THE TOCABAGA CHRONICELS: (BOX SET PART II - BOOKS #6-8)

by Thomas H. Ward

  After that we went inside for a drink and a lap dance. Someone saw the dorks laying in the parking lot and called the cops. An ambulance came and took them to the hospital. The cops came in the bar and asked us if anyone had seen a fight outside. Police Officer Manning, who knew Rico, looked at us and shook his head as he walked away.

  We had our own little gang that was one for all and all for one. Anyway we started fight club training every Sunday morning at a local gym. One gym owner let us use the space for free just to stay on our good side since we were all members. We would practice hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting, gun retention, and general fighting methods.

  Rico was the Boss of all this. He was the cement or glue that held it together. I was his go-to man. When he wanted something done he’d ask me to follow up to make sure it got completed. I did a lot of dirty jobs for Rico. Jobs he couldn’t do because he was a cop. He still owes me.

  Rico ended up getting married and that pretty much ended our fight club gangster days after five years. We all moved on in our own directions. Robbie and I were the only ones that stayed close friends because we lived near each other.

  “Jack! Jack, are you ok?” Lisa’s voice brought me back from the Time Warp.

  “Yeah, I’m ok. I was just thinking about the past.”

  “About the past?”

  “Yeah, Rico and I go back twenty years and we had some good times in the old days.”

  “Fight time is coming up I have to get ready or Rico will be mad.”

  “I’ll fight for you tonight. I don’t wanna see you get hurt. One cut to your face could destroy those pretty looks.”

  We started to walk back to the gym. On the way I told her, “Don’t say anything to Rico about leaving until after the fights.”

  Arriving at the gym Rico waved us over to him. He was sitting in his throne and as we approached he stepped down. Putting his arms around us both Rico said, “I love you both. You’re my real friends. You’re the only ones I can trust.”

  I found his comments very un-Rico like.

  “Tonight I’ll fight both men. I’ll fight Ken first and then Allen. I need you both to be my back up. After what happened with Joe I don’t trust anyone. I need to show these idiots that I’m in control.

  “After the fight I want to discuss something with both of you. I want to discuss our future.”

  It was almost fight time. The people were slowly coming in the gym and taking a seat along the side lines. The torches’ were lit as the sun was setting. Rico sat back down on his throne with Lisa to his right. He signaled me to sit on his left. Four armed guards were standing to my left side.

  Rico handed me Joe’s hammer and commanded, “Start the games, Jack. Bang the hammer.”

  Taking the hammer I stepped down to the floor … BANG … BANG … BANG.

  I yelled, “The BIG BOSS will now speak.” The crowd hushed and all paid attention.

  I couldn’t believe that Rico suckered me into being his number two man.

  Rico shouted out, “Joe and two of his guards are dead. They tried to kill Lisa and Jack. Let that be a lesson to everyone. All traitors will be killed on the spot.

  “Let the fights begin! Bring in the Marshal and Allen Jones. I’ll fight the Marshal first.” The guards dragged in the two victims. Ken and Jones had no idea what they were in for.

  Lisa stood up and stated, “Here are the rules. There are two white circles painted on the floor. Fighters must stay within the twenty foot outer circle. If you go outside the circle intentionally you lose the fight. Knives will be placed inside the two foot inner circle.

  “You’ll stand on the edge of the outer circle. When the whistle blows run and pick up one or both knives. This is a fight to the death. There is no surrender. There is no quarter given. Prisoners, do you understand the rules?”

  Neither one replied. I wondered if they were prepared to die.

  “No reply means you understand the rules,” Lisa yelled.

  Lisa handed me Rico’s Black Bear and her knife. “Jack please place the knives in the center ring.”

  Two guards had to force Ken up to the outer circle. He stood there looking at me and cried out, “This is murder! I don’t know how to knife fight. I’m a nobody. I won’t say anything to anyone.”

  No one said a word as Rico walked down to the circle. Lisa was putting the whistle to her lips when Ken suddenly ran to the inner circle. He picked up both knives before Lisa blew the whistle. Rico stood there and chuckled. Lisa finally blew the whistle.

  Ken screamed, “Ok BOSS man come and get me!”

  The guards were going to shoot Ken, but Rico stopped them and commented, “He’s all mine.”

  Ken stood in the center of the twenty foot circle with both knives, swinging them back and forth, trying to scare Rico. The crowd roared as Rico stepped forward into the ring of death. The gym was filled with people all cheering and screaming, “Kill the Fed.” It was being chanted over and over.

  Rico stopped, raised his big muscular arms, and flexed his muscles. He flexed his pecs and the crowd cheered louder. Step by step Rico moved forward. I knew what he was going to do because I had fought him many times. The fact that Ken had both weapons didn’t faze him at all. Lisa and I sat there carefully watching the action evolve.

  Ken stood his ground even as Rico closed within a few feet. He was wildly swinging the sharp blades back and forth in the air. Ken was slashing at the air daring Rico to attack him. He bellowed, “Come on! Come on! Come and get it!”

  Rico answered, “I’m going to enjoy killing you! Prepare to meet your maker!”

  With that the crowd went crazy. Everyone cheered, “Kill him BOSS! Kill him BOSS!” They were a blood thirsty group of thugs. Even the women, who seemed to be drunk, were enjoying the suspense.

  Suddenly someone threw a beer can at Ken hitting him in the back. Ken turned his head, just for a second, and that was a big mistake. In a flash Rico grabbed both his wrists. Ken couldn’t move either arm as Rico twisted his hands in towards his body. Ken was going to stab himself to death with the help of Rico.

  Ken dropped the blades from his hands and they bounced on the floor. BOSS let go of Ken’s left arm and took hold of his right arm with both his hands. BOSS twisted Ken’s arm so the elbow was showing. He had him in an arm lock. Rico put all his strength on the elbow and bent the arm back until you heard it pop. Even over all the noise you could hear the arm snap.

  Rico stepped back and took a deep breath. He stood there looking at Ken who was holding his broken right arm screaming in pain. I was thinking now is the time Rico will kill him. I knew it was going to be painful.

  Ken put up very little resistance as BOSS picked him up in the air over his head. The crowd went wild as Rico went down on one knee and dropped Ken back first onto his other knee. CRACK … his back snapped and Rico tossed him to the floor like a rag doll.

  I could hear Ken moaning, but he wasn’t moving. BOSS man picked up his Cold Steel blade and moved on top of Ken. I knew Rico was going to make him suffer more. BOSS jumped on Ken’s back with both feet and you could hear Ken moan as the air got knocked out of his body.

  BOSS raised the Black Bear as he grabbed Ken’s hair pulling his head back. Rico slit his throat about half way thru, but not enough to cut the jugular veins. Blood poured from his neck and gurgled out of his mouth as he slowly died drowning in his own blood.

  Rico stood up and the crowd cheered. Women threw him flowers. People were screaming, “Long live the BIG BOSS!”

  Rico turned and looked at me for approval. I nodded my head a little but I wasn’t smiling or yelling. I looked at Lisa and she didn’t look happy either. This was what Rico lived for. He loved the attention and the killing.

  While they dragged away the body Rico walked over to the cooler and popped open a beer which he chugged down in one gulp and said, “Bring the next one for slaughter.”

  Allen Jones watched what Rico did to Ken so I’m sure he was trying to figure a way out of
this. Allen looked like a tough guy who could handle himself. Maybe he would fair better.

  I picked up the knives and placed them in the center ring. Lisa stood up and stated, “Fighters make ready on the circle.”

  The men took up their positions on the edge of the ring. Unlike Ken, Allen showed no fear. They stood there glaring at each other. It was a tense moment waiting for Lisa to blow the whistle. Both men were crouched down ready to make a dash for the blades. Suddenly she blew the whistle and they sprinted for the blades.

  Allen was pretty fast and reached the knives the same time as Rico. The BOSS didn’t bend down to pick up a knife. As Allen bent down to grab one Rico kicked him in the face knocking him backwards to the ground.

  As Allen flew backwards BOSS picked up his Cold Steel blade but didn’t go after the invader. He waited for him to get on his feet. Rico flexed his muscles again and growled for the crowd. Everyone yelled, “Kill the invader!”

  As if on cue a bunch of people tossed beer cans at the invader. He ducked them and moved around the circle but didn’t approach the BOSS man. People started to boo and threw more stuff at him. Rico stood there just watching Allen move around the ring.

  They were about fifteen feet apart when Allen took the knife by the blade and threw it at Rico. Rico tried to dodge it but the razor sharp blade stuck in the right side of his chest. Rico stood there looking at it and then pulled it from his chest muscle. He tossed the blade outside the ring as blood ran down his chest.

  It was clear Allen knew something about knives since he knew how to throw one fast enough to hit a target like the BOSS man.

  Rico growled out, “Now I have to hurt you boy! I’ll cut you too pieces!”

  Once again the crowd chanted in unison, “Cut him to pieces!”

  BOSS man moved forward with his knife in the standard fighting position. Allen removed his shirt and wrapped it around his left hand and forearm. This told me he knew what he was doing. Wrapping a shirt around your arm is a good way to stop a sharp blade from cutting you.

  As Rico approached him Allen took off his belt, which had a large buckle, and began to swing it around in the air at a super fast speed. WHAM … the buckle hit Rico in the hand knocking the Black Bear to the ground. Rico jumped back as the buckle just missed his head. The blade was on the floor in between the two men.

  The swinging belt buckle kept pushing Rico back. He was at the edge of the white line. If he crossed it then he would lose the fight which meant death. The crowd gasped and Lisa shouted, “Rico, get him now!”

  BIG BOSS put his head down and charged like a bull, hitting Allen in the gut, taking him to the ground. Somehow Allen managed to flip Rico over. It surprised me that Allen was so strong and wiry. They laid on the floor with the knife within their reach. Both men stopped and stared at the blade. Suddenly they jumped for it at the same time. Rico had the strength and skill but Allen was no push over.

  I knew when fighting a strong guy like Rico you needed to use his strength against him. You need to know one or all of the following fighting styles such as Judo, Jujutsu, Hapkido, or Aikido.

  Allen knew how to use Rico’s strength against him. I was getting worried that this nobody could beat the great BOSS man. Allen however made a big ass mistake while grappling for the knife. Rico managed to put him into an arm bar.

  I could see Rico pull on the arm as hard as he could. You could see Allen was in pain. He was yelling as BOSS kept pulling on the arm trying to break it. Then all of a sudden Rico let go and pushed Allen aside. Rico picked up his knife and stood there for a second looking at Allen lying on the ground writhing in pain.

  Rico walked around the ring flexing his arms and the people cheered him on. As BOSS walked around the ring Allen stood up with his right arm dangling at his side completely useless. He just stood there watching Rico walk over to him. The two men were standing about four feet apart and the crowd hushed. Rico lowered the Black Bear and put it in his scabbard. You could hear a pin drop.

  Rico looked at Allen and said, “You gave me a good fight. Where’d you learn how to fight?”

  Allen replied, “I was in the 101st Airborne for twenty years. I used all my skill, but you’re too strong. I figured you were a Navy Seal when I saw the Trident tattoo on your arm.”

  “I spotted the Screaming Eagle tattoo on your shoulder and that’s why I stopped fighting.”

  Someone yelled, “Kill the invader!”

  Rico held his hands up to hush the mob and shouted, “This man is a fellow warrior! He served in the Army and therefore he’s free to leave! The fight is over, so everyone clear the room.”

  As the people filed out of the gym Rico took Allen to the cooler for a beer. Lisa and I walked over and sat down with them. Lisa had some antiseptic and some super glue to seal the one inch wound in Rico’s chest. I looked at it and determined it wasn’t that deep or serious. Rico acted like it was nothing at all.

  Rico asked Allen, “How’s your arm?”

  “It hurts like hell but I’ll be fine in a few weeks. It’s not broke just some pulled ligaments and tendons.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear that. This is Lisa and Jack Gunn.”

  We shook hands and I said, “You should have told us you were in the Army.”

  “I didn’t know if that would be good or bad. There are so many crazy gangs around you never know. Some of them not only kill Federal Police but anyone who’s been in the military.”

  Lisa inquired, “How come you hooked up with the 38th Avenue gang?”

  “I was passing through, walking down Route 275, and they approached me in a friendly manner. They offered me some food and a place to sleep. They’re good people for the most part. I think you can trust them, but I’ve only been with them for a couple of weeks.”

  “Yeah maybe we could make an alliance with them. Who runs that group?” Rico asked.

  “For the most part there is no one man in charge. They are disorganized and need some military structure. They have a group of six people who call all the shots. They’re called the Council.

  “I like the way you run things here since it’s more or less like the military. You give orders and people follow them. Their system nothing gets done because no one can make the final decision. Everything is done by consensus of agreement.”

  Rico commented, “If you like it here why don’t you stay and become my number two man and head of security.”

  “You want me to be the number two man? Who’s number one?”

  “Lisa is number one.”

  Allen asked, “What about you Jack? How do you fit into the group?”

  “It’s a long story, but I’m just visiting. I’m leaving tonight.” I looked at my watch, it was 8 pm.

  Rico told Lisa, “Take Allen to the clinic and get him some pain killers and an ace bandage for his arm. Set him up in a room for the night and then come back here. I need to talk to you and Jack.

  “Allen I’m sorry for the mix up. I never like to hurt a fellow warrior. Get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow and explain what your new job will be.”

  “Ok, BOSS see you tomorrow.”

  As Lisa and Allen left the room, Rico advised me, “Jack, I’ve been thinking what to do about my wife. I love her and my son, but I also love Lisa. I’m a different man than three years ago. I need to change and not be such a control freak.

  “I don’t want to hurt Lisa but I want my wife and son back. If they come here it would never work out with Lisa here. It would confuse my feelings. Every time I see her I want her. I’m asking you to take Lisa with you to live on Tocabaga.”

  Wow, that just made things a lot easier. Now Lisa can leave the clan and become an Amazon Warrior.

  “Of course Lisa can come with me. I promise you she’ll be happy on Tocabaga. I’ll make her an Amazon Warrior. That’s my all-women police force. So she’ll have a job and her own place to live.”

  “That sounds great, Jack.”

  “I think with Allen here and your fam
ily you can make big improvements. Get rid of fight night. It’s turning everyone into a blood thirsty mob. That would be my first step. Have your wife teach school to the kids here. Try to make things as normal as possible. Get rid of any bad eggs living here.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I need to make things as normal as possible. You’re going to come back once a week to help me out. Right?”

  “Of course I will. When Lisa comes back I suggest you tell her right away she can to leave with me.”

  “No, I can’t tell her. You ask her to go with you.”

  “Ok I’ll ask her. I didn’t tell you this, but Tommy is coming here at 9 p.m. to pick me up. I’m meeting him at the bridge on Route 275.”

  “Great, then tomorrow can you bring my family here?”

  “Yeah, I’ll bring them here by noon. Here comes Lisa now.”

  Lisa advised, “Ok, Allen is all set up. Now what do you want to talk about, Rico?”

  Rico hung his head looking at the ground. He needed me to speak up for him. He couldn’t summon the words to tell Lisa to leave.

  I spoke up, “Lisa, how would you like to come to Tocabaga and live?”

  Lisa looked at Rico afraid to speak. Rico still didn’t look up. She asked him, “Rico, would you let me go with Jack?” Rico nodded his head yes. Lisa asked, “Really you don’t mind?”

  “Yes I mind, but Jack just told me that my family is on Tocabaga and I need them here with me. I love you, but it wouldn’t work out if you’re here along with my wife and son.”

  “Yeah, sure Rico, you’re right it wouldn’t work. I think you should be with your family. It’s better that way for sure.”

  My phone rang, it was Tommy. “We’re here at the bridge.”

  “Ok I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.

  “Our ride is here, Lisa. Collect what you need and let’s get going.”