and unless I leashed her, she’d get us both into a lot of trouble.
The expected end of class questions came, and the students did their best to impress Batbayar. I wished them luck; it took more than attentive students asking questions to impress him. Their next lesson would be the one that counted.
Actions spoke louder than words, and I meant to rise to the top, even if I earned fresh bruises every day for the rest of my life to make it happen.
Bounty hunters, crazy Mongolian marital artists. Both would challenge me, and fool that I was, I’d bite on the bait and see what life had to offer. I’d choose how I went out, and damn it, I wouldn’t give up just because the odds were against me.
As always, I left last, tidying after the students, cleaning what they missed on their pass of the studio, and making sure Batbayar hadn’t forgotten anything important on his way out the door. He hadn’t. I did an extra pass before locking up the martial arts center.
Anna still lurked in the shadows, and after the beating I’d endured, running would be an interesting adventure. But running until I could shift into a fox and make my escape into the maintenance tunnels was my best bet. She watched, her body tense, waiting for my move.
If she caught me, I’d be fucked with a stick. Flattening my ears, I gave a flick of my tail to sass the bounty hunter before diving straight into a sprint.
The woman cursed, and the slap of her boots on the asphalt indicated she wanted to play. I bet she thought her long legs would help her.
They might, but I’d been outfoxing Mother Nature since the day I’d entered the Alley, and a fast fox lived longer. A fast fox who could run miles without quitting lived a lot longer. With a storm due to hit and the sky already bitching and growling at us, I figured Anna would give up pursuit to take shelter.
It might mean I’d have to dance with death again to make my escape, but shit happened every day in Tulsa, and only a fool expected anything else.
Saturday, May 2, 2043.
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Alley.
* * *
Mother Nature must have had a date somewhere else, as she was late for her appointment to try to kill us by an entire half an hour. Nothing made for more of a shit night than running around Tulsa with a giant of a woman hot on my heels. Unlike my run with Sandro, I wouldn’t be inviting Anna into any of my bolt holes.
She ran with a gun out, and while she hadn’t fired any shots, I had a healthy dislike for firearms. For all I knew, the weapon could be a tranquilizer gun. With a storm headed our way, most had their power off to limit the odds of a fire starting. Most flipped their breakers and waited for death to come calling in the dark.
Only a lack of funds kept everyone in Tulsa from turning into raging alcoholics. I understood the lure. Why not get drunk when death could pay a personal visit every night during storm season? After my run, I’d want a stiff drink, but Brent disliked when his waitresses drank. It led to problems with the patrons.
Maybe he’d make an exception if I told him about the bounty on my head. On the other hand, he might join those out to make a quick buck. My payout could change lives—and buy a way into Asylum.
I cursed the asshole who’d filed for my bounty, wished Mother Nature would pay them a visit, and headed for the outskirts of the city to raise my chances of making my escape. Someone needed to cut Anna’s legs off at the knees to even the odds. She’d nipped at my heels a few more times than I liked. Bouncing off alley walls helped keep me out of her hands, and darting through small spaces bought me the seconds needed to keep her from catching—or shooting—me.
I really didn’t want her to shoot me. I couldn’t afford the bill, and unlike other places in the not-so-United States, doctors weren’t required to treat those who couldn’t pay up front.
How Tulsa didn’t have more corpses littering its streets, I really didn’t know.
“Will you just stop?” Anna complained.
I cut another corner, scrambled over a dumpster eating away at the alley’s limited space, and almost landed on a corpse. Lightning cracked across the sky, offering enough