"Who's going to sleep in my bed?" I leaned in close and whispered into her ear, as I allowed my hand to rest on top of her thigh. "Who am I going to f.u.c.k every night?"

She looked at me and shook her head. "You...you hurt me."

"Punish me then," I replied as I allowed my breath to graze across her neck. "I'll let my wh.o.r.e conquer the king whenever she chooses to."

"Shadow..." she breathed as I allowed my hands to slip under her skirt.

I closed my eyes and thought of Aria and I imagined it was her skin that I was touching.

"But first, I need to protect us from my sister. Tell me how I can find her," I said, opening my eyes again.

"Calisto's " but before she could finish her sentence, there was the single sound of a suppressed gun shot.

Before I could piece together what had happened, Elena fell to the ground in a heap, a single bullet hole marking the center of her forehead.

I looked up and saw the man from the convenience store-the same one with the thick gla.s.ses and greasy matted hair-standing there, a gun in his hand.

Standing next to him was the little girl, her eyes covered by a blindfold. She was clinging onto his leg.

The man smiled at me, his teeth stained yellow and jagged, as if he had been chewing on limestone. The gun was still in his hand.

Where did he come from and why the h.e.l.l did he just kill Elena?

The kitchen was the only other entranceway into this private room, but Tsung and his men were supposedly guarding it. Perhaps Nathan had decided to betray us both, hiring this odd f.u.c.k to take us both out-two birds with one psychopath.

"You piece of s.h.i.t," I seethed.

A few seconds more and Elena would have sang for me.

The man, still grinning, slowly lowered the gun in his right hand and began to turn around, nudging for the little girl to do the same.

What the f.u.c.k was going on? Was Elena the only target?

Four-Eyes began to walk away from the scene, but I'd be d.a.m.ned if I was just going to sit idly by. I needed answers, and chances were this twisted f.u.c.k had some.

I charged at him.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Shadow Four-Eye's speed reminded me of the White Crow. Before I could connect my fist with his face, I found myself lying flat on my back, winded. He had caught my arm and kicked my legs out from under me.

I took note that he dropped his gun next to Elena's body, the silencer still attached to it.

As I struggled to my feet, Four-Eyes started clubbing me with his grisly fists. If I didn't know better, I swore I was being pummeled by a stack of bricks wrapped underneath a layer of human skin. I felt every single blow.

Was I fighting a man or a shaved grizzly bear?

He continued to beat me with his heavy fists, swinging his arms like he was striking nails with hammers, smashing me in the fleshy part between my neck and shoulders.

Pain shot through my neck and into jaw, cascading all the way down to my lower back. I clenched my teeth as I tried to block the blows with my forearms, but they were coming down fast and heavy.

Four-Eyes continued grinning like an imbecile while maintaining his onslaught to my body. After what seemed like two-solid minutes of the relentless a.s.sault, he let up for a split second. He was getting tired.

Now was the time to counter attack.

I drove my right fist hard into his gut. It felt like I was. .h.i.tting a hard sack of flour.

Four-eyes frowned, and then smashed me in the right side of my face, knocking me flat on my back once more.

My head was throbbing. I didn't think I could get back up.

Half-dazed and lying on the ground, I turned my head towards the blindfolded little girl. She began singing the cheerful tune of London Bridge, oblivious to the fact that the two men in the room with her were in a one-sided fist fight.

It was bizarre.

I heard heavy footsteps against the hardwood floor and I looked up to see Four-Eyes standing over me. He was gripping a silver fork.

I struggled to rise to my feet, but before I could, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d stabbed me in the shoulder with the eating utensil, burying the piece of silverware in my body.

"f.u.c.ker," I hissed as I rolled away from him and struggled back to my feet. I grabbed the hilt of the fork, still protruding from my shoulder, and unleashed a growl as I pulled it out.

Four-eyes continued smiling as he picked up another fork from the dinner table.

He lunged at me like a cobra, but I was quick enough to dodge the attack this time. I made a dash for the gun on the ground, which the idiot had forgotten about.

Time to end this.

I grabbed the gun and directed it at the f.u.c.ker's head. I pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

I pulled again and again but each time, all I heard were empty clicks.

He had loaded the gun with only one bullet. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d must have been confident that he could finish the job with a single shot.

Four-Eyes lunged at me again, and this time, he made contact. He had attempted to stab me in the throat with the fork, but luckily I managed to shield myself with my arms just in time, protecting my neck from the attack. My right forearm, however, now had a dinner fork sticking out of it.

"f.u.c.king h.e.l.l," I cried as I stared at the second piece of silverware protruding from my body tonight. It hurt like h.e.l.l.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted off the ground, and everything went to s.h.i.t as I was sent crashing into the large circular dining room table.

I wasn't going to win this. I felt broken. Even breathing at this point hurt.

That was when the door opened and I saw Cairo stepping in. He looked at me first, lying on the ground, covered in Chinese food, before turning his attention to Four-Eyes, and then the blind-folded little girl.

"What the f.u.c.k..." he glanced over at Elena's body, a heap on the ground. "Awww, s.h.i.t."

"He shot Elena," I gasped as I forced myself back onto my feet, brushing fried rice and tofu off my clothes.

Suddenly, Nathan appeared in the room and at first sight of Four-Eyes, his calm disposition melted away into a frown.

He seemed genuinely upset to see him there. His facial expressions morphed from surprise to shock as he saw Elena's corpse. Perhaps Nathan didn't organize the hit after all?

"Nathan, get your men to grab this f.u.c.ker," I said.

The Triad boss immediately shook his head. "No," he replied, direct and to the point. "It looks like Elena was the target. He has accomplished what he came here to do. For the sake of your well-being Shadow, I suggest you allow him to walk out of here. I will not risk my men dying to apprehend him."

I turned and looked at the a.s.sa.s.sin, who stood in the corner, grinning. Why wasn't he attacking anyone, or running away for that matter? Maybe he was enjoying the one-on-one fight, treating it like a boxing match, patiently waiting for round two?

This guy seriously had problems.

I pulled the fork out of my forearm, and grimaced. "Do you not see Elena's dead body over there Nathan? This f.u.c.ker killed her."

"I see it," Nathan said, "and I'm thankful I wasn't the target instead. Now, let Duckface walk. The last thing I need is another body in my restaurant."

"Duckface?" I asked, puzzled.

Cairo immediately began to laugh. "Duckface?" he howled. "What kind of stupid name is Duckface?"

The a.s.sa.s.sin began blowing hot air out of his nose. He probably didn't enjoy being made fun of.

Perhaps, I could get him to fight with his heart, instead of his head.

"Quack, quack, b.i.t.c.h," I hollered.

My taunt worked, and immediately, he charged at me like a mad bull.

I quickly grabbed the empty gun and hurled it at Duckface's oversized cranium. It bounced harmlessly off his forehead, as if the gun was made out of plastic.

I collapsed to the ground underneath the weight of Duckface and felt his cement fists striking at me all over again.

Cairo was quick to jump in, grabbing Duckface from behind.

"I got him." No sooner had Cairo said that, the a.s.sa.s.sin snapped his head back, catching Cairo in the lower jaw with the back of his head.

Cairo spewed out a string of profanities as he released his grip on Duckface and clutched his jaw.

Duckface was one slippery f.u.c.ker.

The girl had now switched songs and was singing Ring-Around-the-Rosies.

"Nathan, give me your gun," I shouted.

The Triad boss shook his head. "I will not get involved in this," he said. "I suggested you let Duckface go, but you ignored my warnings. I will not be dragged down along with the two of you."

"You're joking, right?" I asked. "You have at least ten men out there."

"Yes," he agreed, "Ten men that are still breathing and I'd like to keep it that way."

"f.u.c.king coward," Cairo muttered, rubbing his chin.

Nathan shrugged as he turned his back on us.

"Good luck gentlemen," he added, just before stepping back into the main dining room, closing the door behind him.

"Twinkle twinkle little star," the blindfolded girl sang as she spun herself around and around in one spot of the private room.

Cairo looked at her with a raised brow. "That just ain't right," he said as he turned his attention to Duckface. "What are you, some sick twisted pedophile?"

A light-switch flipped inside Duckface's head, and suddenly, the contours on his face were overcome with pure anger. Cairo had hit a nerve.

"No hurt her, no hurt her," Duckface screamed. His voice sounded like a mash up between Animal from the Muppets and an old fog horn.

In a split second, Duckface was already on top of Cairo, smacking away at his bald head with bare knuckles. I grabbed a wooden chair from the ground, snuck up behind Duckface, and smashed him across the back of the head.

No reaction.

Like a wild animal, he continued to focus on his prey. He seemed fixated in trying to cave in Cairo's skull with his blows.

I hit Duckface with a plate, but still the same, ambivalent reaction. I might as well have hit him with a pillow.

"Get him off me man," I heard Cairo shouting, Duckface still on top of him.

"I'm trying," I shouted, as I fumbled around for another weapon.

Another chair? Why the f.u.c.k not?

I smashed this one into his shoulders and the fleshy part of his neck. Nothing.

I started to wonder if this guy was even human.

Maybe I could put him in a sleeper hold, and choke him out, like I had done with Cairo a couple of nights ago.

No sooner had I wrapped my arms around Duckface's head, I found myself flipped over and lying on the ground, winded.

That was then I was introduced with a heavy boot to the face, and then darkness.