Prime Time Spies Excerpt - Rooftop Battle

I'm still working on my Veterans series blog, but in the meantime, please enjoy one of the amazing action sequences of Prime Time Spies. Just after loosing her best lead to these two female assassins, Victoria pursues them through the streets of Vegas to get some answers. But who has who cornered?

“Give up!” snarled Victoria. “You’ve got nowhere to run!”

The redhead caught up to her partner at a trot and burst out laughing at Victoria’s words. Her green eyes burned with fury, her laugh manic like a rapid hyena. Fukazashi’s betrothed stepped forward and waved her partner back as if she were ordering a guard dog to stay. She kept her tone casual as she addressed Victoria, speaking as if she were at a dinner party.

“Oh my dear Miss . . .” She cocked her head. “Kingsley is it? We wouldn’t dream of running. You’ve caught us. But first . . .”

The blonde surprised Victoria by undoing her belt and letting it crash to the ground, complete with useful items such as pepper spray, club, and handcuffs. Then she turned away and began dancing as if performing a strip-tease, slowly peeling down her pants before letting them fall. Victoria wasn’t sure if she was relieved to find she wasn’t suddenly staring at a lacy thong or bare ass, but the bottom of a one piece cat suit, complete with leg garments housing what looked like several throwing knives.

“Sister, don’t tease her,” cackled the redhead.

“Oh, I’m not teasing her, Mila. I’m just getting comfortable before we are apprehended.”

“Fine, you get comfortable, Jess. I’m going to kill her. I’m going to wring the bitch’s scrawny little neck until her pretty little head pops right off!”

Mila gave her weapon a sharp twist and the two sections split. One end was covered in a ball of sharp, nasty looking plastic spikes, a detail Victoria had missed before. One hit with this weapon would end her. Mila held the spiked end low and the other end high, the transparent chord bisecting her diagonally as she crouched into a fighting stance. Victoria assumed a cat stance, her hands splayed in front of her in a knife-edge guard.

“Why Miss Kinglsly you seem to have upset my sister. I have to tell you that isn’t wise.”

“Sisters?” Victoria asked skeptically. “You don’t look it. She doesn’t quite share your brand of ugly. Who are you two supposed to be anyway? Let me guess. Carlo’s Angels?”

“We prefer Devils, certainly not Carlo’s, and our odd little family is not of blood but of spirit.” Jess finished removing the tan button-up shirt as she talked. She held her arms open as if asking for an embrace, and with a reptilian smile she purred, “I’m ready now. Shall we dance?”

Victoria cracked her knuckles as she curled her hands into fists in front of her face, then relaxed back to knife edges. Mila swung her weapon, the deadly spiked end screamed toward Victoria’s head. She sidestepped and bent backward, advancing on Mila and closing the distance while the weapon made its return trip.

Victoria snapped a swift toe kick at Mila’s gut, and the redhead blocked with her free hand.  This left an opening for Victoria’s backfist and uppercutting elbow combo, the latter of which caught Mila just under the chin. Mila staggered backward and spat blood from a busted lip. She retaliated with a sharp cry of fury. Her powerful diagonal swing forced Victoria to retreat . . . and barely twist out of the way of a throwing knife. A flash of moonlight on steel was her only warning as the blade zipped past her ear. She studied both opponents for a few seconds as dark hairs floated to the ground between her and Mila.

Can’t let her sit back there and chuck those things at me. Attack!

 Victoria cartwheeled by Mila, dodging a downward swing from her mace. Face to face with Jess, Victoria unleashed a furious combo—knee, hand, elbow, foot, knee in succession. Jess effortlessly blocked or parried every strike.

 “Really Miss Kingsley?” Jess taunted. “Muay Thai? How quaint.”

“Zen do Kai,” Victoria spat. “I’ll show you quaint you—”

A side kick doubled an encroaching Mila over, but Jess used the opening to land a clawed hand in Victoria’s throat, followed closely by a fist near her kidney. Victoria choked, tasting bile as she clutched at her side and retreated several steps.

“Ah,” Jess said as she kept coming. “The Australian art of ‘whatever works, use it.’”

Lighting flashed through Victoria’s vision as a booted roundhouse caught her on the side of the head, nearly knocking her over. The descending claw hand that followed sent her sprawling and tore her blouse open, scattering buttons.

“Doesn’t seem to be working for you now, does it?”  

Her chest burning with fire and her head ringing, Victoria barely had the coherence to roll out of the way of a thrown knife, which clanged loudly against the blacktop. Jess pounced on her, the other knife flashing in her hand as she drove it toward Victoria’s heart.

Victoria got her feet up in time to land them in Jess’ stomach and send the blonde sailing over her, then placed her hands on the ground and scissor her legs to sweep Mila off her feet. Victoria stood slowly, clutching at her chest as she crouched into a new fighting stance. She began to bob and weave on springy legs, her stance mimicking a Kangaroo. Her body protested the bouncing, screaming in pain from multiple places. Jess may be familiar with Zen do Kai, but few knew of the nearly extinct Aboriginal art of Koonomon Togip Baip. Victoria was in bad shape, her legs threatened to buckle and it was hard to breathe. I can’t show weakness.

“That all you bitches got?” She taunted, keeping a wary eye on both women as they stood and began to circle her.

“I’ll kill you!” Mila snarled, whirling her weapon above her head as she circled left.

Jess gave her partner an amused glance then drew another knife from her thigh holster. She bowed low, then held the knives out to in front of her in an inverted grip.

“You dance well, Kingsley,” she said. “I’m curious what that ridiculous stance is all about, but I’m afraid it’s time to end this little party. We do have such nice men waiting on us.”

Mila bellowed and charged, her weapon whistled low as it angled for Victoria’s knees. Victoria jumped over the mace and kicked with both feet, but Mila ducked under her, landing a hard punch in Victoria’s gut. She grunted as air fled from her body, but managed to follow through and bring her elbow down on Mila’s head. She was rewarded with a pained snarl as Mila fell face first to the blacktop of the roof.

Victoria landed in a crouch and sprang at a forty five degree angle toward Jess, who did a back handspring to gain distance. Jess crossed her arms in front of her, one knife over each shoulder, and uncrossing her arms in a flash sent two knives at Victoria.

Shit! Victoria tried to twist, to roll out of the way, the high knife went whizzing over her shoulder, but the other sank deep into her right thigh. Victoria screeched in pain and dropped to her knees. She quickly pulled the knife free and held it out in defense. Jess was in the middle of drawing the last two of her blades. Victoria lunged off her good leg.

And was ensnared by a length of chord wrapping tightly around her throat.

 Victoria ground her teeth and struggled as she was yanked off her feet. The throwing knife slipped from her grasp as she was dragged backwards. She felt the two short poles locking behind her head. She clawed at the cord in a vain effort to release the pressure. The cord tightened like a vice and Victoria’s eyes bulged. Her lungs demanded air, but her throat sent a nauseous rejection down to her stomach. She fought through the dry heave and elbowed at Mila, tried to trip her, but the powerful woman stood humming some obnoxious children’s song above her, forcing Victoria to her knees as slowly the energy drained from her, as slowly the world grew darker . . . darker.