Shinobi (A Katana Novel) (7 page)

10

A
fter Drew and Kim left the condo, I shut the door behind them and sagged against it. The exhaustion from a night without sleeping, along with the stress of Sumi being back, slammed into me with the force of a Metrobus. My head pounded, and every muscle in my body screamed for me to climb into bed and pull the covers over my head.

Quentin dropped onto the couch. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a quick nap until everyone gets back? I can keep up with the texting.”

“Thanks for the offer, but there’s no way I could sleep knowing Sumi is out there, probably planning our deaths as we speak.” I rubbed my burning eyes. “But I would love
some coffee.” I pushed off the door and started for the
kitchen when Q jumped up.

“Let me.” He darted in front of me. “I can’t keep sitting around doing nothing.”

I didn’t have the strength to stop him. “You remember where the coffee is?”

“First cabinet next to the refrigerator.” He stepped be-hind the bar dividing the living room from the kitchen and snatched the coffeepot.

“Great. I’m going to head to my room and grab my cell phone.” I plodded down the hallway, each footstep heavier than the one before as exhaustion threatened to topple me over. I really hoped Sumi didn’t attack before I had my caffeine fix. Unless she wanted a nap-off. In which case I’d totally kick her ass.

But
after
I’d had my coffee, now that was different story. I cracked my knuckles against my palm. I was actually looking forward to our eventual encounter. After everything she’d done to Kim and me, I had more than a little thirst for revenge. Not to mention I was tired of her trying to come between Kim and me. I wanted this score settled once and for all so Kim and I could finally get on with our lives.

I only hoped it would be that easy. What was it about Kim and me that attracted opposition? No matter the years gone by or the battles fought, why did the ghosts of our past continue to resurrect?

I opened the door to my bedroom and flipped on the light only to jerk back, my hands flying to the handle of my sword. “Oh, son of hibachi!”

From his perch on my bed, Whitley continued to browse the screen of my phone in his hands. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”

“You’re not a friend,” I snarled. I released my sword,
marched up to him, and snatched my phone out of his hands. “What are you doing here?”

He yawned. “Well, I
was
reading the most boring emails ever written. Seriously, don’t you have a life?”

I switched the GPS on before tucking the phone inside my pocket. I was
not
going to take any chances. “The only one without a life will be you if you don’t tell me what you’re
really
doing here.”

Whitley rolled his eyes and sat up. “Always so dramatic. I’m not here to start any fights with you—that would be stupid considering we’re inyodo. Just like it’s stupid for you to threaten me. Then again, if my life was as boring as yours, I’d be suicidal too. ”

“What. Do. You. Want?” I growled between clenched teeth.

Whitley smiled and clasped his hands. “There’s that
famous Rileigh Martin hospitality I’ve grown to love. So glad you asked. I’m here for your help.”

“I already told you I’m not going to help you kill Sumi. I won’t do anything to put Kim’s life in danger.”

The smile melted from his face. “No. Of course you wouldn’t.” He waved a hand in the air. “But I’m not going to ask you to do that. Rumor has it Sumi regained her memory and she’s out for blood—
your
blood specifically.”

A sour taste burned the back of my throat, and my fingers reflexively grasped the handle of my sword. “How do you know that?”

He laughed. “Because I’m not stupid. I’m not content to go about my life oblivious to the threat of potential danger like some people I know.” He gave me a pointed look.

“I’m not oblivious—”

He held up his hand to silence me. “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is I know Sumi has her memory back, I know
she killed her parents, and I know she’s coming after you
next. And since we’re connected by this annoying inyodo, any attempt she makes on your life would be an attempt on mine. I just can’t have that.”

I dropped my sword’s handle. “We’re taking care of it. We’re working on finding Sumi as we speak. And once we do, we’re going to transport her to the Network security office in New York where she’ll be locked up for good.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And just how are you going to find her? In her last life, she was one of the most powerful ninjas to ever live. She pretty much wrote the book on evading capture.”

I frowned. I guess I hadn’t really thought about it like that.

Whitley’s grin widened. “And remind me, how did you fare against her in your last life? Oh yeah, I remember—you all died.”

Angry heat burned through my body. “It would be wise of you not to bring that up. Because if I remember correctly, Sumi had help.” Sumi had hired Whitley to betray us and lead an army of ninja over our walls. It was by Whitley’s hands that Kim had died trying to save me. My Yoshido’s sightless eyes staring up at me as he lay on the ground still haunted my nightmares.

“Now, now.” He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t come here to get you all riled up. Quite the opposite, actually.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. “I’m here to offer my help.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Just what makes you think I need your help?”

“You don’t know where Sumi is,” he said simply. “And
I
do.”

I jerked back as a sudden chill settled into my core. If Whitley wasn’t lying and he really knew where Sumi was, we could sneak up on her undetected. That would mean our mission just became a lot simpler as well as safer. Still, Whitley was my sworn enemy. I had a hard time believing he’d want to help me out of the goodness of his heart. “What’s the catch?”

He pressed a hand against his chest and feigned shock. “Rileigh Martin, I’m hurt you think there’d be one. Haven’t we moved beyond our petty differences? We’re connected,
you and I. The sooner we dispose of this little threat, the
sooner we can go back to living our lives.”

“What’s the catch?” I repeated.

He laughed. “Well, since you asked. There is one
tiny
thing.”

“Spit it out.”

He smiled widely. “I want to go.”

“You?” I laughed loudly. “You’re the biggest coward I know. Why on earth would you want to go anywhere you might be put in harm’s way?”

His face darkened. “Because I’m tired of running. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, wondering if every shadow that falls across my path is her coming to kill me. I want my life back.” He clenched his hands into fists. “And I will take it by force if necessary.”

Maybe it was because I was overly tired, but Whitley made a lot of sense. And considering I felt the same way, I couldn’t help but feel a tad sympathetic toward him.

“Besides,” he continued, “we have your healer friend now, and he’s proven himself to be very formidable. I think the odds are greatly in our favor.”

“True. But Kim has his memory back too. He doesn’t know you helped us defeat Sumi before. And since you helped her kill all of us in the past, I don’t think he’s going to take too kindly to your presence—let alone your help.”

“Which is why you aren’t going to tell him.”

“Tell him what?” Q asked, walking into my room with two steaming mugs of coffee. If he was surprised to find me chatting it up with Whitley, he didn’t show it. After handing me a mug, he sipped his own coffee, keeping his eyes on Whitley.

Whitley smirked. “She’s not going to tell Kim the three of us are teaming up again!” He rubbed his hands together. “Isn’t it exciting?”

Q looked at me with raised eyebrows. “That’s not exactly the word I would use to describe it.”

“I have a few choice words myself,” I agreed. “But Whitley here says he knows where Sumi is hiding. He’ll tell us only if we take him and don’t tell Kim where we’re going.”

Q snorted. “Do we look like idiots?”

“Fine.” Whitley shrugged. “Then I guess you can hunt down Sumi on your own.” He walked to the door. “Hopefully you’ll find her before she finds you.”

Son of hibachi
. If Whitley was telling the truth, having him lead us to Sumi would save us a lot of time and trouble. If we could add the element of surprise to our attack, it just might give us the edge needed to defeat her. “Wait!” I called out before Whitley passed through the doorway.

He turned around with a smile. “Yes?”

“What are you doing?” Q hissed into my ear. “You can’t be seriously thinking about going with Whitley and not telling Kim?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking about doing.” But for an entirely different reason. As long as I
didn’t
call Kim, he would know something was up and come looking for me. With the GPS enabled on my phone, he’d also know exactly where I was. I gave Q a pointed look. “No one is going to
call
Kim.”

Q blinked several times before his eyes lit up. “Oh.
Oh.
We’re not going to
call
him.”

“Nope.”

Whitley crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. “But what if he calls you?”

“I won’t answer it.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and set it to vibrate before exchanging a quick glance with Q. It had almost been fifteen minutes since Kim walked out the door, which meant he would be calling at any minute. When I didn’t answer, he was sure to come looking for me. So he wouldn’t be far behind us, wherever Whitley planned to take us.

“Good.” Whitley narrowed his eyes. “I just know if we invited your little boyfriend along, he’d want to imprison me along with Sumi.”

I dropped my phone into my back pocket. “What makes you think
I
don’t?”

He laughed. “Oh please. You wouldn’t do that. You need me.”

I snorted. “Yeah, like I need a shuriken to the head.”

He shook his head. “When are you going to admit that we make a great team?”

“Uh,
never.
”

“That’s a little unfair, don’t you think?” he asked.

“Is it?” I took a step toward him. “I let my guard down once. Once! And you led a group of ninja over our castle walls. You killed our Lord Toyotomi. You killed Yoshido. In order to be a team with someone, you have to trust them, and I don’t trust you. I will
never
trust you.”

He grinned. “Fair enough. But if you don’t trust me as much as you say you do, why agree to go with me in the first place?”

I stepped up to him with my hands balled into fists.
“Because if you screw me over, so help me Whitley, I’m going to have Q alter your mind so you’ll never hurt anyone again. The only thing you’ll be able to do is stare out the window and drool. Do you understand?”

A flicker of fear passed through his eyes. “He can do that?”

Q shrugged and flexed his fingers. “Never tried before, but I’m willing to give it a shot.”

Whitley swallowed, his eyes darting nervously between me and Q. “All right, point taken. So let’s put the brain damage on hold for right now. We should probably get going before Sumi makes her move.”

I glanced at Q to make sure one last time he was on board with the plan. Any situation involving Sumi was a dangerous one. And throwing Whitley into the mix didn’t make it any better. By going along with me, I was asking Q to risk his life. But instead of hesitating or showing any signs of doubt, Q locked eyes with me and gave a curt nod.

“All right.” I pulled my jacket from my desk chair. “Let’s go find Sumi.”

Together, Q and I followed Whitley out of my condo, down several flights of stairs, and into the parking garage where his BMW waited.

Just as I was about to climb into the front passenger seat, my phone began to vibrate from my inside my pocket. I smiled and settled back into the seat. When I didn’t answer, Kim would surely come looking for me. Sure, Whitley would be pissed. But after all the times he’d double-crossed me, I definitely owed him one.

11

W
hitley pulled into a remote shopping plaza and parked his car outside a twenty-four-hour gym.

I frowned at him. “Not really a good time for a workout, don’t you think?”

He rolled his eyes. “We’re not here to work out, you dummy. Sumi is here.” He pointed to the blue Honda parked a row over. “I followed her here earlier. And since her car is still here—it’s safe to assume she hasn’t left yet.”

In the backseat, Q unbuckled his seat belt and leaned forward. “Are you sure? I don’t see anyone inside.”

He was right. With the early morning light yet to break through the purpling horizon, the rows of treadmills, elliptical machines, and weightlifting equipment sat unused. But dawn was quickly approaching, and the gym would soon be full of people wanting to get a quick workout before work. If Sumi was in there, we needed to find her before the innocent bystanders arrived.

Whitley pulled the keys from the ignition and placed them inside his pocket. “She’s in the locker room. What better place to clean up undisturbed after a murder? If you can somehow get inside the gym without swiping your membership card, the police would never think to look for you here. Meanwhile, you can rest and clean up, and all that DNA evidence goes right down the drain. It’s genius, really.”

I made a face. “I guess you have to be a psychopath to really appreciate the achievements of another psychopath.” I opened the car door and stepped out into the chilly spring air. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner we do, the sooner I don’t have to see you ever again.”

Whitley followed me out of the car. “Fair enough.”

I quickly glanced at the road behind us. How long would it take Kim to arrive? Since climbing into the car with Whitley, my phone had buzzed five different times over the course of our fifteen-minute drive. He had to be on his way, and I’d sure feel a lot better taking Sumi on with Kim by my side.

Q exited the car and approached the gym door. After trying unsuccessfully to pull the door open, he tapped a gray box beside the door. “You need one of those magnetic key cards to get inside.”

“On it.” I marched to the door and placed my hand on the card reader. Closing my eyes, I opened myself enough to allow a small ribbon of ki to uncurl from my fingertips into the box beneath my fingers. A second later, the box beeped and the door clicked as the lock receded.

Q smiled before pulling the door open. “That never gets old.”

Whitley snorted. “It’s a cheap trick—one that any
ninja
could do. What would be really handy is if you could do that thing where you make us all invisible.” He gave me a hopeful look.

“Sorry.” I shook my head. “That only works if I’m standing in shadows and this place”—I gestured to the brightly florescent lit room—“is seriously lacking in shadows.”

Whitley sighed. “So much for that idea. Guess we’ll just have to face her head-on.” He removed a long chain from his pocket. A blunt weight dangled from one end and a gleaming hatchet from the other. A kusarigama—the perfect weapon for both bludgeoning your enemy to death and cutting them into ribbons.

I slid my sword free from its sheath at my hip and spun it in several slow arcs in front of me to loosen my muscles. I glanced at Q. “Ready?”

He nodded, his mouth tight. “Ready.”

We quietly stepped inside the gym and shut the door softly behind us. Immediately, I was assaulted by the smell of stale sweat and rubber. As I approached the front desk, an electric current jolted through my body, raising the hair on the back of my arms and constricting my lungs. Definitely a danger premonition—which meant someone was on the verge of trying to kill me.
Awesome.
I tightened my grip on my sword. “We’re definitely in the right place,” I whispered.

Whitley rolled his eyes. “I
told
you we were. Why would I lie?”

I directed a scowl at him as I brushed past. Why
wouldn’t
he lie? He’d killed me in my last life, and it had only been a year since he tried to kill me in this one. I’d have to be an idiot to put my trust in him now.

I glanced at the clock on the wall.
Hurry, Kim!

Slowly, we made our way to the back of the gym. I scanned every corner of the room but still didn’t see any signs of Sumi. As we approached the locker rooms, I became aware of the hissing sound of water from a shower. I dropped my gaze to the floor, where I noticed tendrils of steam curling out from under the women’s locker room door like reaching fingers.

If Sumi was in the shower, we definitely had the element of surprise on our side. But it also meant I couldn’t afford to wait for Kim. I motioned for Q and Whitley to stay close as I pulled the door open.

A hot wall of steam rushed out at me, blasting me in the face. There was no way one hot shower could have created the mass of steam blanketing the locker room. And the loud hissing coming from the shower stalls confirmed my suspicions—all the showers were running full blast. And that could only mean one thing.

I tightened my sweaty grip on my sword.

Sumi knew we were coming.

“What do we do?” Q asked. I glanced over my shoulder and could barely make out his features through the blanket of white.

“We fight!” Whitley hissed. “We’re never going to get another chance like this again. If she slips through our grasp now, she’ll only attack again when we’re not expecting it. It’s now or never.”

As much as I hated to admit it, Whitley had made a good point. If Sumi knew we were coming for her, then she might also have known about the Network’s arrival and how we planned to imprison her.

Besides, Kim was sure to be here any minute. If anything, we could stall her until reinforcements arrived. I pulled the boys closer to me and said, “If we want to defeat her, we need to keep our backs together so she can’t sneak up on us. Got it?”

“Got it,” both Whitley and Q answered.

“Okay then. Let’s move out.” I lifted my sword in front of me so that it arched over my shoulder and slowly made my way deeper inside the locker room. Q and Whitley followed, and the door shut behind us with a soft click.

Steam beaded along my skin and ran in lines down my neck. Immediately, I wondered if I had just made a huge mistake. I’d walked into a fight where two of my senses were crippled. The fog distorted my vision and made the room appear hazy and distorted. And it was nearly impossible to hear over the hiss of rushing water.

A shot of pain jolted through my leg, and I looked down to discover I’d bumped into a bench. “Son of hibachi,” I growled.

“I’ll fix that.” Q offered his hand, and I knew if I took it he’d use his powers to melt away the pain.

“No. I’m good.” I waved his hand away. I wanted the pain—needed it. Somehow it helped me focus.

“Do you think she’s still in here?” Q asked.

If the electric current zipping through my veins was any indication, she was definitely close. “Oh, yeah. Let’s cover our backs.”

“Right.” A second later, Q’s back pressed against mine.

I kept my eyes trained on the row of lockers in front of me. “Whitley?”

He didn’t answer.

I twisted my head around, unable to see him through the fog. “Whitley?” I hissed again. “This isn’t funny.”

“Uh, Ri-Ri?” Q’s voice held a waiver of fear. “Whitley’s gone.”

“What?” I grabbed Q’s elbow and whirled around, forcing him to stay behind me as we moved. Sure enough, Whitley was nowhere to be seen. “That traitor!” I growled through clenched teeth. I should have known he’d bolt. He was a coward, after all, and I shouldn’t have doubted for a second that, once faced with the threat of danger, he’d abandon us.

I sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm my rapid heartbeat. “It’s fine, it’s okay,” I muttered, only I wasn’t sure if I was saying it for Q’s benefit or my own.

A girl’s laughter filled the room around us, echoing off walls and reverberating against the locker doors.

Sumi.

My muscles coiled and I raised my sword. I whipped my head around, hoping to discover her hiding spot, but I was unable to see more than a few feet through the fog. Behind me, Q’s breathing quickened and I could feel small shudders rippling down his spine where it pressed against my back.

I transferred my weight to the balls of my feet, ready
ing
myself to spring in any direction. “Why are you hiding,
Sumi? Afraid we’ll defeat you like last time?”

“Hardly.” She stepped out from behind a row of lockers. Unlike the last time we’d encountered her, she hadn’t bothered with the ridiculous geisha dress. Instead, she wore a pair of black spandex running capris, a green tank top, and black Nikes. She would have looked like an average gym-goer if it weren’t for the splatters of blood staining her shirt.

Q spun around so we stood side by side. He folded his arms across his chest and lifted his chin. For someone who’d been so tense with fear only moments ago, he sure knew how to exude confidence when it counted. “What’s the matter, Sumi? Your stripper outfit at the dry cleaners?”

She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. “I’d watch my tongue if I were you. You cannot begin to imagine all the ways I could kill you. But this fight does not belong to you. This is a feud spanning more than five hundred years. Leave with your life while you can.”

Q’s fingers curled into fists. “This fight became mine the moment you tried to kill my best friend.”

“Have it your way.” Sumi lifted her hand and blue bolts of electricity bled from her fingertips, striking Q in the chest. He sailed backward and slammed into the lockers behind him with a sickening thunk.

“Q!” My sword wavered in the air, but I knew better than to turn my back on the enemy in front of me.

Q groaned and placed a hand against his forehead. “It’s all right. I’m fine.”

“Impossible.” Sumi’s eyes fluttered wide. “Your healing powers are stronger than I thought.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. You’re still no match for me.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Whitley called out.

He came back?
I whirled around to find him standing in the locker room doorway. Relief loosened the ropes of anxiety pulling tight around my chest. He hadn’t abandoned us after all.

Whitley strode into the middle of the steam-filled room and faced Sumi head-on. “Our deal was you wouldn’t hurt him.”

Sumi snorted. “I seem to recall you made me a similar deal centuries ago, resulting in the death of my betrothed.”

Son of hibachi
. We’d been double-crossed. Again.

My stomach quivered. Q and I exchanged furious glances. As much as I wanted to be surprised, the emotion wouldn’t surface. I knew all along that trusting Whitley was like bathing in a pool of electric eels—it was only a matter of time until I got stung.

Whitley threw his hands in the air. “How many times do I have to tell you? That was an accident!”

“So you’re working with Sumi now?” I asked him. “I thought she was trying to kill you.”

“I was,” Sumi answered for him. “But then I realized the old saying is true—the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

I looked at Whitley. “And you believe her? Who’s to say she won’t kill you the moment your back is turned?”

“She wouldn’t.” Whitley said, but his eyes flashed with uncertainty. “We came to an arrangement that benefits both of us.”

Quentin used the locker door to pull himself to his feet. Sumi was right—his powers had to be growing. It was a miracle he was even alive, let alone able to stand after her attack. “Nothing she could offer you will help,” he said. “Especially when you’re both rotting in a Network security cell.”

Sumi grinned. “That’s what we’re counting on.”

She wanted us to throw her inside a cell? “Well, uh …
good
?
Because it just so happens I have my phone’s GPS turned on and Kim will be here any minute.”

Sumi whirled around and glared at Whitley.

He shrugged and took a tentative step backward. “I didn’t know.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, even though the look on her face was less than thrilled. “We’ll have to work fast. Do you still have the bracelet I gave you?”

He pulled a long, braided cord out of his jeans pocket. Woven throughout the leather were a multitude of colorful stones and what appeared to be fragments of bone. “Are you sure this will work?”

“There’s one way to find out.” She turned to me with a smile.

Okay, I was really confused now. “You’re going to accessorize us to death?”

Sumi rolled her eyes. “Of course not. We don’t want to hurt those precious bodies of yours.”

Now she was concerned about our well-being? Q and I exchanged a confused look. This was by far the strangest fight I’d ever been in.

Sumi pulled a dagger out of her waistband. The razor edge winked under the light, like it was also in on the joke Q and I couldn’t figure out. Sumi spoke to Whitley. “It’s time.”

He nodded and lifted the sharpened edge of the kus-arigama.

A fight. Now
this
made sense. My muscles tensed and I licked my lips in anticipation of the attack to come.

But it never did.

Instead, Whitley and Sumi lifted their blades to their own palms and drew the edge across their skin. Whitley made a hiss of pain but Sumi barely flinched.

I lowered my blade a fraction and blinked.
Well, this is new.

Quentin sidled up beside me. “I haven’t been in a lot of fights,” he whispered. “So can you explain what’s going on?”

“Not a clue,” I answered. “The bad guys usually throw the sharp, pointy things at your head. They don’t use them on themselves.” A growing sense of unease bloomed inside me, making my stomach quiver. Fights made sense—bad guys tried to kill you. And in return, you tried to kill them. But this? My pulse quickened. Something was up, something dangerous; I could feel it like poison in my blood—dark, undetectable, but dangerous all the same.