The answer was seventeen, but I didn't feel like sharing.
The thug lunged forward, his enhanced speed impressive for someone his size but still telegraph-obvious to anyone who'd survived as long as I had. I flicked the charged coin at his face—not aiming to kill, but to make a point.
The coin struck his forehead and detonated in a shower of purple sparks. The explosion wasn't powerful enough to cause serious damage, but it was more than enough to send him staggering backward, clutching his head and cursing.
"What the hell—"
"Kinetic Charge," I explained helpfully, already pulling another coin from my pocket. "I store energy in objects and release it on impact. Pretty neat trick, right?"
The woman's eyes were locked on me now, her terror replaced by something approaching awe. The thug shook his head, trying to clear it, his enhanced muscles rippling as he prepared for another charge.
"You think that little firecracker is gonna stop me?" he snarled. "I'll crush you like a bug!"
"Maybe," I admitted, letting the second coin charge while I spoke. "But here's the thing about enhanced strength Quirks—they make you tough, but they don't make you smart. And they definitely don't make you faster."
He came at me again, this time leading with a haymaker that could have punched through a car door. I sidestepped it easily, the coin leaving my hand in a perfect arc that struck the brick wall beside his head. The explosion sent chips of mortar and dust raining down, and I used his moment of confusion to put some distance between us.
"The lady's briefcase," I said, my tone conversational despite the adrenaline singing in my veins. "What's in it that's worth risking a felony assault charge?"
"None of your damn business!" He spun toward me, faster this time, learning from his mistakes.
I had to give him credit—he wasn't completely stupid.
I charged a third coin and sent it ricocheting off the fire escape above his head. It struck a loose bolt, which came free and clattered to the ground behind him. He flinched, spinning to track the sound, and I used the distraction to move again.
"See, this is what I mean about class," I continued, circling him slowly. "A real professional would have done his homework. Found out what the briefcase contained before making his move. Maybe even brought backup."
The woman was edging toward the alley's mouth now, smart enough to use our confrontation as cover for her escape. Good. One less variable to worry about.
"Instead, you're just throwing around enhanced punches and hoping something sticks." I shook my head sadly. "It's disappointing, really."
His next charge was more controlled, more focused. He'd figured out that I was faster than him, so instead of trying to catch me, he was trying to corner me. Drive me back against the dead end where the woman had been trapped.
Not a terrible strategy, actually. If he'd been fighting anyone else, it might have worked.
But I'd spent years reading people's intentions, spotting their tells before they even knew they had them. And this guy was broadcasting his moves like a neon sign.
I charged a fourth coin, but instead of throwing it immediately, I palmed it and pulled out a fifth. The misdirection was subtle—his eyes tracked the visible coin while the charged one remained hidden.
"Tell you what," I said, backing toward the fence as if his plan was working. "I'm feeling generous tonight. Walk away now, and we'll call this a learning experience. Stay, and I'll have to get creative."
He grinned, showing teeth that had seen better days. "Trapped now, ain't you, kid? Nowhere left to run."
"Who the fuck said anything about running?"
I threw the uncharged coin directly at his face—a obvious, clumsy toss that he swatted aside easily. But while his attention was on the decoy, I flicked the charged coin at the fire escape's support bracket.
The explosion brought down a section of metal stairs that crashed between us, buying me the space I needed to vault over the debris and land behind him.
He spun around, his face red. "Stop running and fight me!"
"I am fighting you." I pulled out another coin, letting the purple glow build visibly this time. "You're just losing."
The woman had reached the alley's mouth now, and I could hear her heels clicking on pavement as she ran toward the main street. Mission accomplished, as far as the rescue was concerned. Now it was just a matter of how much I wanted to humiliate this guy before walking away.
The answer, it turned out, was quite a bit.
He came at me one more time, desperation making him sloppy. I charged the coin to maximum capacity and sent it skipping across the alley floor like a stone across water. It ricocheted off the opposite wall, then the fence, then a trash can, building speed and changing direction with each impact before finally striking his ankle.
The explosion sent him toppling forward, his enhanced bulk working against him as he crashed into a pile of garbage bags with all the grace of a falling piano.
I walked over to where he lay groaning in the refuse and crouched down beside him, my voice dropping to the kind of quiet tone that had made grown men nervous back in my casino days.
"Here's some free advice," I said. "Next time you want to shake someone down, pick a target who can't turn you into street pizza. Because if I see you bothering innocent people again, I won't be nearly as gentle."
He tried to push himself up, but his coordination was shot from the repeated concussions. "This... this ain't over..."
"Yes, it is." I stood, brushing off my hands. "And if you're smart—which, admittedly, seems unlikely—you'll make sure it stays that way."
I left him there in the garbage and walked back toward the main street, where the woman was standing under a street lamp, still clutching her briefcase but no longer looking terrified.
"Thank you," she said as I approached. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't—"
"Don't mention it." I waved off her gratitude, already thinking about how to get home from here. "Just doing my civic duty."
She fumbled in her purse and pulled out what looked like a business card. "If there's ever anything I can do to repay you—"
"Really, it's fine." I pocketed the card without looking at it. "Just be more careful walking alone at night, okay? Not everyone who shows up in dark alleys is going to be friendly."