They Framed Me and Threw Me to the Wolves, But They Forgot Who I Was

The Secret of the Shield

Dean’s grin evaporated instantly. The silence of her defiance was more insulting than any insult she could have hurled. With a furious grunt, the giant lunged forward, his massive, scarred hand reaching out to wrap around Jade's throat. To the spectators, it looked like the end. But Jade had spent years training in elite military hand-to-hand combat before she ever wore a detective's badge. She was a master of using an opponent's size against them.

As Dean’s hand closed in, Jade stepped inside his guard. She grabbed his wrist, twisting it with leverage that defied her size, and delivered a devastating strike to the nerve cluster behind his knee. With a sickening thud, the colossal man crashed to the concrete, gasping in pain. The prison yard fell into a stunned, breathless silence.

"Get up, Dean!" a voice shouted from the crowd, but the giant was already scrambling to his feet, his face twisted in pure humiliation. He reached into his waistband and pulled out a crude, gleaming metal shiv. The crowd gasped. The guards in the towers remained motionless, deliberately ignoring the lethal weapon. They had been ordered to let Jade die.

Dean lunged again, driving the sharp metal straight toward her chest. Jade didn't run. She waited until the blade was inches from her skin, then deflected his forearm, grabbed his collar, and executed a perfect shoulder throw. Dean sailed through the air, crashing onto the hard concrete with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs. The shiv clattered away, landing at the feet of the warden, who had just rushed into the yard with a squad of riot guards.

"What is the meaning of this?" Warden Miller demanded, his face pale as he looked from the groaning giant to the untouched woman. Jade stood tall, looking directly at the warden with a chilling smile.