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life his father had destroyed.
No.
No.
No more.
 You want to know what she said? Tom drew himself up, flexing his fingers just like all those
times he climbed in the cage. All those times he whaled on Eddie s ass and got his own handed to him.
But not this time. Now he was in control.  She said she d rather die than spend what was left of her
life with you.
His father threw his drink across the room, glass shattering against the wall, then took a wild
swing at Tom s head. Tom grabbed his wrist and twisted it until he fell to his knees.
 I m not afraid of you, Tom said and for the first time in his life, it was true.
Adrenaline poured through him as he wrenched muscle and bone almost to the breaking point,
smiling grimly at his father s agonized grunts and groans. Was this how it felt the rush, the power
every time his old man had beaten the shit out of him? One more twist was all it d take to break his
arm, but no. Tom wasn t ready for this to be over yet.
With a puff of breath, he let go.  Get up.
His father lurched slowly to his feet, clutching his arm.  W-who taught you that? One of your
boyfriends?
 Not so much fun hitting someone who hits back, huh?
 I should ve known a queer little punk like you d 
He drove his fist into his father s gut, and down he went again.  What was that?
His father coughed and sputtered, puking up whiskey. His eyes radiated fear.
Finally.
 Get up, Tom repeated.
 G-give me a minute, I can barely 
 Breathe? He dropped into a crouch, smothering a laugh at his father s wheezing.  Like that
time you cracked Mom s ribs? Or beat me bloody with your belt? I ll carry those marks on my back
for the rest of my life.
 Tom, I 
 You re gonna learn how all that pain and helplessness feels. He stood, fists curled at his sides.
 So get up, unless you want to die on the floor like a fucking coward.
* * *
Danny and I walked back in the living room, finding it empty except for the maid, who was
picking up dirty glasses.
 Where is everyone? I asked.
 The guests left a few minutes ago, she said.  I think Mr. Bowden s upstairs.
 What about Mr. Bowden s son? She gave me a blank look.  The kid. Didn t you recognize
him?
 I m only here for the day, sir. But no, I didn t see where he went. Sorry.
 I ll see if he s out by the tennis court, Danny said, heading for the front door.
 I ll check upstairs. I d just reached the top when I heard grunts and groans echoing from the
one room with lights on. I knew what I was going to see, but that didn t stop my heart from dropping
when Tom punched his father in the stomach. The man reeled back and caught himself on the desk,
but Tom just kept on coming.
 Stop! I ran over and yanked Tom away or tried to.
He hauled off and clipped me on the jaw. My vision blurred, but I dug my fingers into his arm
and held on. He drove an elbow into my ribs. I fell, dragging him down with me. We grappled. Kicked.
Punched. Threw elbows. Some of the nastiest moves I d ever seen, and Tom had them down cold.
Then he flipped me on my back and slammed his fist into my face.
The room spun, the taste of copper bursting in my mouth. Next thing I knew, Tom was straddling
his father, raining more punches down on him. Face, gut, ribs. Everything I d taught him.
 Stop it, Tom! You ll kill him.
But he didn t stop until I grabbed him around the waist and pulled him off. Tom s struggling
knocked us both to the floor again. I got him pinned, but he kept thrashing. Blood from my nose
dripped onto his face.
 Let me up, he said, growling.  I m not done with him.
 Don t be an idiot. You want to go to prison for the rest of your life?
 I don t care.
 I do. He tried to knee me in the groin, but I blocked him.  So does Gloria. I m not telling my
mother I let you throw your life away for stupid revenge.
 It s not stupid! He yanked an arm free and I let him it was either that, or tear all his tendons
from wrist to elbow. I rolled off him and he sat up, knees hugged to his chest, his breath coming in
gusty little half sobs.  H-he killed her. He p-practically shoved those fucking s-sleeping pills down her
throat.
 That doesn t give you the right to kill him.
I wasn t sure he hadn t already, until Tom s father groaned and started to sit up. I checked his
pulse, relieved to find it strong and steady. His face was a mess, though, and from the way he was
clutching his side, he d be breathing shallow for a while. Still, my heart didn t exactly bleed for him.
 Should I call the paramedics? I asked.
He grimaced, terror in his gaze when it lighted on Tom.  N-no.
 We re not gonna have any problems with the cops, are we? I asked.
He shook his head.
 Good. I wiped my nose on the back of my hand shit, it was already swelling and helped
Tom to his feet just as Danny appeared in the doorway.
He took in the whole scene, eyes bulging.  Holy Christ. Are you 
 We re fine, I said, shooting him a not now look.  Let s get out of here.
Chapter Fourteen
Danny flicked another gaze in the rearview mirror. The kid was curled up in the backseat, staring
out the window again. He had the door open the second Danny pulled up in front of Gloria s,
mumbling  Thanks for the ride before he rolled out of the car and stomped up to the front door. Its
loud slam echoed over the growl of the Riviera s engine.
 Think we should make sure he s okay? he asked, hands twisting on the wheel. He had a sudden
strange feeling Tom s dad wasn t the one who d busted Eddie s nose.
Eddie shook his head.  Let him be. Gloria ll take care of him.
They didn t show up for their regular training session Wednesday night, not that Danny was
surprised. But when neither of them returned his phone messages, the unease prickling under his skin
ramped into overdrive. He drove in early the next morning and stopped off at the diner. Gloria smiled
as he walked through the door, then cocked her head at the counter, where Eddie stood, pouring coffee.
The top half of his face was a mess of multicolored bruises. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]