swung again, but his foot slipped on a chunk of broken asphalt and he overextended his arm. I came up inside his defense and stabbed him in the chest with my silverstone knife. The smell of coppery blood filled the night air, overpowering the rain. But he jerked back before I could shove the weapon into his heart. The blade skittered across his ribs and caught on one of them.
I grunted, but it was like trying to slice through frozen meat. His chest muscles were just too thick and dense for me to do enough damage to put him down quick.
The dwarf chopped at my knife hand with the edge of his fist. I let go of the weapon. A sharp blow like that would shatter my wrist into matchstick pieces. He swung at me again. I ducked back and plucked a third knife out of the small of my back.
“Knives? Is that all you got, lady?” he drawled. “You can cut me all night long, and I’ll stand right here and take it. All I need is one good punch, and you’re mine, bitch.”
He was right. We’d barely started, and my heart was already racing. My lungs hadn’t started to burn yet, but it was only a matter of time. I just didn’t have the stamina he had. Never would. The dwarf wasn’t even sweating, and the wounds I’d inflicted on him were nothing more than paper cuts. I had to find a way to end this. Now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large, dark shape creeping up the parking lot. The shape stopped. Waiting.
I slashed at the dwarf with my knife, forcing him toward a sedan a few feet away. He laughed, backed up, and crooked his index finger at me.
“Come on, bitch,” he said. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
I smiled at him. “Me too.”
I braced my hands on the car hood and pushed off.
He wasn’t expecting me to change tactics, and he paused, just for a second. All the opening I needed. My feet hit the dwarf in the chest with enough force to make him stumble back. His shoe caught on another break in the pavement, and he fell on his ass.
And that’s when Finn ran him over with the truck.
While I’d been fighting the dwarf, Finn had made himself useful. He’d broken into and hotwired the monster truck that had been parked next to Violet Fox’s Honda. Then he’d pulled the vehicle up into range, waiting for me to notice.
The dwarf thump-thumped under the truck’s massive, oversize wheels. But Finn wasn’t finished. He put the truck in reverse and backed over the dwarf. He went back and forth over the man three more times before I held my hand up, signaling him to stop. Finn pulled the truck forward.
He stayed inside the cab, waiting to see if I needed him again. I picked up my dropped knives and walked across the pavement to the dwarf.
The wheels had flattened out the man’s thick, strong, compact body until now it resembled a fleshy, bloody pancake that had been pressed into the asphalt. Greasy black tire tracks covered his torso, and his arms and legs lay by his sides, crushed and useless. But Finn hadn’t hit his head, and the dwarf was still alive. His blue eyes burned with pain and hate as he watched me come closer.
“Want to tell me who you’re working for before I kill you?” I said.
The dwarf spat blood on my jeans.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
I leaned down and cut his throat. His eyes bulged, and he gurgled once, twice, three times before his head lolled to the side and the light leaked out of his irises. I gave him a minute to bleed out, then put my fingers against his lacerated neck to make sure. No pulse. As dead as dead could be. I wiped off my bloody hand on my jeans and gestured at Finn.
Finn killed the engine, got out of the truck, and walked back to me. His green eyes flicked to the dwarf ’s body. “You still had to cut his throat? Tough little bugger, wasn’t he?”
“He’s a dwarf,” I replied. “They usually are. Now, give me your cell phone.”
Finn dug into his jacket pocket and handed me a slim, silver phone. I used it to snap a picture of the dwarf ’s
I grunted, but it was like trying to slice through frozen meat. His chest muscles were just too thick and dense for me to do enough damage to put him down quick.
The dwarf chopped at my knife hand with the edge of his fist. I let go of the weapon. A sharp blow like that would shatter my wrist into matchstick pieces. He swung at me again. I ducked back and plucked a third knife out of the small of my back.
“Knives? Is that all you got, lady?” he drawled. “You can cut me all night long, and I’ll stand right here and take it. All I need is one good punch, and you’re mine, bitch.”
He was right. We’d barely started, and my heart was already racing. My lungs hadn’t started to burn yet, but it was only a matter of time. I just didn’t have the stamina he had. Never would. The dwarf wasn’t even sweating, and the wounds I’d inflicted on him were nothing more than paper cuts. I had to find a way to end this. Now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large, dark shape creeping up the parking lot. The shape stopped. Waiting.
I slashed at the dwarf with my knife, forcing him toward a sedan a few feet away. He laughed, backed up, and crooked his index finger at me.
“Come on, bitch,” he said. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
I smiled at him. “Me too.”
I braced my hands on the car hood and pushed off.
He wasn’t expecting me to change tactics, and he paused, just for a second. All the opening I needed. My feet hit the dwarf in the chest with enough force to make him stumble back. His shoe caught on another break in the pavement, and he fell on his ass.
And that’s when Finn ran him over with the truck.
While I’d been fighting the dwarf, Finn had made himself useful. He’d broken into and hotwired the monster truck that had been parked next to Violet Fox’s Honda. Then he’d pulled the vehicle up into range, waiting for me to notice.
The dwarf thump-thumped under the truck’s massive, oversize wheels. But Finn wasn’t finished. He put the truck in reverse and backed over the dwarf. He went back and forth over the man three more times before I held my hand up, signaling him to stop. Finn pulled the truck forward.
He stayed inside the cab, waiting to see if I needed him again. I picked up my dropped knives and walked across the pavement to the dwarf.
The wheels had flattened out the man’s thick, strong, compact body until now it resembled a fleshy, bloody pancake that had been pressed into the asphalt. Greasy black tire tracks covered his torso, and his arms and legs lay by his sides, crushed and useless. But Finn hadn’t hit his head, and the dwarf was still alive. His blue eyes burned with pain and hate as he watched me come closer.
“Want to tell me who you’re working for before I kill you?” I said.
The dwarf spat blood on my jeans.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
I leaned down and cut his throat. His eyes bulged, and he gurgled once, twice, three times before his head lolled to the side and the light leaked out of his irises. I gave him a minute to bleed out, then put my fingers against his lacerated neck to make sure. No pulse. As dead as dead could be. I wiped off my bloody hand on my jeans and gestured at Finn.
Finn killed the engine, got out of the truck, and walked back to me. His green eyes flicked to the dwarf ’s body. “You still had to cut his throat? Tough little bugger, wasn’t he?”
“He’s a dwarf,” I replied. “They usually are. Now, give me your cell phone.”
Finn dug into his jacket pocket and handed me a slim, silver phone. I used it to snap a picture of the dwarf ’s
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