"You've got what you came for. Now what?" I asked.
"Now I'm going to have to tie you up. Can't have you following me, can I?" she said as she picked up the book.
"Lady, even if you hadn't robbed me I would follow you," I replied.
"Are you hitting on me?" she asked playfully.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," I said and delivered one of my famous lady-killer winks.
She laughed a short, mocking laugh. "Does that actually work for you?" she asked with contempt. "Sit in the chair over there lover boy."
"I seem to be losing my touch," I muttered to myself.
Being tied up and left for the soldiers to find me did not sound appealing. Getting shot trying to get away sounded worse. But I had to get away from her before she realized my ruse.
I studied my opponent, ignoring my attraction to her. She was athletic, but built slim, I outweighed her by at least sixty pounds. Overpowering her wouldn't be a problem, but her pistol negated any advantage I might have.
Keeping her gun trained on me, she raised the red leather book and opened it. Her eyes narrowed at first, and then she leaned in towards the book, as if studying it. Her eyes grew wider, and the pistol drooped a few inches as the realization that the book was empty hit her. The instant her arm began to sag, I launched myself at her.
She reacted faster than I could have imagined, closing the book with a snap and hurling it at me before I had covered half the distance. I barely registered the blow as it glanced off my raised forearm. I hurtled my body against her. My hands clutching and clawing at her gun until my fingers found purchase, and I peeled the weapon away from her, flinging it across the room. My attack was vicious but amateurish. Slamming into her left me off balance, and she retaliated before the gun hit the floor.
Her grip seized my wrist like a bear trap. She pivoted, twisted my arm, and somehow sent me flying head over heels. Air burst from my lungs, driven by the impact of landing on my back. Ignoring the pain, I rolled to my feet, narrowly avoiding a vicious stomp and gasping for breath. This woman meant business.
I backed away, stumbling over the debris on the floor, trying to put some distance between us. A smile crept across her lips as she advanced, matching me step for step. In a blur, her leg arced out, crashing into my right thigh with a loud snap. Pain exploded in my leg and I staggered, but I remained standing. She followed with a feigned attack to my left side only to deliver another kick to the same spot on my thigh. This time my leg buckled. I threw my hands up in defense as I toppled over, but her fists found every gap in my desperate defense. Her blows rained down on me with surgical precision. She was in total control and picking me apart piece by piece. I had to do something fast.
Ignoring her blows, I went on the offensive. I grabbed her arm, wrenching it down and outward hard enough to pop her shoulder. She let out a squeal of pain and I bucked my hips, shoving her off of me. She fell backwards but rolled to her feet, clutching her injured shoulder, already working it in a windmill fashion.
Scrambling to my feet, I backed away from her, limping on my bruised leg, angling for the kitchen and the back door. Once again she advanced, pursuing me relentlessly until we were in the center of the kitchen, both of us panting.
She launched another attack, her first punch sailing over my head and leaving me with an opening. Rising, I threw an uppercut at her exposed jaw, but she recovered before it could connect, sidestepping the punch with ease. I followed up with a jab and she side-ducked, countering with a blow to my ribs before grabbing my arm and sending me flying through the air to land on my back again.
She took the fight to the ground, straddling me before I could recover. Finally, a mistake. I had a massive advantage in both size and strength in a grappling situation. I seized her by the back of her shirt and peeled her off of me with one hand, her arms and legs flailing. She grunted and strained, trying to escape and regain her previous dominance. I forced her to the ground and rolled over on top of her, pinning her arms with my knees.
"It's about time you let me on top," I said, managing a feeble wink while panting.
Her eyes rolled, and in one movement she twisted her hips and kicked her legs, flipping me over her head and rolling to straddle me in a perfect reversal. "If you want to be on top, you'll have to earn it," she said, returning the wink.
I smiled. "I'm ok with that."
Just as she opened her mouth to retort, I summoned all of my strength and what little formal fight training I had. I managed to once again reverse the situation, but just as I thought I had won, she kicked her legs and managed to shove me off of her.
She jumped to her feet, somehow still between me and the kitchen door. But this time she didn't attack. She circled me and backed up towards the living room. The kitchen door was nearby, a few more steps and I could make a run for it. But something wasn't right. She had tried so hard to stop me. Why stop now? Unless.
I thrust my hand into my back pocket but found nothing. My eyes snapped to the woman slowly backing away. Clutched in her hand was
