Guardian

Chapter One

Yang squinted against the bright, flashing, lights of the club at the bartender. "Strawberry Sunrise," she ordered. "No ice."

As the bartender made her drink she spun around in her chair and took in her surroundings. It was a dance club, the kind she used to sneak into when she was a teenager. Now the loud music and sparatic light shows were a recipe for a headache. I'm turning into my uncle. She thought to herself with a sigh as she faced the counter again, accepting her drink. It was refreshing and sweet, exactly like the little sister the beverage reminded her of.

She glanced at her watch and frowned. "He's late."

Pulling out her scroll she clicked on a file titled "Junior". He was the owner of the bar and small time gang leader. Illegal dust trafficking, gang violence, theft, the typical stuff. He was also her target for the evening. The police weren't getting anywhere with him, he knew all their guys, so they hired her to bring him in. A simple arrest with enough money to cover the rent of her cheap, run down, studio apartment. He usually checks on his bartender right about now. Where is he?

As if on cue a middle aged man in a suit slid into the chair next to her. "I don't think I've seen you before," he spoke smoothly, almost rehearsed. "I'm sure I would recognize a face as beautiful as yours around here."

Show time. Yang smirked over her glass and put on her best flirtatious smile. "Just moved into town," she turned to face him and crossed her legs, allowing one to gently stroke his calf. "I heard this was the best dance club around."

She fought the urge to gag as he flashed her a pervy grin. "Well you heard right Blondie. But this is just for the normal people. Wanna see where the real fun happens?"

She leaned closer to him and placed a hand on his knee. "I would love for you to show me."

He led her upstairs, past two guards, and into a dimly lit, smokey, room. Around them people were sitting at tables playing Poker and Blackjack. Add illegal gambling to the list of things he's guilty off. Junior walked past all of them, giving the occasional person a nod or high five, and straight into what Yang assumed to be his office, locking the door behind him for privacy.

"So whatcha think?" He asked as he plopped into his chair and spun around a few times. "Pretty swanky huh?"

He's almost making this too easy. She sat on his desk, facing him and gently grabbed his tie, tracing her fingers along the argile pattern. "I think you have a weakness for pretty faces Junior."

"Guilty as-" his smile fell. "Hey wait a second I never-"

Yang tightened her grip on his tie, pulling him forward, and covered his mouth. "I also think you've been a pretty bad boy Junior. The cops have been trying to get at you for months now and yet you always manage to just barely slip through their fingers," she uncovered his mouth and flicked her wrist allowing her seemingly harmless golden bracelets to turn into their actually deadly shotgun gauntlets. "So how do you wanna do this? The easy way or the painful way?"

He glared at her. "Ain't nothing easy about me."

"Coulda fooled me," she saw him reach for something under his desk and sighed as she just barely dodged the giant club he brought out. "Painful way it is then."

He leapt over his desk and swung at her. Once, twice, three times in a matter of seconds. Instead of dodging this time she blocked the attacks with her arms. He's stronger than he looks. She thought to herself as the pain from blocking settled in her shoulders. I might use that against him.