Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

already working through various grappling techniques. I recognized most of the pajama people on sight as members of Chicago's finest.
    One of the men, a large and brawny rookie, let out a sharp shout, and then he and another man closed in to attack a single opponent. They were quick, and worked well together. If it had been anyone but Murphy up against them, they probably would have been successful.
    Lt. Karrin Murphy, the woman in charge of the Special Investigations division of Chicago PD, stood an even five feet. Her blond hair had been tied back into a tail, and she wore white pajamas with a faded belt that was more grey than black. She was attractive in a pleasantly wholesome kind of way—crystal blue eyes, clear skin, an upturned nose.
    And she'd been a student of aikido since she was eleven.
    The brawny rookie underestimated her speed, and she had slipped aside from his kick before he realized his mistake. She caught him by an ankle, twisted with her whole frame, and sent him stumbling away for a second or two—time enough for her to handle the second attacker. He struck more cautiously, and Murphy let out an abrupt shout of her own, faked a jab, and drove a front kick into his belt. It wasn't at full strength, and he'd taken the blow correctly, but he fell back a couple of steps, hands lifted in acknowledgment. If Murphy had been in earnest, she'd have put him down, hard.
    The rookie came back in, but he hadn't really gotten up to speed. Murphy blocked a jab and a slow reverse punch, got the rookie by the wrist, and sent him smashing down on the impact mat, one hand twisted to the breaking point and held firm at the small of his back. The rookie grimaced and slapped the mat three times. Murphy released him.
    "Hey, Stallings," she said, loudly enough to be heard by the whole gym. "What just happened here?"
    The older opponent grinned and said, "O'Toole just got beat up by a girl, Lieutenant."
    There was a general round of applause and good-natured jeers from the other cops in the gym, including several calls of "Pay up!" and "Told you so!"
    O'Toole shook his head ruefully. "What did I do wrong?"
    "Telegraphed the kick," Murphy said. "You're a moose, O'Toole. Even a light kick from you will do the job. Don't sacrifice speed to get more power. Keep it quick and simple."
    O'Toole nodded, and walked over to an open corner of the mat with his partner.
    "Hey, Murphy," I called. "When are you gonna stop picking on little kids and fight someone your own size?"
    Murphy flicked her tail over her shoulder, her eyes shining. "Come say that to my face, Dresden."
    "Give me a minute to amputate my legs and I will," I responded. I took my shoes off and set them against the wall, along with my duster. Murphy got a smooth wooden staff about five feet long from a rack on the wall. I took my staff into a square marked in tape on the mat, and we bowed to each other.
    We warmed up with a simple sequence, alternating strikes in a steady, working rhythm, wooden staves clacking solidly. Murphy didn't start pushing for more speed. "Haven't seen you for almost two weeks. You flaking out on this self-defense notion?"
    "No," I said, keeping my voice down. "Been on a job. Finished it up last night." I lost focus, slipped up in the sequence, and Murphy's staff banged down hard on the fingers of my left hand. "Hell's bells,
ow
!"
    "Concentrate, wimp." Murphy gave me a second to shake my fingers, and then she started again from the beginning. "You've got something on your mind."
    "Something off the record," I said, lowering my voice.
    She looked around. No one was close enough to listen in. "Okay."
    "I need a thug. You available?"
    Murphy arched a brow. "You need manpower?"
    "Thugpower," I said.
    Murphy frowned. "What do you have in mind?"
    "Black Court," I said. "At least two in town, probably more."
    "Hitters?"
    I nodded. "One of them came pretty close to taking me last night."
    "You okay?"
    "Yeah. But we have to shut these guys down, and fast.