Unwound

PROLOGUE

HIS head hurt like a motherfucker.

He couldn’t see a damn thing in this dark alley.

Why the hell hadn’t she come to the door yet?

He smacked his helmet into the steel three more times.

Please, baby, just let me in.

No lights came on. No clicking sounds of the door locks disengaging.

But he couldn’t hear anything above the pain screaming in his head.

He rested his shoulders on the brick building. When he put his palm to his forehead to try to keep his brain from exploding, his fingers came away wet.

What the hell?

Why the fuck was he bleeding?

The steel door squeaked and opened only far enough so she could peer out. Playing it safe. Good girl.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me.”

“Ronin? What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you.”

“At two in the morning?”

“Yes. Please. Let me in.” As soon as she opened the door, Ronin stumbled inside and his helmet bounced across the concrete floor.

She dove for him when he swayed. Somehow she kept him on his feet and maneuvered him against the wall. She gasped softly. “Your face. What happened?”

He swallowed the bile crawling up his throat. He dropped to his knees and hissed at the excruciating pain before he plopped onto the floor with a juddering thump.

“Ronin?” She crouched beside him. “You look like you’ve taken a beating.”

“I have. Being beaten down has been my natural state since you walked out on me.”

His response jarred her into silence.

So he kept talking. “The fight . . . rattled my brain.”

“You were in a fight tonight? A real fight?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Needed to numb the pain.” He winced when he tried to shift positions. “But then I couldn’t remember.”

“What? Why you came here?”

“I came here because I didn’t have any other place to go.”

She picked up his hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“Sorry. I never wanted you to see me like this.”

“Like what?”

“Broken.”

He heard a soft gasp. “Ronin, you probably need a doctor.”

It was getting harder to breathe and maintain focus. And balance. He slurred, “No. I just need to sleep.” Then he half rolled/half fell to his side.

“You can’t sleep.”

“Have to. Fuck. It hurts.”

“No, no, no, no, no, no! Don’t close your eyes. Dammit, Ronin, stay with me. Come on! Where’s the infallible martial arts master? You are freaking me out.”

“Sorry.” Then he was at the mouth of a tunnel. Her distorted voice echoed back to him from a point far away.

Or was this an illusion?

He raced toward the pinpoint of light, running faster when it began to fade.

Then he was engulfed in nothingness.