I Shot You Babe by Leslie Langtry

the way home for some tech stuff.” She walked a few steps away, then turned back. “Oh, and could you get me some good cashmere yarn? Or maybe a felted bag? Thanks!” And with that, she was gone.
    Most people might be a little unsettled by such a visit. But most people weren’t Bombays. The question was, how had she found me? There was a rumor that ran through our generation that Missi had somehow implanted us all with either tracking or explosive material. After this little family visit, I was beginning to believe in the former.
    I looked at the phone in my hand. My next fight would start in a few minutes and I was wearing nothing but panties, boots and sleeves. Where in the hell was I going to put it?
    “Cy!” Sansar-Huu called, indicating that it was my turn to wrestle. Great. I shoved the phone in my boots, hoping it was sturdy enough to survive the fight. Kicking wasn’t really part of the game.
    I had to push my conversation with Missi (and wondering how she and the boys got in and out of there unnoticed) out of my thoughts or I wouldn’t win this fight. As I did the eagle dance and slapped my thighs, I’d rekindled my anger toward Dekker. My opponent, a rather large man with maybe fifty pounds on me, grabbed my shoulders.
    He didn’t stand a chance as I threw him onto his knee, winning the match. Good thing I wasn’t really angry or he might not have survived. As I stalked off mid cheers from my friends, my anger dissipated a bit.
    “Who was that?” Ronnie asked as I slipped my deel back on. I’d have another match soon, but it was starting to get chilly and I was covered in sweat.
    “The loser,” I said shortly.
    “No, the blonde.” She looked upset. It took me a second to realize what she was talking about.
    “Oh, that.” What was I supposed to tell her? That my cousin from South America dropped by for a quick visit and to drop off a cell phone you could bounce off Chinese satellites?
    “Yeah, that.” Veronica folded her arms and I almost laughed.
    “Another grad student working on a thesis,” I lied.
    Her face contorted for a moment as she wrestled with this information. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy that.
    “Who is she?” Ronnie tried again. I would’ve been surprised if she hadn’t.
    “Some woman.” That was technically true. The fact that I knew her wasn’t necessarily important.
    “One of your ‘groupies’?” I could swear I actually saw the words in frost hovering in the air.
    “Yeah. I have blonde, wealthy, bored-housewife followers here.”
    “Are you sleeping with her?”
    Wow. This chick didn’t give up. I couldn’t remember ever having someone jealous or possessive over me.
    “I can honestly say I’ve never had sex with that woman.” True.
    “I—” she began.
    “Veronica.” My tone turned to ice. “I’ve had enough. Drop it.” I stalked past her before I would have to throw her to the ground. Besides, she’d now empowered me with enough anger to win the whole damned competition. I wanted to keep it that way.
    “Keep her,” I said to Chudruk, “away from me.” I pointed at Ronnie. My wingman nodded solemnly. Women could be a huge distraction in sports. I didn’t wait to see how he would do this as I headed for Zerleg and Zolbin. My new cell phone rubbed uncomfortably against my shin. I’d had enough of women for the day.
    My next two matches lasted mere seconds as I bartered my fury for victory. It was my third fight that didn’t work out. I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground. Exhaustion, mental and physical, was getting the best of me. I shrugged on my deel and climbed into the truck and passed out without talking to anyone.
    A jolt brought me bolt upright and I found that the truck was moving.
    “You’re awake.” Sansar-Huu laughed.
    I looked around. The two of us were the only ones in the cab. Dark shapes murmured quietly from the back.
    “Where’s Ronnie?” I panicked a little, worried that she might have opted out of coming