Hayes and Gibson.”
Tuyet didn’t ask for details. She began her usual stretching routine, a combination of yoga and tai chi, and tried to empty her head of thoughts about the next mission. Halif was right. With Channing, it was a question of when, not if. The two of them alone on an isolated mission, posing as a married couple—to him it would practically be a gold-plated invitation to cross the line. She would just have to shove him back across it and hope it didn’t land her in a cell. It was pretty much a given that he would lie if she had to hurt him.
“Mrs. Jones.”
The sound of his voice scraped against her nerves. She looked up from the floor to see that Halif had drifted off to talk to others. Channing stood over her. “What do you want?”
“Going a few rounds with you sounds like fun.”
The innuendo in his tone made her stomach heave. It was tempting to spar with him because she knew she could beat him. But she’d have to touch him to do it and right now she couldn’t handle that. Not with him looking at her like a toy. Something to be played with, used and discarded. She’d had enough of all of that in Gehenna. Being a Ranger didn’t allow her total freedom but she didn’t have to take that kind of treatment anymore. She just had to figure out the best way to scare him off, a way that would allow him to save face so she wouldn’t have to deal with any blowback.
But then he had to go and fuck that up by putting his hands on her. As she stood he grabbed her ponytail and dragged her to him, slamming her body against his. “I plan on enjoying this mission. You can too, if you stop pretending you’re better than me.”
“I am better than you.” She wrapped one hand around the top of her ponytail and pulled, losing a few hairs in the process. He clamped an arm around her waist, forcing her even closer. She slammed an elbow into his gut, grabbed his arm and twisted. Kept twisting until he was on the ground, forehead on the floor, feet scrambling, knees sliding.
“Bitch, let me go!”
A crowd was beginning to gather. Tuyet ignored them. It would get her in a hell of a lot of trouble if she was caught, but she drew energy from the ground to help keep Channing under control. Just like drawing on concrete and steel back in the zone. Magic ran through her blood like a rock fall, wild and fast and very nearly out of control. She soaked up the strength it gave her.
“You’re gonna break my fucking arm. Let me go, you crazy bitch!”
“Caron!”
She took her eyes off Channing long enough to see who’d called her name. Hayes stood ten feet away, a warning look on his face and something she couldn’t name in his eyes. “Let him go,” he said.
Tuyet released the man’s arm and sent him sprawling to the floor with a mild kick to the ass. “Keep your hands to yourself. Here, and on the mission.”
Laughter sprinkled through the group, all but Hayes. He watched her intently as she walked away.
With her back to him, she didn’t know Channing had made it back to his feet until he shoved her. She hit the gym’s wood floor hard, the impact knocking out her breath. She pushed to her side, wanting up and out of a vulnerable position as fast as possible. It wasn’t fast enough. Channing brought his fist down before she could move any farther. Pain ripped open her head like a bomb, a double shot of it, first from his punch on one side, then as her head bounced off the floor. She curled into a ball, gasping for breath, spots in her vision obscuring everything. For a long time, or maybe just a few seconds, voices were nothing but white noise.
A gentle hand on her back brought her out of it. Halif. “Can you move?”
Yelling, cursing. The sound of a fight. A sickening crack followed by a piercing scream that added another layer of pain to her head.
“Oh, shit, that’s no good.” Halif eased her into a sitting position, his gaze on the commotion.
“That’s enough,” Gibson stood over
Tuyet didn’t ask for details. She began her usual stretching routine, a combination of yoga and tai chi, and tried to empty her head of thoughts about the next mission. Halif was right. With Channing, it was a question of when, not if. The two of them alone on an isolated mission, posing as a married couple—to him it would practically be a gold-plated invitation to cross the line. She would just have to shove him back across it and hope it didn’t land her in a cell. It was pretty much a given that he would lie if she had to hurt him.
“Mrs. Jones.”
The sound of his voice scraped against her nerves. She looked up from the floor to see that Halif had drifted off to talk to others. Channing stood over her. “What do you want?”
“Going a few rounds with you sounds like fun.”
The innuendo in his tone made her stomach heave. It was tempting to spar with him because she knew she could beat him. But she’d have to touch him to do it and right now she couldn’t handle that. Not with him looking at her like a toy. Something to be played with, used and discarded. She’d had enough of all of that in Gehenna. Being a Ranger didn’t allow her total freedom but she didn’t have to take that kind of treatment anymore. She just had to figure out the best way to scare him off, a way that would allow him to save face so she wouldn’t have to deal with any blowback.
But then he had to go and fuck that up by putting his hands on her. As she stood he grabbed her ponytail and dragged her to him, slamming her body against his. “I plan on enjoying this mission. You can too, if you stop pretending you’re better than me.”
“I am better than you.” She wrapped one hand around the top of her ponytail and pulled, losing a few hairs in the process. He clamped an arm around her waist, forcing her even closer. She slammed an elbow into his gut, grabbed his arm and twisted. Kept twisting until he was on the ground, forehead on the floor, feet scrambling, knees sliding.
“Bitch, let me go!”
A crowd was beginning to gather. Tuyet ignored them. It would get her in a hell of a lot of trouble if she was caught, but she drew energy from the ground to help keep Channing under control. Just like drawing on concrete and steel back in the zone. Magic ran through her blood like a rock fall, wild and fast and very nearly out of control. She soaked up the strength it gave her.
“You’re gonna break my fucking arm. Let me go, you crazy bitch!”
“Caron!”
She took her eyes off Channing long enough to see who’d called her name. Hayes stood ten feet away, a warning look on his face and something she couldn’t name in his eyes. “Let him go,” he said.
Tuyet released the man’s arm and sent him sprawling to the floor with a mild kick to the ass. “Keep your hands to yourself. Here, and on the mission.”
Laughter sprinkled through the group, all but Hayes. He watched her intently as she walked away.
With her back to him, she didn’t know Channing had made it back to his feet until he shoved her. She hit the gym’s wood floor hard, the impact knocking out her breath. She pushed to her side, wanting up and out of a vulnerable position as fast as possible. It wasn’t fast enough. Channing brought his fist down before she could move any farther. Pain ripped open her head like a bomb, a double shot of it, first from his punch on one side, then as her head bounced off the floor. She curled into a ball, gasping for breath, spots in her vision obscuring everything. For a long time, or maybe just a few seconds, voices were nothing but white noise.
A gentle hand on her back brought her out of it. Halif. “Can you move?”
Yelling, cursing. The sound of a fight. A sickening crack followed by a piercing scream that added another layer of pain to her head.
“Oh, shit, that’s no good.” Halif eased her into a sitting position, his gaze on the commotion.
“That’s enough,” Gibson stood over
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