Rage and Ruin | 2

3 | 8

J A K E

      Almost a week had passed since the body had been placed in Hundsen's office and nothing had happened yet: no attacks, no sudden murders and no sign that the crime lord was even angry with me.

      It was possible that he was trying to let me get too comfortable, too used to the quiet, before going after me. He wanted me to think that he wasn't coming. But I knew better than that; he was furious and he was going to unleash his wrath upon me for what I did.

      It didn't come as a surprise; I knew that he'd come after me the second the plan had surfaced in my mind. I'd murdered his wife so he was going to do everything in his power to take all that I had from me to make us even. The flaw in his logic was that I didn't have anything that he could take. But he still had plenty more that I'd snatch away.

       The attack was coming, I just didn't know when. So I'd be ready. I was ready.

      I kept all those thoughts in the forefront of my brain as I got out of the car. Walking down the dark sidewalk, I was on my way to meet an informant. She was an ex-Club member in hiding that had barely escaped Hundsen's iron fist. Having been a part of the gang recently, she had information that she was willing to give me. I knew this wasn't a trap; Johnson hadn't been lying when he'd told me about her.

      Even if anything did go wrong, I was prepared. A handgun was concealed at one hip and a dagger on the other. The rings on my fingers would do damage if I hit my fist into flesh. If those weapons weren't enough, a smaller blade was concealed up my sleeve. As usual, my mind was as sharp as a knife and just behind my fingers, the freezing power of ice was held.

      A cold night breeze blew a few inky strands of hair into my eyes. My hands sunk into my pockets as I strode down the street. Only a few more blocks and I'd be there.

I didn't stop walking, even when I sensed someone else near me. No, not one person. Multiple.

Turning around, I was met with a large group of men. A gun was pointed at me, but not the normal kind. A tranquilizer gun. They were sent by Hundsen, there was no doubt in my mind about it.

"Can I help you?" My voice was as chilly as the ice about to burst forth from my fingertips.

"No, but you can help our leader," said the one holding the gun. Pulling the trigger, he shot a dart my way. I flicked it out of the way with a bolt of freezing water.

"You're going to have to try harder than that."

"Seven against one? We won't have to try at all."

"Bring five more men and it'll be an even fight."

Bringing my hands up past my ears, icicles grew longer in my grasp. I launched them both towards the man holding the gun, knowing that once I did, I'd surely be subjecting myself to a massive fight. That didn't matter; I could handle them.

They rushed at me all at once. I cut the first two down quickly, one with a shard of ice in the throat, the other with a sharp uppercut to the nose. Two, then three of them tried to grab me from the back, their thick arms around my neck. Grabbing my knife, I stabbed at whatever I could behind me. One pair of arms loosened around my neck.

Holding me down, they forced my arms back so that I faced the man with the tranquilizer gun. I dodged his first shot, summoning all my strength to pull myself to the side, taking the two men with me. The dart sunk into the left one's thigh.

I stomped my heel into one of the feet down below. When the man on the right bellowed in pain, I took the opportunity to deal a blow of my elbow into his eye socket. Another one of Hundsen's lackeys jumped on me to take his place but I spun around before any of them could get a grip on me.