There wasn’t enough space. Lanky Guy reached and wrapped his fingers around my left arm.
I jerked loose, but I couldn’t unlock my car, jump in, and speed off before they would’ve swarmed over me. It was time to fight.
Because they had no magic, I could not use fighting spells against them. It was three against one, but I had two advantages they didn’t know about—the can of mace and over a dozen years of karate training.
I turned on White Guy and hit him with a lunging punch straight in the nose, putting all my momentum behind my fist.
That caught him flatfooted, and he screamed in pain, covering his face with his hands. I danced around him as blood gushed over his clothes. When I charged Bald Guy, I caught him with a round house kick in the side just below his ribcage.
He yelled, “Bitch,” as he grabbed his side. That would hopefully keep his mind occupied.
Before I could turn to attack Lanky Guy, he punched me in the side of the head, making me see stars. Damn, his arms were strong.
I blocked a second punch, but then his right fist caught hit me on the chin, another hard hit.
I staggered away, shaking my head to clear it, and he lunged at me, knocking me on my back. He laughed as he knelt over me. “Got you now. Time for pussy!”
He shouldn’t have riled me up. I kneed him straight in the groin.
He rolled over, screaming.
I scrambled to my feet and stomped on his crotch to make sure he’d be out of commission for few minutes.
Before I could dash to my car, Bald Guy grabbed my T-shirt with his left hand. With his right, he began punching me in the back of the head as I tried to pull free.
He held on tight and pulled me closer. I used the power of his muscles to begin rotating. Then I leapt and gave the short guy a roundhouse kick in the head. His eyes rolled back, and he dropped into a pile like an overcooked noodle.
I turned to run, but it had taken me too long to deal with the smaller guys.
Big Guy was leaning against the hood of my car, holding a knife in his hand. “So, you know how to fight. I should’ve guessed. No ordinary bitch walks this neighborhood alone.”
Pretending to be scared, I approached him slowly, holding my hands behind me like I didn’t want to threaten him. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks to leave me alone. I never wanted any trouble.”
He leered at me. “I can take your money when I’m done with you. You’re actually pretty, for a big bitch. Give me what I want, in the back seat, and I won’t cut you.”
Such a tempting offer! I tried for a flirty smile, hooked my thumbs on my back pockets, and shook my ass to tease him. “I might, if I thought your cock was big enough to fill me.”
He laughed and began to unzip, I guess to prove he had the right stuff. When he looked down for a second, I pulled the can of mace out of my pocket, flipped open the cap with my thumb, and fired, aiming at his face.
He roared in pain and anger. Men were such idiots when it came to sex. How could any asshole think I’d spread my legs for him after he’d scared the shit out of me?
For a few critical seconds, they were all still worried about their pitiful selves. None of them were down for good, but I didn’t need much time.
With fumbling hands, I found my keys as I reached the car’s door. I jumped inside, and just as I got the car started, I was tempted to drive over Big Guy, but that definitely would be too much mayhem for the locals to tolerate. So, I jerked the wheel to the left, passing him, and tore away down the street while bystanders threw things at my car.
Chapter 8
AFTER I GOT a few miles away, and I’d made sure no one had followed me, I stopped at a mostly empty park. My heart continued to race, and I took a series of deep breaths to calm down. Those fucking bastards almost trapped me on my first day alone.
I wasn’t ready for prime time. That was for damned sure. If they’d have gotten a few more shots in, I’d have been raped by the whole fucking neighborhood. And I still had no idea what Antonio Suarez did in that giant mansion of his.
Every few seconds, I glanced around to make sure nobody else was sneaking up on me. Thankfully, the few people at the park kept their distance.
I needed a better plan for dealing with monsters, whether magical or not. In some ways, magical fighting was easier because there were a few rules. Three sorcerers couldn’t gang up on me like those punks had. Lucky for me, none of them had guns, or they’d be banging me right then. Ian had been right again, the smug prick. All men were assholes, except maybe Philippe. That was yet to be determined.
When my heart stopped pounding, I realized I needed to act smarter. No more approaching targets in broad daylight. On the plus side, I’d eliminated one Suarez. Two more to go.
-o-o-o-
AFTER I ATE dinner at a Mexican fast-food chain promising me a dozen tacos for five bucks, ick, I couldn’t make up my mind about what to do next. Maybe it was time to call it a day.
I used my smartphone to search for a place to sleep. I had no trouble finding a dozen places with reasonable rates by using one of the popular travel websites, but the screen was so small I could barely read the phone numbers.
Right there, in the restaurant, I started calling. At the first nine motels, I got the same story. Yes, they had a room, but I had to pay for it with a major credit card. I concocted a story about living overseas until recently, but they didn’t care. None of the clerks would let me pay with cash. I even offered to pay a damage deposit, but no chance. Their stinking reservation computers wouldn’t recognize the all-mighty US dollar in any of its denominations.
Each time I got turned down, I asked if they knew of a motel where I could stay without a credit card. Nine clerks told me no, but the tenth said, “I’ve got a cousin Louie who runs an independent motel a few miles from here. He takes cash, if he’s in the mood.”
Louie sounded weird as hell, but I was desperate. The clerk gave me Louie’s number, and I called.
“Yes, I have a room,” he said. “Cash will work today. I owe my bookie, and he insists on real money. Eighty bucks a night, plus a three-hundred-dollar deposit. You’ll get it back if you clean your room.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” I said.
-o-o-o-
The Aurora Motel, Sacramento, California
AFTER MY STRUGGLE to find a place, I was more than a tad suspicious about how bad Louie’s motel might be. He turned out to be an overweight, balding guy with soup stains on his shirt, but he agreed to let me look at the room before I paid.
Thank the gods, it was cleaner than he was, or me for that matter. Rolling on the pavement with my three buddies hadn’t helped my looks any.
I pulled off the thin blanket on the bed and checked the sheets underneath for bedbugs. Although I wasn’t sure what they look like, I figured any bugs were bad news. The sheets were reasonably white, so any creepy things should’ve been easy to spot. Not seeing any suspicious critters, I paid Louie the eighty bucks, plus seventeen in tax, and the three hundred for a deposit. Something told me Louie wasn’t going to tell the government I was there, which would mean the tax went into his bookie’s pocket with eighty bucks, but I didn’t care. At least I had a place to come back to tonight and sleep—assuming the guy in the room next door stopped yelling at his kid by then.
After that was settled, I felt a lot better. The darkness soothed me for some reason, and I headed out to locate the second-closest Suarez on my list. He was in Rancho Cordova, an eastern suburb of Sacramento. It was much nicer than the neighborhood I’d traipsed around earlier, and that made me more comfortable, too. My maps app took me right to Suarez’s home in a subdivision full of fancy homes that backed up to the American River.
This time, I didn’t hesitate to park my car on the street and walk several blocks to my suspect’s house. I ran into several people walking dogs, and they waved at me like they knew me. I waved back. This was my kind of place, just like the n
eighborhood in Salinas, Tanner had lived in.
As I walked through the subdivision, I felt a dark aura on my right. The problem was, I hadn’t reached the house I was looking for. I double checked the address, which was conveniently lit right above the garage door. I was still three houses too far west of Suarez.
A light was on inside the sorcerer’s house, but I saw no one around.
The last thing I needed was to fight the wrong sorcerer, so I hurried past the house protected by the ward.
When I approached Suarez’s house, I slowed down. Despite practically walking across his front lawn, I felt no magic at all.
The house was completely dark, so just to be sure, I walked up to the front porch. If a sorcerer had lived there, he definitely would’ve used a ward to protect the door. I sensed nothing.
Another dud. Two down and one to go. I strolled back to my car, walking on the opposite side of the street from the sorcerer’s house.
When I walked past it again, the garage door was open, but there was no movement inside. Nor did I see anyone in the front yard.
I strode toward my car, still a hundred yards away, trying not to look as nervous as I felt.
My senses were all on high alert. Soon, I heard shoes hitting the concrete sidewalk behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. A tall, stout man was jogging behind me.
He looked legitimate, he was wearing a T-shirt, running shorts, and the pair of fluorescent running shoes. Just to be safe, I crossed to the side of the street my car was parked on. I could barely make it out in the dim streetlights. Still fifty yards away.
The guy behind me crossed the street, too. Uh oh.
When I reached the opposite side of the street, I stopped in front of a minivan. It would protect my back, and it provided as good a place to make my stand as any.
As the guy got closer, I got a better look at him in a streetlight. He was a black guy with short hair. His chest was broad, and his arms were thick.
My heart sank. He’d be damned tough to beat unless his magic was pitiful. Or maybe he just wanted to check me out before continuing his run.
Nope. He grinned at me. “My ward warned me when you walked by. I challenge you for magical power.”
When he froze, I assessed my chances of running. I’d stupidly parked at the end of a cul-de-sac, and I’d have to drive by him to get away. I couldn’t hit him with a car, magic wouldn’t let me use it as a weapon, so all he had to do to stop me was to stand in the middle of the road.
Note to self—next time, idiot, plan your escape better.
I backed up until my butt pressed against sheet-metal. This was the real deal—a winner takes all fight for power. One of us was going to be a slave in a few minutes. Damned if it would be me.
The sorcerer unfroze, and buzzing began in my ears. That was the signal that this wasn’t an exhibition fight. I concentrated on creating a ward to envelop me. Dunarsh, shield me.
Then, I tried to stay calm as the invisible barrier formed around me. It would only remain intact as long as I kept my focus on it strong. With any luck, this asshole wouldn’t break through, and he’d wear himself out trying.
He pointed a short staff at me I hadn’t noticed before. He may have had it tucked in his waistband behind him. He didn’t speak, but a bright flash of lightning illuminated the darkness. A of red bolt shot straight for my head.
It crackled as it hit my ward, and sparks flew everywhere. Nonetheless, a couple walking on the sidewalk across the street from us didn’t react. Magic was shielding the battle.
Thank the Mórrígan, my ward held. I remained still, and kept my focus on it.
“That’s not going to work, woman!” he yelled.
I held the palms of my hands back against the door the minivan. Its hardness reassured me and helped me keep my protection strong.
I could’ve taunted him back, and in my gladiator matches, I usually did. But there was too much at stake this time for me to screw around. Plus, I didn’t want to give them any reason to be angry. That’s what fueled attack spells, so I remained as passive as possible.
A second red lightning bolt blasted out of his staff, this one much more powerful than the last. The odor of ozone filled the air. My ward vibrated, then shattered.
He bent over about ten feet away from me, his chest heaving from the exertion.
This is my chance. I ran at him and timed my step so I could drive my knee into his face. The contact felt great, and his head snapped backward. I’d hoped to break the son of a bitch’s neck, but he was stronger than I’d expected. The black man was tough. He staggered several steps to the rear, but remained standing.
Dammit! I couldn’t hit any harder. Time for magic. I stretched out my right hand. Dunarsh, stun!
A pulse of magic fired from my hand, but it wasn’t as strong as I’d expected. Ian had been right, I’d used up most of my magical power in my previous battles.
The sorcerer screamed at me but didn’t go down.
I’m in deep shit. My only chance was to pile on the punishment as best I could, hoping to knock him out before he could recover. I ran at him, and kicked him twice in the chest, but it wasn’t enough. He swung out one of his huge arms and caught me with his staff in the chest, knocking me backwards onto my ass.
He was groggy, but he staggered forward and fell on me, pinning me to the asphalt. The man probably weighed two-fifty, and I could hardly breathe. He began smacking me in the head, knocking it back onto the pavement.
I can’t take much more of this. I rocked sideways, but then he straddled me, punching with his fists. then he lifted his staff high to bring it down with both hands onto my face, I saw my chance. I shot one foot upward as he arched back, kicking him in the back of the head with my leather shoe. That stunned him for a second, and I managed to push him over and scramble away.
The lights were off in the closest house, and I was desperate. I opened the gate to the backyard and ran in. There was nowhere to hide. The deck was only a few feet off the ground, and a kid’s playhouse was shorter than me.
The black sorcerer chased after me. The house appeared to back up to a greenbelt along the American River. If I could reach it, at least I stood a chance of escaping him. Maybe I’d have to abandon the car.
I ran for the back fence, no gate this time, and hit it at a run. I pulled myself up and got one leg over before the asshole grabbed my foot.
He laughed pulled hard. “I’ve got you now. You’ll pay.”
But my leg muscles were strong. I jerked free and dropped over the fence into a green field with foot-tall grass that cushioned my fall. Now I had a chance.
He climbed the fence, too.
I ran and quickly found a gravel trail to follow.
He ran close behind, swearing at me, and told me in detail how he’d rape me every day and twice on Sunday.
I wanted to keep him talking, wasting his breath, but that meant I had to talk as well. Better to just run. That was a regular part of my endurance training. All the while, I kept running. I stayed away from him, but he wasn’t breathing as hard as me. I couldn’t keep this up for much longer.
He kept getting closer. I was tiring too fast. All he had to do was outlast me, but how was that chunky bastard keeping up?
In my exhaustion, I didn’t pay enough attention to where I stepped. My foot hit a loose patch of gravel and slipped out from under me.
In a couple of seconds, he caught up. I kicked out with both of my feet, but he used his hands to push them to the side.
He came around me, and in a last desperate attempt to fend him off, I spun and stretched my foot out again. The toe of my shoe smashed into his left temple. His head twisted, and he dropped to his hands and knees
I didn’t stick around long enough to find out whether he was merely groggy or passing out. I sure didn’t feel his power flowing into me, so it had to be the first.
I might’ve finished him off decisively, but who knew? I had a c
hance to escape, and I took it. Using the last of my energy, I ran for my car until I had to walk. An opening between two houses allowed me to get back on the street I’d left.
I was so tired, I couldn’t run, but I kept up a fast walk and finally reached my car. He hadn’t caught up with me. Maybe he’d used all his strength in catching me.
With my key at the ready, I unlocked the door, started the Accord, and raced away before he came into view.
Another close shave, the second today. Too fucking close.
After I found a safe place to stop, an empty parking lot a few miles away, I turned the car off and rested my forehead against the steering wheel.
My mind settled down. This was no fucking way to run a rescue operation. I hadn’t found Dana, but I’d managed to almost get myself raped and probably killed twice in the same day. So, I headed for my motel room and collapsed on the bed.
-o-o-o-
Saturday, January 16th
BY MORNING, I was feeling better. I was down to my last good prospect, and I mainly needed to avoid being stupid this time. Dana could be free before I went to sleep again.
I still liked the idea of making my attempt after dark, but I needed to reconnoiter the third place first. After all, the right Suarez might not be there either.
I wasn’t hungry, too nervous, but I ate a nasty bacon, egg, and cheese muffin to keep up my strength. Then I drove toward the third location in the foothills east of Sacramento. After a half-hour, the broad Central Valley gave way to a thick oak and pine forest covering the foothills to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Thanks to the maps app, I found Suarez’s property, which turned out to be a farm, complete with an orchard and a vineyard, with a few hundred acres that were surrounded by a wooded glen.
The winter rains had fallen on schedule, and the grass in the hills was tall and green. The trees in the orchard were just beginning to leaf out. A new stucco mansion sat in the center of the farm. An idyllic setting, which made it hard to believe Dana could be held there against her will.
Because the house wasn’t visible from one turnout near a driveway that entered the farm, I wasn’t at all nervous about stopping my car along the freshly painted, white fence and checking for wards.
Freedom (The Sorcerers' Scourge Book 4) Page 8