There were four of them following her tonight. She could tell by the cadence of their steps. Two in front, two in the back. Sienna James stole quick glances left, then right. There was an alley coming up. If she confronted them there, she stood a decent chance of walking away. It went up another twenty percent if she stopped them from surrounding her.

She slowed her breathing and rolled her shoulders to relax the muscles in her back and arms. Don't tense up now. She needed them to follow her another half block so she could duck in the alleyway. Take out the first two with a roundhouse sweeping kick. Then find something to hit the other two with.

About ten steps from the alley, Sienna broke into a full run. Their rushed footsteps pounded behind her. She ducked into the alley, spun around, planted her feet and raised her hands. The first two rounded the corner and slid to a stop in front of her. The one sporting a black goatee looked at the slick-haired man and nodded. She tried not to smile as they advanced on her. Obviously, whoever was paying them forgot to mention what happened to the last guys.

Sienna took a small step forward and shifted her center of gravity low. She kicked her left foot into a high arc and brought it down hard on the nearest man's face. He stumbled back while his partner rushed forward. Sweeping her leg down, she caught the new man off guard. The man's legs buckled beneath him. His head bounced against the concrete. He didn't move again.

"Bitch." Goatee guy stumbled towards her.

She wasn't worried about him. She kicked her heel into the chin of smart-ass number one, knocking him out. While smart-ass number two seemed to be out cold. Those two idiots were the least of her worries. The two men who'd been bringing up the rear seemed to have a bit more experience. They stood silently. Just watching the fight. Assessing her. Shit. They weren't going down easy. No, these two were going to be a problem. She bit the inside of her bottom lip and waited for them to make a move.

They circled around her, sidestepping over the two slumped bodies. One man on her left, the other on her right. They didn't converge in the middle. They followed the alley walls down until she felt the cold bite of brick behind her. If she turned to fight one, she was going to leave her back open to the other.

Sizing up both men from the corners of her eyes, the guy on the left had to be about twenty pounds less than his partner. Turning quickly, she took two steps up the wall, pivoted and kicked at the smaller man's head.

The man lifted his arm and deflected most of the blow. Sienna landed on the ground and popped up again. She kicked at his knees. He jumped back before she could connect. The second man was walking up behind her. His unhurried footsteps sent her heart into overdrive. She needed to take the smaller guy down now.

She stepped forward, kicked at his knees again and waited for him to try to sidestep her. Moving with him, she punched him squarely in the temple. He shook his head, bared his teeth and smiled down at her.

"Not smart. Not smart at all," he said. He looked past her head and gave a quick nod.