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on the tip of his nose just like Marvin had taught her. She remembered that Martin always told her to hit her attacker while they were still disoriented. The double assault sent Ristèard backwards onto his ass along the soft grassy surface that edged the walkway.
    Turning away, she saw Stan striking out at one of the men attacking him. She focused on the man closest to her that was trying to circle back around behind Stan. The moment the man turned his back to her, she kicked out her leg. Her foot connected with his backside sending him headfirst into the other man when Stan suddenly twisted.
    “Run!” She cried out, reaching for Stan when he jerked backwards out of the way of the two men.
    Stan turned toward her and reached for her outstretched hand before he jerked and froze. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed several times before they rolled back in his head and he collapsed. A low cry of terror escaped Ricki when she saw a fourth man step out of the darkness holding some type of weapon. Turning, she fled.
     

Chapter 5
    Emyr bent and held his hand out to Ristèard who was lying on his back, still drawing in deep breaths as wave after wave of pain radiated through him. He could care less about his nose. He’d had that broken more than once in the past. No, it was his balls that he was worried about. He had never been hit in that sensitive spot before and hoped to the Goddess that he never would be again.
    “Don’t… lose her,” he bit out between gritted teeth.
    Emyr gave Ristèard a sympathetic nod before he closed his hand around his friend’s. “Sadao is following her,” he responded. “She won’t get far.”
    Ristèard emitted a low curse as he forced himself into a standing position. Wiping the back of his hand under his nose, he ignored the Blood on the back of it. It wasn’t broken, but it hurt like hell. Shrugging Emyr’s hand off his shoulder, he looked at the other three men.
    “Sadao, where is she?” He asked into the comlink.
    The sound of heavy breathing surprised him. He would have thought Sadao would have caught Ricki by now, unless she used the same defense on the guard as she did on him. He was about to demand Sadao’s location again when his guard replied.
    “She has disappeared,” Sadao responded in frustration. “I know she is close by, though.”
    Ristèard bit back the curse threatening to escape him. His eyes moved to the sky and the faint glow of the first moon rise. Before long, it would be more difficult to keep their position undisclosed. Turning, he nodded to Emyr and Harald.
    “You two get the air-skids and meet us at Sadao’s location. We are going to have to leave in a hurry. Once Ajaska or Torak find out we are here, they are going to want to know why,” Ristèard said sharply. “Let’s go.”
    He didn’t wait for the others. A slight groan escaped him when he felt his balls shift against the material of his pants as he ran. He had fought several women over the course of his life, most trained assassins, but never had any of them been as successful at putting him on his ass as Ricki had been.
    A reluctant admiration for her rose up inside of him. She had not only put him on the ground, but two of his best warriors. Of course, they had greatly underestimated her, something that would not happen again.
    He was surprised at the distance it took before he and Andras caught up with Sadao. The warrior was carefully walking through a small wooded area.
    Ristèard nodded when Sadao turned to him in frustration. He was surprised when he saw the line of fresh Blood along Sadao’s temple. Coming to a stop in front of his friend, he glanced around with a frown.
    “Where is she?” Ristèard demanded before his brow creased even further. "And what the hell happened to you?"
    Sadao gave a nod to Andras. “She is somewhere in this wooded area, and she is what happened to me. There was a low limb along the path I didn’t see. She pulled it back and let it go just