Hard Case VII - Red Waves (John Harding Series Book 7) (37 page)

I pointed at the two kneeling suits. “We need these two in holding until the fight’s over, Alexi. The rest of these cheap punks can go inside to watch the fight. We’ve decided on disbanding them rather than making them all disappear.”

“Any casualties, John?”

“Two in their limo. One sniper we took care of and three more we left positioned in their nest. We’ll take care of them. The fight is still on though. We didn’t want to leave you hangin’.”

“Thank you, John.” Alexi looked over Dragon Hands. “He is on steroids… bad ones. I can tell. Do you still wish to do this for certain?”

“Yep. It’s on.”

Alexi pointed at the suits. His men took them into custody after restraining them without a word. Claude was smiling while watching Dragon Hands. We hadn’t made Hands get on his knees because he was dressed to fight not shoot.

“This man made you see Smokey the Bear, Cheese?”

“He’s the one, Claude. Dragon Hands has enhanced himself for tonight’s fight though.”

“I will enjoy this fight immensely. I can tell. It is a win/win for me.”

The Monsters loved Claude’s take on the fight knowing the man I maimed would be rooting for a beat down or at the very least extended pain.

“You’ll have a front row seat, my friend,” I answered. “Pick your corner crew, Hands. It’s time to get inside before the crowd arrives.”

We stood them all on their feet. Hands motioned for his corner crew. They went inside with Alexi’s security team. Jack Korlos and two of Alexi’s personal guards stayed with him. He pointed at the rest of the Loners.

“Come with us. We will seat you all at the front for the fight. Stay there and stay quiet or you will all surely die.” Without another word, Alexi and Claude walked inside. We prodded the ‘Loners’ to follow in Alexi’s wake.

That left no one at the front but our limos and one very frightened driver. “Do you drive for those guys in the suits?”

“Yes. They own the limo. I drive for them, Sir.”

“Who are they? Start with the dead one.” I might as well get the info from him.

“Terrance Rasmussen. The other two are Donny Pierce and Salvatore Bosto.”

“Take off.”

“What about the bodies?”

“Park the limo where you usually do and go home. After tonight, you won’t be driving for them so my advice is wipe down the limo real good.”

“How…how do you people get away with this?”

“You’re beginning to bore me,” Lynn told him. “Cheese told you to take off. Stick around asking questions and we’re going to think you need to come along with us.”

Horror flooded the man’s face. “No ma’am! I’m gone.”

“You’d best erase this evening from your memory banks or you’ll wake up one night with me smiling down on you,” Lynn told him. “Believe me, you don’t want that, sweetie.”

Without another word, the driver removed himself and the vehicle from the scene.

“That was incredible, Crue,” Casey said. “Darla was no novice.”

Lynn’s hands went to her hips. “Did you just insult me, Nightshot?”

“Sorry, Crue,” Casey held his hands in surrender mode. “No offense meant. That was a classic cutting. She had a suicide wish. After getting your initials tattooed on her forehead I would have thought she’d call it a night.”

“We will find out how the bitch knew about Clint Jr,” Crue stated. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go inside and see what kind of cartoon characters Hands can make the Cheese see. I’m getting bored with hearing about Smokey the Bear.”

By then some of Alexi’s fight fans began arriving, so we concluded our business in the nick of time. Inside the arena, Hands pumped fists, and pummeled the air with incredible looking speed. Then I noted a film crew arriving, exchanging words with Dragon Hands’ corner guys. Neato. Another hidden agenda. Maybe Hands wanted to kick the crap out of Hard Case for another go at UFC fame. He then went into roundhouse kicks too fast to follow for the novice.

“He damn good, DL,” Jess said. “Crue’s right. He might make you see Donald Duck.”

“I’m good with anything but Spongebob. If he makes me see Spongebob he better finish me off. If I get up I’ll kill him for sure.” Yeah, the Monsters liked my Spongebob take.

“You know what Denny would say about this excursion where you could get your head handed to you before the cruise, right brother?”

“Thanks for the reminder, Clint. Why is it an insult when anyone questions your beloved wife risking being maimed, but my outcome is in doubt from the moment I agree to it?”

“Because we all saw the Rattler fight, DL,” Dev answered. “We also saw Hands nearly decapitate you. Crue never has a mark on her. She’s like a cat playing with retarded mice when she cuts. You’re more like ‘Rocky’ after Apollo Creed beats the crap out of him.” Dev does a quarter lidded, tilted face Rocky imitation that had everyone cracking up. “Cut me, Mick! Cut me!”

“We’d better get in the cage, DL,” Tommy said. “The crowd is really streaming in. Someone besides Alexi put the word out. I’ve seen some real time gangsters come through with their entourages. What the hell do you think that’s all about?”

“Oaktown Cartel, T.” I did my own quick scan of the players congregating for frontline seats. “We’re worrying the hell out of the hierarchy in gangland. They should be thanking us for limiting exposure and dealing area to places nobody gives a damn about.”

“DL’s right,” Jess said. “The damn gangsters want to run around Oakland like Kings, with the citizens like my Mom bending down to kiss their rings. Screw that! We fought for the turf and won. We can’t give it back.”

“Damn right, Jess.” Tommy was psyched too. “We’ve come too far. I’m no Snow White when it comes to takin’ the city back from these scum. They’re importing terrorists for God’s sake! We have a stake in Oakland.”

“I know us Snow Whites crimp your Monster styles,” Dev added. “We know without you Monsters the city could never have come close to being as citizen friendly as it is. I hope you can all stay in the Bay with us. I know we’re welcome on the exile island, but I like this damn place if we can hold on here.”

“Count us in, Dev,” Lynn said. “We love it in the Bay. I’m thinkin’ season tickets to the A’s, Warriors, and Giants.”

“Oh hell yeah!” Jess loved that. “I wish we knew what the hell the Raiders are doin’.”

“Don’t go there, partner,” Dev warned. “One more move and I blow up every piece of Raider Nation shit I got.”

“One tragedy at a time. I see Jack giving me the high sign. The crowd’s big and into it. I admit when I faced Hands before I may have been a bit overconfident. That ain’t happening this time.”

“I can’t believe you’re letting the rest of those assholes off after they redecorated your house,” Jess said. “I think we need to revisit that decision, DL.”

“Ditto,” Tommy said.

“Yep. If you’re letting those girl scouts off with a warning on tagging your house, we may as well get you fitted for your evening gown, Cheese.” Lynn decided to wade in. I know it’s because she found out what I did with the snipers without consulting her.

“Second that,” Dev said, the traitorous prick. He pointed at me. “I see it in your eyes, DL. Don’t pull that ‘I thought we were brothers’ crap. You may as well put out a couple of picnic tables with treats for the taggers.”

Ouch. I listened to my friends roasting the Cheeseburger once again with gusto. I deserved it. This should be a kill mission with a massive feeding in the Bay tomorrow. The fact Nick nabbed Al Sirani kept me sighting in on target. “The suits will know who the taggers are. I’ll settle with them. We have too much on our plates right now. Let me get to Hands. Did you learn last rites in Latin yet, Dev? If I see Spongebob somebody’s dyin’.”

“I’ve been practicin’, DL. I think I have it down pat.”

“Good.” I started walking toward the cage. “If I see Spongebob I may need them.”

* * *

Jack faced us off in the cage center, introducing each of us briefly before explaining what he would or would not tolerate. I grinned a lot because it annoyed the hell out of Hands. A lot of pole poking went on between now and when he made me see Smokey the Bear. We acknowledged Jack’s instructions after his usual check for hidden weapons. When I joined my corner crew I got my usual support.

Dev gave me last rites in perfect Latin with the other trolls providing the prayerful amens and the sign of the cross to add to the amusement from my Monsters in the audience. Tommy finished me off with a benediction needing to be seen to be believed. He shook our water sling on me, spouting Latin I know Dev must have prepped him with. Damn… I just got served. I turned to Dragon with the roar of crowd taunting laughter and a hard night ahead. Jack started us, and the devil grab the hindmost.

I bull-rushed Dragon Hands, startling the steroid driven dupe for a split second. Then I pulled back and drilled him in the side with a roundhouse kick so hard it smashed him into the cage face first. I smiled and banged my gloved fists together with the crowd roar escalating. I didn’t follow. Dragon hit the cage and reverbed from it to the cage floor, writhing from side to side trying to get a breath. I started doing the Dark Lord robot in the same beat as Hands’ movements of agony. I glimpsed even Tommy losing it in the corner. It’s not always wise to trust the drugs. They give you a false sense of security. Jack checked Hands to see if he wanted to go on. I think I heard my old referee buddy mention staying down if Hands knew what was good for him. He didn’t.

Dragon clawed his way along the cage until he gained some feeling. None of it mattered. I respected him for getting on his feet when I could have stomped him into the next dimension. I didn’t want to kill the kid, but after this night, Dragon Hands would not be getting into another cage match with anyone. He pounded a fist at me in frustration as breath came slow and hard.

“I kill you… you should never have let me up! I kill you!”

I turned to my Achmed the Terrorist. Since we tagged Jafar, he had studied ventriloquist Jeff Dunham’s puppet Achmed the Dead Terrorist to perfection. I pointed at him. “Give Hands some Achmed.”

Jafar danced about on the outer cage edge with me dancing to his beat. He repeated ‘I keel you… over and over to the audience’s amusement, complete with bug-eyed Achmed demeanor. It allowed Hands to regain his breathing and give Jafar a few moments in the spotlight. Hands hated the disrespect. He wobbled to the cage near Jafar.

“I kill you next, pussy!”

Achmed turned with a wave of his hand. “I’ll be here with friends. You’ll be a vegetable by the time John finishes with you, but if not, I’ll still be here with friends. I’ve seen enough fights to know John owns you now. His side kick haunts your face with fear. It will haunt you for whatever time you have left conscious. He will drill you with it at the next opportunity in the same exact spot. Your hands will drop from then on.”

Hands stomped away from the cage with bitter knowledge. I faced him up. It didn’t matter what he launched. My side smash robbed him of his power to extend and most of his quickness. The steroids kicked in but they can’t make you a better fighter, only an enhanced one. I lowered my head and went to work. No more mister nice guy. I had a lesson to teach. I faked another kick to his side and nailed him with a left hook to his opposite side that I’m sure nearly severed a rib.

We had rounds to complete tonight. I bopped him with short jabs between his eyes that nearly made him forget his side. The round ended with respect. We backed into our corners. My guys were jubilant. I put Jafar in a friendly bear hug.

“Damn, kid, that was good.”

“You are unbeatable tonight, my brother,” Jafar stated. “He still looks for your kick. He will look for it after this if he lives, even in his sleep.”

“Good inside work in there, John,” Tommy said. “Keep it going. This is the best workout you’re going to get for a while. How long do you want to pace this?”

“Four rounds, maybe all the way,” I replied. “I plan to take all thought of fighting out of Hands’ head after this. I’m going to make him see Spongebob at the end.”

“That’s cold, brother.” Jess hated Spongebob almost as much as I did.

Jack motioned to us and the benediction of the round began again. Dragon circled me with careful deliberation, peppering me with jabs to keep me off the attack. I had another idea. I started another fake kick. He couldn’t resist his reaction no matter what he felt in his gut. When Dragon protected against the side, I whipped my right foot back. Switching legs, I smashed him flush on the gut with my powerhouse left instep. I followed my badass kick this time. I worked three right hooks into the same spot as my first kick. All defense and fight went right out the cracked window above. I then hit him with a left hook to the side of his head that ended all thoughts of victory.

I didn’t follow through. I smashed his shoulders with both fists and roundhouse kicks for the entire round. By the time the round ended, Hands couldn’t keep his hands up for very long. He also cringed with each blow. The round ended. The haunted look on Hands’ face was so sharp with agonized chagrin I nearly decided to put him out of his misery, but I owed the spider monkey a lot more pain. Me and Smokey were going to the mattresses this round.

Tommy grabbed me by the ears. “What the hell do you have going around in that Monster mind of yours.”