The Fighter

by Leslie Georgeson

  Giving Kenny a final hard stare that I knew he could feel even though he couldn’t see behind my dark sunglasses, I let Anna pull me from the room. Kenny smirked as he watched me go, and uneasiness crept down my spine. I wasn’t coming back here again, no matter how much Anna begged. But I wasn’t sure how to convince her to stay away. It wasn’t as if I could tie her up.

  The other veterans were friendly and happy for the company. Gradually, I let myself relax as we visited with them and they told their stories. A guy named John had lost his hand when he’d reached for a grenade to toss it aside before it exploded. He was fortunate to have only lost the hand and nothing else. A man named Kevin whose leg had been blown off by a bomb. Another guy named Chris who’d lost both legs when the Jeep he’d been driving had blown up. There were others, a guy with severe burns he’d received from an explosion that had rocked the building he’d been in. Another guy who’d lost his right arm to an IED.

  Hazel stayed in my lap the entire time, snugging close, afraid of these strangers with missing limbs. Her fear spiraled into me, and I tried to help her relax by keeping my arms around her, doing my best to make her feel safe and secure, as I listened to everyone tell their story. Hazel slowly relaxed, cuddling close, her trust flowing into me. Her trust soothed me deep inside, heating the coldness within me, like the sun warming the earth in the early morning, gradually healing my damaged soul. That trust meant more to me than anything in the world. Finally, I’d earned my daughter’s trust. My chest tightened with emotion. A wave of protectiveness washed over me. I vowed I would never betray Hazel’s trust. I would keep her safe, no matter what.

  Anna was great with the veterans. It was easy to see how she made them relax and feel comfortable just by being herself. She just had that effect on people. A calming, soothing effect. It obviously wasn’t just me who felt that way.

  Time passed, and darkness fell.

  I rose from the chair I’d been sitting in, talking to a guy named George about his time in Iraq. It was fascinating, hearing these guys’ stories. Being here, listening to these soldiers, had left a crack in the wall of ice surrounding my damaged soul. This was therapy. Better than any shrink. If I returned, again and again, I could easily see the crack widening, splitting open, and helping to free me from the demons of my past. Anna had been right. It was good for me. Though she couldn’t understand the reasons why.

  Thankfully, Kenny was in his room with the door closed when we left, so we didn’t have to see him again.

  As we stepped out of the building several minutes later, dusk was falling. I felt lighter, freer than I had in a long time. I didn’t feel so alone. There were others out there like me. Fellow soldiers. They weren’t dregs. But they didn’t judge me. And they weren’t pissed at me like my dreg brothers. Though I wasn’t one for buddying up to strangers, these wounded warriors had unknowingly become my therapy companions.

  Consumed with the unfamiliar feelings of companionship and understanding after being alone for so long, my guard was down for once, and I didn’t notice the threat until the dark shadow leapt around the corner and snatched the cooler from Anna’s hand. It was the homeless man from the park.

  She gasped and stumbled back, dropping the blanket. I thrust Hazel into her arms and pursued the thief, tripping him and sending him sprawling headfirst onto the sidewalk. The cooler dropped from his hand and struck the concrete with a loud thud.

  A woman passing by let out a scream and hurried away, lifting her phone to her ear. Probably calling the cops.

  I grabbed a handful of the man’s shirt, yanking him up, and slammed him against the side of the building.

  “Back off!” I warned. “Unless you want to die.”

  He squirmed against my hold, lifting his hands in surrender. “Didn’t mean no harm. Just hungry. Was hoping you had another sandwich in there.”

  Shit. I thrust him aside and he stumbled back, tripping and falling back onto the sidewalk.

  Anna set Hazel down and rushed to the man’s side, bending over him. “Are you okay?” she asked gently. “I’m so sorry. He’s not normally such a bully. Here, let me help you up.”

  What?

  I tensed, glaring as she helped him to his feet. She’d just put herself in a vulnerable position. If he wanted, he could grab her and take her hostage. I took a step toward them, ready to kill him if he touched her. Hazel wrapped an arm around my leg, halting me. I gently patted her back in reassurance while keeping an eye on the homeless guy.

  “Here. You can have whatever is left in there.” Anna handed him the cooler. “There’s some chips and some grapes, I think. An unopened water bottle.”

  The man thanked her profusely, then wandered off with the cooler, casting nervous glances back at me as he left.

  Anna turned to me. “Was that really necessary, Jacob? Seriously? What was that? The poor guy was just hungry. You way overreacted. You need to chill out.” Taking Hazel’s hand, she marched down the sidewalk toward home.

  Well, hell. That was the thanks I got for saving her from an attacker?

  He didn’t attack her. He just wanted the food.

  How was I supposed to know that? The bastard was lucky I hadn’t killed him.

  I hurried after Anna and Hazel, needing to get out of here. Needing to get away from all the curious eyes that followed me.

  I’d just brought unwanted attention to myself.

  Which was the worst thing I could do.

  And I had a terrible feeling I’d just screwed up the getting-to-know-each-other period with Anna.

  Twice now she’d seen me threaten another person. She knew how dangerous I could be. Would it scare her enough to make her leave?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Anna

  Jacob quickly caught up with us and we walked in silence for several minutes. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he had attacked that man and shoved him against the building. I had never seen anyone so cold and lethal before. So violent. Seeing it up close and in person was more frightening than through a window twenty feet away. The violence in him scared me. Freaked me out. Who the hell was he? This second act of violence only reinforced my belief that I didn’t know anything about him. And right now, I wasn’t sure if I did want to know any more about him.

  Hazel stopped and turned to Jacob. “Daddy, will you carry me? I’m tired.”

  “Sure.” He bent and scooped Hazel up, setting her on his shoulders. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, letting out soft giggles as he continued toward home.

  I smiled, unable to stay mad at him when he was being so sweet with Hazel. I was quickly learning that there were many sides to Jacob. And I didn’t even know half of them. The man was so secretive. Why? What was he hiding? I’d seen him relax while visiting with the disabled veterans, and I could see he had enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure why Kenny had been such an ass to him, but maybe it was best if I didn’t go back there for a few days. I decided I shouldn’t be so judgmental of Jacob. He’d obviously had a different upbringing than I had. He’d obviously lived a life that made him extremely wary of strangers. And I knew in my gut he’d only attacked that man because he’d believed he’d been protecting Hazel and me. I shouldn’t be so hard on him.

  It was nearly dark by the time we got back. I got Hazel settled into bed and read her a story. She was asleep before I finished the book.

  Jacob corned me before I’d taken two steps out into the hallway.

  “It’s time for another self-defense lesson. You did something very stupid tonight, Anna. You bent over a complete stranger, putting yourself in a vulnerable position. If he’d wanted to, he could have taken you hostage. He could have hurt you.”

  I tried not to be offended, but damn him, I hadn’t been in any danger. I slapped my hands on my hips. “Is that how you’re going to justify your behavior? You attacked that man in front of witnesses. I know you thought you were protecting us, but that man posed no real threat. You really need to lighten up a bit. I wouldn’t be surpri
sed if the cops showed up at your door to question you.”

  He glanced down at his phone that he held in his hand. “I’m monitoring that. No one’s out there.”

  He had outside cameras, too? Why didn’t that surprise me?

  I sighed. “I’m not in the mood for a self-defense lesson tonight. I’m tired.” I headed for my room. Jacob, surprisingly, didn’t stop me.

  About an hour later, the sound of the garage door opening and closing told me he’d left for work.

  And though I really was tired, I couldn’t sleep. I laid there in the darkness and thought about the man who was my employer.

  Should I give up on my quest to know who he was?

  When I discovered the truth about him, what if I didn’t like what I found out?

  Some things were better left unknown.

  Should I let Jacob keep his secrets?

  I wasn’t one to give up so easily. I couldn’t deny he was dangerous, and I sensed I’d only gotten a tiny glimpse of what he was capable of. If I stayed around a while, would I get the opportunity to see who and what Jacob truly was?

  I wanted to, truly I did. I wanted to know everything about him.

  If Jacob opened up and shared his secrets with me, what would I discover?

  What would the truth reveal?

  And could I handle that truth when I found out?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Anna

  Jacob tried to stop me from leaving the house the next night, but I was insistent that I was going to take my personal time. Finally, he relented, but it was obvious he didn’t like it.

  “Be careful out there, Anna. You really should let me buy you a car.”

  “You could go with me,” I suggested. “And I already told you I don’t need a car.”

  He shook his head. “I brought too much attention to myself last night. People will recognize me. I’m staying home for a while. Just…please, stay away from Kenny. I got a bad vibe from him.”

  I lifted my chin. Kenny was harmless. He was a double amputee. A war veteran. What did Jacob think the man would do to me?

  “I can take care of myself. You taught me how, remember?”

  He scowled. “I don’t trust him.”

  “I’ll be fine. I promise to be back before dark.”

  Jacob didn’t say anymore as I left, but the look on his face suggested he didn’t like me leaving.

  Though I didn’t feel threatened by Kenny, Jacob’s warning hung in the air around me like an angry black cloud, and I decided to avoid the veterans’ center that night. Instead, I went to the public library to check out some more children’s books for Hazel. I browsed through the shelves, enjoying the peace and quiet. Only two other people were in the library besides the librarian tonight. A teenage girl who sat at a table near the back working on a report, and a young man in his twenties with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail who moved around the book aisles, searching through the Science Fiction section.

  As the librarian was checking out my books, I glanced up at the bulletin board on the wall, checking out the ads. “Free puppies,” one ad said. “Only two left.” I smiled and imagined bringing one home to Hazel. She would probably love that. But I would have to ask Jacob first. Another flyer was from a local candy store announcing a new kind of caramel treat for $1.99. Another flyer announced the grand opening of Katie’s ballet studio. Then my gaze landed on a poster of a familiar face.

  My breath caught. Jacob stared back at me from a black and white computer printout. It looked like the photo had been taken from a distance and zoomed it. Oh my God. I stared, my gaze running over the words beneath his picture. “$50,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of The Fighter. This man is a dreg and is extremely dangerous. He has dark hair, blue eyes, and stands six-foot-three. The identity of anyone providing information will remain strictly confidential. Please call…” An Augusta phone number was listed at the bottom.

  My heart pounded. Could it be true? Was Jacob a dreg? I jerked my gaze away from the poster as the librarian handed me my books.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, stepping away from the checkout desk and moving up to the bulletin board. I pretended to peruse all the ads, while my gaze kept coming back to that black and white printout of Jacob.

  The Fighter. Jacob was a dreg called The Fighter. Oh my God! That would explain the aura of danger that oozed off him, and why he was so wary of strangers. Of all the things I’d considered Jacob might be, it had never occurred to me that he might be a dreg. I’d certainly heard the rumors about the dregs, but I’d never really thought they were true. I’d never really believed the dregs were even real. I’d thought it was just pretend. What was he doing here in Eatonton? Where were the other dregs? What had really happened to Hazel’s mother? How had she died? Had Jacob somehow been responsible for her death?

  I glanced at the other occupants in the library. The teenage girl in the corner wasn’t paying any attention to me. The librarian had moved off to sort books on a table to the left of the front desk. The young man with the ponytail glanced up at me, met my gaze, then removed a book from the shelf in front of him.

  I turned back to the bulletin board, pretending to read the other ads. But Jacob’s face kept coming back into my line of vision, holding my gaze hostage. Was it really him? I studied the printout more closely. It certainly looked like him.

  Then I noticed the faint outline of the scar across his neck.

  It was him. It had to be. It didn’t seem likely that two people would have that exact same scar.

  I lifted my hand and tore off a coupon for the caramel treat from the candy store, then discretely glanced around the library. No one was paying any attention to me. With a quick flick of my wrist, I yanked the black and white printout of Jacob’s face off the bulletin board and stuffed it in the front of one of the books I held. My heart racing, I slowly turned away from the bulletin board. If indeed this poster was Jacob, then I didn’t want anyone else to see it. I didn’t want him to get turned in.

  He’s a dreg.

  I didn’t know anything about the dregs, other than the rumors floating around. Everyone said they were bad, dangerous men, but no one knew why or what they’d done to earn them that reputation. No one knew where they lived.

  Except for me. I knew where The Fighter lived.

  No wonder Jacob hadn’t wanted me to know anything about him. He was probably afraid I’d turn him in. Why was there a bounty on his head? Who wanted him? What had he done? The poster hadn’t indicated it was from the FBI or other law enforcement. All it said was that a reward was being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of The Fighter. Whoever wanted him was willing to pay $50,000 for information.

  I hurried for the door, my arms shaking. I cast a quick glance behind me and noticed ponytail guy staring after me. A chill crept down my spine. Had he seen me take the poster? Would he tell someone? Would he follow me?

  I didn’t dare head directly back to Jacob’s in case ponytail guy or someone else followed me. I didn’t want to lead them right to Jacob. I went into the grocery store next, glancing up at the bulletin board just inside the automatic doors.

  And there it was again. The same poster of Jacob. Shit. Someone knew he was here in Eatonton. Why else would they hang flyers in every building? I walked up to the bulletin board and pretended to peruse the ads. Then, when I felt no one was looking, I snatched the printout of Jacob off the board and stuffed it in one of the books I held. Trying to act casual, I left the store.

  I went into every open building that night, searching for wanted posters. I found four more of them and took them all down. Then I headed back toward Jacob’s house, my heart pounding. I didn’t recall seeing any of those posters there before. Had last night’s encounter with the homeless man caused someone to recognize Jacob and hang up those posters?

  As I was heading home, I found two more posters stapled to telephone poles and stopped to tear them off as well. Dammit. Jacob was in dang
er.

  I kept glancing over my shoulder, expecting ponytail guy to be following me, but I didn’t see him.

  It was nearly dark by the time I reached the subdivision where Jacob lived. I needed to warn him about the flyers. I needed to confront him about the poster and who he really was, but I was scared to death of what his reaction might be. I wasn’t even sure if I could tell him yet.

  Now I understood why he was so protective of Hazel. If something happened to him, who would take care of her?

  Now I understood why he said he was dangerous and that I might need protection from him. But I wasn’t afraid of Jacob. Even when he’d caught me snooping in his bedroom, he hadn’t hurt me. He’d tried to scare me, but he hadn’t hurt me.

  Jacob won’t hurt me.

  He might be a dreg. But I believed wholeheartedly that he would never hurt me.

  This new knowledge about him still didn’t explain where he went at night or what he did while he was gone. Was he really working at a night job? Or had that been a lie?

  The Fighter. That was his dreg name. It fit him. The way he moved, so fluidly, so gracefully, so silently, hinted that he was a master fighter. I had witnessed him holding that homeless guy against the building yesterday, and threatening the stranger in front of the house the other night. I admit it scared me a little, but certainly not enough to leave. I wasn’t really afraid of Jacob, even though there was obviously violence in him. I don’t think he would hurt me. What would it be like to see him truly in action? Would he be a sight to behold? Or would it only scare me away?

  I reached Jacob’s house and headed up the driveway, my arms shaking with the books I held.

  I had just discovered Jacob’s biggest secret.

  And I had no idea what I was going to do about it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Jacob

  When Anna came in, she was a little jumpy, hurrying in the door and heading straight for her room with an armful of books. Hazel and I had actually had a fun evening. We’d played several children’s games and I found myself relaxing more and more around her with each day. Being a parent wasn’t so hard, after all. I was surprised that it didn’t take much to make Hazel happy.