Everyday Hero

by Jo Leigh

  “I’m not going to tangle with you, Arcola. You either shut up and play the game, or get out. I don’t have time for this.”

  “You’d better make time, police man.” Danny moved toward him slowly. His clothes were familiar to T.J.—jeans three sizes too big, a dirty T-shirt that hung nearly to his knees. The way he walked, with one leg stiffened to cause a sway, was as much a part of the gang uniform as the backward cap on his head.

  “You want to fight?” T.J. asked. “You’re kidding, right? You think I’m really gonna fight with you? Here?”

  “Not if you send Bobby out.”

  T.J. shook his head. “Get serious.”

  “You better take me serious, man.”

  “Or what?”

  T.J. saw Kate in his peripheral vision. She was moving toward Danny. He stepped forward, trying to intercept her before she reached the boy. Just in time, he reached his hand out and grabbed her arm. “I’ve got this.”

  She whipped around to look at him and he was taken aback at the anger in her face. “Let go of me,” she said, her voice low and fierce.

  He did. But he moved closer to her at the same time. “This is inevitable,” he whispered. “We have to get it over with now.”

  “No fights. I told you what I expected of you.”

  “So have a little faith. I know what I’m doing.”

  She stared at him, hard. He could see she didn’t trust him. But if they were going to do this for the next five weeks, she’d have to.

  The decision came slowly, but finally she nodded and stepped back. T.J. looked again at Danny, who’d watched the little drama with great interest.

  “You better listen to her, man,” Danny said. “She don’t want me to hurt you.”

  T.J. kept moving until he was inches away from Danny. The boy held his ground, even though he had to look up into T.J.’s face.

  “Why don’t we take this conversation around back,” he said. “Just the two of us.”

  Danny glanced behind him at his gang, then shook his head. “They go where I go.”

  “You don’t want them to see this.”

  “Why, you afraid they’ll see you beg for mercy?’”

  T.J. smiled. “Let me tell you a little story.”

  Danny snorted and moved his hand, presumably to push T.J. back. He never got the chance. T.J. grabbed his arm and pressed his flexor muscle with his thumb just hard enough to make the kid sweat. He’d turned to make sure no one could see the maneuver. As far as the rest of his gang was concerned, they were having a nice intimate chat.

  “See, there was this kid, once. In Hollywood.” He kept his voice low, speaking so only Danny could hear. “He had a gang, maybe you’ve heard of them. The Crips?”

  Danny jerked, trying to get his arm free, but T.J. just increased the pressure. He knew that the boy was hurting, that the muscle he’d dug his thumb into was so close to the nerves that the pain must be excruciating. “He called me out. Told everyone he was going to put me in the ground. Made a promise, in front of God and everybody that I would go down and not get up again.”

  Danny’s anger was as palpable as the ocean breeze. T.J. could smell his fear, his rage, and he knew if he didn’t do this right, there was every chance this punk would try to kill him.

  “Let go of me, man. I don’t give a shit about your story.”

  “You’d better, son. You’d better listen and learn. That boy, that gang-banger, was tougher than you. He had better weapons and three hundred boys behind him. He’s dead. now. Got it? There was no discussion. He didn’t stand a chance. You know why? Because I learned to kill when I was ten years old. I’m not a bleeding-heart liberal. I’m your worst nightmare. I’ve got a gun and permission to use it. No one’s going to blink an eye if I shoot you. No one’s going to ask questions. They’re just going to breathe a little easier because another scumbag’s off the street.”

  He leaned closer, so his mouth was right next to Danny’s ear. “So you got a choice. Back off, play nice, don’t get in my way, or you won’t be playing in this yard. Ever again. What’s it going to be?”

  Danny’s eyes were narrow and a sheen of perspiration covered his forehead. His breathing was rapid and T.J. didn’t think that was all from pain.

  “I’m even gonna give you a deal. No one has to know about our little chat. It’ll be between you and me. You can tell them all that you decided to back off, for Kate’s sake: Do something nice for the lady. Okay?”

  T.J. wasn’t sure what Danny was going to say. He hoped it would be the right answer. Despite what he’d said, he had no desire to kill this kid. But boys like Danny couldn’t be reasoned with, despite Kate’s Pollyanna attitude. They understood fear and they understood death.

  “Let go.”

  “What’s it going to be?”

  Danny tugged at his arm, but T.J. gave no quarter. “All right,” he said, through clamped teeth. “Let go.”

  “You gonna leave Bobby alone?”

  “If he wants to come with me, that’s his business.”

  T.J. stopped for a second. It was true. He couldn’t expect Danny to abandon everything. It would be T.J.’s job, not Danny’s, to make sure Bobby didn’t join the gang. “Fair enough. Now,” he said, letting go of Danny’s arm. “Go tell Kate that we’ve worked everything out. Make it good.”

  Danny rubbed his arm and stared at T.J. with hatred. But something had shifted. The rage was tempered with a drop of respect. Not enough, he’d wager. But the battle wouldn’t be with guns or knives. It wouldn’t be a physical contest of strength between the two of them.

  They would be playing for Bobby’s soul.

  Danny would do everything in his power to get Bobby in his gang. And if he fell and joined, Danny would take his anger out on Bobby. All that was in his eyes. Right there, for T.J. to see.

  He nodded once and Danny turned to Kate, but not until they both understood that the new rules were in place and it was every man for himself.

  “Hey, Kate,” Danny said, loud this time, so his posse could hear. “Police man here tells me you don’t want me to hurt him. That right?”

  Kate looked from Danny to T.J., then back again. “That’s right.”

  Danny nodded and stuck his hands into his pockets. “So okay. I won’t hurt him. As long as he keeps in line, you know what I mean? Nobody touches my boys. Got it?”

  “I see,” she said, even though she didn’t. What had T.J. said to him?

  “Okay, then. We gonna play basketball or what?”

  Kate wasn’t convinced that this was the end of their troubles with Danny. A postponement, maybe. But the tension was still too thick to believe everything had been worked out. “Why don’t you be on my team, Danny?”

  He turned to face his posse. She could see his grin. It was sexual, feral. She had been made part of this truce, but she wasn’t quite sure how.

  Danny walked toward her, strutting like a peacock. When he got close, she noticed the mark on his arm, where T.J. had held him. A bruise was already starting to blossom.

  Danny took off his cap, wiped his hair with his hand, then put it on again. “I’m gonna be center, Kate. Got that?”

  Normally she would have told Danny that she would decide who played what, but something told her he needed this little victory. “Of course,” she said, and did her best to smile.

  She moved back toward the middle of the court, darting another glance at T.J. He seemed subdued, as if his victory hadn’t been all he’d hoped for. But at least they weren’t fighting. For now.

  “Who should we pick?” T.J. said to Pam. She looked from him to Danny, and Kate could see she’d been frightened. They’d all been frightened.

  “Cody,” she whispered.

  T.J. turned around, facing the crowd. “Cody? Who’s that?”

  Cody Stevens, Alice Dee’s football hero, moved forward through the crowd. “That’s me, coach.”

  T.J. leaned sideways, toward Pam. “You really think he’s good?”

&nbs
p; “He’s the football captain,” she said.

  “But this is basketball.”

  “Hey, you think I can’t play?”

  “Quiet. I’m discussing this with my general manager.” He leaned down again. “Well? Are you sure?”

  Pam smiled shyly. “I think so.”

  “Done,” T.J. said. “Son, you’ve made the team.”

  “It’s about time,” Kate said. “Is it going to take you this long to pick each player? We’ll be here till tomorrow.”

  “This is serious business, Ms. Dugan. Because my team is going to whip the collective butt of your team.”

  “Not in this lifetime, Russo,” Kate said, laughing. She looked around. The spirits that Danny Arcola had managed to snap were rallying again. Laughter, banter, good-natured shrugs. Slowly but surely they were getting back to normal.

  T.J. had asked her to trust him. She had, but as soon as this game was over, she was going to find out the terms of this peace treaty. Something told her this had only been a battle, not the war.

  Kate blew her whistle and Danny grabbed the ball from Cody, holding it tight against his stomach until the guards settled down.

  “Foul,” she called. “On Franco. Holding.”

  “What?” Franco, the accused, put his hands on his hips and glared at Kate. “I didn’t hold nothin.”

  T.J. walked across the court to Kate’s side. “Knock it off, kid,” he said as he passed the boy. “You heard the lady.”

  “I can handle my own calls,” she said as soon as he was close enough. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I didn’t mean thank you.”

  “Sure you did. Besides, he wasn’t holding.”

  “What?”

  T.J. blew his whistle to get the game started again. He watched the play intently, not sparing her even a brief glance. “I said, be wasn’t holding. But that’s okay. You’ve been pretty accurate with most of your calls. We can let this one go.”

  “Of all the stupid, egotistical—”

  The blare of his whistle made her wince and before she knew it, T.J. was in the center of the court, holding the ball, telling Danny Arcola that it was his fifth personal foul and he was now out of the game.

  Her pulse accelerated as she jogged over, keeping her eyes on Danny, cursing T.J. Russo for distracting her. The game had been going so well, too. Almost everyone had played, there were ten minutes left in the fourth quarter and now this.

  “I didn’t do no foul, man. You’re blind.”

  “You grabbed Cody’s shorts and practically ripped them off. You don’t consider that a foul?”

  “It was an accident!” Danny turned to Kate. “Tell him. You saw it.”

  She hadn’t. She’d been too busy grousing at T.J. “If Coach Russo says you fouled, then that’s it. You’re out.”

  “No way. He’s crazy. I didn’t do nothin’.”

  “You call the king of all wedgies nothing?” Cody moved. to face Danny. He towered over the gang leader, yet he still kept a respectful distance.

  “Get outa my face, jock itch.”

  “Don’t you call me—”

  Kate blew her whistle this time. It served its purpose and stopped the argument. But it didn’t make her feel any better about how she’d dealt with things today.

  T.J. was disrupting everything. Her morning coffee, her run, the game. If this was an indication of how things were going to go for the next five weeks, they were all in serious trouble. As soon as this game was over, she was going to have a talk with the handsome detective and do a little humility enhancement work.

  “Danny. You’re out.” She held up her hand when he started to speak. “Don’t argue. I was going to pull you out anyway. If Sherryl’s turn to be center.”

  She waved the tall brunette onto the court, then turned to Cody. “You’re out, too.”

  “What?”

  “What?”

  T.J. and Cody yelled in stereo, but she kept her eyes on the football star. “That’s right. It’s time for Pam to play. She’s hasn’t been in yet.”

  “But—”

  Kate gave him the look. It worked. His curse was detailed and clinical, but he did leave the court.

  “That’s my team, you know.”

  Kate shivered as T.J.’s breath hit the back of her neck. He stood so close to her his arm touched her side.

  “It’s my team. You’re here on a guest pass, buddy, and don’t forget that.”

  She expected a smart-ass retort, but when the silence stretched, she turned to face him. The look in his eyes made her want to take back her words.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

  He nodded. “Yes, you did. You’re right. I’ve overstepped. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait a minute.”

  “Hey, are we gonna finish this game or what?”

  Kate turned to Franco and nodded, then took hold of T.J.’s arm and led him to the sidelines. She blew her whistle, but didn’t watch the play. Her gaze was on T.J.’s face, on the hurt she’d put there. “I was kidding around.”

  “No, you weren’t. I don’t belong here. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “You’re doing great. Honest.”

  He gave her a limp smile. “I think I’ll go check on Bobby. You can end this up alone, right?”

  She almost said no. “Sure. Go on ahead. It’ll be lunch soon.”

  He took the whistle from around his neck and handed it to her. She watched as he walked slowly around the court, not once looking at the furious action beside him. He just stared straight ahead and went inside.

  The game went on and she shifted her attention to the ball, but her thoughts stayed on T.J. He was a curious mixture of bravado and helplessness. So secure in his masculinity and in his humor and, she was sure, in his job. But when it came to this—to caring for the young people, for giving a gentle, guiding hand, he had all the right instincts but none of the confidence. No wonder he kept trying to back out of his promise to Bobby. He was just plain scared he would screw it up.

  She still intended to talk to him after the game, but the agenda had just changed.

  T.J. leaned against the nursery door. He had no idea how long he’d been there, just that he had no intention of moving. Not while Bobby was playing with the baby.

  His half brother was sitting in the corner, near the changing table. His back was to Molly and occasionally he would turn to make sure she wasn’t watching him. Then he would go back to the little one. T.J. couldn’t see if it was a boy or girl, just that it was bald and smiling toothlessly at Bobby. Despite the racket around him, T.J. heard the squeal of laughter coming from the corner. Bobby held a little doll of some kind and he was using it like an airplane—zooming it from far above his head, down and around the baby until finally tickling her tummy. The sight was a revelation for T.J. He’d known Bobby would be working with the babies, but never in his wildest imagination had he pictured Bobby enjoying himself like this. He’d figured that his brother would pout most of the time, give Molly a hard time and generally make a nuisance of himself. Now, here he was, acting as if playing with the pre-verbal set was a walk in the park.

  As much as he was enjoying the spectacle, it brought home again that he didn’t know Bobby at all. He didn’t know what the kid wanted from life, what made him laugh—hell, he didn’t even know if Bobby had a sense of humor. All he’d meant to T.J. these past years was guilt. And anger.

  He was on a damn guest pass. Not just in the center, either.

  “Hey, Sanduski. Finally found yourself a chick who wants to be wit’ you?”

  T.J. heard Danny’s voice, but he didn’t turn to look at him. His eyes were on Bobby. His brother had spun at the first word, dropped the little doll from his hand and stared at the gang leader. His face reddened as he took in the sight of his big brother and Danny Arcola, who’d watched him play with the infant. T.J. could see the shame wash through him, followed quickly by a rage that made his hands tremble.<
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  “We don’t take no women in the gang, Sanduski. No wonder you brought your big brother to stay here with you. He can wipe your nose when it gets runny.”

  Bobby started toward them and T.J. wasn’t sure if his brother was going to bolt or fight. Either way, he was going to stop it.

  “Don’t listen to this jerk, Bobby.” T.J. turned to Arcola. “Get lost, before I turn you inside out.”

  Danny’s laugh was filled with derision. “Sure thing, police man. I don’t like hanging around all these babies anyway.”

  Danny walked away and T.J. turned back to Bobby, but not quickly enough. Bobby was already at him and both hands hit T.J. square in the chest, pushing him backward, nearly costing him his balance.

  “What’d you have to bring him here for?” Bobby was yelling, his voice shaking with his humiliation. “It’s not enough you have to make a fool of me in the jail, but you have to bring him here? Why the hell are you doing this to me? I hate your guts, you bastard. Just keep away from me.”

  After Bobby darted into the hall, T.J. set off after him, cursing Danny Arcola and the bad luck that had followed him all day. He caught sight of Bobby just as he reached the main room.

  It was crowded and Bobby shoved his way through toward the door. T.J. heard the protests of kids being pushed aside, even recognized Alice Dee’s high-pitched squeal as T.J. struggled to catch his brother before he made it outside.

  He was too late. He stepped into the sunlight and looked right, then left, but Bobby was nowhere to be found. “Damn it all to hell.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Kate was beside him and when he looked at her, he saw a crowd had gathered in back of her, which wasn’t surprising considering the spectacle he and Bobby had just made.

  “He split. Do you know where he went?”

  Kate shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. Not if Danny is still here.”

  “Danny is why he left. He found Bobby in the nursery, playing with one of the babies.”

  “I see,” Kate said.

  If she was worried, she sure wasn’t showing it. He was struck again by the strength of her as she stood tall beside him, staring down the empty street in front of the center. She seemed all grace and composure and he found his pulse slip into an easier rhythm just watching her.