Ch 240 - Marital Issues

Alex stood over Rick and glared at him. "So, you're running away? All right, fine. But your friend just had his arm broken. Maybe you'd like to share his pain before you go?"

Rick was shaking with fear. "Please, don't hurt me. I can't stop you. You can just go inside."

Alex was filled with contempt for Rick. He reached down, grabbed him by the collar again, and slammed his face into the dust. Then he grabbed his right arm with both hands and twisted it hard until it snapped.

Alex left him there, rolling in the dirt and crying out in pain. The crowd of onlookers hardly dared to move, and many of them had snuck away to get away from Alex.

The Moon maidens had their opponents under control, but Nelly seemed to be struggling.

Time is running out, Alex thought.

"Celeste, help Nelly," he ordered. "We need to finish this."

Celeste didn't stop fighting to answer him. "Yes, Mr. Alex. Don't worry. Go do what you had to do."

Finally, with no one to stop him, Alex ran toward the house.

**

The wedding ceremony was being held in the largest room of the villa. Chairs had been put out for all the guests, with an aisle in the middle, and in front of them stood David with the priest. David's parents and relatives were standing beside him.

Charles Marvel came in through the doorway at the other end, leading Leona down the aisle.

She was wearing a white wedding dress and shining high-heeled shoes, and everyone in the room thought how beautiful she was.

When they reached the other end of the hall, her father handed her over to David. Leona lay her hand on his arm, and they smiled at each other and faced the priest.

The priest cleared his throat to signal the beginning of the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Mr. David Drake and Ms. Leona Marvel in holy matrimony."

The priest gave a short speech about the beauty of true love and the joys of married life, and then he addressed David and Leona directly. "David and Leona, by the power vested in me by the city of Washington, D.C., I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

David stared deeply into Leona's eyes and leaned forward to kiss her. But just before he could do it, a voice called out from across the hall.

"Don't you dare kiss her!" Alex cried as he came running through the doorway in the back.

A loud and discontented murmur arose among the guests. Many of them remembered that Alex had lost them a huge investment opportunity with the Sultan of Brunei.

How the hell did he get in here? David asked himself. I have so many professionals guarding the house. What happened?

Darryl, who was sitting in the back with Myriam, snickered and rose to speak. "David, today's your wedding day! I'm sure Alex is just here to congratulate you. He's just another guest. Let him sit and watch."

Colin was sitting close by. He understood that Darryl was torturing Alex, and decided to join in. "Of course. Alex and Leona are classmates. It's only fair to give him a seat. Alex, would you like to bless the happy couple?"

Jason, blinded as he was by his hatred of Alex, couldn't see the game his friends were playing. "A seat's too good for him. Just kick him out, already!"

David had recovered from the initial shock. "Today's my wedding day, and you've broken into my house. You have about three seconds to leave, or I promise you'll regret it."

The extra security he had hired had made David even cockier. Especially once he saw Cliff Munson in action, he had felt that his new security team made him invincible. He had told Cliff specifically to watch out for Alex, but the man had only laughed. He had said that only a few people in the whole country could beat him in a fight, and Alex wasn't one of them.

But as safe as David felt, he didn't want his wedding to be ruined. He wanted Alex removed, not beaten. He would make him pay later.

Alex didn't pay any attention to David. His eyes were squarely on Leona, who was staring back at him with resentment in her eyes. The look she gave him made him nervous. Perhaps I've made a mistake, he thought.

"Leona, do you really want to marry him?" he asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

David had lost his patience. "Mr. Munson, throw this trespasser out. We'll deal with him another time."

Cliffrose from his seat in the back.

From the way David had talked about him, everyone had assumed that Cliff was fearsome and intimidating. But the man who now came walking toward Alex was anything but scary. He was plump and middle-aged, and the wedding guests all assumed he was not who David had called for at all. They looked around for the real Cliff, but no one else came forward.

Cliff stopped right in front of Alex and looked him in the eye. "Young man, this is a wedding. I don't like to ruin weddings. Let's go outside, and I'll let you choose your punishment. What do you say?"

When he finished speaking, he raised his right leg and brought his foot down onto the floor with terrible force. The whole room trembled as if there had been an earthquake, and the floor tiles cracked in a circle around him.

The wedding guests were shocked at the strength of this strange man. Every person in the room was dead silent, and they stared at him in awe.

Alex was also taken aback. He knew that the man before him was not like the others in the front yard. He was far stronger than any of them.

He tried to hide his trepidation. "One of your colleagues said something similar, and now he's lying in the dust outside with a broken arm. If you keep speaking to me like that, I'll do the same to you."

"Fine," Cliff answered. He took a couple of steps back, bent his legs slightly, and suddenly threw himself at Alex like a battering ram.

Everyone in the room was startled by his sudden move. Most of them had never seen a person move so quickly.

Cliff's fist came flying straight at Alex's face, and the momentum of his whole body lay behind it. Alex was surprised at the speed and power of the man, but he was ready for him. He quickly raised his hand, grabbed Cliff by the wrist, and deflected the blow away from himself.

Cliff was startled. He had expected to knock Alex out with one move to prove his worth in front of David and the wedding guests. Unfortunately for him, his opening move had been thwarted.

He came back at Alex with a second punch to the chest, and he put all his strength into it. He was determined to beat Alex into submission.

Once again, Alex decided to deflect his opponent's blow. He grabbed his wrist again and turned the punch downwards into the floor, and the punch made a second crater in the tiles. The pain of the impact made the man grimace, but he didn't allow himself to cry out.

He stood back up and looked at his hand. The impact had opened several wounds on his knuckles, and blood came trickling onto the floor.

While this was happening, the wedding guests had cleared out of the hall, afraid of getting hurt in this insane brawl. Alex and Cliff were now alone in the middle of the giant empty space.

"I underestimated you, boy," Cliff said as he wiped the blood off on his jacket. It was clear from his expression that he still didn't think of Alex as an equal.

"But you should know something," he continued. "I've got more tricks up my sleeve. Years of training. Don't think you've beaten me just because you're still standing."

He shifted his posture, and Alex could tell that he was adjusting his center of gravity. His eyes looked sharper than they had before. "Let's see you dodge this!" With that, Cliff lunged at Alex yet again.

But this time was different. He was not just using brute force. He moved so fast that Alex almost imagined he had split into two.

Before Alex could react, Cliff struck him from the side and hit him square in the chest. Alex stumbled backwards, and Cliff smiled triumphantly. Then he moved on him again, and the blows started raining down on Alex.

Alex couldn't adapt to his opponent's change in fighting style, and he tried desperately to block his blows. No matter how he tried to shield himself, it seemed that Cliff could always find a way past his defenses.

I have to think of something, he thought. But the man must have trained his whole life. I can't see any weak points in his technique.

Alex could do nothing but withstand the assault as best he could. He stood like that for quite a while, but then it seemed as if the other man's blows were somehow strengthening him. He grew more and more focused, and he could feel his inner faculties gaining in power.

I know the powers of Zora and Georgina are still within me, he thought. This man may be a skilled fighter, but he's nowhere near as good as they were. If only I can channel their strength, I'll beat him easily.