The Rush (3 page)

Not quite as quick or as soundless as she could've hoped
for, but Mia would take it. She darted out of the area, seeking another dark
corner from which to attack next. As she rounded a corner, she found herself
face to face with the Belgian, who took on a fighting stance, his mouth
contorting into a feral grin. From the stance, Mia could see this would not be
such a quick win for her. She glanced around, seeking some sort of additional
help with a much taller, much heavier opponent. She saw none.

The man must have observed her failed search; his grin
widened and he moved in with more confidence. Watching the man’s advance, Mia
noted a hitch in his left foot and attacked just as it came around the second
time.

Her punch fell on empty air as the man dropped to the floor
and swept Mia’s legs out from under her. As Mia landed, her breath whooshing
out of her, she realized she had fallen for a feint. There was no limp. The man
followed up with a fist to Mia’s face, splitting her lip. Mia had been fooled,
and now she was hurt…and down on the ground, vulnerable.

But so was he.

Mia was nothing if not quick. And limber. She flipped
herself up to standing and was ready to catch the Belgian with a roundhouse
kick to the side of the temple. Well, she thought she was ready. But
apparently, so was he. He caught her leg, forcing Mia to flip herself over to
escape the inevitable next move that would shatter her ulna.

She faced the man once more, respect for his speed and skill
coloring her every movement. Her lip throbbed where it had been split. She
wiped her hand against her mouth, seeing the streak of blood stark against her
skin. The man’s smile became downright lecherous.

“The pain. You like? I give more.”

“Thanks, but not without dinner first.” The Belgian charged,
but Mia was ready. She leapt upward, latching onto a hanging light fixture
dangling from the ceiling. Her skin sizzled where it touched the hot metal of
the lamp, but she kept her arms wrapped tightly around it.

The Belgian’s charge forward took him right into the cradle
made by Mia’s legs. She encircled his neck with her thighs and squeezed,
bearing down as hard as she could, cutting off his airflow. The assailant's
face turned red, then purple, then black, as he clawed at her legs before he
collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Second assailant down.

Mia dropped to the ground, feeling some of her skin peel off
as she let go of the lamp. As she landed, she heard a soft pop and felt a lance
of fire across her left obliques. She clamped a hand to her side and whirled
around in time to see the blonde woman toss aside her weapon. Apparently, the
forced air pistols they carried were one-shot wonders…and not terribly
accurate. Mia’s hand came away dripping red, but she wasn’t dead, and the wound
felt superficial. Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a mother, though.

The woman circled to her right, toward Mia’s injury, and Mia
felt her last hope fade. The woman’s movements, stance, and fluidity bespoke
decades of martial arts training. At her best, Mia might be able to take her.
But Mia was far from at her best right now. And the woman knew it.

There was no idle chit-chat. No knowing smile. These were
two worthy opponents using every ounce of their concentration on taking down
the other. Each knew the age-old saying that a white belt who focused would
defeat the black belt who did not.

The Swede made a lightning strike with her fist toward Mia’s
face, which Mia managed to block, only to find that the attack was not the
primary one. The woman brought her right knee up and connected with Mia’s side,
right where she had been struck by the bullet. The pain flamed up and out from
her wound, hunching her over in agony. The woman then took a vicious sideways
swipe across Mia’s face, knocking her to the side.

Mia fell against one of the walls, bracing herself to kick
back with her foot at the blonde’s face as she advanced. The blow connected,
snapping the woman’s head back. Mia followed up with a slicing thrust of her
fist to the woman’s solar plexus. Impossibly, the blonde countered, knocking
away Mia’s hand and slashing out once more at Mia’s left side. Pain blossomed
anew, giving Mia’s sight a red haze that was difficult to focus through.

The blonde pressed her advantage, blow after ringing blow
landing on Mia’s face and neck, alternated with savage thrusts to the bullet
wound. Mia retreated back out of the maze toward the star diamond display,
blocking every blow she could, but she was losing. Badly. This would not end well,
unless she could hold out for a little while longer…

There. A beeping sounded from up above, where Mia had
planted the scanner, set to go off in two minutes. The noise was enough
distraction to cause the blonde to glance up.

A moment was all Mia needed. She thrust her stiff fingers
straight forward, catching the Swede right in the larynx. The woman stumbled
back, clutching at her throat, trying to pull air in where air was no longer
welcome. Mia followed the blonde one step forward, two…then spun around in a
full circle, her heel slamming into the Swede’s temple.

And then there was nothing in front of Mia but a smallish
woman doing her best impersonation of a limp rag. Mia took a long moment to
catch her breath, then leaned over to make sure the woman’s larynx wasn’t
completely collapsed. She wanted the woman incapacitated, not dead.

After making sure the blonde would be okay, but not anytime
soon, Mia checked the room, taking in the collateral damage. Other than the
three human-shaped bundles on the ground, there was very little. A couple of
holes in the drywall, a temporary wall knocked askew, a display case tipped
over. Could be worse. Much worse.

Mia pressed her fist into her side, pushing against the pain
that throbbed there. Time to go get the authorities. Mia began to shuffle
toward the exit, not terribly anxious to continue with the next step.

Despite the pain, Mia shook the wall hard, causing her
scanner to fall from its hiding place. Hurrying before the authorities got
there, Mia swiped the scanner over the star diamonds. It vibrated against her
blood slicked palm. It really could sense them. Rapidly she turned the device
off. Commotion on the other side of the doors. The authorities. Regardless of
the fact that Mia was guiltless here, she was almost certain she would no
longer be welcome here. One more museum from which she was barred. Awesome.

That mattered little, anymore, as Mia hurried to find her
purse and hide the scanner amongst the post cards and receipts. As the gallery
doors opened, Mia felt a huge grin spread across her face in spite of the pain.

It was time for her to shoot for the stars.

Or, perhaps, the moon.

Thank you so much for joining us on
The Rush
. Readers of
MoonRush
are constantly asking about how she came to join the Rogues Inc. on the Moon so
we decided to finally tell her story!

If you enjoyed
The Rush
we would love to ask you
a favor and go back to Amazon and leave a review. We indie authors live and die
by our reviews!

Also if you enjoyed
The Rush
and haven't yet
read
MoonRush
,
don't fear! There is a
sample
of the novel at the
end of the next section.

Want more of Carolyn and Ben's writing? Great, just
browse the next section for other books by these authors.

It's 2049 and it's not gold the prospectors are looking for, it's
“Star Diamonds.” And these precious gems aren't in California but up on the
moon!

Join Jarod and his team of treasure hunters, Rogues
Incorporated, as they dodge a nefarious competitor, crazed moon-panning
prospectors, and even their own government for the ultimate “motherlode.”

Praise for
MoonRush
…

“Reading this book after taking finals at school
was like taking a much needed vacation…to Outer Space! All the characters are
so developed and unique and the plot twists and turns make this book rank so
high on my list that I'm writing a review about it. Something that I don't
normally do. So buy this book and get ready for some quality entertainment from
some witty innovative writers! “

Lisa Thurman

Amazon Reviewer

“This was a fast-paced adventure with
entertaining characters and an engrossing plot. Reading Moonrush was like
watching a great blockbuster summer movie except that I could enjoy it while on
the beach. Won't disappoint.”

BookLover1960

Amazon Reviewer

“This book played out like an action packed
adventure movie in my head. You know, an action packed adventure movie with a
plot, and characters that you can really relate to, and care about. It's filled
with everything from science fiction to teenage angst, and nerd humor. All of
the elements of a great story are there, and that's what makes it so much fun.”

DudeMcMan

Amazon Reviewer

Read
the 1st Chapter of Moonrush

To purchase
Moonrush
on Amazon
,
click
here
.

* * *

If you enjoyed the adventure-filled romp
of
The Rush
, you might also enjoy Carolyn’s action-packed
techno-thriller,
Encrypted
.

“Dan Brown blinked, and Carolyn McCray took over.
Encrypted
is the best thing
that I’ve read in the thriller genre, hands down. It’s got history, mysticism,
and shadowy organizations manipulating world events. Oh, and did I mention the
most incredible opposites-attract relationship EVER? This novel knocked my
socks off.”

ThrillersRockT

Book Reviewer

More praise for
Encrypted
…

"I found this book to be just as the title
said an action packed techno thriller. I read at least a book a week but this
was one of those impossible to put down books. It was well worth the money and
based on this book I bought her other book and will be placing the next in her series
on my wish list."

Scott Powner

Amazon Reviewer

Halting the spread of a weaponized redo of the
Black Plague? Intending to plunge the world into a medieval hellish vision of
the Hidden Hand? It's never good when the dead could turn out to be the lucky
ones. That's a lot of responsibility resting on the shoulders of a brilliant
cyber hacker and a sexy FBI agent. Makes you wonder who's calling the shots?
God, the angels or a 13th century cult that would make Lucifer blush."

 Taylor Lee

Author
,
Big
Girls Don't Cry

To purchase
or read a sample of
Encrypted
on
Amazon, just click
here
.

* * *

If you loved the thrills, and
excitement of
The Rush
, you should check out Carolyn’s #1 Bestseller in
Men’s Adventure /War/Techno-Thrillers,
30 Pieces of Silver
.