CHAPTER 73

I have no better opportunity and with back up in the form of Kyle, Devin and a barely can fight bat wielding Isaac rush the big man. First off he's fast, I barely duck a large fist coming straight at my head and land a shot to his ribs. That's where the second problem comes in, he doesn't react to the strike and an elbow nails me in the forehead. I stagger back as Kyle comes in with some fast footwork throwing kicks to our giant's knees and sides before his leg is grabbed and he's spun away and staggered. I'm about to move in when Devin, my big man, body checks him almost off his feet. Scarily he catches his footing and lunges back in and where Devin's strength is good his technique isn't as he takes several hard shots before Kyle and I rush in distracting so that Devin can back out. I take hold of the left arm and am vainly attempting to drag him down while Kyle is back in with lightning fast strikes to the face. I can only watch as the big bruiser's hand grabs Kyle and he delivers a head butt directly to Kyle's chest and I see my friend start gasping for air. I shift of his wrist and now I'm being gripped by my throat as this fucker tries to pop my head off. I hammer his elbows to break the grip but as he starts to lift me off the ground I try to kick at him. He doesn't stare at me with joy, just grim determination that turns to shock and pain. All this time Isaac was waiting and now he strikes, I see it from the corner of my eyes as he lunges in full swing with the bat and the sound of a knee being possibly broken and the big man screaming in pain. He lets go of me and I drop to the floor of the parking garage catching my breath.

Turning my attention to the girls I can see they are doing a hell of a lot better than we are as Matty and Masha are holding the bitch by both her arms while Imelda is teeing off on body shots and slaps, good ones, to the face. Devin and Kyle are back up and I pull myself from the ground and turn back to our play date. He's trying to stand but he can only get to his good knee and that's where Devin lunges in hard bringing his corn fed ham fisted assault down on our opponent with unrelenting mercy.

"Kyle! Let's take his fucking head off, DEVIN out," I bark moving into position on one side of the bruiser with Kyle on the other.

Both Kyle and I are off to a short dash and each brings a knee up to either side of the bruiser's head with a loud crack and we watch as the giant crumbles to the ground out of the fight.

"NOOOOOO," is what I hear as the bitch screams.

I turn and see my girls and Masha have whipped the shit out of her but she's conscious and crawling over to the bruiser with fear and sadness. She's bleeding a little from the mouth and I know that at some point Matty tried to strangle her. What happens next confuses me and Devil's Best grab both of them and with some effort drag them to the black van and deposit them inside when Matty and Imelda latch onto me and tell me I need to follow their lead before breaking our hug and while they step away I look to Devin, Isaac and Kyle.

"Brothers," I ask, smiling.

"A good disease cripples even the strong, a famine can lay waste to the strongest people, you can fight a war but not war and there is nothing as final as death," Kyle says before we all laugh hard.

"Follow the girls, they have more in store," Devin tells me before picking up Masha and carrying her to his truck.

I hop back on Pale Horse only to have Matty hop on behind me and with her arms and her quiet voice in my ear I'm heading down the road towards parts unknown for whatever my people, my lovers have in store next. It's a bit of a trip, a little over an hour or so and while I'm tired and Matty is wearing my coat I feel alive and awake. After a dirt road we are sitting in an old boat house that has had the dock turned into a floor and an office up two flights of stairs. I get inside and let Hawk take care of the guests as Kori and Rachael are waiting with more than a first aid kit and Hawk's woman. I gather my friends and girls together and when they see my face everyone begins to worry.

"What did I say, I said I would go alone, I told you that was my plan," I tried to growl before chuckling," Who set all this up?"

"I did," I turn and see Jun sitting at a table with a couple laptops and more small electronics than I care to count.

"You said to Katy if she came up with a better idea to tell someone else, well Jun is someone else," Rachael informs me and I laugh.

"Thank you for leaving your phone by the way, she let that fucker pop a program on it so they could track you down," Jun states as I see my phone hooked up to a laptop," And he tried to keep control of the cameras but I just couldn't let him have that, or the phones, or his own hardware."

"It's a he," I ask and get a head shake no.

"Not sure, I just call it a he since women are sweet and loving," Jun says with a goofy grin," Right now whatever 'he' was using is at best a designer art piece or paperweight."

I have to laugh, I thought shit was happening and figured if they were smart they'd watch me and not everyone around me. I took the situation out of my hands and did the one thing I've had the most difficult time doing over the past two years, trusting someone else to get it done. And get it done they did. I sit and rest with Kori and Rachael checking out Imelda, Matty and myself as Hawk's woman tends to the big bruiser, Jun steps in front of the two beaten foes and decides to start speaking to them.

"Desmond Waller was kicked out of two branches of the service for failure to obey a lawful order and identity fraud. After that you decide to get violent while in jail and they moved you to a civilian jail where you spent your time 'allegedly' taking part in underground fights for the prisons," Jun says as Desmond is fitted with a knee brace," You on the other hand are a bag full of fucked up."

"Fuck you chicken shit," the female spits at Jun but my friend is unfazed.

"Wilma Baumgartner, wow did mommy hate you or what? Apparently she did hate you or at least one of the voices did. Removed from school as a freshman when the abuse got so bad you cut a teacher in class with a razor blade. Mental hospitals and medication for a few years till you were checked out by your half brother," Jun says turning to Desmond for a second," Couldn't live without crazy huh? Well now the two of you have information and I want it. But since you were offered a way out that is where plan B comes in."

I watch Jun back up from them as Rachael steps forward crouching down to face Wilma. They stare for a bit when Rachael breaks the ice.

"I'm going to be sitting right over there," Rachael says to Wilma pointing to one of the chairs in the boat house," You are going up there to the office. I just hope I can hear everything."

"No stop, stop now," Desmond says groggy but alert," Wilma tell them anything."

"They won't hurt me big brother, he doesn't have the balls," Wilma replies as I help her up at Rachael's request and lead her to the office.