Dark Horse

by Wilde, Rhea

  “What did she say to you?”

  “What?”

  Maxwell looked at me surprised. I took a gulp of water with my eyes still locked upon him. He shifted his eyes left and right and then shook his head like he didn’t know what I was talking about.

  “What do you mean?” he asked me.

  “Come on, Maxwell. You talked to her last night after I left. Don’t treat me like an idiot. What did she say to you? Don’t keep any secrets from me.”

  “…All right,” he sighed. “It’s nothing special. She just wants you to keep fighting, that’s all. She thinks that we, you, all of us… we can all make a lot of money if you keep going.”

  “Is that all she said to you?”

  “I’m being straight up with you, Homicide,” he said as he shrugged. “This is a business. And with your ability, this is the best business in the world.”

  “According to you, it is. Not me.”

  I took another gulp of water to try and rehydrate myself. Despite the amount of money I’d made for him, Maxwell still looked just as desperate and pathetic as he did the first night I’d seen him in the bar. He hadn’t changed one bit. And that meant it would still be hard for me to trust him.

  “Listen, Maxwell. I’m not gonna waste any more of your time. I’m not interested in fighting any longer. I’ve got enough money to buy myself some time to stay away from that place.”

  “Homicide, you’ve gotta—”

  “No! I’ve made up my mind, Maxwell. I don’t care what you say or how much money you offer me. I’m not fighting. Am I clear?”

  I didn’t know how else to say it to him. I could barely make a fist at this point with how much I’d used it. I looked through my cabinet and searched for a couple of aspirin to stop my head from throbbing. Maxwell remained silent as he sat on my couch. When I noticed he was still there, he finally got up from his seat and sighed.

  “Okay, Homicide. I get it. I just… I just wanted to give you this. In case you change your mind.”

  He threw a card on the counter then opened the door to leave my apartment.

  “I’m going to get some breakfast,” he said. “I’ll keep a seat open for you.”

  “Thanks but I think I’ll cook something at home today.”

  I didn’t look at Maxwell as he closed the door behind him. I sighed when he left then took a closer look at the card he had left for me. I picked it up and read it.

  Lanea Zara 555-0199

  I threw the card back onto the counter and took a seat on my couch. I let out a deep breath as I looked at all of the money on the table. I smiled at the picture of my daughter, knowing that I would get to see her again. My moment of peace was interrupted when the phone started to ring. I stared at it for a moment then picked it up.

  “Hello.”

  “Henry.”

  “Nina… What is it?”

  “I have to talk to you.”

  I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The tone of Nina’s voice made it seem like this was important.

  “It’s about Elsa.”

  “What about her? Did something happen to her? Is she okay—”

  “She’s fine, Henry. She’s fine. It’s just… I talked to Ryan’s lawyers. I already have full custody of her. And…”

  “Nina, what are you saying?”

  “Ryan and I decided that it would be in Elsa’s best interests if she didn’t see you any longer.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I jumped up out of my seat and started pacing back and forth.

  “Nina? Why would you do this to me? To her?”

  “Henry, this isn’t about you. This is about her.”

  “So you’re not going to allow her to see her own father?”

  “She barely even knows you, Henry. You’re never there.”

  “That’s because you never even give me the chance to see her.”

  “You were never there even when you did have the chance. You were always away and—”

  “Nina, why are you doing this?”

  “Henry… Ryan’s a good man. He can take care of her.”

  “Fine. But I’m still her father! That doesn’t mean I still can’t see her!”

  “Henry, stop.”

  “Is this about the money? Nina, I have the money. I can have your child support for you—”

  “This isn’t just about the money, Henry. Look around yourself. You were never there for her. You’re not there for her now. Things are never going to change. Do you really want Elsa to see how you’re living right now? Do you want her to see her father in some rundown apartment?”

  “Y-you can’t do this to me, Nina.”

  “I already told you, Henry. I spoke to Ryan’s lawyers. You don’t really have much of a choice. Just for once, stop thinking about yourself and think about what’s best for Elsa.”

  “I’ve always thought about what’s best for her!”

  “Then you’ll let Ryan and I take care of her and you won’t let her see you like this.”

  “Nina—”

  “I have to go, Henry. I… I’m still expecting your child support, so make sure you send it as soon as you can…”

  I was speechless. The phone clicked and I listened to the dial tone. It was ringing in my ear like a jackhammer. The sound paralyzed me, numbing my entire body. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

  I put the handset back down then something came over me. I picked the phone back up and threw it at the wall. I let out a violent scream that the entire apartment complex heard but I didn’t care. My heart was racing. My chest was heaving as I started having trouble breathing. I started to stomp back and forth, my hands in the air as I tried to figure out what to do.

  But there was nothing I could do. Nina was in the position of power. And there was a part of me that thought that she was right. There wasn’t any reason for Elsa to see me like this. I lived in the worst part of town in a tiny apartment. When I looked down at the picture of my daughter sitting upon my table, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I fell onto my couch and began to sob.

  Why is this happening? Why did she have to do this to me?

  I cried in my seat and took deep breaths, trying to regain my composure. The pain I had felt in my head from last night had completely disappeared. It was replaced by a pain in my heart that hurt worse than anything I’d ever felt.

  As I stared at the photo in front of me, I looked down at all of the money scattered in front of it. I wiped my nose and the tears from my face and finally gathered myself. I organized the money and counted it out. I’d made more than I’d realized. It sat on my table in a neat little stack. I stared at it for a moment then looked around at the apartment I was sitting in. If I didn’t have to pay child support, this was enough money to pay for a year’s worth of rent. And that’s when I realized I had to do something.

  I got dressed then shoved the small stack of money into my pocket. I quickly headed toward the diner where I had dinner with Maxwell just yesterday and there he was, enjoying a hamburger and fries. He smiled at me when he noticed me walking up to him.

  “Hey, man! Take a seat! I knew you’d be back. You hungry, let me get you something. Hey, waitress! Where is that—”

  “I’m fine, Maxwell,” I said as I took a seat in front of him.

  Maxwell squinted his eyes as he looked at me, the smile on his face disappearing.

  “You sure you’re okay, man. You don’t look—”

  “I just… I just got some news over the phone, that’s all.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  “Okay…”

  I ignored the waitress as she came to take my order. Maxwell ended up ordering food for me but I wasn’t hungry. My appetite was the last thing on my mind. As I sat there in silence and looked at all of the food in front of me, Maxwell calmly ate his breakfast. He kept glancing at me until finally he broke
the silence.

  “Listen, man,” he said to me. “I know what you think of me. I’m just some guy on the street that’s hustling to try and make a living. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a man. I’m a man just like you.

  “You know Bruno? That old bartender at that bar I first met you at. Let me tell you something about him. That guy hates me. The guy doesn’t want anything to do with me. But you know what? He still puts up with me. He still doesn’t kick me out every single time I show up. Even when I order a beer and sit there for hours because I can’t find a fight. You know why? Because he understands that sometimes shit gets tough.

  “And I can see it in your eyes, man. You just told me you got some bad news. You can talk to me. We’re in this business together. You’re doing all of the hard work and making this cash for me but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I’m here for you, man. You understand me?”

  I stared at Maxwell and tried to read him. He didn’t have a cheesy smile on his face or a deceptive grin. He just looked at me seriously with some kind of sincerity in his eyes. I’d known him for a couple of days but it felt like this was the first time he was actually being completely honest with me. I sighed because I knew that deep down inside, I wanted to talk to him. At this point, I didn’t have anywhere else to turn to.

  “Yeah, I understand.”

  “Good,” he said. “Why don’t you eat some breakfast at least? There’s some protein in those eggs. Builds muscles. It’s good for you.”

  I smiled for the first time since I’d gotten the phone call from Nina. I reluctantly reached for my fork and picked at the food Maxwell had ordered for me.

  “So you want to tell me about it?” he asked me.

  “No,” I sighed. “I’m not really in the mood right now. I just need some time to get away and relax.”

  “Time to get away and relax? I got just the thing you need.”

  “I’m not interested in dealing with Lanea right now.”

  “Hey, do I look like the kind of guy that would bring you back to her when a guy’s at his lowest point?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, maybe I do. But let’s forget about Lanea for a second. I know just the place we need to go.”

  Maxwell winked at me as he continued to enjoy his breakfast. I looked at him curiously but he remained silent about where he planned on taking me. I did my best to stomach the rest of my breakfast. The throbbing pain from the cut on my head started to return but I didn’t care. It was a relief compared to everything else I’d been feeling up to this point.

  Chapter 10 - Henry

  The lights were dim. The music was loud but not to the point that I couldn’t hear what Maxwell was saying to me. The alcohol was quickly beginning to take its effect. I didn’t remember the last time that I had something to drink so early in the day but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to think about anything else. The woman in front of me took off her bottoms and tossed them to the side. I stared at her for a moment as she danced in front of me. I was the same as any other man. I didn’t mind the sight of a naked woman. But the voluptuous vixen dancing right before me and the beer in my hand wasn’t enough to make me forget about what laid ahead of me.

  “That’s some rough shit, man.”

  Maxwell grabbed my shoulder and shook me softly to try and comfort me. We sat in the strip club and I told him about the phone call I had received from Nina. I didn’t care any longer at this point. After everything I’d been through, I felt like I was at rock bottom. Maxwell was the only man I could count on now to get me out of this hole I was in.

  “I figured she was your kid when I saw her picture. It’ll be okay though. You’re a good man, Homicide.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just do. I got a sense for these things. I had a good feeling about you ever since I saw you at Bruno’s.”

  “Yeah, sure you did.”

  I laughed at him as I took another sip of my beer. I didn’t know if Maxwell were lying to me or not. I didn’t even care. He wanted to talk business with me so I thought it was only fair I gave him what he wanted after he listened to my problems with Nina.

  “So, now what?” he asked me.

  “I don’t really have much of a choice. You say that I can make more money if I keep doing this.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. We’ll make a lot of money. And hey, I’m gonna make a lot of money, too. But we’re going to split it. Right down the middle. I’m only going to make as much as you are. That way you know that I’m not exploiting you.”

  “Just get me the fights and I’ll do what I can to win.”

  “Okay, okay. Just relax. There’s no need to rush. You’re not in the condition to fight at the moment. Take a break. Relax. The fighters in The Pit aren’t the kind to be messed with. You beat-up that pretty boy well and good but there are some real killers in there.”

  I listened to Maxwell and sighed while I watched the woman dance in front of me. I still felt like I was dead on the inside and my surroundings were the only thing keeping me alive. I just wanted to get this over with and get into a better situation before Elsa forgot about me completely. I looked around and noticed that there were other people in the strip club along with us. It was strange to see people around here at this time of day but then I remembered what part of town I was living in. Maybe Nina did have a point.

  “We should get out of here,” I said.

  “What? You ain’t got nowhere to go, man. Why not just relax for a little bit? Maybe spend some time with one of these pretty girls.”

  “We’re in the business of making money, not giving it away.”

  “You’re not giving it away. It’s a donation. She’ll give you something in return. In fact, I hear she’ll give you something more than that if you pay her right…”

  Maxwell’s attention had been captured by a busty blonde across the room. She winked at him and Maxwell sheepishly smiled back at her. I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

  “There’s this guy I used to know,” I said. “His name was Squeak. You remind me of him.”

  “Squeak?” he said, his attention still fixated on the big-breasted blonde. “I don’t think I like the sound of that.”

  “We called him Squeak because he couldn’t go more than a couple of sentences without his voice cracking. He was a grown man but he still hadn’t gone through puberty yet.”

  “Yeah, I definitely don’t like the sound of that. I mean, I’m grown, Homicide. My voice doesn’t crack, does it?”

  “That’s not why you remind me of him,” I laughed. “But Squeak was a good guy. We made fun of him from time to time but we knew that we could count on him. I miss him…”

  “Miss him? What happened?”

  I sobered up as I remembered Squeak. The last thing I wanted to do was reminisce about a friend I’d lost but I couldn’t avoid it now.

  “We were on a mission,” I started. “Really routine stuff. We were on-guard but didn’t really expect anything out of the ordinary. Just get in and get out. Intel was confirmed. Everything went according to plan. The last guy though… He… He was still alive. We were making our way out and he hit Squeak before we could get to him.

  “I remember holding him in my arms. All of the blood coming from his back. It was like he was taking a bath in it. There was nothing I could do…”

  I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back all of the feelings that the bad memories brought back. I exhaled a deep breath through my nostrils then swallowed a big gulp of beer to forget about it.

  “I didn’t know,” he said. “You used to serve?”

  “Yeah. United States Marine Corps. I think I enjoyed it more than I’d like to admit. That’s probably why Nina hates me so much. She’s probably right though. I was never there for Elsa and—”

  “Hey, man. Don’t say shit like that. You were just doing your job. And you’re there for her now. At least, you’re trying to be.”

  “It’s not just that though,” I sighed. “You do
n’t know what it’s like. Seeing all of those people around you. You get close to them and become friends. Then the next day, they’re gone. You don’t even get a chance to say goodbye. It makes you wonder if there’s a point to all of this. When they discharged me because of all of my injuries, I decided that I was done. I wanted to get as far away as I could from all of that violence. I just wanted to spend time with my little girl…”

  My situation was stirring up the wrong kind of feelings in me. I could feel my eyes beginning to glaze over so I hid it by taking another sip of my beer. Maxwell’s eyes were upon me as I stared at the next stripper dancing in front of me.

  “So that’s it, huh?” he asked me. “That’s why you don’t want to fight.”

  “I’ve killed enough people in my life, Maxwell. It doesn’t matter if I were doing my job or not. Most people don’t even kill one. I envy them. No more.”

  “You’re not killing anybody though. It’s just… You’re just trying to win a fight and make some money. Everybody understands that going into it.”

  “You’re right. But it’s still violent. The moniker you gave me isn’t helping matters.”

  “Right,” Maxwell said before pausing for a second. “I think I’ve got you all figured out now.”

  “That was quick,” I laughed.

  “It’s not as complicated as you think it is. It’s real simple.”

  “What you think about me doesn’t matter. Just get me those fights so we can make some money.”

  “Hey, you do your job and I’ll do my job, Hom… Henry. Speaking of which.”

  He stood up from his chair and tossed a few more dollars at the woman dancing on stage.

  “Come on,” he said to me. “Let’s get started.”

  “You said I wasn’t in any condition to fight.”

  “You’re not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get ready for your next fight.”

  I followed Maxwell out of the club and we walked down a few blocks until we ended up in front of a gym. I looked inside the window and saw a few men pound away at a heavy bag. Some other men were grappling with one another on a wrestling mat. The gym was more crowded than I thought it would be when we stepped inside. Some people were jogging on treadmills while others lifted weights to the sound of the trainers yelling at them.