by Paul Watkins
Suddenly Max spins and delivers a backhand smash to Rumble’s mouth. It’s a good solid shot and blood sprays with the impact. Rumble backs up a step as he holds the back of his hand to his face momentarily to check the flow of blood.
It’s not a knockout blow, but Rumble is stalled for the moment. Not one to waste time, Max immediately turns and renews his attack on Lightning Fast. The bigger man’s hands are quick, but he’s not trained for this sort of activity and the ferocity of Max’s onslaught is unrelenting. Up until now Max’s kicks have all been aimed at his opponent’s upper body. A sudden sidekick lands square on Lightning’s knee and an audible ‘pop’ is heard. As if in slow motion, the taller man begins to fall. His lowering head presents too tempting a target and Max delivers… a savage round-kick puts an end to Lightning’s conscious participation.
Max now turns his full attention to Rumble who appears somewhat discomfited by the change in the odds. But before attacking Rumble, Max sidesteps to face Dealer, who is still moaning on the floor. A soccer-style kick to Dealer’s face puts a permanent end to any possible further participation by this candidate. This move is in the best possible tradition of a street fight. Never leave a wounded man at your back… you may regret it later on. No need to worry about that possibility with Max around.
One on one now, Max smiles for the first time.
“You wanted me, baby. Now you got me all to yourself.”
Rumble doesn’t seem as sure as Max that this turn of events is to his liking. But whatever Rumble is, he’s no coward. He has seen what Max is capable of and he has no intention of letting it happen to him. Max, for his part, seems to sense that Rumble represents the most serious threat. The two men circle one another slowly. Then Max begins a series of kicks designed to unbalance and confuse his opponent. While the kicks may not be meant to strike, there are certainly no guarantees… the margin of error is too small. Max spins and kicks… first high, then low and then strikes out with his right leg towards Rumble’s left knee. Rumble stoops to fend off the blow, his first major mistake and Max grabs his arm as he attempts to straighten up. Max pulls Rumble towards him and delivers an elbow strike to the right side of Rumble’s head. Rumble counters with a hard left hook to Max’s shoulder and a right to the ribs that shakes the smaller man and moves him to the side. Max’s mouth twitches with pain, the only indication he has been hit hard.
But the impact of Max’s blow is solid enough to stun Rumble and that’s all the opening Max needs. Rumble tries to back away from the attack, but three quick blows to the right side of Rumble’s head and he’s going down… down to the range where Max likes to kick someone’s lights out… and that’s exactly what he proceeds to do. Max strikes Rumble square in the face with his knee. popping his head up and back. Max’s next kick is to Rumble’s sternum. An audible ‘whoosh’ is heard as Rumble heads for the floor and the inevitable finishing kick to the face.
Max knows a kick to the face isn’t going to do much more damage, but it’s one way to mark your opponent with a visible reminder that will require some explaining for the next few weeks.
It’s a good half-hour before all the participants are ready for any further conversation, but we are a patient lot and we wait quietly. I asked A.J. to leave the room for I do not think this is something he should be a part of at this point. The message I have for them does not have to be shouted at the top of my voice, but I want them to hear and understand every word. Finally all three are completely awake and aware of their surroundings. Understandably, they are a bit uncomfortable, but that falls under the heading of: too bad. There are other headings it could fall under, but the children might still be awake.
“I want you to listen to what I have to say to you now… just so there isn’t any confusion on the subject,” I begin. “We are going to accept part of your offer… the part where you have a vested interest in the well being of A.J.’s parents. However we are not going to pay you any money for this service. But I want you to understand what will happen to you if any harm comes to those fine people. If anything happens to either one of A.J.’s parents, or anyone else in his family, we will assume you had something to do with it, and we will hunt you down and make you pay. What happened to you here today will look like child’s play.
“I wanted the three of you to take on the man of your choice to show you how inept you all are. You don’t have a chance against one of our people, let alone our entire staff. If something happens we will be sending more than one out to get you. And make no mistake about it… we will get you.
“I know you probably think you’re good and what happened here was all a big mistake. On your way home you will get to talking and you will make up all kinds of excuses why our man got the best of you. Before you arrive back in the city you will have convinced yourselves that the next time things will be different.
“Now let me tell you the way it is. Most of the people here have been to war… a real war, not the kind of bullshit you guys do with drive-by shootings and other chickenshit stunts. You think you know guns… you can’t imagine the firepower we have, know how to use, and can’t wait to put to work on the likes of you assholes. You carry knives. We love knives. The net is: it would be boys against men… I’d have trouble holding these guys back.
“You want to change your life for all time… make trouble for the Jacksons. Just don’t think we’ll call the police and ask for help. Once we get started, you will be calling for the police. We won’t. It will be personal and you will pay dearly. Since we have already warned you, we will take any offense very seriously. In other words, if we come calling, your next stop won’t be a hospital… it will be the morgue.”
I pause to let the message sink in.
“Any questions?”
Rumble looks up and sneers in contempt. “Fuck you!”
This reply earns him a solid shot in the nose by Max.
“Not the right response, asshole,” Max instructs him quietly.
“I’ll ask again,” I continue in the same tone as before. “Do any of you have any questions?”
The three men look down sullenly, but no other response is forthcoming.
“It looks like the lesson isn’t over,” I state in a weary tone.
The three heads turn as one.
“We understand,” Lightning Fast blurts out. “At least I do.”
“Me, too,” Dealer adds.
“You made your point,” Rumble mumbles through his swelling lips.
His nose is bleeding and tears are running down his cheeks from the last blow Max delivered. He’s not crying, Max just activated his tear ducts and the water is flowing unbidden down his cheeks. Probably embarrassing.
“Take those two out of here,” I instruct two of our men who are standing off to the side. “We’re going to have to spend some more time with Mr. Rumble here.”
Rumble comes around a little more quickly this time.
“You don’t have to do anything more with me,” he says with a bit more sincerity. “I got the picture.”
I try to not look convinced. I continue to look at him with doubt written all over my face.
“No, really,” Rumble says earnestly. “Nothing will happen, I swear. It was all a misunderstanding.”
I let him stew for a while and then appear to be reluctantly convinced.
“Better be sure,” I add. “We’ll come for you first if anything happens.” I pause again before continuing. “I don’t like you, Rumble. I didn’t like the shit you pulled when you came here and nothing you have said or done since has changed my mind. You tough guys are all alike. You’re real hard until you run into someone besides children or old men and women. I might as well be honest about it… if anything happens. you’re going to go down. Another thing I want you to know… it will be personal… you and me.”
Rumble smiles and nods, “I’d like that.
I’d love to take a shot at you without all your protection around.”
Before I can reply, Steve Marshall speaks up.
“Rumble, I don’t know you personally, but I’ve heard of you back in the hood. I know you’re tough. Right now, bro, you don’t know what you’re talking about. This man will eat your lunch and make you shit it. I’ve seen how you all give Bear plenty of respect… for good reason. Mr. Richards took Bear and didn’t even work up a sweat. You want an early grave. take on the man. But you’d better bring an army. One on one, you got no chance… and that’s the straight line.”
Rumble gives Marshall a look of infinite patience, and then returns his gaze to me. Still not convinced.
“Tell you what, Rumble,” I begin, “let’s get this over with now. I don’t trust you and you don’t seem convinced. We’ll leave the house and go somewhereout in the fields, away from any help for either one of us. Your friends can go home. You won’t be joining them… now or later. We’ll fight to the finish. No weapons.” I pause to allow him a little time to mull it over. Then, “Tonight you’re going to die.”
I walk to the door and turn to our team.
“Get him ready while I change my clothes. I’ll be back in two minutes.”
I go to my room and quickly change into military style utilities. The clothing is loose and comfortable. I take a moment to do a few quick stretches and relax before the upcoming battle. I don’t feel anything emotionally. I’m not excited or scared… that will all come later.
I return to the gym and see Rumble standing off to the side.
“Would you like to say good-bye to your friends?” I ask. “You won’t be seeing each other for quite a while. Like never.”
Rumble laughs.
“You got some line of shit, man.”
I smile in return.
“We’ll see.”
“Why can’t we get it on here? Why all the drama?”
“Because. That’s all the answer you get: because. Let’s go. You’re not afraid of the dark are you?”
We turn to leave, but Rumble stops at the door.
“I don’t think I want to do this,” he says. “I think you’re crazy. This whole thing is crazy. You want to fight, I’ll fight. But I ain’t going out there.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to fight. I said I didn’t like you. I said I was going to kill you, because I’m not convinced you understand how you screwed up here. In my book, you’re a cowardly piece of shit. I’m not going to wait for you to try something… I’m going to take you out now. be done with it.”
Rumble continues to glare at me, but he isn’t moving either.
“I ain’t going anywhere. You want to get it on, get it on here.”
I walk up to Rumble. “Go ahead, take your best shot.”
Rumble’s hands clench and he suddenly draws his hand back to throw the punch.
This guy might be good on the street against untrained opponents, but he’s not quite in our league. He offers a number of options, but the best is usually the simple, straightforward approach.
I step back and easily block the well-telegraphed punch. I immediately counter with a knife hand to the throat and a kick to the groin. I grab his lowering head and bring my knee up, smashing his nose for the second time this evening. It wouldn’t have been fair even if I had been his first opponent of the evening, but some lessons are harder to learn than others.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I say to his cronies. “I’m going to let him go home with you if he manages to keep his mouth shut for a while.”
We look at Rumble’s inert body.
“Get them out of here before I change my mind again. These people make me sick.”
The security staff team escorts the men to their waiting car. It’s slow going, for Lightning Fast isn’t very fast any more. He can barely stand and he needs assistance from Dealer to walk. Our guys refuse to help. My guess is he will need some serious therapy on his knee before he’s finished, perhaps even surgery. It’s really unfortunate. At my request, our people follow their car for a few miles down the road to impress upon them the seriousness of our intent. I return to the gym and spy Max who is continuing his workout.
“Enjoy your evening so far,” I ask with a smile.
“Yeah, thanks, boss,” he replies. “It’s nice to have a break and workout with a real person once in a while. I get tired of these old punching bags all the time. And it’s nice to actually throw a punch without pulling it at the last second. ‘Course, the fact they deserved a good ass kicking didn’t hurt either.”
I give Max a light pat on the shoulder as I turn to leave.
“Nice work, Max,” I say and then turn to the three also-rans. “Looks like Max saved your collective asses again.”
“Yeah, lucky us,” comes a dejected reply. “I feel like a fuckin’ wallflower,” says one.
Max laughs gleefully.
I walk back to the library to find A.J. He’s sitting on the sofa looking towards the window in apparent contemplation… probably reviewing the day’s events.
“So much for the old friends from the neighborhood bit,” I offer, trying to make light of the moment.
I can only imagine what a disappointment this must have been for him. A.J. looks at me and shakes his head.
“I shouldn’t be surprised. Tigers don’t change their stripes. They were just doing what they have been doing all their lives. Trying to take advantage of other people. But I still hoped it might be different this time.”
He slowly shakes his head in weary resignation.
“Thanks for jumping in. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I was going crazy. I couldn’t think of any way to put a stop to it. We can’t start down the road making payoffs, but I would never be able to get my parents to understand the danger either… that is, until it was too late. I was sort of paralyzed. My mind was going a million miles a minute and getting nowhere. You know… lost bigger than shit, but making good time.”
“I understand. It’s always a gamble, but this way we have dealt with these guys on their own terms… in a language they understand. I told them if anything happens to your parents or other members of your family, we will come for them first… and we will not be as gentle as we were this time around.”
A.J. smiles at the thought, “That should do it. Unfortunately, they don’t really know you and what you’re capable of. They probably think you’re just another honky jerk with a big ego and nothing to backit up. They should have talked to Bear before cooking up this idea. He might have set them straight… but I doubt it. Some people have to learn the hard way.”
He sits lost in thought for a moment and then continues, “You know… I wonder if I really know you. You get a weird look on your face when this shit starts. It’s scary. I asked Hudson about you one day… he didn’t say much. He just smiled and said the only people who knew the other side of you aren’t with us anymore.”
I choose to ignore his ramblings.
“A.J., I honestly don’t think they will try anything with your family. They have to believe we will come for them… and I promise you, we would do exactly that. I thought about finishing it tonight, but I think they got the message. I promise you, if there is even a hint of trouble with your family, we’ll put an end to it… and them.”
A.J. laughs.
“You know it’s funny. A man with your background and you’re probably worse than any of the gang leaders I knew as a kid. If people only knew…”
“Well, let’s let this be our little secret, shall we?”
I walk to the bar and take out two bottles of water.
“Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
I think any romantic notions A.J. may have held onto about his past have finally crumbled to dust inthe aftermath of this evening’s events. Free at last.
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***
An entire week has gone by and there’s still no word from Karen. I called on several occasions, leaving messages, but so far no return calls. I finally reached her Friday, but it turned out to be a waste of time. She was cold and distant and there are no signs of an early thaw. The phone call didn’t last two minutes.
Things with Jennifer have remained pretty much the same as before. I like to spend time with her when the opportunity presents itself, but I have been buried in work. Fortunately, Jennifer doesn’t seem to mind. Today, for instance, is a good case in point. I have been away for almost a week. She left a message to call back… when convenient. I have a pile of mail and messages staring at me, but the nice tone of Jennifer’s message puts her at the top of the list. Also, I neglected to call when I was away so I had better get on the stick or I’ll lose all my hard-earned good behavior points.
She picks up on the second ring.
“Hi, it’s Philip. I just walked in the door about two minutes ago and I saw your message.”
“I hoped you would call before you made any plans for this evening. If you are not too tired from all your travels, I would like to have you come over as soon as you can. And, by the way, don’t I rate any calls for a whole week?”
“You mean as soon as I shower and get all this airplane grime off me. I feel like I have a coat of oil on my body… and it’s not the good kind. And, yes, you do rate calls during the week and it won’t happen again… promise.”
“No, I don’t want you to get cleaned up or anything. Bring a change of clothes with you… something casual. I would like you to come over right now… can you make it? I accept your apology, if that’s what it was.”
“You mean right this minute? Thank you. Yes, that’s what it was.”
