Mei, or Mama Chen, as she called herself, sat behind a large wood desk with gold trim and smiled as the gangsters forced the trio to their knees in front of her. One of the gangsters poured her a cup of tea and she sipped it. She moved the screen on her personal terminal and typed for a while before she acknowledged her guests.

  “Stay calm,” Sensei Dan told Owen as he walked behind Mei. “She’s trying to psych you out. These types want your spirit broken before they start on the body. Let’s see what she does.”

  Owen resisted the urge to say anything. He didn’t understand the rules. This was Tuck’s world.

  “Why are you here?” Mei finally asked Tuck. A gangster took a katana off the wall and gave it a couple practice swings at neck height for a kneeling man. Owen swallowed and his butthole puckered. “The truth.”

  “Mama Chen owed me a favor,” Tuck said. He sat up straight and looked Mei in the eyes. If he was any kind of afraid he didn’t show it. “I’m here to collect.”

  “Mama Chen is dead.” Mei crossed her arms. “I’m Mama Chen now. I don’t owe you jack shit. Last I heard you left the family to serve the Callahans.”

  “Is that really how it works?” Tuck laughed. “Without me Mama Chen would’ve been making money off her back her entire life, and you’d be doing the same. Do you think you get a nice business like this without someone like me, think again, princess! Give me what I’m owed.”

  “Want me to hit him?” Liu asked. Mei nodded. Liu threw off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. “This isn’t personal, Bryan.”

  “I know,” Tuck said with a nod.

  Liu threw a straight punch at Tuck’s nose. He didn’t flinch. Not even when Owen jumped in front of him and caught Liu’s hand. The room went silent. Owen kicked Liu into Mei’s desk and she gasped when a ceramic cat fell and shattered.

  “That was a gift from my sister,” Mei said flatly. A gangster retrieved a broom and swept the destroyed cat away. She glared at Tuck. “Your boy just hit one of my men.”

  “Not a smart move, Owen,” Sensei Dan said. “You’re outnumbered and your backup can’t walk in a straight line. You got a plan?”

  “I didn’t think it through,” Owen said. He reacted and put himself in a bad situation. He couldn’t fight a dozen men at once and win. Two was hard enough.

  “Let’s fight for it,” Tuck said. He jumped between Owen and Liu. “That’s how the old Mama Chen liked to settle things. Your fighter vs my fighter. Old school. We win and you give me what I want. We lose and we’ll walk out of here with our tails between our legs. Sound fair, Little Mei Chen?”

  “Yeah!” Tom shouted. “Who’re we fighting?” He tried to wobble to his feet.

  “You two aren’t sober enough to fight anyone,” Owen said.

  “That sounds fun, Bryan,” Mei said. She leaned forward and touched her fingertips together. A wicked smile crept across her pretty face. “I accept this challenge.”

  “Alright,” Tuck said. “Owen, do your thing.”

  “What thing?”

  “The karate thing.” Tuck chopped air. “Fight them.” He pointed at the gangsters. “Fight someone.” He glanced at Liu. “Who is he fighting? He’ll beat whoever.”

  “Maybe we can talk this through,” Owen said.

  “Enough talking,” Mei said. She took the katana from her goon and tossed it to Owen. “Bryan issued me a challenge. I shall be his opponent.”

  Mei kicked off her heels and pulled off her dress. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a sports bra beneath. Tattoos of flying dragons and roaring tigers lined her back and chest with crimson lotuses surrounding them. One of her men bowed as he offered her a straight sword with a red tassel hanging from the hilt.

  “We will fight for the debt Mama Chen allegedly owes Bryan Tucker,” Mei said. “Until one surrenders, or to the death if need be. You have one minute to prepare. Everyone else, clear the floor. There will be no interference.”

  “To the death?” Owen’s eyes went wide and he looked at Tuck for guidance.

  “If need be,” Tuck said. “Details, Owen. Do what you can.” He patted Owen’s shoulders. “I super believe in you.” He burped. “But what I need from her is integral to the mission. Remember that. Don’t fuck it up.”

  “She’s got nothing on you,” Tom said. Tuck pushed the big man against a wall as Mei gave her sword a few skillful flourishes.

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  “That’s a jian, Owen,” Sensei Dan explained. Owen gave him a confused stare. “A Chinese sword. And she knows how to use it. That means lightning fast slashes and hell of a reach.” Dan rubbed Owen’s shoulders. “Look at her muscles. They’re finely tuned and ready for action. What a stunning woman. If I could, I'd ask her on a date.” Dan laughed. “Don’t take it easy on her.”

  “I don’t know how to use a sword,” Owen whispered to Dan. It was heavier than he expected. His hands trembled when he took the weapon with both hands. He saw a movie about the Specter Security Agency once. They were the elite warriors of City Seven trained from childhood.. They used knives and swords while defending their clients. He tried to remember how the specter moved, but he couldn’t remember a thing except how cool the hero looked when he chopped a criminal in half.

  “Don’t worry,” Sensei Dan said. He rubbed Owen’s shoulders. “Fighting is fighting. All the Hardknuckle techniques I’ve taught you apply. Remember spacing, timing, and defense. Only if you mess up you’ll get chopped open instead of punched.”

  “That isn’t helping.”

  “Don’t get hit and you won’t get chopped open,” Dan said gently. “You can do this, my Hardknuckle apprentice. Think like Miyamoto Musashi.”

  “I don’t know who that is.”

  “The greatest swordsman who ever lived.” Sensei Dan’s smile didn’t reassure Owen in the slightest. “But you don’t need to be as good as him.” He pointed at Mei. “You just need to be better than her.”

  “Are you done talking to yourself?” Mei asked. Her men laughed.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Owen said. He wiped sweat off his brow. Sensei Dan stood next to Tuck and Tom. He offered Owen an encouraging thumbs up. “You sure you want to do this. Someone could get hurt.”

  “That’s the point. Begin!”

  Mei moved in like an eel through water. Jian low. Its razor sharp edge ready to dice Owen open. Her strike moved faster than he could follow. Cut his sweater wide open. Missed his chest by millimeters. Mei Chen was out for blood. His blood! He needed that blood!

  Owen swung the katana like a bat. Mei slipped under it with a giggle. He wasn’t used to it and Owen hadn’t reached the sword portion of his Hardknuckle training. Steel clashed as Owen defended. Mei cocked her head and smiled, her eyes wild. It was pure intimidation. Owen knew that, but it didn’t help. She scared the shit out of him and she knew how to use her weapon.

  “Let’s play a little bit,” Mei said. She spun her jian and smiled wide. “Ready, Owen?” She darted around him. Nicked his calf and sliced his pants. “First blood is mine.” She telegraphed a slice at his neck. He blocked. Took a shallow cut across his arm as she redirected her blade. “Whoops. I expected more. Maybe one of the drunks would’ve done better.” Mei Chen darted in and out, the tip of her blade crimson as she made shallow cuts across Owen’s arms and legs. “At least you won’t die a virgin.”

  She was trying to rile him up. He remembered one of the first things he learned about Hardknuckle, always be cool. He couldn’t beat Mei Chen. She was leagues above him with her blade while he’d never held a sword before. That was the answer. He was an idiot for not realizing it before. He hopped back to make space and dropped the sword.

  Mei hesitated. She glanced at the sword then at Owen. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for him to make his next move.

  “You need to pick that up,” Sensei Dan said. “You can’t have a sword fight without a sword.”

  “No I don’t,” Owen said. “I’m not going to have a sword fight with her.” He didn’t know how to use a sword, why was he in a sword fight? He strode to the weapon wall while Mei and her men looked at him in confusion. He grabbed a bo staff from the collection of weapons and spun it above his head. “I know how to use this.”

  “I hope so,” Mei said. She rushed him, slashing high. He knocked the blade aside with a clack and slapped her across the back. A red line appeared across her shoulder blades. “Lucky!” Her steel gouged the staff, but the wood held strong. Owen shifted his hands to avoid her strikes. The staff danced in his hands as he pushed forward.

  They fought across the office. The jian’s nimble blade probed Owen’s defense. When she got close he made room with a sweep. He cleared his mind and let his Hardknuckle training take over. The thrill of the fight consumed him. Fear fled. He wanted to be clashing weapons with Mei. He started to have fun.

  He could feel he was stronger than her with each strike. He smacked her blade aside. His strikes alternated left and right until he smashed the sword from her hands. He swept low. Knocked Mei off her feet. Put the tip of his staff to her throat. They were done.

  “I don’t surrender,” Mei snarled. Her men looked ready to jump Owen. “Kill me!”

  “What is wrong with you?” Owen pulled the staff away. “Is this really how you want to die?” He glanced at her men. They looked ready to rush him. “I don’t want to die here. I’m not killing you. I won.”

  “Good choice, Owen,” Sensei Dan said before he disappeared.

  “Fine. What do you want?” Mei glared at him as she sat up.

  “Tuck,” Owen said. “What did you need?” Tuck took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Mei as she stood.

  “I need that info within the week,” Tuck said. He sounded surprisingly sober. “Keep quiet when you’re asking.”

  “You’re insane,” Mei said when she read the contents. “You want to step on the biggest toes around.” She scoffed. “I’ll get it done. Don’t ever come back here. Mama Chen’s debt is paid.” She glanced at Owen. “You wait a moment.” She grabbed a pen from her desk and took Owen’s hand. She wrote down her contact info. “I had fun. If you ever feel like a rematch give me a call. We can do it somewhere more private.” She smiled warmly at him. “Now get the fuck out.”

  “Nice,” Tom said as they left Mei’s place. “You got some hot contact info. You going to take her up on that? I’d take her up on it all night long.” He thrusted his hips at Owen. “I’m talking about fucking.”

  “Fuck no,” Owen said. He wiped the info off on his pants. Mei was insane. He had enough insanity in his life. “She cut me with a sword.” The cuts didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. He’d never wear those pants or sweater again.

  “Wouldn’t have stopped me,” Tuck said with a laugh. He threw Owen in a headlock and ruffled his hair. “You are such a good find, Owen! You don’t know how important this was. Good work!” Tuck let him go and Owen couldn’t help but smile.

  The team left New Asia without further incident, though he noticed gangsters following them until they left the border station. Their tourist rights were revoked and they needed to be gone. That was fine with Owen. He left enough blood in New Asia.