Chapter 23: A Brief Respite
Hanging up the phone, Ken looked towards the women that were starring at him for an answer. He walked over to the sofa and sat down letting out a sigh.
"I know you do not want to get the police involved Ken, but think of Ryu's sake." Eliza said walking over to him.
"Ryu is not a fugitive, but now it feels like I just betrayed my best friend. Now they will be hunting him like he is a criminal. DAMN Gouki!" Ken yelled slamming his fist in his palm.
"You said it yourself Ken. If Ryu does not want to be found, he will not be. We need help in tracking him down before he confronts that murderer. This is the best solution we could come up with." Eliza replied.
"I called in a few favors I was owed from some contacts in Interpol. If they turn up anything, they will let me know." Chun li added.
Just then the phone rang. Ken hopped over the sofa and answered it.
"Yes? Okay, send her up." He answered hanging up the phone.
"Wow, the police are fast around here. That was the front desk letting me know that an inspector is here to ask some questions."
A few minutes later, there was a rapping at the door. Eliza ushered in the young woman in a business suit.
"Good evening, I am Inspector Juli."
----===Elsewhere...===----
Rose awoke to the sounds of a wood crackling on a campfire. She blinked her eyes to focus on her surroundings. Struggling slowly to sit up, she saw the Shotokan master cooking something in a small pot over the fire.
Hearing her stir, he poured some of the contents of the small pot into a bowl and walked over to where she lay. Kneeling down, he handed her the bowl.
"Drink." He said softly.
Smelling the bowl, she made a sour face. "What is it?" She asked.
"An old remedy my Sensei taught me. It will help you regain your strength." Ryu said sitting down beside of the fire.
Taking a few sips at a time, she finally emptied the bowl. She never took her eyes off of the warrior sitting by the fire. Finally, she spoke to him.
"Where are we?"
"In a forrest about 10 miles from that estate you were at." He replied.
"What of our pursuers?" She asked.
"I lost them once I was able to get away from the estate. I do not believe that they followed us"
'I tried to seduce you, but when that did not work I attacked you, only to have you save me. Most men would have taken advantage of me or left me behind. But not you." She thought to herself.
"I am sorry for the things I have done to you." She said lowering her eyes.
"There is no need for you to apologize. You were not responsible for your actions. Do you know who was manipulating you?"
"No." She said looking back up at him. "I can only recall my memory back to a few days. The butler there would drug my meal everyday to insure that I was still under their influence."
"I only saw the butler and a woman that would come to give me orders to be followed. I was to use my 'gift' to locate fighters of strong potential, and lure them there to be captured by any means necessary."
Looking down at the slinky nightgown she wore that was covered up by the wool blanket he must have given her, she bit her lip and looked away embarrassed.
"I want to thank you for saving me, and not taking advantage of me in the condition I was in. You are truly a very chivalrous man." Fresh tears started to well up in her eyes as she spoke.
"No need to thank me, I am glad I could help. You should get some rest. You 're exhausted.