I paused and inhaled a shaky breath. “He returned fire. Hit the guy in the hand, chest, and torso. I returned fire, killing the second gunman. Cunningham died right there on the roof. He uhhm. He had a daughter.”
I glanced up from the yearbook and fixed my eyes on Katie.
“She’s uhhm. She’s probably,” Katie said, pausing as she counted on her fingers.
“She’s probably six or seven now,” she nodded.
“I’d like to meet Cunningham’s wife,” I said as I handed her the yearbook.
“I know where she used to live. I bet I can find her,” Katie grinned as she accepted the yearbook.
I nodded my head, walked to my seat, and sat down. Most people, if given an opportunity to truly know me, know my inner workings, and know just exactly who I was, would be of the opinion that I was not a man who was close to God. The truth would be quite the contrary. God was my only true guidance in life, and although I often did things people would perceive as evil, I believed I was always acting as a man who administered God’s will. Sitting in the chair gazing blankly across the table at Katie, hoping I may be able to find the wife of the man who saved my life, I began to understand I was exactly where I needed to be when I needed to be there.
Sitting silently, still in somewhat of a trance, Ripp broke the silence.
“If we aren’t focused on living life to the best of our ability, we’re slowly dying a death that’s of our own choosing. The odd thing is we get to pick the course we take. Why would someone choose not to live life at full capacity?” he said.
Kace chuckled. “Wow. I like that. Who said that? I know it’s not a Ripp original.”
“My father. Jack Ripton,” Mr. Ripton responded.
“Come on everybody. Let’s get out of here,” Ripp said as he stood from his seat.
“Where we going, Ripp? Huh?” Austin asked.
“We’re all gonna go pound down some beers, see if we can get in a fight, and then I’m going to take Vee home and fuck her until she passes out,” Ripp responded.
I waited for the axe to fall, alternating glances between Mr. and Mrs. Ripton. Although they said nothing regarding his comment about fucking Vee, Vee slapped her hand against Ripp’s shoulder and gave him the stink eye.
“Michael, we don’t like it when you get in bar fights,” his mother said softly.
“Damn it, Mike,” his father said as he dropped his fork onto his plate.
Ripp shook his head and pressed the web of his hands into his hips. “Pop. Just hold on a minute. Here’s the deal. I can’t change who I am. I like fuckin’ and I like fightin’. Today’s a victory for me. A big one. I’m going to celebrate. Doing the two things I love. Come on, let’s get out of here. Bug, Manda, this includes you.”
As Katie jumped excitedly from her seat, we once again made eye contact. I was pleased that she was going to be included in our evening out on the town.
I was damned sure there wasn’t going to be any fucking on my part, but I wouldn’t have made any promises on the fighting.
I had a sinking feeling two professional boxers, a boxer in training, and a Marine were sure to get into some kind of trouble.
I just hoped I had a few minutes to get to know Katie a little bit better before it happened.
Chapter Two Hundred Fifty-Six
Summer 2014, Austin, Texas, USA
We hadn’t been at the bar for half an hour, and Ripp stood true to his word. He and a half-drunken Austin began running their mouths to a table full of drunken college football players, and within a few minutes, we were in the parking lot.
In the middle of the dark parking lot, between the parked cars and under a lamp pole, Shane and I stood back and watched as Ripp beat the one who had been arguing with him in three punches. The entire time, I was eager to see if my hand-to-hand combat lessons with Austin had been doing him any good.
The arguing match Austin was in eventually turned into what looked like might be a fight, and as it did, I cheered Austin on. The man he was arguing with was an absolute asshole, calling Austin every name in the book, including insinuating he was gay. As Austin reached his limit, he finally raised his hands and warned the guy to prepare to fight.
“Come on, Austin, remember what I taught you,” I said.
“Get him, Steve!” his friend screamed.
Great name, asshole.
Austin raised his hands and circled his opponent. If for no other reason than the man shared the name of my former best friend, I wanted Austin to pound the guy into the ground.
“Kick his fucking ass, Steve,” the other friend yelled.
Katie stood by my side, almost touching me as Austin spread his feet apart and took a fighting stance. As the man swung a punch at Austin, he stepped into him, blocked his arm, and punched him in the base of the neck.
And just like that, Steve collapsed in the parking lot.
“Good damned job, Kid,” I said.
“Who the fuck are you? Their coach? Y’all just come here to beat the shit out of people?” one of the peanut gallery from the idiot corner asked.
“Come on,” I said to Katie as I turned to the side. “Just walk away.”
“I heard you. You better walk away,” he grunted.
There was no doubt in my mind I could beat the guy in a matter of seconds, but I had nothing to prove. Although we had only been at the bar for 30 minutes, I was having a great time talking to Katie, and I wasn’t about to ruin her night.
As we were walking away, I noticed the idiot running up behind us. I tilted my head to the side and waited for him to get close enough to strike him if need be. As I prepared to spin around, he shoved his hands into my back.
Big mistake, asshole.
“Stand to the side,” I said to Katie as I reached down and tugged against the thighs of my jeans.
I spread my feet to a fighting stance and fixed my eyes on his. “You’re going to want to turn around and walk away from this, and I’m going to let you.”
It was his opportunity to correct his mistake. The same one I gave everyone.
“Fuck you,” he said. “You guys beat the shit out of Steve. I’m gonna whip your ass.”
My mouth curled into a smirk at the thought of him even challenging me. I felt it my duty to talk him out of it if there was any way I could.
“That pretty fucker standing beside you whipped Steve’s ass, all by himself,” I said as I nodded my head toward Austin. “And, to tell you the truth, Steve needed it. You see, he has an alligator mouth and a hummingbird ass. He needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Now my best advice to you is to go home. This is over.”
“It ain’t over till I kick the shit out of one of you for what you did to Steve,” he said as he doubled his fists.
I coughed a laugh. “You see, that’s where things are getting kind of cloudy for you. You’re obviously confused. You’re not going to win this fight. Not even if you get all your friends to join in. You see, I don’t think I can whip you. I know I can. Just go home. It’s probably best for us all.”
“My pappy always told me the guy that’s a runnin’ his mouth is the one that can’t fight a lick,” he said with a laugh.
I hated to bring the guy’s father into it, but I felt I had to.
“Well, I’m afraid to tell you that this time your father is sadly mistaken,” I said,
“You calling my pappy a liar?”
“Here we go again with the cloudy judgment. I said he was mistaken. I didn’t call him a liar. Go home. Save yourself being disgraced in front of your friends,” I said as I tossed my head toward his friends.
“I’m fixin’ to disgrace you,” he said.
Katie stepped behind me.
“Kick his ass,” she whispered.
“Probably be a good idea if you and those big titties of yours get back away from him so you don’t get hurt, little girl,” the asshole said as she whispered in my ear.
Disrespectful prick.
I stepped forward and s
wung the heel of my palm into his chest. As he bent over, coughing for breath, I pulled my right hand back, grabbed the back of his neck with my left, and struck him in the base of the neck with my right hand. As he stumbled, I struck him on each side of the neck with the outside of my flattened hand.
As he collapsed, I caught him and prevented him from falling to the asphalt.
Shane Dekkar, who had been quiet all night, shouted. “Holy fuck!”
“It’s gonna be tough, but try and stand up. So you can apologize,” I said.
“Come here, Bug. He won’t hurt you,” I said over my shoulder.
I had struck him pretty violently with what was described by Marines as a knife hand strike, hitting him in the mastoid muscles of the neck. The strike, if properly executed, paralyzes a man for several seconds.
Katie stepped beside me and stared down at the man.
“Now, I know you can hear me,” I said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Apologize to the girl.”
He returned a glassy-eyed stare.
“I’m going to count to three,” I said. “And you better apologize.”
“One…Two…Three,” I counted.
“That’s a bad decision on your part, really. Like I said, I know you can hear me. If you try to, you’ll be able to talk,” I explained.
Nothing.
I shook my head. “Austin, come here. Hold him while I light a cigarette.”
Austin stood and stared at me as if I was crazy.
“Dude, you fucked Randy up bad, let him go,” Steve said.
“Steve, you’ll need to back the fuck up, right now,” I said as if I was giving a command to a Marine.
Steve stopped in his tracks.
I widened my eyes. “Austin?”
“Hold this prick up. I need a cigarette,” I said.
Austin walked up behind who I now understood was Randy, and took him from my grasp, holding him upright. Most of what he was doing was a show, I was sure. I had performed the strike on many a Marine as a joke, and the paralysis lasted all of a few seconds.
I lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. As I held it in my teeth, I explained my concerns to Randy. “You see. This is always the problem with certain people.”
I bit into the filter of the cigarette and drove both hands into his neck again.
“Dude, what the fuck? He wasn’t doing anything!” Steve screamed.
“You’re correct, Steve,” I said sarcastically.
I exhaled a large cloud of smoke. “I gave him an opportunity to apologize. He’ll have another chance here in a minute.”
As Austin stood and stared at me as if I had killed Randy, I reached for his arms.
“I’ve got him,” I assured Austin.
“Randy, you need to apologize to the girl. I will count to three again. Tell her you’re sorry for being an inconsiderate asshole,” I said.
“One…Two…”
“I’m…” he murmured.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Tell her why you’re sorry,” I said.
“I uhhm. I’m sorry. I was. I’m sorry I was disrespectful,” he said.
“Will it ever happen again?” I asked.
“No, it won’t happen again,” he said.
“Bug?” I asked over my shoulder.
She walked up behind me and rested her chin on my shoulder as she pressed her chest against my back. “Yes?”
“Satisfied?” I asked.
“Very,” she whispered into my ear.
I released my grip. Randy stumbled, almost fell to the asphalt, and was helped up by his humiliated friends.
“You’ll feel funny for a minute or two, but you’ll be fine,” I said jokingly as his friends helped him walk away.
With her chest still pressed into my back, Katie breathed into my ear. “That was so awesome. What did you do to his neck?”
“Knife hands,” I said with a laugh.
“Knife what?” she asked, grazing her hand over my cheek as she spoke.
I glanced toward Ripp, fully enjoying Katie’s playful nature, but concerned he might not feel comfortable with her acting the way she was.
He returned a smile.
“I’ll show you some time. It’s a good way to gain control of a situation,” I replied to her.
“Vee’s got a stomach ache. We need to get the hell out of here. It’s been a long day,” Ripp said.
“You’re full of it, Ripp,” Kace said. “We know what you’re going to do.”
“Well, you guys do whatever it is you want to. It’s still early. But we’re leaving. I need to make up for some lost time. Austin?” Ripp said.
“Yeah, Boss?” Austin responded.
“Look after Manda until the night’s over,” Ripp said.
“Got it, Boss,” Austin responded.
Katie continued to hang on my shoulders.
Ripp shifted his eyes from Austin to me. Vee hung on his shoulders, clearly imitating Katie.
“A-Train…”
“Semper fi,” I responded with a wave.
And I meant it.
Regardless of what Katie asked, did, or attempted to do, I would stay faithful to my friend Ripp.
I was just worried how long I would be able to keep it up if my interest in her continued to grow at the rate it had been for the entire night.
Only time would tell, I supposed.
Chapter Two Hundred Fifty-Seven
Summer 2014, Austin, Texas, USA
We sat and shared a pizza at an all-night pizza joint. Not my favorite food by any means, and definitely not something I would have chosen to eat so late at night; but considering the circumstances, it was a pleasant change.
“I wish the world was full of people like you,” she said.
I held the folded slice of pizza in my hand and watched as the grease from the pepperoni ran down my arm to my elbow. “Believe me, you don’t.”
I reached for a napkin and wiped my forearm clean of the grease, shaking my head and laughing as I did so.
“Why?” she asked. “You’re one of the good guys.”
In the middle of taking a bite of pizza, I shook my head. “I’ve got good intentions, but it doesn’t make me one of the good guys.”
“You and Ripp are a lot alike. He acts all mean, but he’s a big softie. He likes to fight, but he doesn’t beat people up for no reason. Dad says he fights to keep his day-to-day anger at a manageable level. I think he’s right. But when people are mean to other people or do things that aren’t right, Ripp steps in and beats them up. He thinks he’s teaching them a lesson. He’s done it since he was little,” she said.
I had never considered fighting as a means of anger management, but it made perfect sense. Katie’s explanation of Ripp’s stepping in when he felt he needed to teach someone a lesson sounded exactly like me. I often felt the need to place myself in a situation most men would perceive as none of their business, only to attempt to teach someone my perception of what was right.
I was quite sure, however, that my general means of resolution, however, might differ from his considerably.
“Well, it does sound like we’re a lot alike, but I don’t think the world needs to be full of people like me,” I said as I took another bite of pizza.
I did my best to stay focused on the food, and not spend as much time staring at her as I did at the dinner we had earlier in the night. Not admiring her was more difficult than I would have imagined, and I attributed my fascination with Katie to my lack of exposure to females in general since my having divorced Suzanne.
“I do,” she said.
She gazed beyond me and appeared to be in deep thought. As she sat there obviously focused on something, I admired everything from her hands to her choice of clothes. Wearing a baseball tee with the word baseball across the front, a pair of jeans, and sneakers, she looked not only comfortable, but adorable.
After a moment, she shifted her eyes toward mine, and caught me in the middle of my admiration. As I shi
fted my embarrassed eyes to my lap, she began to speak.
“You know, how God puts everything on this earth for a reason. Not everyone sees the reason, but I don’t think most people take the time to really think about it. A centipede, for instance. Most people are repulsed by them. They think they’re gross and wonder why they’re even here. The same with spiders. But God has everything on earth for a reason. So, the spider is here for many reasons, one of which is to feed the centipede. And, the centipede? It’s a staple in the diet of many lizards. The centipede relies on the spider, and the lizard is dependent on the centipede. And, at some point, a hawk, incapable of finding another source of food, swoops down and eats the lizard. At some point, a bobcat catches and eats the hawk, only to be later killed and eaten by a wolf.”
She sounded like a biology professor explaining a theory, but it made perfect sense. I shifted my eyes upward. “The food chain.”
She nodded her head and smiled. “You’re here for a reason. You’re necessary in God’s eyes. Some people on this earth are like the spider or the centipede. And they need eaten. And you’re the wolf. You’re necessary,” she said with a smile.
She had an odd way of putting things into perspective, but so far, I liked what she was saying. She reminded me all too much of myself, and her way of thinking about things was almost identical to mine. I didn’t like being compared to the lizard, but for the time being, I decided it was okay. I did wonder, if her analogy was accurate, who ate the wolf?
“So, what eats me? Who eats Alec Jacob? Where does it end for me?” I asked.
Life, I guess.
She took a bite of crust, shrugged her shoulders, and chewed it for a moment as she thought. I took another bite of the pizza and waited for her to think about my question while I did the same.
Her personality was, at least for me, very inviting. She was beautiful, but seeing her without the distraction of her family present made her much more attractive than her looks alone. Watching her eat, drink, and even talk was fascinating to me, and as I sat and watched her think while she ate her crust, I tried desperately to determine why I was so interested in her.
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