CHAPTER 2: ASH
I reached for the knot at my throat. The school-issued tie was choking the hell out of me. Over by the doors, Agent Evers caught my eye. He raised a brow at my hand and gave a slow shake of his head.
Don’t make your dad look bad.
I pulled the knot loose and flicked open the top two buttons of my shirt.
Screw. You.
Evers glared, but I ignored him.
The khakis were bad enough, but the jacket with the stupid silver buttons? Who wore this shit? The worst thing about private school (besides their lack of a decent soccer team) had to be the stick-up-your-ass uniforms. Any guy who dressed like this was just asking for a punch to the face.
I grinned at a passing blonde who was giving me the eye. At least I made this look good. The girl blushed, giggling with her friends. I got an eyeful of long legs and knee socks as they passed. Guess there were some things I didn’t hate about this school.
Principal Orsino stepped up to the mic at half court. As usual, his bald head looked like it had been spit shined.
“Good morning students of Crispin Catholic Day School,” he said. “And welcome to this year’s Cultural Exhibition!”
A few people clapped, teachers mostly.
“Now, I know it’s a bit warm, but we have an exciting show lined up.”
Warm? I scoffed. It was hot as a mother. Didn’t matter how much cash CCDS put into their “state of the art facilities.” Cram enough people into one place, and even my dear old dad, Wesley Ash Stryker Senior, the would-be senator, was sweating bullets. I’d bet anything there were sweat rings under that monkey suit of his.
“As you all know,” Orsino continued, “today we celebrate our differences, our heritage, and the melting pot that we have at CCDS. With over forty nationalities from European to Latino, African to Asian, our school represents the most culturally diverse educational institution in the state of North Carolina, and we are darn proud of it. Here to celebrate with us and deliver today’s keynote speech is a man who is currently leading in the political polls, a candidate so well-known and well-respected he needs no introduction.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Chariot’s own Wesley Stryker.” As the applause erupted, Orsino and Dad shook hands. “We’re happy to have you at our Cultural Exhibition.”
“Thank you, Charles. I’m honored to be here.” Dad smiled for the crowd. “When my German parents immigrated from the old country, I’m sure they never dreamed their son would one day run for the U.S. Senate. But here I am, just a good old country boy, trying to make a difference.”
I eased back on the bleachers as he turned up the charm. Dad was the reason I’d had to transfer to this jacked up school in the first place. It was senior year. My life should’ve been cake, partying weekends with my friends, training for another winning season over at Chariot High, hopefully with a state title at the end of it. Instead, I was stuck here at CCDS, playing the “good son,” so Dad could look better to the public.
We weren’t even Catholic for crying out loud.
Glancing around, my eyes locked on a girl with long dark hair. The height seemed right, petite but not tiny. I sat up straighter. It could’ve been her. It looked a lot like her—but then she turned and flipped her hair, ruining the illusion. This girl’s eyes were too big, her face too made-up.
Definitely not, I thought, looking away.
The mystery girl from the movies didn’t need all that crap on her face. She was hot without it. A pair of deep brown eyes and full lips flashed through my mind. I shook my head. My girl was a natural beauty—and she’d managed to surprise the hell out of me and my detail.
Usually, Dad was the only one who needed security. But after the threats we’d received, Mom had insisted months ago that I have a tail, too. Agent Evers was just on loan from Dad since one professional babysitter apparently wasn’t enough.
I smiled. Evers and Smith completely lost their shit when she landed in my lap and then got away. She’d been ninja fast, and they’d looked like idiots. Freaking hilarious.
What wasn’t hilarious was that kiss.
God, I could still feel her. Almost like we’d never stopped making out. And when she’d apologized? I’d wanted to laugh in her face, but I was too damn turned on for that. Any girl with that kind of brass was worth searching for. If I ever found her again—when I did—it was so on.
“…would like to thank Principal Orsino and everyone here at CCDS for having me. It’s been a real pleasure.”
My head snapped up. Dad was finally done talking. Thank you, Lord.
“That brings me to our first act of the day,” he said. “I’m told this one’s a real showstopper. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Lee?”
For the first time, I noticed the tiny woman standing next to him. She was obviously Asian, pretty with dark hair and eyes. The woman smiled up at Dad, but didn’t say anything. I wondered if English was her first language.
“Without further ado,” Dad said, “I’m proud to present the students of The Academy, a local center that focuses on martial arts training and discipline. Their motto: Learn, live, but be not caged.”
Music with kick-ass bass started to play. Dubstep. Niiiiice. Dad and the woman moved to take their seats.
And then the ninja dropped from the ceiling.
The guy was dressed in black, full body covered except a small strip for his eyes. Rappelling crazy fast, he shot out of the rafters and landed directly in the center of Wylie the Wombat’s eye. I didn’t think the picture of CCDS’s mascot had ever been more disrespected. There was a moment of silence—then everyone went wild.
Hell of an entrance, I thought, cheering with the rest of them.
But the real fun started when his buddies showed up. They all looked like him, ninjas covered from head to toe, except these guys were wearing red. Good guy, black, bad guys, red. Got it. It was like a live-action scene from Xbox. But better.
The black ninja took them on in groups of two or three, always outmaneuvering, always a second faster, sharper. The guy was going off. Nothing could touch him. He was a master at hand-to-hand, kicking ass the likes of which I’d never seen in real life. Even when the red guys brought out the sticks and he was forced to fight four at a time, there was no contest. I knew it was all choreographed. I’d recognized the homage to Bruce almost immediately, one of the best fight sequences of all time. But I still held my breath when the last opponent pulled the nunchucks.
Before I could blink, they were in the black ninja’s hands.
Man, I sat back. This guy was something else.
Nunchucks had always scared the shit out of me. One good knock could cause a man permanent damage. Just the thought had me tensing up. But the black ninja didn’t seem to care. Fast as he was moving, those things could’ve flown out of his hands at any time. Still, he never seemed to lose concentration.
Shit, was this Bruce Lee’s ghost or something?
The last bad guy went down, timed perfectly with the music. The ominous note faded to nothing, and applause roared through the gym. The black ninja held his pose just feet from me. As he straightened from his crouch, raised a hand to remove the mask, I couldn’t wait to see the identity of the dude with such lethal moves.
I recognized her eyes first.
My breath caught in my chest. Shit, I was such a girl. But those were the same eyes I’d dreamed about last night. I blinked to clear my vision, but she didn’t disappear. Mystery girl from the movies just stood there, smiling while the rest of the guys in her crew formed a line behind her. They bowed. Her long hair fell over one shoulder, held back today in a ponytail. I could still remember the feel of the ends tickling my fingers as she kissed me.
It could’ve been the shock. Or maybe it was the fact that she’d just beaten the crap out of all those guys, but God. She was even hotter than I remembered.
“Gamsahabnida,” she said, making me grin.
Korean. I could definitely work with that. The ninja hadn’t spotted me yet, but I sat forward, waiting for her reaction.
“The Academy members would like to thank Principal Orsino,” she continued, “and the faculty of CCDS for inviting us to your Exhibition.”
They bowed again—and when she came up, her eyes went straight to mine.
For a second, she looked unsure, her face a question. I could see the exact moment it clicked. Her eyes widened. Her gasp echoed through the gym. And, was it me, or did her skin look a little pale?
I grinned back, nodding at her.
Yeah, I remembered—and she obviously remembered me.
Principal Orsino stepped up to shake her hand, but her eyes didn’t leave mine.
“That was simply terrific, young lady,” he said, smiling wide. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Simply amazing how you all move.”
“Um, thanks,” she mumbled.
“If any of you students are interested in finding out more about The Academy or any of our other acts, we’ll be holding a meet-and-greet session directly after the last performance. What a great start to our day! Our second act comes to us all the way from South Africa…”
Meet-and-greet? Hell, yes.
One of the red ninjas had to nudge mystery girl, who started and said something to him over her shoulder. When she looked back, I winked, and she blushed. I tracked her movements to the gym exit. As The Academy members filed out the door one-by-one, mystery girl paused and glanced over her shoulder at me.
Oh, it was on.