My head jerked back. It did it; I didn’t make it.

And then my mouth moved.

“He’s in danger.”

Chen swore under his breath.

“Where?” Jian-Li demanded, also now close.

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,” I chanted, feeling the pain at the same time feeling a panic that was so extreme, it was nearly consuming. I reached out a hand and clasped it on Chen’s biceps, curling it tight and yanking him to me even as I leaned his way. “We have to get to him.”

“You’ll guide me?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Let’s go,” he said, straightening and pulling me with him. We were both racing to the door when he called back to his mother. “Call Xun and Wei.”

“Of course,” she replied, her tone urgent, and we were out the door, up the stairs, and down the alley where he stopped me by a motorcycle.

The man they called Abel had a Harley Sportster.

Chen had crotch rocket.

My father rode a Harley. My father had ridden a Harley since before I was born. My father got a job at thirteen and worked it, saving every penny to buy his first broken-down Harley at the age of fifteen. And my father would disown me if he knew I did what I did next, that being jumping right on behind Chen after he mounted it and turned the ignition.

I wrapped my arms around his flat stomach and leaned deep, lips to his ear. “Left out of the alley, right at the next street. Hurry!”

We shot out of the alley and Chen turned left, then right at the next street.

The wind whipping my hair, Chen wasting no time, impossibly, since I didn’t know how I knew, I just knew that I knew, I said into his ear, “Right at the light.”

We hit the light and slung low, our bodies straining to the heavens, our knees nearly grazing the blacktop as he took the turn at the light.

“Alley, alley, alley!” I cried when he’d made the turn and righted us and the bike, then, “Left!”

He took us left and I nearly flew off the back of the bike and over his head when he braked so fast, the rear wheel came off the tarmac.

I looked around him and got what made him stop so fast.

Abel was fighting three men. Three huge men.

Three huge men with swords.

“Okay, my night just officially went off the charts, batshit crazy,” I breathed.

I nearly fell off the bike as Chen dismounted swiftly, a phone at his ear and him talking into it. “Alley behind Guzman’s. Hurry.”

I heard the loud clang when one of the guy’s swords crashed against the long length of pipe Abel was using to defend himself. I looked that way as Chen dashed toward the fray.

Unarmed.

“Chen!” I shrieked.