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Chapter 21

Dusk. The time they had been anxiously awaiting was soon to come; the time when the Garrisons and Alley Cats would meet at last. For at least one of the boys, it was revenge… justice… For Brian, this fight would be his vengeance upon those that killed his love, the young woman that meant so much to him… a young woman he was certain to which he would never find an equal.

He turned from the kitchen window as he heard the front door open… the final member of their gang entered his house at last. Howie, Nick and AJ were seated around the table; Lance stood at the other side of the window next to him; Kevin was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. He had come with Lance and had offered to watch Julia while the others were… taking care of business, as he put it. A nice word choice, Brian had thought.

Texas entered the kitchen at last and looked at Brian as he explained his reason for his lateness to everyone.

“Sorry I’m late. My aunt had some, ah, emotional trouble, and my uncle wanted me to be there to help out.”

There was no need to explain further. All the boys understood, Brian most of all.

“How is she?” he asked.

“She’s resting now,” Texas replied. “Uncle Eduardo had to give her a sedative to help her rest, but she’ll be… all right… eventually.”

Brian nodded, and Texas saw an unreadable emotion flicker in his eyes. During the forty-eight hours following the funeral, Brian had become very good at hiding his emotions. Harry was especially worried that the hidden emotions were a bad thing.

“Six o’clock,” Howie announced as his watch beeped on the hour.

“Thirty minutes until we go,” AJ continued.

“Thirty minutes,” Lance repeated.

“I’ve had to wait since the council, thirty minutes won’t seem any different to me,” Brian said.

“Brian, do you want to spend some time with Julia before we leave?” Harry asked.

After a moment Brian nodded. As if on cue, the baby monitor near Kevin’s arm crackled to life as Julia woke up. Brian hurried up the stairs and into the room.

“Hey, Jules.” Brian greeted as he turned off the bedroom baby monitor. “What’s the matter? Need someone to hold you?”

“By,” Julia murmured, her thumb in her mouth.

Brian took her in his arms, then sat down on his bed, leaning up against the headboard. Julia’s tiny head rested on his shoulder, one small hand clutching the collar of Brian’s shirt as he began to rock back and forth with her.

~*~

Texas glanced at his watch… 6:25 p.m.

“Hey, Kev, would you get Brian?” He asked. “We’ve got five minutes.”

“Sure thing.”

The stairs creaked as Kevin’s weight settled on them as he climbed up to Brian’s room. He was about to knock when he heard Brian speak.

“You know something’s gonna happen tonight, don’t you, Jules?” he heard Brian say. “That’s why you can’t sleep. I’ll tell you what’s gonna happen. After tonight, we won’t have any more trouble from those Cats. You’ll be able to go to school safely without fear of getting hurt. You’ll have a good life. I promise you.”

Kevin knew the promise was a hollow one. No one could promise that kind of thing. Look at Lance, orphaned at a young age through no fault of his own. Harry, stuck with raising not one but two young ones; he was at an age where every day was supposed to be an adventure… instead, he was working himself into an early grave. Texas, just finished burying a beloved cousin, all for no real reason. Howie, a peacemaker and diplomat locked into a life of conflict and hatred. AJ, still paying for his father’s crimes, directionless and angry at most of the world. Even himself… who had every money and social advantage there was, yet still almost died because of another man’s failures and a woman’s weakness. No, life wasn’t fair, and no one could promise a good one.

Still, he knew he couldn’t contradict his cousin. Promises were made, and for a short time were believed. Little ones needed them; in the harsh world, they kept hope alive. It was later on, when reality began to intrude, that the idea of a good, happy, carefree life lost its luster. Almost everyone outgrew the fairy tale.

But Julia was too young to understand. She needed fairy tales and happy endings, and Brian needed to promise them to her.

Kevin prayed, with all his heart, that this one promise of a good life for the innocent little girl would come true. He knew he would do anything in his power to make it happen. If Brian could keep himself from getting into a worse situation, there was hope for him as well.

“Hey, Bri, they’re ready to roll. I’ll watch over her until… until you get back, okay?”

“This shouldn’t take long,” Brian said, his voice tight.

Kevin reached out a hand as Brian went to pass him. “Bri, you’re my only real family now,” he said in a slightly pleading voice. “Be careful. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“It’s not me you should be worried about,” Brian said, his blue eyes glinting.

With a sigh, Kevin released him. Brian left without another word.

~*~

Under the cover of darkness, the Garrisons made their way to the appointed place: the abandoned playground at the old elementary school on Sycamore Street. Long ago, a fire had destroyed most of the interior of the building, and vandals had taken care of the rest. No one came there anymore… it was a perfect place to settle debts.

No one talked; the mood was too tense, too heavy, for words.

AJ’s cigarette glowed like a miniature beacon as they strode down the street. His other hand was inside his jacket pocket, toying with his ever-present switchblade. He would use it tonight.

Howie’s hands were clenched into fists inside his pockets… his head was down, his thoughts full of regret. Another fight, another round of senseless violence and pain. He carried a blade, too, but it was tucked inside his boot. He loathed using it; he would draw it only as a last resort. Only in defense…

Harry and Texas walked in perfect synchronization, their faces both grim and determined. The first gripped a rubber-coated iron bar; the heavy weight felt good in his hands. It wasn’t meant to slice or pierce, it was meant to break, shatter, incapacitate. The second sported brass knuckles on both hands. Texas preferred the direct approach, and there weren’t many opponents that could evade his reach. He’d developed quite a wicked one-two punch over the years.

Brian touched the handle of the knife hidden in his jacket; it was no toy. The seven-inch blade was meant for serious work; his eyes were cold and hard as he anticipated using it. His thoughts were full of revenge, of the justice he so desperately craved.

Lance, alone, carried no weapon. He relied on his astonishingly fast reflexes to keep him out of harms way, and his well-placed physical blows to take down his opponents. He’d studied karate in his younger days, but now used the basic moves for a decidedly different arena. He wondered if any of them would be walking back from the playground that night.

~*~

The six slowed their pace as they rounded the corner of Sycamore. The area was desolate; no prying eyes or interfering bystanders. Streetlights made harsh pools on the broken cement, and sounds seemed magnified. Cautiously, but with confidence, they approached the playground.

Shadowy figures could be seen by the swings, the monkey bars, the rusted slide. Small glints of reflected light bounced off metal… knives, rings, whatever. A lone figure came out of the concealing darkness.

Jason, leader of the Alley Cats.

Harry stepped forward as the Garrisons fanned out behind him in a semi-circle.

The two men glared at each other for a long, heavy minute. Then, Harry spoke in a barely controlled voice.

“This isn’t about territory anymore. You crossed the line. We want justice.”

“You’ll get defeat,” Jason snapped.

There was a cry from the darkness, one of rage and hunger, and with that, the battle began.

~*~

AJ’s hand danced, his knife making flash patterns in the air as he sliced, twisted, evaded, cut. The howl of his opponent told him he’d hit his mark, again. Grinning, he pressed forward. No mercy.

Two Cats surrounded Lance; they knew he had no weapon. Their quickness and taunting had begun to confuse him, and for every blow he landed, they returned another in greater force. He saw the glint of metal, then a hot fire streaked down the length of his arm. He didn’t bother to stop and assess the damage. Instead, he channeled the pain, the anger, into a lightning fast kick. Solid contact, then a satisfying groan as one of them went down. Something hit the side of his head, confusing his vision for a moment, but he spun and lashed out again with his foot. Another groan, but this time a punch came out of the dark…

Texas spat the blood from his mouth and lunged forward, determined to return the favor of a split lip to his rival. A split lip and a whole lot more…

Howie gasped in pain as he felt something snap. Without thinking, his blade appeared in his hand and he arched it in a sweeping motion. A solid form met his swing, and a startled cry emerged from someone’s lips. Howie only wanted them to stay away, to leave him alone…

Brian stepped over a Cat, shaking his fist slightly from the shock of the hit. He didn’t bother to watch the fallen figure; as hard a punch as he’d landed on the Cat’s jaw, there was no way he’d be getting up anytime soon. That was as it should be. He wanted them all to pay, all to suffer and hurt and to know true pain. Pain greater than they had given Precious, pain deeper than what he now felt in his heart… A figure sprang from the darkness, knocking Brian to the hard asphalt. Brian grunted as he made contact with the hard ground, but almost as soon as he was down, he was back on his feet looking for his opponent. He found himself face to face with a young boy, hazel eyes glaring at him. It only took him a moment to realize that this boy was Jason’s younger brother Fred.

Well, if I can’t have one, I’ll take the other. Brian thought as he launched himself at the youth.

Fred stepped aside and sent a well-aimed kick at Brian’s side. Brian cried out as Fred’s foot made painful contact and he fell on his back. He thought he heard his brother call to him, but he paid no heed. He climbed tenderly to his feet and narrowly avoided another of Fred’s kicks. A fast punch sent Fred sprawling to the ground. Brian was on him in a second, pinning the youth under him. In one fluid movement, Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out his blade, opened it, and held it against Fred’s neck. This was it. He was going to get the justice… the vengeance… for which he desperately hungered.

“Fred!”

Brian looked over his shoulder as he heard the fear-filled voice of the Cats’ leader. Jason’s eyes were wide and he tried to come to his brother’s aide, but Texas leaped in his way, blocking him. The light from a street lamp glinted off of something in Brian’s peripheral vision and he started to turn back. He froze when he saw the ring on his right hand… the same hand that held the knife to Fred’s throat… the promise ring he had given to Precious, which she had given back to him in her hour of death.

“Stay gold.” He remembered her telling him just before she died.

Stay gold…

His eyes slowly moved back to Fred’s face, pale and frightened. He realized that Fred looked so young.

“How old are you?” He whispered.

“Twelve and a half.”

Twelve and a half… A horrible feeling welled up inside Brian. He’d been about to kill a boy that hadn’t even hit his teen years yet. He was still a boy…

Little Julia’s face appeared in his mind. What kind of life would she have if Brian had actually gone through with this terrible deed?

Slowly, Brian removed the knife from Fred’s throat. Fred scrambled to his feet and stared at Brian in fear. Brian stood as well and looked right at the boy.

“Go home, kid.”

Without waiting to be told again, the boy began to run. Brian watched him go until he faded into the shadows. The knife fell from his hand and his legs collapsed from under him. He fell to his knees as a horrible realization hit with sudden clarity.

If he had gone through with this awful endeavor, he would have become no better than the man that had done that terrible thing to Precious.

He began to shake in horror.

A hand settled on his shoulder and Brian slowly looked up. He saw his brother looking down at him, the beginnings of a black eye forming on his face.

“It’s over, Brian.” Harry said. “Let’s go home.”