The density of homeless dropped. A few even hurried in the opposite direction.
We must be getting close.
Lily continued running ahead, taking long strides. Her face was set in grim determination.
Worried it could have as easily been one of your friends back home?
They arrived at the sprawling Terrace. The glow of the path’s lights illuminated the mustard-colored sandstone covering the entire area. In the center of the Terrace was a multi-tier fountain nestled in a plant-festooned stone-lined pond.
A cowering old man in a worn jacket, jeans, and boots knelt in front of the fountain. His face was covered with blood, and he held his arms over his head. Eight men in dark suits with slick-backed hair surrounded him.
One of the men delivered a vicious kick to the man’s stomach, and the victim cried out.
Oh shit. Well, I guess if we do this quick enough, it’s not like they’ll even have a chance to report me to someone who might recognize me. Plus, this is straight-up bullshit.
“Come on, guys,” Shay called. “Seriously? Beating up an old homeless man?”
One of them looked her way and snorted. “This ain’t your business, bitch.”
Killing the men was low on the list of good ideas for multiple reasons, but it would be tricky to take them down without killing or seriously maiming them given their numbers. Unlike James, she couldn’t punch a man through a wall.
Maybe she could still get them to leave without a fight.
Shay shrugged. “I’m just saying eight badasses like you can do better. Find someone worth your time.”
“You don’t get it. Scum like him infest our streets, our parks, and nobody does anything about it. Well, I talked to my boys, and we all agreed that if we do a little cleaning, most of these roaches will go scurrying along.”
Lily ground her teeth and stepped forward, but stopped when Shay raised a hand.
I know you’re mad, but keep it cool. I can still get them to leave without a fight. I hope.
Shay snorted. Lily probably wanted to rip the men apart on general principles. There was nothing impressive about beating up people who were that much weaker than you, especially when you outnumbered them. The tomb raider only did it when people threatened her life.
She looked the men up and down. Everything about them screamed Mafia. “You Connected?”
The man sneered. “If you’re smart enough to know that, then you’re smart enough to mind your business. Now get the fuck out of here and let us finish what we started.”
Lily trembled with rage. “How could you beat up on some defenseless old man? You asses.”
The man kicked the homeless man again. The old man whimpered.
“Fuck this roach. You some bleeding heart, kid?” He narrowed his eyes. “You look freaky. I bet you’re Oriceran.”
“Screw you, asshole.”
The man laughed and pointed at her. “What? You some elf bitch? Look at this elf bitch, boys. You come to New York and smart off to us, bitch? This ain’t some tree city shit back on Oriceran. I don’t know what sort of whack-ass bullshit you do there, but this is America, and we clean up our messes.” He looked at Shay. “Why don’t you and your elf bitch run along before you get hurt? My patience is starting to run out.”
Shay sighed. So much for convincing the men to leave without trouble, but it was always nice to have a clear conscience before she beat the shit out of someone. She advanced slowly, and his hands twitched.
No knives. No guns. No grenades. I can’t leave a trail of bodies in New York, of all places, and certainly not in front of Lily, even if she wouldn’t mind so much this time. Didn’t expect so many guys, though.
The teen trailed behind her mentor.
“Time to put those reflexes and our sparring training to the test, and I guess it’ll be a good tactical exercise being outnumbered,” Shay commented. “Let’s just knock their asses out and get the hell out of here.”
The man snorted. “Get a load of this slut! She thinks she’s going to take us out.”
“No. I know we’re gonna take you out.”
All the men burst out in loud laughter. With their attention diverted from him, the homeless man started crawling away.
Good instincts. Get the fuck out of here, old man.
One of the other men noticed and frowned at the old man. “He’s leaving. We’re not done with you, fucker.”
Shay sighed and nodded to Lily. The tomb raider and her protégé rushed the mobsters, but the men didn’t react. Instead, they all smirked as if being attacked was the most hilarious thing that had happened to them in a while.
The smirks and smiles vanished seconds later. Shay delivered three quick punches in rapid succession. The first man’s nose crunched from her attention, and he doubled over after her stomach blow. She’d taken down much larger guys than him during sparring at the gym, let alone during jobs.
Lily might lack her mentor’s strength, but she snapped a solid kick into one of the mobsters’ knees. Shay wasn’t sure if the snap she heard was her imagination or real, but the man collapsed, screaming.
The six remaining mobsters stepped back, bringing up their fists with deep frowns on their faces. They hadn’t expected much resistance.
But they continued to underestimate Shay and Lily, or they would have gone for their guns.
I can work with this. We can finish these assholes off without giving anyone a reason to come sniffing on the other side of the country.
One of the men grunted and threw a punch. Shay ducked the attack and slammed her knee into his crotch, and he howled and fell.
Lily danced around the punches of her opponent. Punch after punch missed by an inch as she bobbed and weaved. Her reflexes served her well. She made a hummingbird look
