by Taylor Lee
“I’m glad you have your sense of humor back, Wyatt. You omitted one detail – the detail that Wan found most compelling. When you questioned whether you were the father of Lei’s child.”
“Yeah, shit. I did say that. Hell, I was angry. Lei knows I didn’t mean that. And that son of a bitch, Wan—who I presume was in the other room – knows that, as well. He needed an excuse to break his bargain with Lei.”
“And you had to give him one right, Wyatt?”
Wyatt grimaced. “C’mon Joey. You’re supposed to give me confidence. I have a move I’ve been thinking about and I want to work on it privately. Will you make sure the dojo is locked at midnight? Will you meet me here? If I can figure out how to do it, it’s going to be the way I take away Longwai’s advantage and his staff. Let’s put it this way, Joey. I am a cocky son of a bitch, but I know if I don’t have the upper hand within three minutes in a match with a killer guy who outweighs me by forty pounds, your pessimism will be well-founded.”
After he left Joey, Wyatt met with Chief and Alono. They had heard the news and put out the word for reinforcements of Caballeros from other properties. The word through the Chinese network was Wan would arrive in three days with a minimum of fifty armed men. Chief recommended they stage the match in the training ring. Wyatt and Alono agreed. It was on the outskirts of the ranch and would allow both camps room for their men. Chief and Alono thought the dojo was too easily surrounded. They didn’t want to put the family, students, and ranch hands in danger should shooting break out.
As angry as Wan Chang was, Wyatt believed he would honor the Tong code of conduct for a kung fu death match. The purpose of the death match was to use the two fighters as surrogates for the outrage being addressed. Wyatt believed when he won, Wan would not allow his men to take revenge on anyone else at the ranch. Chief and Alono were making preparations in the event he did. Neither of them raised the issue of what would happen if Wyatt was killed. It was unthinkable.
~~~
On the day of the match, Wyatt spent the morning and early afternoon with Elena and Alex. He practiced in the dojo with them, then the three of them rode up to the stream to swim and picnic.
When they finished eating, Alex, who was the more somber and serious of the twins, said, “Dad, Daniel said you are going to be in a big fight today. Can we watch?”
“No, Alex, this is not a fight for young children to see. We are going to be using weapons. I haven’t shown those to you yet. This is not the way to see them.”
“Dad, can the weapons kill people.”
“Yes, Alex, they can. It is likely that the person I fight today will be killed.”
Elena got huge tears in her eyes. “Daddy, you aren’t going to get hurt are you?”
“Well, I may have a few bruises and scratches—maybe even a cut or two. I am going to be fine. I will come up and kiss you good night after the fight is over.”
Elena said, “Do you promise?”
Alex didn’t say anything, but waited for Wyatt to answer.
“I promise both of you that everything will be okay, that you will be safe.”
Alex frowned. “What about you, Dad? Will you be safe?”
“Well, Alex, let me put it this way. I’ve trained all my life for this fight tonight. I don’t plan to lose. So, yes, when it is over, I will be safe.”
When they returned to the ranch the children helped Alono to put the horses away. Wyatt found Chief in his medicine room.
“How are you feeling, son?”
Wyatt smiled. “Probably better than I should. I have this extraordinary person in my life who has taught me how to handle great pressure by his example.”
Chief nodded, acknowledging Wyatt’s compliment. “I have been praying and chanting for three days, Wyatt. I am feeling good about this fight. You have too many things left to do in this life for it to end now.”
“Thank you, Chief. Keep these for me -- just in case.”
He handed Chief seven envelopes, one for each of the people who mattered to him; Elena, Alex, Alono, Joey, Chief, the new baby, and Lei.
Chief held back tears. “I’ll keep them for you, but will be giving them back to you after the fight tonight.”
The two men embraced and Wyatt left to go to the canyons to prepare for the match.
~~~
At five p.m., the Caballeros arrived at the ranch and waited for the Sing Leon. Wyatt spent the two hours before the match at the canyons meditating the way Chief had taught him years before. He’d been doing it for so long he was surprised when Lei had asked him how he conquered and controlled his anger in a match. He said it was simple; fight from a place in your spirit where you can never lose. When he meditated, he entered that place and didn’t leave until the match was won.
By the time he returned from the canyons, the Sing Leon had arrived and were positioned on one side of the training ring perimeter. The Caballeros faced them from the other side. All the men were on horseback, their weapons visible. Joey was waiting for him with his staff and blades. Wan Chang and Longwai were positioned across the ring. Joey and Wan Chang had agreed to the format of the fight. They were to begin with their staffs. At any time either fighter had the choice of relinquishing his staff and going to his knives. It was understood that jian blades were great for finishing off an opponent, but no match for a flying staff with a six foot plus reach.
Wyatt entered the ring. He walked over to Joey, his sensei, and bowed low. He strode across the ring to Wan and Longwai. He bowed respectfully and said to Longwai in Chinese, “Welcome to my dojo. I am honored to fight you.”
Longwai was surprised at his use of Chinese, but returned the bow and honor words. Wan bowed stiffly and left the ring. Longwai and Wyatt moved to the center of the ring to stretch. At the end of the five minute period, Joey sounded the gong. Wyatt and Longwai turned to retrieve their weapons. Longwai wore the traditional death match uniform. Wyatt was wearing the pants, but as was his custom, he removed the jacket and tied on his bandana.
Longwai asked Wyatt to strip at the hotel for more than curiosity. He heard the stories of Wyatt’s prowess and couldn’t believe the tall lean man who entered the room with a grin was the man everyone feared. When Wyatt was naked, he saw a powerfully built well muscled man, but he wasn’t intimidated. Longwai, at nearly six feet tall, was three inches shorter, but weighed at least forty pounds of solid muscle more than Wyatt. And he was ten years younger. He earned his reputation as a merciless killer. By killing Wyatt he would not only avenge his leader’s shame, but that of the Sing Leon from years before. There was no question he would leave the ring tonight at the top of the kung fu ladder of grandmasters. His intent was to take Wyatt down and take him down fast.
With a fierce spirit yell, Longwai came out whirling the staff over his head in a fantastic blur of wood and air. The motion was so ferocious that you couldn’t tell where the weapon began and the man ended. The crowd gasped in amazement. Wyatt sidestepped him and laughed out loud at the display. When Longwai flushed with anger, Wyatt added another weapon to his arsenal. Wyatt and Joey had choreographed the next three minutes of the fight, move by move. If Wyatt could pull it off and get to his blades he knew he would win. He’d planned a series of defensive moves. His goal was to stay in the match, but not try to win the staff portion until he was ready to strike with his secret move. Longwai’s anger was a gift he hadn’t expected, one he quickly exploited. To each of his defensive moves, Wyatt added a soft chuckle or grin. His eyes never stopped twinkling. Murmurs from the crowd confirmed they saw what was happening, further infuriating Longwai. Seeing Wyatt’s grin, for the first time since he instigated the fight, Wan Chang saw the possibility of defeat.
Wyatt dove to the ground to avoid a flurry of flying strikes. Reaching out with his staff, he caught Longwai’s feet and tripped him to the ground. Joey’s eyes widened. That move had not been on the agenda. Longwai flushed with anger as he picked himself up. He flew at Wyatt, his staff a flash in the air. Wyatt roll
ed out of range and the wood struck the ground harmlessly. That pattern continued. The sounds of the crashing staffs were ferocious, as were the grunts and groans of the fighters. Wyatt was holding his own and nearing the three minute mark. Joey put his head in his hands and prayed to every god that existed to help him now.
Wyatt’s aerial skills were second to none and he had barely used them. As he wound up for his defining move, he flipped three times in the air, front to back and then front again, throwing Longwai off balance. He backed against the railing and with a wild animal cry ran across the ring at top speed. As he neared Longwai, he planted the base of his staff in the ground and catapulted his body feet first high in the air and arced down his feet landing squarely in Longwai’s startled upturned face. There was a resounding crack and Longwai’s face exploded, blood splattering everywhere. With a leap and a fearsome yell, Wyatt flew from the other side of the ring, planted his staff and catapulted twelve feet in the air. He landed full force against Longwai’s neck, driving him face first to the ground. As he fell, Longwai’s staff spun across the ring. Wyatt swooped down, grabbed it and with a fierce scream, threw it over the fence. Sobbing soundlessly with joy, Joey dropped his head in his hands. Wan’s face froze with dread.
Wyatt dropped his staff and secured his knives. Longwai struggled to get to his knives, careening across the ring. In a fierce display of mastery, Wyatt came at him, the epitome of the fierce grandmaster that he was. It was as though a fury had entered his body, seizing control of his movements. The crowd was silent.
Gone were Wyatt’s grins, chuckles, and smiles. Longwai’s face was a bloody mash, his eyes almost swollen shut. He was severely disorientated from the blow to his neck. His kicks and punches were futile, his blades useless. Wyatt’s body was a well-oiled brutal machine. Every knee and full force kick connected. Methodically, he struck one body part after another until Longwai was a broken mass writhing on the ground. Wyatt never stopped his ferocious attack.
He stepped back, allowing Longwai to struggle to his hands and knees. Like a massive bull, the huge man reared to his feet stumbling blindly from side to side. Wyatt went in for the kill. He pushed off from the railing and mimicking Lei’s double leg side kick, he hit Longwai full on his kneecaps. With a primal howl, he drew his jian, raised it high in the air and with a vicious cut, slashed Longwai’s throat. Longwai fell to the ground, his neck an open gash spouting blood. Wyatt dropped his blade. Breathing hard, he walked over and picked up his staff. He strode to the bloodied fighter and kicked him flat on his back. With a spine-chilling cry that echoed through the night, he roared one word – LEI. He raised his staff high above his head and with all his power drove it through the chest of the dying man, impaling him to the ground. The crowd on both sides of the ring was silent.
Wyatt stood over the body for a long moment, then took off his bandana and wiped off the blood that had splattered on his face, neck, and chest. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and bowed low before Joey, who returned his bow, tears of joy streaming down his face. Wyatt strode across the ring to Wan Chang who was sitting stony faced on his horse at the edge of the fence. Wyatt’s voice was low – almost a whisper, but so fierce his words were heard around the ring. “The child is Lei’s and mine. It is not yours. If you interfere again, I swear to god you will end up like him.” He bowed and thanked him for honoring his dojo with the fight and turned to walk away.
Wan said, “Wyatt, whether you ever see the child will be up to Lei.”
Wyatt turned back and walked up close to the fence. “No, Wan, it won’t be. The way we raise our child is a decision Lei and I will make together. You will not be a part of it.”
He went over and pulled his staff from the dead man’s chest, picked up his jian blade, and walked across the yard to Joey’s.
~~~
Lei sat by the floor length window overlooking the city of Denver. In the distance, she could see the Rocky Mountains, their majesty and beauty one of the few calming features of her self imposed prison. Her father had wanted her to come to his California complex. Lei refused. The idea of going back to the home where she lived her isolated, lonely childhood was anathema to her.
She admitted her decision to stay in Denver was all about Wyatt. Even though she never expected to see him again, she couldn’t bear to be as far away as California. Her decision to stay at the Brown Palace Hotel was made for one reason -- to hurt Wyatt as much as she could. She hoped he would find her and be furious. He would know why she chose it. That he would know where she was, but not be able to reach her made the Hotel the perfect prison.
And it worked. He found her. And he insisted that he see her as she hoped he would. But she hadn’t thought things through as well as she should have. She was certain he had hurt her as much as he could. She didn’t think she had available pain centers that he hadn’t struck. But when he insisted he see her she realized it was not because of her. It was because she had something that belonged to him. And he wanted it. His child.
Convinced that he came to her for the child, not for her, was the only way she resisted him. When she heard his voice and saw his face she fought the urge to go to him. To beg him to hold her and never let her go. She knew she missed him, but his physical presence was like a jolt of energy so strong and so powerful she thought it might blow her apart. She saw in his eyes that he wanted to touch her. He always wanted that. God knows she craved his touch. But then she remembered why he came. Just as her father had not cared enough to make her mother stay, she was sure Wyatt’s goal was to take her child and leave her behind.
The door opened. Ri entered. The fight was the day before. She braced herself for the news.
“Lei, are you awake?”
“Yes. What happened?”
“He killed him.”
“Who?”
“Wyatt killed Longwai.”
As though flood gates opened her tears of relief flowed. She allowed herself to cry. Ri stood helplessly by for what seemed like hours. She lay on the floor crying bitterly. She pressed against the glass of the eighth story window as if she would roll out if she could. She was certain Ri was afraid that the repeated bouts of crying might be verging into hysteria and did her best to stop crying.
Ri stood by her. His face was pale, his eyes filled with tears. “How can I help you, Lei? I thought you would be glad that Wyatt wasn’t killed.”
She sat up, her tear streaked face clouded with emotions she knew he didn’t understand.
“Of course I’m glad he didn’t get killed. For God sakes, Ri, don’t you know anything?” She lashed out at him because he was there.
“Don’t you see,” she continued, “This is all about them. The two of them. Circling each other, one round after the other. Wyatt won the first round when I fell in love with him and got pregnant. Father one-upped him by keeping me here and trying to kill him. Now Wyatt won this one. On it goes.”
She burst into tears again. Ri sunk down on the floor beside her his back against the window, tears streaming down his face.
Lei wailed. “At least before it was about me. I hated that, but now it’s about the baby. They were fighting over me. Now they’re fighting over the baby.
Struggling to control her sobs, Lei stared at her brother, her voice anguished. “But really, it’s not about either one of us. Not me, not the child. It’s about them. Two fucking men who don’t care who they hurt or who they kill as long as they win. Don’t you see it, Ri? You’ve lived it all your life as I have. Tell me this. Why did I fall in love with Wyatt? A man who has hurt me, even more than our father has? Why, Ri? Why?”
She sobbed again, a bitter, disconsolate sound. Ri pulled her up beside him. They sat against the window, leaning into each other as they had many times when they were children. But then it had been Lei always comforting Ri, her younger brother.
Ri lifted her chin swiping at her tears. His voice broke. He whispered, “I…I am sorry, Lei. I do not know how to comfort you.”
Lei gave
him a watery smile. “Don’t feel bad, Ri. No one can.”
They sat together for a while longer, then Lei managed to stand and turned to go to her bedroom. She looked back and said, “At least if he had been killed it would have ended this. Now it will go on as long as they are both alive.”
Ri took a deep breath. “Lei, Wyatt asked me to give you this note. He wants to see you. He’s down in the lobby.” He held out a note. Her name in Wyatt’s handwriting was on the front.
She laughed a mirthless laugh. “I’ll bet he does. He wants to crow over his victory. Tell me what I am to do next now that he has won this round. Does he want me to pluck out the baby? Give it to him now? Or is he willing to wait until it’s born to come and take it?”
She glared at Ri’s pale, helpless face. Her eyes flashed with anger. “Ri, tell him to go to hell. No on second thought that’s where I am. Sure enough I will run into him. Tell him I never want to see him again. And give him back his fucking note.”
She stalked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
~~~
Ri came down to the lobby bar where Joey and Wyatt were sitting drinking bourbon. When they saw the tears on Ri’s face, both Wyatt and Joey jumped up in concern.
“What’s wrong, Ri? Has something happened to Lei?” Wyatt asked.
Looking down, Ri said, “She won’t see you, Wyatt. She asked you to go and not contact her again.”
“I don’t understand. Did you give her my note?”
“Here, she wouldn’t open it.” He handed Wyatt the unopened note.
“Look, Ri, this is unacceptable. You are my only connection to her that your father doesn’t control. I need to see her. Don’t you understand? I need your help.”
“She doesn’t want to see either one of you again. I don’t either. We want you to leave us alone.” He blinked furiously to keep the tears flooding his eyes from falling. He didn’t look back when Wyatt called out to him.