looked him over. âNever seen this before,â he muttered, and Sonny knew everything was going to be all right.
12
I T WAS MORE THAN Starkey had ever imagined, just the two of them, sitting on ring stools at a spindly card table, under a single naked bulb in the middle of the gym. They were eating barbecued ribs that Horace had sent over from his restaurant. Sonny ate the ribs carefully, turning them almost delicately in his big hands as he nibbled around the bone. Starkey tried to copy Sonny, but his fingers were not as nimble and the ribs slipped in his hands.
So close to Sonny that he had to remember to breathe. He tried not to stare. Sonnyâs face seemed softer than in the poster on Starkeyâs bedroom wall, his jawline not so bony. There were small scars around his eyebrows and mouth. But his eyes were as deep and dark as they were in pictures. The teeth picking at the meat on the ribs were large and white. His knuckles were scuffed.
There were a million questions he wantedto ask, but Sonny seemed closed up into himself, focused on eating. Athletes are like that, Starkey remembered reading somewhere, able to zone in on whatever they were doing and shut out distractions. They miss a lot, but they get the job done. A Warrior Angel is a kind of athlete.
âSo whatâs a Warrior Angel?â The rib, dripping sauce, was poised at Sonnyâs lips.
Thinking out loud again, Starkey. Now you better think fast. Another defining moment. But this may not be the time to go for it. Be cool, be steady.
âWe help people.â
âHow?â
âSupport them in their strengths, protect them from their weaknesses.â
âWhatâs that mean?â Sonnyâs brow was wrinkled. He looked like he wanted a real answer.
âIf youâve got a killer left hook, learn how to use it even more effectively. If your chinâs weak, learn how to protect it.â
âTrainers do that.â
âRight. Now take that beyond boxing, to the whole person.â Starkey thought, Easy here,donât want to spook him. âSay youâre good at setting goals and never quitting till you get there. Itâs important that you set the right goals or youâll be off wandering on worthless journeys. Say youâve got a tendency to be negative. You need to be reminded of positive things.â
Sonny nodded and went back to the rib.
Well done, Starkey. When you are cool, you are in control. Could have babbled on and blown it. But the fistful of pills he had swiped from the Family Place wouldnât last forever, even at the half dosage he was taking. To stretch it out Iâll have to cut back to a quarter dose soon. Then the Voices will start drifting back. Got to get the job done before I run out.
Sonny glanced up. âWhat job?â
âGetting you ready for The Wall.â
Sonny seemed to like that. âYou told Johnson you had a plan.â
âMind and body. Both have to be in better shape. For starters, this is the last dinner of ribs till after the fight.â Starkey loved the easy authority in his voice. The Archies would be proud. âThe Wall wasnât prepared for you last time, took you lightly. He wonât make that mistake again.â
âIt was a war,â said Sonny. He put down a half-eaten rib and wiped his mouth. âI was pissing blood and seeing double for a week. And I was ready last time.â
âNot so ready,â said Starkey. âYou were distracted. All the stuff on the Reservation. Remember, somebody tried to shoot you. That can take you out of the zone.â
Sonny nodded. He was listening!
Starkey felt an electric surge. He was getting through. âRockyâll get your rhythms and combinations back, and weâll work on focusing your head. Turn on the lights. Clear out the fog.â
âYou think Iâm a head case?â
Careful, Starkey. âI think you let yourself get down, the same way you let your
Payge Galvin, Meg Chance
T. Michael Martin
Stephanie Laurens, Victoria Alexander, Rachel Gibson
Terry Deary
Patricia Wentworth
John Julius Norwich
Greg Gutfeld
Kimberly Claire
Sophia Johnson
Richard Newsome