for the reasons you think. You’re stupid because you think you can control your loved ones with violence. I don’t like men like you, Drummond.”
    Confusion cleared from his eyes like fog in a wind. “Damn! You’re an avenger.”
    “That’s right, Einstein. A Certified Retribution Specialist.”
    He looked totally flummoxed. I’d seen this reaction from ROVORs before. He couldn’t believe there was a CRS contract out on him. Then his disbelief turned on a dime. He rushed forward like a Chicago Bears’ defensive lineman. I hadn’t expected this, but I was ready for him.
    I ran forward and squatted at the last minute, pushing up when his shins hit my shoulder. Down he went with a thud. This was going to be too easy, I thought. Then he surprised me by shooting his hand out and clamping hold of my ankle as I leaped away, pulling my leg out from under me.
    My face hit the grass, and I twisted hard like a writhing snake, but he crawled on top of me and gripped my neck before I could slither away. He moved his bulky frame faster than most thugs I’d encountered.
    I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been downed so fast, I thought as he tightened his grip. I’d been distracted by the cop. Hell, I could use another distraction about now.
    I clawed at his arms, drawing blood, but it only made him angrier. He tightened the grip on my throat as he cursed and spat at me. Soon I couldn’t breathe, and my lungs silently screamed for air. I kicked up at his fat, muscled back but couldn’t reach his head. Blood pounded in my head. My God , I thought, I’m going to die here .
    “Hey, Mommy, look at that man.” It was the voice of an angel—or a kid.