Chapter One
He knew he would find that pervert here, but why would he have picked a place
less indecent? According to the man’s profile, he liked to walk in topless
bars, not regular dance clubs.
This place really wasn’t a strip bar, but the dancers and waitresses
wore skimpy outfits and had to accept a man’s tip shoved down her bikini
panties. The dancers were locked in golden cages and forced to dance in order to
give off a sense of bondage. No wonder the place prospered. If a man came here
to see no skin, then he would at least feel a little dominant. This place had
the power to raise a little stamina.
Detective Lei Wulong traded his shirt and tie for one evening to dress as a pimp. He knew that management would not like the idea of a known law enforcer on their premises. Besides, it strengthened his chance of catching Bryan Fury, an American drug lord and terrorist who, for several months, threatened the streets of Tokyo. Drug use and drug possession increased in the last six months and this man was responsible for its widespread.
Lei eyed his target from twenty feet away. So
close…so close! He could
just do it now. Pull out his handcuffs and make an arrest. Or better yet just
shoot the man, but then what would Lei gain from that? Besides, the man was
unarmed. It would be too easy to get him now, yet it wasn’t supposed to
be easy. Bryan kept disappearing and every time Lei found him, Bryan managed to
slip through his fingers. He probably isn’t alone. It’s just too easy.
And he was right. Bryan wasn’t alone. For the past ten minutes, he had
been sitting at the bar, his hungry eyes glued to a brown-haired, Caucasian
woman dancing in front of him. When she finished her performance she joined him.
He bought her a drink and the two engaged into a heated discussion.
Lei wasn’t one for reading lips, but he could make out, “she’s
dancing next”, and “follow her”, but that was all. He figured they were
waiting on somebody, possibly in the cage in front of them. No sooner had the
thought left his mind, a slender, athletic woman entered the gilded cage. She
closed the door behind her and crouched into starting position.
Music roared as light livened the room. The young woman started to dance.
She moved demurely and without a trace of exotic lust. Yet, she won every
man’s ardent stare, even Lei’s. There was something about her, innocent and
sweet. And her face…
He
couldn’t stop staring at her and neither could Bryan. Every man watched her
and all cold feel his… Lei shook his head. No way, the girl’s too young.
His senses came alive again. He waited for her to finish dancing, knowing
Bryan wouldn’t move until the girl stopped. Five minutes later, the girl left
the stage and walked out the back door. A wave of protest arose, demanding more
of the dancer. Many started to stand, making this a good time for Lei to make
his approach disguised in a small crowd.
He did not lose sight of Bryan or his partner. Both were getting down
from their stools and started walking out the back door. They’re following
her! The bastards are going to kill her! Lei quickened his pace, nearly
breaking into a run. He took caution not to follow so closely, but to maintain a
clear view of them. Both followed the girl down the hall. She turned right into
a dressing room and closed the door. Bryan and the other woman waited, both
positioning on either side of the doorway, getting ready for a clean snatch. Lei
saw Bryan hold something in his pocket and an unsettling feeling settled inside
of him.
No!
Lei was not fast enough to
stop them. In that instant, the dancer’s dressing room door opened and she was
stepping out. Bryan’s partner stuck out her foot and tripped the young woman.
She was quick enough to restrain the dancer’s hands behind her back and use
her other hand to cover her mouth.
Bryan now pulled out a gun and held it to the girl’s head. It was
loaded and ready to fire. He held the gun with one hand and jerked the woman’s
head back by her hair. He gazed sickeningly into her face while stroking her
cheek with the gun.
“It’s a shame you had to be so beautiful and exotic.” He taunted,
“If I had my way, I would keep you.”
He grinned.
“Well,” he said, “sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Sweet
dreams, Bitch.”
She was too fast for words. Somehow, the girl managed to roll over,
kicking the lady who restrained her as she turned. The dancer’s left foot
smashed her female captor’s left cheek. The captor fell, leaving only Bryan to
deal with. To get rid of him, the girl finished off her move by wrapping her
right leg around his neck and then smashing his face into the wall. He dropped
the gun, but he was not unconscious.
Quickly, the dancer got up and ran down the hallway to the nearest exit.
She stepped on Bryan’s back, ready to make a clean escape, but tripped when he
grabbed her ankle. The girl tripped face-forward, and once again rolled over to
kick him in the face. Bryan protested and cursed. However, the dancer was
running too fast too even care.
Bryan reached over for the gun at his right side. He aimed and was ready
to shoot when someone shot him first. Bryan paused and blinked. His right hand
dropped the gun and now throbbed with roaring pain. He gazed behind him to see
his partner, Anna, gone. She had slipped through the dressing room and was now
outside since he saw the window through the open doorway.
“Freeze,” Lei said now holding his gun to Bryan’s head. “You make
one move and I’ll shoot.”
“Detective Wulong,” Bryan stated with a crude smile, “You have me
now, but what makes you think you’ll detain me for long?”
|||
The woman was incessant. The dancer headed toward the city park where the
sight of trees promised a slight haven. Even if she slipped past the man, his
cohort still trailed her.
I knew she could not be trusted.
She ran through a side
entrance of the park. Her eyes surveyed the different trails, deciding which one
would take her to the main entrance and into the sanctuary of a mild crowd. As
long as there are people around…
She got sidetracked. The
dancer was snatched from behind and restrained. Anna pulled her hair and cupped
her mouth.
“You will pay for bashing my face!” Anna threatened before punching
the dancer on the left cheek, leaving a bruise equal in size to hers.
Anna turned the girl around to face her and pushed her. She held up her
hands, preparing to fight.
The dancer looked bored.
Anna raised a brow. “Want more?”
She reached into her cleavage and unsheathed a small object. She pressed
a small button and instantly, three small blades popped out of nowhere. She
glared like a sniper. “No problem.”
The dancer frowned. “Why are you after me,” she asked.
“Because I want you dead!”
Anna swiped the small blade at her opponent, but she dodged it.
The dancer straightened again and continued to study Anna. For six months
the two had been working together, side by side. The club owner hired Anna
because of her Irish looks and charm. She had a trashy way of dancing that said,
“take me”. Yet, despite how she performed, she was sweet and kind to all her
coworkers. She had a number of admirers, but she was especially interested in a
white-haired man with a scar running up and down across his left eye. The girl
remembered the man because both Anna and the stranger sat in front of the cage
as she danced. The girl didn't like the way his eyes explored her, fearing the
intentions that hid behind his crooked smile.
The dancer kicked Anna’s hand, depriving the weapon. Anna cursed and
then dove at her. The dancer reacted by kicking her while she flew in mid-air.
Anna fell and struggled to get up, her mouth bleeding from the dancer's kick.
“Where the hell did you learn to fight like that,” Anna screamed,
distressed over her opponent’s speed.
“Self-taught.”
“Bull-”
They fought and Anna managed to trap the girl in a headlock. The dancer
struggled, scratching and pulling her arms. Anna smiled, enjoying her
opponent’s lack of defense, yet the dancer’s next move would leave her
speechless. The girl gripped Anna’s arms, catapulted her legs backward and
wove them around Anna’s neck. Anna gasped for air and released the girl’s
head, now grabbing her throat. The dancer braced herself and pulled her torso
up. Now she was in sitting position with her legs wrapped around Anna’s neck
for balance. The dancer dove for the ground, flipping forward, her legs still
trapping Anna’s neck. Her long leg’s brought Anna over her as she nearly
finished her flip and slammed her to the ground. Anna screamed and twisted. The
girl knew that she would get up again since her back landed on the grass.
Quickly, the dancer got up from the ground. Anna grabbed hold of her foot.
“Let go, damn you!”
“Like hell I will.” Anna snatched her little knife and prepared to
stab her.
The girl reacted quickly and kicked her opponent in the face. Anna
released the knife and fell unconscious. It was at that moment the dancer heard
the sirens. She panicked, knowing that the police would probably find her
unconscious body lying in the park. Odd, though, the police cars were parked in
front of the club.
The girl clutched harder to her jacket. She didn’t even have time to
change into her street clothes. She wanted to go home so badly she just put on a
jacket and left, not caring about what she wore beneath it. Like all the other
dancers, she hated working there. The only reason why she stayed was for the
money. It was more than enough to pay for her bills and tuition. As long as she
kept a high grade point average, she thought that working there was worth it.
Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, she ran toward the main
entrance of the park as fast as she could. She did not look care to look back,
dear God she did not want to look back. After that incident she could no
longer work there. There were people after her, wishing her dead and she could
not come up with a logical explanation for why they went after her.
Her mind was too clouded with thoughts for her to even perceive that she now ran into the street. She did not even see the motorcycle coming her way. And by the time she noticed, it was too late.
©2001 by Ariadne. Tekken and all its characters property of NAMCO.