As the emissary and two geishas approached their carriage, three men jumped out from behind a building. Two of the men confronting them were bulky and strong, obviously fighters. The only thing Albert noticed about the third was the gun he pointed at Mr. Tamako.
Without hesitation, the two women stepped together to protect their boss. They flipped their fans open and overlapped them as the man fired. The bullet went through the first fan and lodged in the second. The women glided forward with fans swirling. Razor sharp metal edges cut the other two men in the face, arms, and hands before they could react. The thugs backed away and ran down the street.
At the same time, the hidden guard flung out three glistening pieces of metal. The remaining assailant yelled in pain and grabbed his throat. He gurgled for a moment and fell to the ground.
While all interest was focused on the fight, a fourth crept in behind them with a gleaming knife. Albert flipped a switch on the head of his umbrella and pulled a blade out from the shaft. “My blade is longer than yours. You want to try it?”
The man stopped as the professor lunged forward with the sword stick. Albert’s older brother, Jack made sure he knew how to defend himself. The younger boy’s slight build made him the subject of all sorts of bullying throughout school. Coupled with his brilliant mind, he was a constant target. Jack trained Albert to street-fight and use anything in his hands, plus whatever was up his sleeve.
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Ignoring the warning, the thug raised his arm to throw the knife at the emissary. Albert grinned. The leather cuff attached to his wrist shot out a stream of pepper powder.
Exploding in his face, the last assailant screamed and rubbed his eyes. He blindly slashed out trying to make contact. His knife was deflected by the strips of metal in Albert’s leather vest.
Albert used the move that his brother Jack taught him, and with a well-placed kick, shoved the blinded man backward.
The Japanese guard stepped from the shadows and twisted the knife from his hand. With a quick touch on his neck by the guard, the attacker fell face down.
A police whistle sounded in the background.
“We must go.” The emissary was already in the carriage with his two geishas.
Albert looked up at the man and grinned. “If I come, can I have one of the fans for my collection?”
“But of course.” Tamako laughed, the first time he showed any emotion.
As the carriage drove off, the man he disabled moaned and cursed in a guttural language. It almost sounded Russian. Now, why would they attack the Japanese dignitary?
This could get interesting. His eyes gleamed with excitement. His brother, United States Naval Captain Jack Timmons would have recognized the expression and advised caution. But Jack was busy sailing somewhere across the ocean and not on hand to slow him down. As Albert ran up his steps into the house, he already knew what to pack for the trip.
It was time for another adventure.