The leopard reacts, and waves its paw at Prince’s face, but Prince’s hand grabs it before the paw’s nails tear out his eyes.
Both leap up at the same time. The leopard moves in to bite Prince’s head off, but Prince counters with a series of head butts. Prince’s blows break the leopard’s nose, and the leopard’s right eye and nose start spouting blood.
The infuriated, bleeding beast circles Prince, repeatedly thrusting a dangerous paw in his new enemy’s direction. Each time though, Prince deftly knocks the leopard’s foot away.
Prince and the leopard lock eyes, neither exhibiting even the smallest hint of weakness. The leopard circles him, flashing teeth and fangs.
The leopard explodes into the air and propels itself toward Prince. Roaring and gnashing its teeth, it sinks its teeth into Prince’s arm. In a fraction of a second, Prince reacts by yanking the leopard’s head off before its teeth sink in too far.
Bleeding now, Prince needs bit of concentration and strength. The leopard, having tasted Prince’s blood, is even more dangerous now and ignores Prince’s weakened blows as it tries to move in to gouge Prince with its nails.
The crowd is on its feet now. They sense blood and gape with twisted horror and fascination. Many of them know Chin and have seen Chin fight tigers. Never had a tiger come as close to victory as the leopard appears with Prince.
And Chin is exactly what Prince is thinking about right now. What would the old man do? As Prince backs away from the leopard, he realizes that in his weakened condition he is no match for the superior strength of the leopard.
Outsmarting the leopard is his only chance.
But what? An idea flashes - not a great one but the only one that comes to mind given the circumstances.
The leopard lunges again at Prince, but Prince does not try to avoid the cat. The cat lands on Prince’s chest and pushes him to the floor.
Surprised at the ease of his attack, the leopard relaxes for a moment, letting down its guard - exactly what Prince was hoping for.
Ignoring the searing pain in his arm, Prince delivers a series of hammer punches to the body and head of the leopard.
Rolling on the ground, the incensed, clawing, biting brute remains relentless in its attack only not with the same strength as a few moments ago. Prince, gaining confidence, deflects the leopard’s hostilities.
But Prince cannot keep it up forever. One of the sideswipes of the leopard’s gets through and rips part of the flesh off of Prince’s chest.
This has exactly the reverse of the expected effect. Instead of weakening, the injuries rejuvenate Prince.
No more subtleties. Like a madman, Prince is like a human punching and kicking machine, ignoring all of the beast’s aggressive maneuvers.
Hammer fist blows to the head, ribcage and body of the cat. Devastating kicks from his ham-like legs crush bones, rectum and penis.
Finally, Prince lifts the beast over his head, whirling it around. He spins faster and faster then throws the leopard hard against the chain-link fence.
The incensed animal roars and with redoubled effort races back at Prince, ready to tear him apart.
Another surprise for the feline. Prince holds his ground, and a fraction of a second before the leopard arrives, Prince ducks and tangles his legs with the leopard’s.
The leopard ferociously flings a paw at Prince, but Prince is able to grab that paw and then the other one.
Prince picks up the leopard and throws it halfway across The Arena.
The tiger lands on all fours and turns around and stares at Prince warily for a moment.
It circles around Prince, looking for an opening. Prince beats his chest, yelling and daring the beast to attack.
Prince picks up a handful of dirt and throws it at the leopard’s eyes. Infuriated more than blinded, the leopard lunges at Prince.
Prince does not resist. When the leopard’s front paws hit his chest, he allows the momentum of the leopard to push him to the floor.
This response is totally unexpected, and the leopard momentarily drops focus. With the leopard’s guard down, Prince rolls on top of the animal and delivers a bone-crunching blow to the leopard’s temple, then another to its cheeks, then nose.
The leopard jumps up and tries to retreat, but Prince will have none of it.
He leaps on the leopard and pulls it back to the ground. Prince is in complete control over the beast as it tries to claw and bite its way to freedom, but Prince ever nimble, evades all the leopard’s attacks while inflicting even more pain with knees to the chest, head butts to the eyes and nose.
Prince stands up and like an all-star wrestler delivers a standing dropkick to the leopard’s head.
He then jumps of the leopard’s stomach and launches a devastating barrage of hammer blows to the leopard’s midsection.
Prince has a momentary flashback from fifteen years ago. Chin grabs the tiger by its tail and then begins spinning like a top. Faster and faster like a hammer thrower gone berserk. Finally, he releases the animal, and it launches into the air, landing right beside Prince.
I can do better than that.
Prince grabs the leopard by its tail, but instead of spinning like his father did, Prince stands his ground and spins the leopard over the top of his head, much like a cowboy twirling a lariat. Prince starts angling the leopard so that it’s in a forty-five-degree position, twirling with ever greater force.
Finally, he releases it, sending if flying over the chain-link fence into the midst of a group of freaked-out spectators.
Not that they have much to worry about. The leopard is barely mobile now and virtually unconscious.
Prince scrambles to the top of the fence. With a roar louder than that of lion, Prince leaps down, fists first at the leopard. Fists hit skull, knees hit the heart area above chest. The leopard is completely crippled.
Then Prince’s eyes narrows, and he lets out a loud continuous scream. It is terrifying not only to humans but to the leopard.
The leopard jolts with a startle. This is enough for Prince to quickly release his hands from the paws, jump on the leopard, twist and break its neck.
Immobilized and paralyzed, the animal whimpers on the ground as Prince jumps up off the animal, victorious.
Like the gladiator of old, Prince raises his arms in victory as the crowd shouts, “Prince, Prince, Prince... ”
Take that, old man.
CHAPTER 6
The kitchen looks like chaos. JJ, Abby, Ling Ling, Nina and Mei have offered to cook, but none of them have any culinary expertise. It’s a wonder they haven’t killed themselves with the knives.
“What do you want to do when you grown up, Ling Ling?” queries Abby.
Ling Ling replies without hesitation as she takes out a cell phone. “A singer.” She shows pictures of her idols to Abby. “Faye, Lisa, Shu Xi... I want to be just like them. On the stage, singing, millions of people loving you... it’s wonderful. I just love it.”
“It’s not that simple. I’m a singer,” says Abby.
“Oh, but you’re too old. You can’t do that.”
Thanks. I needed that. “I sing jazz, and you can be old and sing that.”
“Why don’t we eat?” offers JJ, stepping into the fray.
***
As the rest of the girls gather together, there are skeptical looks at the food. Not to mention that JJ the vegetarian imposed his will on the wannabe chefs.
Tofu, sautéed veggies and chicken fried rice are on the menu. Tofu is pretty bland to start with, so to accommodate JJ vegetarian chicken was used. In other words, fake chicken made out tofu. A meal that is a carnivore’s nightmare.
Tanya enters the kitchen and takes a taste of the fried rice. “What did you put in here? It tastes like cardboard.”
“It’s very healthy for you,” assures JJ.
“I am going to die soon anyway. I don’t need to worry about eating healthy,” rants Tanya.
“The girls are trying,” says Abby. “Try to be rea
sonable.”
“What for? I didn’t ask to be here. You just took me. I was happy at Alexei’s. Hardly had to do anything except smile and act. ‘Oh, you’re so strong; oh, I love your body.’ Here, you got me washing a toilet and eating junk food.”
Abby toughens. “You want to keep being somebody’s bitch until they all tire of you? Nobody’s interested in a junkie who can’t stay awake.”
“They like me just fine. The best they’ve ever had. Can’t get enough,” snaps Tanya. She puckers her lips, pats her tush, then cups her breasts.
Truthfully, with some makeup and a change of attitude, Tanya could be most desirable. Back at Alexei’s brothel, a makeup artist would spend twenty minutes painting Tanya’s face, heightening her stunning eyes and sticking a few strategically placed tattoos on her bum and breasts. Tanya was in demand.
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” rants Tanya. “Better to be prisoner for Russians than for you. At least he give me real food and real China, not fake like you.”
“I’m sorry that we botched the cooking. Maybe we can order in,” offers Abby. “But Tanya, China White is playing with fire.”
“Alexei tell me he give me the best because I am the best. I not worried.”
Hook them and keep them. China White is a pure form of heroin given its name because of its Asian origins. Smart on Alexei’s part. Give them the best, and that’s all they’ll ever be satisfied with. That’s why they keep coming back. The high is unbelievable, and the addict is willing to risk of death, hepatitis, menstrual and sex drive damage or overdose for the momentary euphoria.
“Tanya, this is not the Way,” says JJ. “There is more to life than what you think.”
“No way, I want highway,” sneers Tanya.
“Give us some time, Tanya. We’re working on it,” pleads Abby.
“Easy for you to say. You already have rich man you make happy. He give you everything. I need one too.”
“A girl’s worth is not measured by how wealthy her boyfriend is,” states Abby emphatically. “And JJ is not my boyfriend.”
Ouch. JJ flinches inwardly.
“Then you got it even better. He do anything for you, and you don’t have to do anything for him,” says Tanya. “Oh I forgot. He’s a virgin!”
It’s not just a clash of cultures but of social strata and economic realities. If she doesn’t use her body, how the hell else is Tanya going to survive?
“You go to school. You have education. You have papers. Me? I got nice tits,” says Tanya. “You use what you have, I use what I have.”
“Tanya, I understand what you’re saying. Let Abby and me meet with Olivia and Noah, and we’ll figure something out. I’ll have an answer later.”
“Remember. I’m not charity case. I can make my own way,” says Tanya defiantly.
“Of course,” nods JJ.
Truth is, JJ hasn’t a clue as to what to do. Does Tanya have more dignity by being a whore or from accepting a handout? Should the foundation try to set up something in New York for the girls, or should they try to find homes for them in Russia?
So why doesn’t Tanya leave right now then? The answer is her little sister, Larissa. As much as she craves the drug life, she wants to make sure that that is something her sister never experiences.
CHAPTER 7
Fifteen Years Ago
In the back of his father’s black Mercedes limo, a tiger’s severed head faces Prince and Chin on the vehicle’s portable table. Beside it are two glasses of red liquid and a two-pound slab of raw meat - tiger’s blood and tiger meat.
Prince turns to his father. “How can I do that? How can I beat up a tiger?”
Chin slaps the boy across the face. “Who do you think you are? You do not ‘beat up’ a tiger or any animal. You conquer them. Hoodlums ‘beat up.’ Warriors conquer.”
“How do I conquer a tiger?”
“You become one with the animal, and this is how you do it.” Chin picks up the slab of meat and tears off a piece with his teeth and chews on it.
Chin then takes one of the glasses and downs it.
Prince stares wide eyed, then reaches for the glass of tiger’s blood.
Chin angrily snatches it away from Prince. “That is not for you.”
“Then why do you have two glasses?”
“They are both mine.”
“Why can’t I have one?”
“You stupid, stupid, boy. You are a Leopard, not a Tiger.”
***
Present Day
It’s two hours after the match, and Prince sits in the bleachers of The Arena by himself. Everyone in the audience wanted a picture with Prince or with the leopards, and much as he wanted to have nothing to do with it, he smiled and obliged.
This is something he has worked at incessantly for years, sacrificed literally everything, and the only thought running through his mind is Never again.
Mind you, that’s not what his admirers and henchman are talking about. Not even ten minutes had passed after his victory before there was anxious discussion about a series of follow-up matches in Asia, Africa and Europe. Prince politely said, “That’s a great idea. Let’s stay in touch,” but in his heart that’s the last thing on his mind. At the same time, he knows that if he gave up now, his father would call him a “one-shot wonder.” Much as that drives him mental thinking about that, he’s not sure he’s up to facing this war of wars again.
Now that everyone’s left, as well as the euphoria and adrenaline, total and utter physical and mental exhaustion sets in. Exhaustion and pain. The gouges, bites and wounds are all real, and serious medical treatment is in order.
Prince gets up and walks through the wire mesh into The Arena where several of his men are cleaning up. Prince walks up to one of the vanquished dead leopards and takes out the sharp short knife - a dao. He slices the leopard across the neck. As the animal bleeds, Prince puts his mouth to the cut and drinks deeply.
He then makes a cut in the leopard’s thigh and cuts out a small slab of the leopard’s meat.
He starts eating it as he gets up and makes his way out The Arena. He passes one of his henchman. “Can I have some, boss?”
“You are so damned stupid. You are a minnow, not a Leopard.”
***
Noah and Olivia rummage through one of New York’s many abandoned buildings. They’ve seen a few of them today - an old power plant, a building too far gone that used to house WWII vets and just for fun, a bird sanctuary that once upon a time was a place to quarantine smallpox patients. They are “turning over rocks” in the effort to find a building they might renovate for the future use of the Chad Huang Foundation.
“This one’s got potential, Noah.”
“Potential takes too long. We need something that can be completed in this millennium.”
“There are lots of buildings like that, Noah. Or those that just need some sprucing up.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s talk later. My head still hurts from this morning.”
Nothing like beginning your day with dealing with bureaucrats. Some are earnest, some are well meaning, some don’t give a damn but they all have one thing in common - do it by the book, or it don’t get done. This is hard for Noah and Olivia though. Not wanting to discuss the Russian girls’ cases specifically, they talked in generalities with officials from Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, City Hall and Customs and Border Protection.
You can’t entirely blame the system. When you ask questions in vague generalities, you get vague generalities as answers. The problem with asking specific questions is that specific questions require greater detail about whom you are discussing. Greater detail can lead to identification of those you wish to protect. ID’ing the girls may lead to their deportation or even worse - getting stuck in a bureaucratic shuffle.
One answer was clear though: even if Noah and the Foundation were willing to personally guarantee all the costs associated with housing and looking after the girls, some nameless bure
aucrat could still pull the plug on them.
And that is a chance Noah is not willing to take. It’s only been a few months since he, Olivia and Abby started the foundation, but already he has learned that if you really want to get something done, keep the government or any kind of formalized bureaucracy out of it. They’ll kill you with detail, stifle any creative or humanitarian juice you have in you, all the while trying to make any decision that they will have to be accountable to - just in case some other bureaucrat questions their judgment.
Shuffled from office to office to office, the attitude is the same. NIMBY - this is “Not in my backyard.”
“So what next, Noah?” asks Olivia.
Noah’s exasperation with the bureaucracy has been suppressed all day, and this is his chance to let it all hang out. “Nobody wants them, but nobody wants to do anything either. We’re not talking about terrorists here. They’re kids whose only crime is being attractive enough that the pervs here will pay top dollar for them.”
“They can’t stay in the apartment forever with nothing to do.
“I know, I know.” Noah shakes his head. “Why is it that anytime you want get something done, you’ve got to do it yourself?”
“Stop the pity party. If you’re gonna do, do it right.
That shakes Noah. “Yeah, my bad... Let’s give them fishing poles.”
“Come again?”
“You know, give a man fish, he eats for a meal. Give a man a fishing pole, he eats for life. Look at Sam. We pulled the kid off the street. Gave him a job, and now you couldn’t ask for any better ambassador.”
“You can’t give every juvenile delinquent a job.”
“Former juvenile delinquent. And please don’t forget that that former juvenile delinquent saved your life and is an advisor to the foundation. Which means it’s time for him to earn his keep.
“Noah picks up his cell phone and makes a call.
SLAVERY UNBOUND: Cruelty & Lust with the Emerging Eastern Mafia (Noah Reid Action Thriller series Book 4) Page 5