Jade Thief, part 1

I've been working on something new recently. Well, really the only "new" thing about it is the time period it's written in. If you're familiar with my character preferences, Jade won't surprise you at all. I hope you enjoy.
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The man was following me. I was sure of it. I also had a pretty good idea who he was working for.

Hoping I was wrong but deep down knowing better, I picked up the pace a little and slipped one hand casually in the pocket of my jacket.

“Uh-uh. Hands where I can see them,” a voice emerged from the darkness of an apartment stairwell. I stopped, knowing who it was. Knowing it had only been a matter of time before he caught up to me. Reluctantly, I released the handle of my knife and eased my hand back into the open.

“Garm. Funny, meeting you here,” I said, smoothly.

“Jade. I’ve heard stories about you,” he replied, giving me a once-over. “Frankly, I’m not impressed.”

“I haven’t heard much about you,” I responded, matching his tone and condescending glance. “Now I know why: there’s nothing worth mentioning.”

He glared.

“You’ve been playing both sides, Garm,” I said, making my voice deadly quiet. “You’re outmatched here. Surrender and I’ll ask my boss to let you off lightly.”

The traitor didn’t look overly concerned. Casually, he drew his pistol and pulled back the hammer. “How about you surrender to me, and in return, I’ll let you live. Under certain conditions.”

“Uh huh.” I sensed Garm’s man, my shadow, close behind me. Only a few more steps... “What kind of conditions?” I asked, just to keep Garm talking.

“You tell me where your boss’ secret warehouse is- and you help make me disappear to a place where he’d never find me.” Garm’s eyes glinted.

“I can make you disappear, all right,” I agreed as I whirled, catching both my shadow and my prey by surprise. A subtle movement of my thumb and forefinger and the man dropped the piece of pipe he was holding. And then I was standing behind him with his arms wrenched painfully behind his back, holding my knife to his throat and looking meaningfully at Garm. “Put that gun down and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Garm’s lips twisted- perhaps he remembered saying those very words to me a few minutes ago. He frowned, but he didn’t drop the pistol. “You think I care about a lowly mercenary? Go ahead; knife him. You’ll both be dead before you take another breath.” He put all the bluster he could into the words.

I studied him for a second, then heaved a sigh and released my hostage. Immediately, the thug whirled and knocked the knife from my grasp. I was ready for this trick. Feigning weakness, I let him drop the knife. Then I threw my weight forward hard, surprising him and knocking him off balance.

It would’ve been nice if the thug knocked into Garm before he fell- but Garm was too fast. He took two quick steps back and squeezed the trigger of his pistol.

Fast as he was, I was faster- already diving below the shot and drawing a smaller gun from a hidden holster on my forearm. I fired once, and Garm let out a howl and clutched his trigger finger. The pistol dropped to the ground.

I stepped quickly forward, squeezing off a second bullet to encourage the mercenary to stay where he was while I kicked his gun back behind me. The third shot took Garm in the shin, just in case he tried to run. He screamed.

“Jade, please!” he blubbered as I collected my knife from where it lay, keeping my gun trained on the thug at all times. “We can make a deal. I tell you all I know about the Shiian, and in return you don’t turn me over to your boss.”

“I’m sorry, Garm.” I didn’t even try to pretend he could bargain. “I’m not authorized to accept any last-minute pleas for mercy. I’m sure my boss will hear you out before he unlocks your secrets.”

I glanced at the thug. "I don't have orders to retrieve any of Garm's lackeys. Don't make me regret it."

The thug slowly got to his feet. "'Course not. I was never here. But if you ever need a favor..."

Good. He understood. I gestured with the gun. "Get out of here."

The guy picked up his pipe and disappeared. I sheathed my knife, then tapped out a quick coded message on my fist-sized walkie-talkie.

Less than a minute later, a post van pulled up to the apartment building. When two men got out and made their way to the stairwell, Garm fainted. I was glad; it saved me the trouble of knocking him unconscious.

The men didn't speak to me, but when they opened the back of the van and slid Garm in, I climbed in with him and they closed the doors.

It was time to make a delivery.
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Clark watched the van pull away from the apartment building and thumbed the TALK button on his radio. "I've got a ten ninety-nine and a ten thirty-one. The 10-99 matches the description we're looking for. She disarmed two others in a short scuffle. A middle-aged white male was just taken away in a postal van. Subject let the second man go. Sir, I think we may have found her. Over."

The radio came to life as soon as Clark finished speaking. "Do you have a plate number?"

Clark raised his binoculars again and stared at the van through the second-story apartment window, but it disappeared too quickly for him to see the numbers on its license plate. "Negative. I couldn't make it out, but it's heading north on Mill Street."

"I'll send out a general alert," the other said. "See if you can find the man on foot."

"Copy that," Clark said. "Entering silent mode. Pursuit in progress."

His sergeant acknowledged, and Clark took out his earpiece and plugged it in. While he searched for the second man in the alley, he would only be able to communicate with the sergeant with the number pad in his pants pocket, but the sergeant would be able to talk to him through the earpiece.

His heartbeat quickened as he took the stairs three at a time. The woman he'd seen was the one they were looking for, he was sure of it. If he could find the man she'd let go, chances seemed good they would apprehend her at last.

This was the closest they'd ever been to the one called Jade.