little pussy’s got going on down south,” Axel says, jerking on my underwear.
An explosive sound startles everyone, then another. The front glass shatters, flying into the room. The boys scramble away, ducking through the ropes.
Red and blue lights blur and light up the gym, flashing on the walls.
I cover my eyes with one hand and yank up my jeans with the other.
I can’t see anything in the blinding light, so I roll over. The glass hasn’t made it as far as the ring. I hear a slam and realize the guys have run out the back.
A woman steps through the glass, in uniform with a police cap. When she turns, I see the silhouette of her arms, and a gun. I slide through the ropes down the back side of the ring, shaking at the sight of a weapon.
I haven’t seen a gun since the night Colt got shot. Even the lights are a reminder.
No heartbeat, no respiration.
“This is the Honolulu Police Department,” she calls out.
I hunker down behind the ring. I have nothing to hide, but I can’t stop shaking.
“Come out,” she calls. I peer out from the edge of the base of the boxing ring.
Behind her, another officer appears, this one a tall slender man.
“Jo?” the woman calls. “Are you all right?”
How does she know who I am?
“I’m here,” I manage to say. “Behind the ring.”
“Did those boys turn tail and run?” she asks.
“Out the back,” I say. “I’m the only one left.”
She still keeps her gun high. The other officer hurries through the gym toward the back.
I have to remind myself that I don’t have to fear the police. I’m not a fugitive anymore. I don’t live under a fake ID or fear of being charged. Colt took care of all that. My past can’t come for me anymore.
Still, the anxiety isn’t easy to shake. The officer’s boots crunch the broken glass. I wonder if they’ll be in trouble for the damage they caused. They might force me to press charges to validate their actions.
The woman finds the light switch near the door and the room steadies, the white light dropping the intensity of the revolving squad-car flashers.
“I’m Officer Su,” she says. “You can come out.”
I stand up. I remember her now. She came out to Mom’s house after the first incident. The woman is Asian and petite, but her expression is tough. Bits of black hair peek out from where she has it stuffed inside her cap. “You all right?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say. “How did you know I was here?”
She kicks at broken glass and surveys the room as she says, “We were assigned to patrol your neighborhood. When you took off looking like you were heading to a fight, we followed you.”
“Did The Cure put you up to this?” I ask.
“The boxer?” She turns to look at me. “You know him?”
“He’s about to be my father-in-law.”
She pulls her radio from her belt. “Ahh. I don’t think he’ll have much pull in Honolulu.”
I wonder about that, but wait while she spouts a bunch of codes into the radio.
The other officer returns. “They took off.”
“One of their cars is still here,” she says. “They’ll be back.”
I look out the window. She’s right. Next to the police car is a beat-up Ford. The trainer must have left in the other one.
“I’m going to initiate the report,” the guy says.
“Thanks,” Officer Su says, and turns to me. “You really thought it was a good idea to take on a whole mess of local fighters by yourself?”
“I was only after the one,” I say.
She sighs. “We’ve been busting this place for illegal fights for years. Can’t seem to get it shut down. But this might be a start, if you want to file.”
I knew this was coming, but I still feel sucker punched. “I’m not sure.”
“You have police witnesses. They deserve it. At least one of them has priors, so he’ll probably get actual time, not probation.”
I want to ask her which one, if it’s Exterminator, but I figure she can’t tell me. Colt could find out. The Cure has ways. Or we could
An explosive sound startles everyone, then another. The front glass shatters, flying into the room. The boys scramble away, ducking through the ropes.
Red and blue lights blur and light up the gym, flashing on the walls.
I cover my eyes with one hand and yank up my jeans with the other.
I can’t see anything in the blinding light, so I roll over. The glass hasn’t made it as far as the ring. I hear a slam and realize the guys have run out the back.
A woman steps through the glass, in uniform with a police cap. When she turns, I see the silhouette of her arms, and a gun. I slide through the ropes down the back side of the ring, shaking at the sight of a weapon.
I haven’t seen a gun since the night Colt got shot. Even the lights are a reminder.
No heartbeat, no respiration.
“This is the Honolulu Police Department,” she calls out.
I hunker down behind the ring. I have nothing to hide, but I can’t stop shaking.
“Come out,” she calls. I peer out from the edge of the base of the boxing ring.
Behind her, another officer appears, this one a tall slender man.
“Jo?” the woman calls. “Are you all right?”
How does she know who I am?
“I’m here,” I manage to say. “Behind the ring.”
“Did those boys turn tail and run?” she asks.
“Out the back,” I say. “I’m the only one left.”
She still keeps her gun high. The other officer hurries through the gym toward the back.
I have to remind myself that I don’t have to fear the police. I’m not a fugitive anymore. I don’t live under a fake ID or fear of being charged. Colt took care of all that. My past can’t come for me anymore.
Still, the anxiety isn’t easy to shake. The officer’s boots crunch the broken glass. I wonder if they’ll be in trouble for the damage they caused. They might force me to press charges to validate their actions.
The woman finds the light switch near the door and the room steadies, the white light dropping the intensity of the revolving squad-car flashers.
“I’m Officer Su,” she says. “You can come out.”
I stand up. I remember her now. She came out to Mom’s house after the first incident. The woman is Asian and petite, but her expression is tough. Bits of black hair peek out from where she has it stuffed inside her cap. “You all right?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say. “How did you know I was here?”
She kicks at broken glass and surveys the room as she says, “We were assigned to patrol your neighborhood. When you took off looking like you were heading to a fight, we followed you.”
“Did The Cure put you up to this?” I ask.
“The boxer?” She turns to look at me. “You know him?”
“He’s about to be my father-in-law.”
She pulls her radio from her belt. “Ahh. I don’t think he’ll have much pull in Honolulu.”
I wonder about that, but wait while she spouts a bunch of codes into the radio.
The other officer returns. “They took off.”
“One of their cars is still here,” she says. “They’ll be back.”
I look out the window. She’s right. Next to the police car is a beat-up Ford. The trainer must have left in the other one.
“I’m going to initiate the report,” the guy says.
“Thanks,” Officer Su says, and turns to me. “You really thought it was a good idea to take on a whole mess of local fighters by yourself?”
“I was only after the one,” I say.
She sighs. “We’ve been busting this place for illegal fights for years. Can’t seem to get it shut down. But this might be a start, if you want to file.”
I knew this was coming, but I still feel sucker punched. “I’m not sure.”
“You have police witnesses. They deserve it. At least one of them has priors, so he’ll probably get actual time, not probation.”
I want to ask her which one, if it’s Exterminator, but I figure she can’t tell me. Colt could find out. The Cure has ways. Or we could
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