Hard Case 12: Climate of Chaos (John Harding)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “That reminds me.” Jafar put a video on the screen of the Jonas and Amara wedding, with Clint, Lynn, Tonto and Clint Jr. He replayed it for everyone. “Simple, but elegant.”

  “Jonas wants to join the Marines next month,” Lucas said. “I don’t think Amara likes the idea very much.”

  “He will be a great Monster addition. Here’s to Jonas and Amara.” I held up my Beam brother. We toasted the young man and his bride.

  * * *

  Rudo entered the Warehouse with only one man with him, who looked to be his manager. That fact was promising. We had eaten and sent the Monster auxiliary home with the kids. Casey, Lucas, Jafar, and all the minions went home too. I figured Tommy, Jess, Dev and I could handle negotiations. Alexi stuck around too. We all shook hands as Rudo introduced his manager.

  “You did some great promotional work,” I complimented Rudo. “My guys say you drummed up a lot of interest in the fight on the fan sites.”

  “The UFC sanctioned the match, Mr. Harding,” Oringa stated. “They believe it will be a profitable fight. Rudo would like the match to take place at the Barclays Center next month on Sunday, the 25th of November.”

  “That sounds good to me.” Tommy had already agreed to any date I liked.

  “Great! I brought the papers with me,” Oringa replied. “The UFC would like confirmation you agreed to the fight and venue as soon as possible.”

  Alexi and Tommy looked over the contract without Rudo having said a word. It’s always better to let managers handle the paperwork. Rudo avoided looking at me. It makes me a little suspicious when a guy I’ll be battling doesn’t want to look me in the eye.

  “Is there something wrong, Rudo? I have no hard feelings about your promotional work if that’s what worries you.”

  “I watched your latest adventure out on the ocean with the Captain Hook shark. Why would you do such things?”

  Good question… and I didn’t have a real answer. My cage crew appreciated the humor though. I admitted the obvious. “I’m a little nuts.”

  “Yeah… the Dark Lord wearin’ the shark fin hat and ridin’ Hook gives me nightmares,” Jess stated. “He is nuts. Don’t give it a thought.”

  Rudo pointed at Dev. “I have heard you do the Latin. I assume you do the Latin when Harding rides the Hook too… huh?”

  Dev chuckled. “I did the first couple times until John bonded with the damn shark. Captain Hook swims to the fantail of the boat to be petted by John. Let me tell you… it’s frightening to see a friggin’ killer shark that big getting petted.”

  “Yes! It is just so,” Rudo agreed. “Raymond and I were stunned watching the latest one. When Hook leaps clear of the water, Harding looks like a midget riding him.”

  We all shared the humor of that statement from my latest cage opponent.

  “I heard you have training help from Carl Logan,” Alexi mentioned.

  “He told me he planned to come here tonight. Carl volunteered to help me train,” Rudo replied. “We told him we do not have the money to hire the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, but he works with me for free. I tell you truth, Harding. Carl hates your guts. Those two losses to you hurt him deeply.”

  Rudo paused and grinned. “Although I am sure he is the best boxer in the world, Carl fears getting into the cage again with you. He wants to box you in a ring.”

  “You know how dumb it is mixing martial arts with boxing, Rudo. We don’t want to box under the rules for boxers. We want to use all the skills we have acquired. I would never agree to challenging Carl for his belt. He’s welcome to it. You couldn’t ask for a better trainer, I bet.”

  “He has helped me a lot already. My boxing skills needed work. Carl provides the speed and combinations I hoped to improve.”

  “I do not think it wise to share so much, Rudo,” Raymond cautioned with a big smile.

  “Don’t worry about tipping John off on anything,” Tommy said. “He trains like a gladiator under the watchful eye of Captain Hook. If I may though… I have a suggestion. It would avoid any unnecessary bitterness. Carl Logan is a kneeler. Don’t be a kneeler, Rudo.”

  Rudo grinned. “I saw what happened to the great Carl Logan when he knelt during the Anthem. I will never do such a thing. I am an American. I do not speak of such things with Carl, but he was wrong to kneel in favor of provable lies.”

  I held out my hand and Rudo shook it. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

  “Thank you for giving me a shot at the title. I doubt I can beat you striking, but on mat… in ground and pound… anyone with skills can win.”

  “Amen to that, brother. I-”

  “Harding!” And there he was… Carl Logan… boxing’s Heavyweight Champ.

  Unlike Rudo, Carl brought an entourage of half a dozen capable looking men. I don’t give stuff like that a thought. I did regret a shared moment of warrior brotherhood was interrupted by a petty poser, who had no concept of how to enjoy what he had. I stood with my guys to face the approaching men.

  “Hello, Carl, how are you?” I held out my hand. It was ignored as is the way of petty posers. “Delightful as ever, I see. Rudo and I were just talking about how you have helped him with his boxing skills. Would you like a drink?”

  “I leave that weakness to brawlers like you. I hope you have not been conversing too much with your opponent, Rudo.”

  Rudo shrugged. “We signed to fight, talked about the Captain Hook shark, and I spoke highly of your help in improving my boxing skills. I have no secrets in cage fighting. I doubt John does either.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “In the cage, we strike, we ground and pound, and in the end, the match sometimes rests on one momentary missed movement.”

  “Exactly,” Rudo agreed, much to Carl’s distaste. “John did not need to give me this shot at the title. I hope with your help to win the belt, Carl. As John says, one wrong move on the mat could make the belt mine. Your help improving my striking ability can get me in a position to work my mat skills.”

  Carl ignored Rudo and errored in judgement once again. “You like arm-wrestling, Harding. I have ten thousand dollars that says I can slam you like the cheap pug you are.”

  Rudo stood. “Carl? I don’t think-”

  “Stay out of this,” Carl told him. “This is between me and the pug.”

  “I have six,” Tommy said.

  I checked my cash. “I have two.”

  Jess and Dev had two more between them.

  “You’re covered, big talk,” Tommy said. “Show us yours.”

  Tommy caught Carl flatfooted. “Ah… I don’t have it on me.”

  “Well… how much do you have, poser?” Tommy asked. “We don’t take markers from posers. Show us some money or take a hike.”

  Carl steamed, but Tommy didn’t back down. Carl managed fifteen hundred, between himself and his men. Rudo and Raymond stayed out of it. Tommy put fifteen hundred in Rudo’s hands. “You hold the money.”

  Carl gave over the fifteen hundred he had to Rudo.

  “Pick where you want to do this,” I told him. By then, we had drawn a crowd. Everyone in the Warehouse knew me. They also knew Carl Logan.

  Logan took one of the smaller tables, checked its balance and heaviness. “This one will do. Who starts us?”

  “Rudo can do it if you want.” I would be ready for anything.

  “Accepted.”

  We sat across from each other and gripped hands. Rudo positioned each of our free hands palm down on the table first. He then held on to our joined hands. We indicated our readiness.

  “Go!”

  I held steady, watching first surprise, followed by beads of sweat forming on Carl’s forehead and upper lip. I then inexorably forced him down. Resisting the temptation to slam Carl, I did make it plain to everyone I could have. The moment he grabbed the table for leverage, I slammed him the rest of the way, causing Carl to pitch sideways. I released him and stood quickly, ready for any other cheap stunt Logan wanted to pull. Our audience applauded. In this pla
ce, I am the favorite. Rudo handed the money to Tommy as Logan massaged feeling back into his arm. Rudo and I shook hands.

  “That concludes our business, gentlemen,” Tommy stated. “Let me know if you need anything else done, Raymond. Hype the fight in any way you want. John’s thick-skinned. He doesn’t care how the fight’s promoted as long as families are left out of it.”

  “Of course,” Raymond agreed. “Goodnight.”

  Rudo waved and walked out with his manager. I liked both those guys. Raymond Oringa seemed to be as efficient as Tommy. Carl hung around with his droopy face. His guys seemed like they wanted to dance. That was not going to happen in Alexi’s place.

  I decided to dismiss them. “Goodnight guys. We’re having a nightcap. Want to join us?”

  One of Carl’s guys was a smartass. “Maybe we ought to have our nightcap somewhere else with all that money you stashed.”

  My guys started laughing. They knew only death awaited on the other side of that statement.

  “I’d advise you to take your guys away from here, Carl. Good luck with your training job.”

  “One of these days, Harding… I’ll make you pay for all you’ve done. If you ever get into the boxing ring with me, I’ll kill you.”

  “Well… bye.”

  We watched them stomp out with the guy who thought he could rob us, grinning and waving. “That guy best not cross my path again. When we leave, we need to be wary. They do know we have over thirteen-grand. Carl wouldn’t stop them. He’d drive away and later claim he told his guys to go home.”

  “Alexi has a first-class security system,” Tommy said. “We’ll make sure the coast is clear before stepping out. I’ll get an SUV Uber to drive close. I shouldn’t have had that much money on me anyway. I planned to stop by the bank before we met with those West Oakland bums. I’m happy I had it, so we could show up Carl for the punk he is. I bet he would have stiffed us if I took his marker.”

  Yep, that would have been my thought too. “You’re probably right.”

  “Carl really believes he can eventually browbeat you into a boxing match,” Dev remarked. “We’ve already seen a few of the best UFC guys lose boxing matches. I bet you could go toe to toe with Carl, even in a boxing ring, but why the hell would you? Hell… you kicked the crap out of him twice in real fights with very few rules.”

  “I guarantee you I will not get in the boxing ring with anyone, including Carl.”

  “C’mon.” Jess led the way to the bar. “I want another round after that fun tussle. You held Carl up, DL, and then squashed him like a bug.”

  “He grabbed the table.”

  “Not for long,” Tommy replied. “I believe he will improve Rudo’s boxing skills… not much doubt about that. I think seeing you riding Captain Hook shook Rudo up.”

  “Maybe. My last two opponents have been class acts. I enjoy matches with guys competing hard without a chip on their shoulders.”

  “Bullshit… DL,” Jess exclaimed. “You enjoyed jamming Carl in the cage.”

  I thought about it for a moment. Jess was right. I did like beating the snot out of Carl. “It’s a process.”

  Chapter Six

  Devil and Details

  We checked the monitor after finishing our drinks. Alexi took us into his security control room. Unfortunately, we were right to take the precaution. Four of the six awaited us in the parking lot. They had weapons. I noted that fact inside the restaurant when Carl arrived.

  “Shall I call the police, John?”

  “They would deny everything. If Lucas had stayed, he’d be ragging the shit out of me. I can hear him now, what kind of Marine Recon are you, sissy, get your ass out there and choke those idiots out.”

  I amused my crew with Lucas insights.

  Dev spoke first. “What do you want to do, John?”

  “I’m going out the back and Recon them. Once I do… join me with weapons in hand. I don’t want to kill these guys, but I’m a lot like Nick, in that I don’t like to be hunted, and I show no mercy when I am. Remember. These guys want to rob us. They also know we can ID them. They’re planning to kill us.”

  “We’ve all been drinking. You should consider having the police chase them away,” Tommy said.

  “As Lucas would say, I may as well put on my prom dress and high heels. Watch the monitor guys.”

  Amateurs never guard all accesses to their positions. I didn’t take for granted their two brethren accompanied Carl. I left the Warehouse, slowly and cautiously. We had not seen anyone here in the back on the monitor, but I slipped out into the darkness with every intention of making sure I was alone. Once I established my rear guard, I stalked our ambush guys. They chattered away at each other as I approached without notice. Obviously, the ambushers figured we would come out the main entrance, they would drill us, guns blazing, steal the money, and be gone. These guys weren’t gangbangers. They probably knew how to hit what they aimed at. They also knew no one in the restaurant or parking lot would do anything but hide.

  When you look down the barrel of a Colt model 1911, the sight is stunning. I worked my way around to the front of these bozos, popped up with Colt in hand, and said the magic words. “Reach… and die. Otherwise… grab the lapels of your jackets… or die. Make a decision fast or I make it for you.”

  They grabbed the lapels after a slight hesitation. My crew joined me with weapons in hand. I relieved our ambushers of weapons, IDs, and took pictures of each. When finished, the ambushers were getting antsy, thinking that was the end of it. Not hardly. I put on my MMA gloves I now carry everywhere with me. I turned to Tommy. I gave him my two-grand. Dev deduced what I was doing and produced he and Jess’s two-grand. Tommy groused about cement-heads but took the money. He added all of his money. Tommy placed the bundle under the windshield wiper of the ambushers’ car.

  “You all wanted to kill and rob us.” I put my Colt into the equipment bag Dev handed me that contained their weapons. I put the bag next to the money. “There’s the money and weapons. My associates will go back inside the restaurant, leaving you four to pound me and get the money… or get pounded.”

  Tommy, Jess and Dev returned to the inside of the Warehouse. The four ambushers thought the situation to be funny as hell. They enjoyed their little joke, believing this was probably the easiest money they ever earned.

  “Well… boys… let’s get to it. I’m your Huckleberry.” I had a plan to play this out, striking, shifting against the rush, and then pummeling these assholes.

  I hit the first one rushing with my left jab, flattening his nose and knocking him on his ass. I shifted with a right hook to the next one’s temple. He collapsed, not to rise again at this time. I boxed then with the last two, smashing combinations to ribs and face. In moments, they joined their brethren. I got mean serious then. I smashed strikes down at them, pulping faces into bloody specters. I added a kick to each one of their groins that would make it impossible for them to do anything but imagine sex for a couple weeks. I retrieved the money and weapons. They would not be getting anything back but their IDs when Jafar finished his background check on them. My crew came out to meet me.

  I gave the money to Tommy. He returned what was ours quickly, along with a cut of the earnings. “Let’s go home. You really gave these four a lesson they’ll never forget, DL. Did you keep your buzz on?”

  “Nope, but I plan to replenish it at home.”

  “There’s our ride.” Dev pointed as a Honda Pilot drove into the parking lot. “Alexi said he’d call an ambulance if it takes too long for the four robbers to get out of his parking lot. He called in his own people to protect the customers and watch for hard feelings.”

  “Thanks, Dev.”

  “Carl’s head will explode when he gets this news,” Tommy said. “He should have known better. Alexi recorded everything. Your finish was a little brutal, so Alexi didn’t upload it anywhere. He will make certain Jafar gets a copy. That was one long day for you, brother John, but you looked as sharp as ever agains
t these four.”

  “Captain Hook has revitalized me. He makes every day in the ocean a challenge. Nothing’s every boring with knowing Hook lurks in the shadows.”

  We got in the Honda. “I can sure understand how watching you ride Hook would freak anyone out, including fighters,” Jess said. “Like I said before, that damn fish creeps the hell out of me. You need to reconsider the shark-fin soup option, DL.”

  “I am not making my buddy Hook into shark-fin soup… and that’s final.”

  The lady driving the Uber heard our conversation. “You’re John Harding… the UFC champ that rides a great white shark. I saw the YouTube videos. You’ve certainly given new meaning to the death line in The Godfather – he sleeps with the fishes.”

  My friends thought her line amusing. “I don’t get it.”

  “You will if you keep riding that monster. You’re insane to ride that Captain Hook creature.”

  She stated it so stridently, I gave her a quiet acknowledgement. “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  I grinned. “That is of no matter.”

  * * *

  I let Nick in through my new fence and greeted him at the door. We adjourned to the kitchen. I introduced Kade, after Lora and Al gave him hugs. Nick knelt and shook hands with Kade.

  “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

  “You have?”

  “Yep. I wanted to see for myself how much you look like your dad,” Nick replied.

  “Dad told me you have a daughter the same age as Al… and… a son only a little younger than me.”

  “I sure do. They will be going trick-or-treating with you at Halloween.”

  “I’m going to be Batman!”

  “Good choice,” Nick replied, showing Quinn dressed in the costume Nick had purchased for him on his phone screen. “I got Quinn a Captain Hook, Great White Shark costume.”

  “Wow! That’s cool!”

  Oh boy, we enjoyed the hell out of his pictures and Quinn’s costume. “Would you like a drink in the den, Nick?”