Chapter 1

Ken Masters saw her for the first time outside of a hole-in-the-wall strip club called "The Spider's Web." She was furiously kicking a drunken man sprawled out on the cold, hard ground. The sleeve of her shirt was torn near the shoulder and you could see a light bruise resembling a hand print starting to form on her upper arm.

Ken watched from a distance for a few more seconds. The beating didn't seem to let up at all. The man was curled into a ball on the dirty pavement. Even after covering his face he began to bleed all over the cement as her foot came in contact with him over and over again.

"Don't you think he's had enough?" Ken appeared at the women's side putting his hand around her wrist to pull her back.

Ripping her hand out of his grip, she turned to Ken with a smirk on her lips and a wild, animalistic look in her eyes. "And, who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" she said as she sized Ken up and down.

"He put his filthy hands on me first, so he got what was coming to him. Now I suggest you get away from me or you'll be next," she said calmly. Pulling her dark sequin bag more securely over her shoulder she looked down at the man below her and gave a soft laugh before turning on her heels. She began walking down the street at a fast pace, attempting the leave Ken and the badly beaten man behind.

After a few brisk steps Ken caught up with the woman again. "Hey, I wasn't trying to tell you what to do Babe. It just didn't seem like you were going to stop kicking the guy until you killed him. I wouldn't want you to end up in jail over something like that."

A small muffled laugh came from her mouth. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was. I'm sure you care what happens to me. I'll bet you just want a piece of me for yourself, don't you?" she said in an almost teasing voice. It seemed as if she was smiling at this point. She enjoyed talking down to men. It was all a game to her.

Not waiting for an answer, the young girl continued, "Never mind anyways. You don't even know who I am. I don't need to explain myself to you. If I'd really want to kill that guy I could have. I just wanted to draw it out... Make him suffer. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself thank you very much. Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone."

Ken continued walking next to her, not saying a word. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her turn to look at him suspiciously. "I just want to make sure you get home safe," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his broad shoulders.

She slowed her pace a bit and continued walking. After a minute or two she stopped outside a rundown apartment building. She let out a light sigh and turned to him again. "No, really, what do you want?" Ken turned to look at the woman who he had just stopped from beating a man to a death on the street. He hadn't gotten a really good look at her before in the dark alley. Now under the street lights he could see she was very beautiful. Dark black hair fell softly onto her shoulders. Even slightly disheveled, it framed her pale face perfectly. She placed her hands on her slim hips as she stood waiting for Ken's response. However, there was one feature that caught Ken off guard – her purple eyes. They were stunning.

Ken paused, making eye contact for a few seconds before giving her a warm smile. "That's the truth, I just wanted to walk you back. Now that you're home I guess I'll leave you..." Ken hesitated before continuing.

"Unless you want to go on a date with me sometime Sweetheart" He brushed a loose piece of blonde hair from his face and gave her a seductive look that seemed to work on all the other women he'd been with. He waited patiently to see what her reaction would be.

Rolling her eyes and throwing a hand up in the air, she turned her back to Ken and walked up the stairs to the main door of the apartment building. "You are all the same," she said as she fumbled with her key for a second, but once inside she slammed the door behind her leaving Ken standing alone.

Ken stood there for a moment trying to decide how badly he'd upset the girl. Suddenly a smirk appeared on his lips. Ken walked over to the small square box mounded next to the door. Without reaching to press any of the entry doorbell buttons, he examined the names next to each.

"Hmm… Edmond H. – Nope, Dan H. – Obviously not, Yang L. – No., .Cody T. – Jeeze a lot of guys live in this apartment building!" As Ken began to get discouraged he arrived at the last name on the list. "Juri H."

Ken wasn't normally the type of guy who crept on woman like this. In all honesty, it was usually the opposite. Women seemed determined to throw themselves at him wherever he went. Ken understood exactly why the woman did it and he played this up as much as he could. Tall, blonde haired and blue eyed, he was just what women wanted. Apart from that, he was young, funny, and had the tan, chiseled body of a Greek god. The ladies couldn't seem to get enough. He was cocky to say the least, but every female seemed to lap up all of that just for a chance to be next to him. In reality, it was all just a game. Ken was married, but that didn't stop him from flirting with beautiful women from time to time.

Juri on the other hand was different from most of the girls he met. Something about her intrigued him. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't show any interest in him at all. It was almost some kind of a challenge now that she'd turned him down once. Or, maybe it was the fact that fighting was a huge part of Ken's life since he was a little boy. His fighting skills were what he was known for. Other than Juri, he'd never seen another woman beat up a man within inches of death. Especially, with the wild look in her eyes that the girl had only moments ago. It was sexy. "Juri… I'll have to remember that name," Ken whispered to himself.

Before stepping away from the apartment building he glanced up, wondering which apartment was hers. He'd gathered a lot of information tonight. He knew the young woman's name, where she lived, and presumably where she worked – "The Spider's Web." Now all Ken had to do was find a way to see her again.