The Edge Of Justice

The Edge of Justice Chapter 16

Yep! Two chapters back to back. I'm just that awesome.

I let the pressure off of Katrina’s back and dropped my foot, falling back into a defensive stance. My hands came up when she turned, a smile tweaking the corners of her lips. “I’ll admit, boss, you caught me off guard with that one. Can we go again?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” I said, and she launched herself forward once more, a wide punch coming for my face. I leaned back, evading the strike, and pivoted on the balls of my feet, aiming to end up on her left side. A blow to my ribs sent me sprawling to the mat, and I rolled my shoulder to come back onto my feet. Katrina was still posing from the strike, her left knee raised to her chest.

I was content to stand and rub my side a moment. “Nice improvisation.”

She smirked, dropping her foot back to the mat. “Thanks.”

I dropped back into my stance and waited for her to come forward again, which she did, very quickly. Blows came like lightning strikes, and I was hard pressed to keep blocking, giving more and more ground as we circled the mat. Finally, my hands moved to block a strike of their own accord, and I realized that she was using a set series of strikes. I smiled knowingly, and used it to my advantage. She went through the series one more time, and I blocked and dodged, waiting for the moment to present itself. I wasn’t disappointed, and she made the move I knew she would. Her right foot came up, ready to snap toward my left knee, and I dropped into a crouch, catching her leg. I rolled to my right, twisting her foot and pulling her off balance. She crashed to the floor, and I leapt on top of her, bringing my fist within inches of her face. She flinched, closing her eyes and turning her face to the side. “Told you I was better than you thought,” I said, getting off of her and holding out my hand to help her up.

“That you did,” she replied, grasping my wrist. I hauled her up, then went back to my crumpled hoodie, snapping my swords back into place on my back. The sai went into their holsters, and I turned to find both Katrina and Stacey watching me. “That was amazing,” Stacey beamed.

I nodded my thanks, and Katrina told me that when I was ready to meet her back in the Hive. She said goodbye to Stacey and left us alone. Stacey seemed content to stand there staring at me, so I broke the silence. “Is there somewhere we can sit and talk? I’m starving to be honest.”

My words visibly startled her, and she hurried to reply, “Of course.” Moving for the other side of the gym with me in tow, she walked through a door and down a hallway with me in tow until we reached a small cafeteria. Few people sat at the tables, even fewer of them talking. Most were content to work on their laptops, paying us no mind, though my weapons did grant me the occasional strange glance.

Stacy had me sit at a table in the corner while she went to the buffet table, bringing us back fried chicken and potato wedges. I have her my thanks and bit into the stale seasoned potato, wondering how this passed for food. “They actually expect you to eat this?” I choked, taking a large swig from the bottle of water she’d placed in front of me.

Stacey giggled nervously. “The potatoes are overdone, but the chicken is usually decent.”

Eyebrow raised skeptically, I picked up a drumstick and took a bite, surprised when it was actually pretty good. “Works for me,” I said with my mouth full.

She laughed again, taking a dainty bite of her own meal. “I’m sorry about jumping you like that earlier. I was extremely relieved to see you up and around.”

I swallowed, enjoying the first real food I’d eaten in months. “It’s no problem. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting anyone from the days. What happened after I took you home?”

She smiled. “My mom fainted once she opened the door.”

I burst out laughing, remembering how the older woman had dropped like a sack of potatoes. “I stuck around long enough to see that!”

She laughed with me, then continued. “I was convinced that the weapon you had used that night came from your fingers, and that’s what I told the reporters when I was finally able to talk about what had happened.”

I chuckled again. “I remember that news broadcast. My wife still laughs at that.”

Stacey took another bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. “Well, I finished high school, but I never forgot about you. After that I went to college with a plan to help. Once I got my degree in foreign studies, I joined the agency. I was one of the people that helped Prince find you the first time, even though I was only a junior in college at the time.”

“You helped them find me?” I asked, amazingly curious.

“Well, they only came to me for a description because I was the only person to have ever seen your face. I was also working on profiling, and I had been working on yours. I gave them my information, and I was accepted into the agency the day after I graduated.”

“Wow,” I said, pushing my now empty plate away. “How about personally? Kids, husband? Even a dog?”

“Her name is Kiri, and I love her to death,” she replied, and I almost choked.

“Oh. Congratulations on finding someone.”

She laughed again. “Kiri is a cat, Christian.”

Now it was my turn to smile, but before I could reply, Katrina burst into the cafeteria, eyes sweeping the room frantically. She found me, and bolted over, grabbing my wrist and pulling me from the chair. Stacey stood, nodding at Katrina. “I guess Prince finally decided to take a look at the report I filed two days ago. See you soon, Christian.”

She waved at my back while I was dragged toward the door, and I dug my boots into the tile. “Katrina, what the hell!”

“We found them! Well, Stacey found them. Either way, come on!”

I stopped and ripped my hand from her grasp, then turned around and bolted back to the blonde woman  still standing by the cluttered table. Wrapping my arms around her I lifted her from the floor and spun her around in a crushing hug. “Thank you,” I whispered, kissing her cheek. “I owe you one.”

I turned back and bolted past Katrina, only stopping once I realized that I had no clue which way I was supposed to go.