Chapter 24 – Tyler
Bruce’s fist glances off my cheek, but I’m already twisting to the right and I barely feel it. You’d think a big guy like him would hit harder but no one’s taught him to put his weight into it or how to twist his hips, and he swings wildly like we’re back in high school.
My guess is he’s gotten by so far on his weight and size alone. They’ve been matching him up with little guys and so far he’s managed to come out on top. Nicky has to know I’d pummel him, and that’s why he’s having me take the dive. People are expecting me to clean his clock, and Nicky’s probably got a fortune put down on me. He’ll clean up nice when I hit the mat.
I dodge his flailing uppercut, and move aside as he stumbles.
No control.
He’s breathing heavily and it’s only round two. I could outlast this guy if I just danced around for two more rounds, and he’d be a sitting duck for whatever I threw at him.
Go down in the third, I think. That’s what I’m supposed to do.
I belt Bruce in the ribs, but it’s a softy. He’s probably thinking I’m not that tough and that he just needs to try a little harder, focus and hit me hard and I’ll go down. This dunce couldn’t knock me out if I stood still.
I can feel Nicky’s eyes on me, and I get a glimpse of him peering out of the crowd as I spin around to face Bruce who has just stumbled past me. My eyes narrow and I flash him a grin. He must be shitting his pants right now. I’ve already disappointed him once, and then pissed him off a second time. I know how he must be feeling now.
Vinnie and Don look like today is their birthday. They don’t hate me like Nicky, and they both probably have bets on me too that they’re ready to cash in and head to Atlantic City. I’d like to hop out of the ring and belt them both in their smug faces.
Before the war I wasn’t a big guy. In fact, in middle school I was one of the smallest. I was picked on by the older kids because I could beat them in sports even though I was half their size. I played on the teen soccer team when I was only ten, and I was on varsity basketball as a freshman before I quit just to spite them.
It was the war that toughened me up. The things I went through those kids could only imagine. They wouldn’t even recognize me if they saw me now. I’ve put on fifty pounds, all of it muscle, and didn’t have any of my tattoos back then. Nicky and his goons remind me of the worst of those kids back in school. Brad, Taylor and Randy.
They used to corner me in the locker room or the hallway by the gymnasium and harass me. Their parents were big shots around town so the school never did anything about it. The principal would pretend to punish them, but nothing really ever happened, and it didn’t seem to matter how many times I showed up to class with a black eye or a bruise, no one ever did shit.
When I look at the thugs in the crowd who are eyeing me like their prized horse ready to make them rich, those feelings of being the little guy come flooding back, and I want to wipe that grin off their faces.
They won’t be smiling soon, I think, ducking another one of Bruce’s haymakers.
The end of round two is coming up.
Go down in the third, I think. That’s my job.
Bruce leans in with a right hook, and I make my move.
I duck, letting the blow sweep harmlessly over me, and bring my fist straight into his nose. It shatters, and I feel the splash of warm blood hit my neck and shoulder as Bruce’s head snaps backwards. He staggers and looks back at me with complete shock.
That’s when I hit him in the jaw with a left.
The blow knocks him out, and he drops to the mat like a wet sack of chicken thighs. I can hear the crowd erupt behind me, but my eyes find Nicky in the crowd.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead a hundred times over. I shrug and blow him a kiss.
That’s when Nicky draws his gun.
The few people surrounding him shout and run for cover. Vinnie and Don pull their pistols too.
Time to do this.
I spin and vault over the ropes, pushing my way through the hot sweaty bodies towards the back hall. Nicky and his goons will be hot on my heels, but I’ve got a head start and the crowd is thick.
“Attaboy, Ty!” someone shouts in my ear. I feel pats on the back as I shoulder my way past.
“You son of a bitch!” someone else screams. I feel a claw like hand pulling at my arm. Someone lost a bet on me. I yank my arm free and look back behind me. I can’t see Nicky, but I can see three hands, each holding guns, shuffling through the people towards me.
I’m almost at the door to the back hall when I hear the first gunshot. Everyone screams and I turn to see the crowd scattering, people rushing for every door. I guess Nicky got tired of waiting. He spots me as people break out of his way and levels his gun at me.
I yank the door open and dive through, just as a bullet clangs off the air conditioner above my head.
The floor is still wet, but I’m half way down the hall when I hear the door open behind me.
“Oh, you dirty bastard!” Nicky cries out behind me, his angry voice echoing across the walls as my feet slap the wet floor beneath me. I hear the hammer cock back on his gun, followed by a deafening blast.
Almost there, almost there!
A tile right by my ear shatters, sending splinters of tile into the side of my neck and face. The door at the end of the hall is racing towards me as I pick up the pace. Adrenaline is pumping through my body. I hear another shot behind me as I shoulder the door and burst into the parking lot.
I can hear the panicked crowd rushing out the front, but out on this side of the building it’s a different story. There’s nobody here. Well, that’s not entirely true.
“He’s coming!” I shout, racing to my position.
The side door crashes open, the metal clanging off the wall of the building. Nicky, Vinnie and Don pour out and stop in their tracks. The look of surprise on their faces is something I’ll never forget.
“Fuck me,” Nicky announces as he sees what’s in store.
Standing beside me, is Barry and two of my Marine buddies, each of them holding a shotgun.
Before he can raise his gun, my squad fires. It’s like everything goes into slow motion as the barrels roar and spit hot lead at my enemies. I can see the briefest moment of horror and realization cross Nicky’s face just before he and his three gangsters go down in a hail of bullets. They never saw this coming.
I’d fallen out of touch with these guys after the war, but with the things we went through, we’d always be loyal to each other. Barry had gotten in touch with them and told them of my situation. They said of course they’d help out, and had gotten in their cars. I’d left the logistics up to Barry though. I didn’t have the time to manage it. I wasn’t sure whether he would come through or not.
Then I had to make it out of the fight alive, and lure them out here to the side lot without being gunned down myself in the process. It was a bit of a hairy plan, but it worked.
“Sons of bitches,” Barry spits, his hatred for Nicky equal or greater to mine at this point.
“That all of them?” A former marine named Craig says as he turns to me. I haven’t seen Craig in years. He’s filled out a bit, and is still sporting that grizzly bear beard of his.
“Those are the main guys,” I say, breathing heavily. “He’s got more goons about, but the news will take some time to reach them. By then I’ll be long gone.”
“Where you headed?” Drew asks, an olive tan Italian fellow with slicked back hair. He’s always been a ladies man and it looks like not much has changed.
“Upstate New York,” I reply.
“You sure that’s far enough?” Barry asks.
“Yeah. With Nicky gone his troops will fizzle off,” I say, hearing sirens in the distance. “We got to split. Thanks, guys. I’ll get in touch when things cool down.”
I shake Drew and Craig’s hands, feeling a twinge of nostalgia at seeing them again. I wish we had more time to catch up. The bond we formed will always be there, no matter how much time we spend apart. The sirens are growing closer. The whole town must have heard the shots. It probably sounded like the fourth of July.
“All right, Ty,” Craig says, giving me a friendly slap on the back. “Watch your ass, you hear?”
“No doubt.”
“Stay safe,” Drew adds.
My heart is starting to slow as I get into my truck. The engine roars to life and I gun it out of the parking lot, watching my friends disappear in my rear view as they scatter, headed for their vehicles, ready to get out of dodge.
My friends, my life, my past. I’m leaving it all behind. All of it—in my rear view.
It’s time to move on.
I think of Jenny and smile.