"Karen Koehler - Slayer 02 - Dragon Blood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Koehler Karen)

boys, clustered around the girl pinned like a bug against the graffiti-splattered wall, turned to look his
way.

Show off, Debra said.

Alek smiled at the cretins holding the girl, except it wasnтАЩt a smile at all.

тАЬMotherfucker, whereyou come from?тАЭ one of the endearingly articulate youths said. His red bandana
was inscribed with black ideograms that labeled him as the leader.

Alek wondered what the Yakuza were doing so far west of their home turf. They were primarily Lower
East Side and Chinatown. The young ones specialized in arson, minor piracy and basic havoc, but only
under the auspicious iron hand of the elders; they werenтАЩt major operators, just little pups who ran
errands and begged for bones from the House of the Ryuujin. As the leader jaunted forward Alek caught
a glance of the frightened, flushed face of the girl, the red shawl and black little dress, and had to do a
double take. Then he shoved such detail aside and concentrated on the chump approaching him.

The leader pulled a switchblade from his back pocket. One of his associates--a very young boy with a
lean and angry face--moved to bring up his rear with a pair of nunchaku, while the third one, a boy with a
ponytail held back in an ivory clip, continued to hold the little blonde girl against the wall.

The girl whimpered and the sound of her cry triggered something inside of Alek. He stared at the three
hoods for a long moment, then jumped down off the Dumpster and drew his katana for the second time
that night.

тАЬWhy donтАЩt you take a walk?тАЭ Nunchaku said.

тАЬHe canтАЩt,тАЭ said the leader. тАЬHeтАЩs a banpaia--they canтАЩt leave fuckinтАЩnothing alone.тАЭ

Banpaia. Vampire.

Well now, this was gettingvery interesting.

тАЬIf I was a banpaia you would all be dead by now,тАЭ Alek said.

The leader stopped and narrowed his eyes.

тАЬLet the girl go,тАЭ Alek told him reasonably.

тАЬShit,тАЭ said the leader. тАЬYour kind fuckinтАЩ piss me off. Get lost.тАЭ

тАЬLet her go and I will,тАЭ Alek said.

тАЬFuck you,тАЭ the leader said and tossed a handful of miniature shuriken in AlekтАЩs face.

This human kid was good. Better in many ways than Samson. More training. More control. More desire
to please the Powers That Be. Alek deflected all but a few of the razor-keen stainless steel stars with his
coat. As an errand shuriken tore a strip if flesh from his cheek he leaped out of the way and tried to find
an advantage atop a fire escape.