The White Vixen Read Online Free Page A

already been compromised, she might be moments from being captured herself. She had been carefully briefed on the interrogation methods used by the Chinese and had no desire to experience them first hand. By the look of Jamison, he was only in the early rounds of what would be a long fight that he would inevitably lose. Lu had only gotten the show started here. The men from the helicopter would be taking the agent back to the mainland for the main event.
    She got to the middle of the cell and stopped when Lu barked, “No farther!” Gently, she set the pot and the basket on the floor. Jamison was staring at her with his good eye. Carefully, Jo extended her tongue, flicked it off her upper lip first, then her bottom, then twice more off the top.
    “Thank you,” Jamison said in a croaking voice. Jo suppressed a smile of relief. He had gotten the message. Each flick of her tongue had sent a different signal. I am here to help you. Be ready to move. Twenty minutes maximum.
    She bowed to the prisoner and then shuffled backward out of the cell. Jamison made no move for the food. Jo noticed that Lu’s hand was on the butt of his sidearm. With his left hand, he closed the cell door firmly. Only after it locked did Jamison reach out for the basket and cook pot.
    “Eat well,” Lu said in Chinese. “You’re going on a trip tonight.” Jamison made no reply, although Jo knew he was fluent in the language, as was she.
    “Come with me,” Lu said, taking her by the arm and hustling her back toward the cellblock entrance.
    “I must go tend to my aunt,” Jo said, forcing her voice up an octave to show fear.
    “Later.”
    The guard quickly let them through the door, but not so quickly that Jo couldn’t catch the position of the key on his ring. First one on the right. Good, that would save a second or two. Still gripping her upper arm, Lu moved her down the hallway and toward another room. He opened the door and pushed her inside.
    Her many years of instruction allowed her to think and react instinctively. Know your environment. A bare bulb hanging overhead illuminated the room. It was a storeroom of some sort. Along the wall to her right, shelves held a few piles of papers and files, some books, cleaning supplies. To her left, a mop and broom leaned against the wall, next to a sink. Ahead of her was a rickety cot, canvas supported by metal legs. A rumpled blanket lay on top of it. She heard the door shut behind her, and the lock clicked. Program for engagement. Anticipating Lu’s movements, Jo planned her own. She concentrated on bringing her breathing under control, reaching deep within herself for her kokoro , her indomitable spirit, knowing that the next few minutes would determine whether she lived or died.
    “Undress and lie down,” Lu ordered.
    “Please, honorable sir, I beg you not to hurt me.” Her back was still toward the sergeant, so he could not see her slip the dart from the hem of her left sleeve. She slipped effortlessly into a state of kiai , a relaxed but intense focus upon her life force, her ki .
    “Do as you are told,” he said. She could hear the slap of leather; he was unbuckling his belt. Keeping the dart concealed in her right hand, she began unbuttoning her coat. Behind her, she heard the clump of the belt being dropped on the floor.
    Pulling off her coat, she turned to face Lu. This time she stood up straight, and noted the glint in his eyes as he saw that she was nearly as tall as him. Instead of averting her own eyes, she stared directly into his, bringing her inner spirit into a state of aiki . The words of one of her past masters came back, quoting an early Japanese jujitsu master: “Aiki is the art of defeating your opponent with a single glance.” She saw uncertainty, and perhaps a touch of fear, enter Lu’s eyes.
    Still, he was arrogant. “I am going to enjoy this,” he said huskily, reaching for Jo’s scarf. He had no idea she was already feeling haragei , an intuitive sense focused