“Jared…he ripped my coat, my new coat. Now he won’t apologize.” Tommy’s voice had lowered three octaves to almost a growl.
The man reached over and grabbed a full mug of beer. After taking a swig, he tossed the remaining beer at Tommy then threw the glass against the wall. “Why don’t you just get the fuck out of here so I can kick this little bitch-boy’s ass and get back to drinking?”
“Okay…I warned you.” Jared patted Tommy on the shoulder. “See you outside in a few minutes. Don’t make too much of a mess this time.” Jared grabbed Rene’s arm and pulled her away from Tommy’s side.
“You aren’t going to leave him there alone are you?” Rene was slightly panicked.
“Who? Tommy? You must be kidding. That guy doesn’t stand a chance. I just hope he doesn’t try to fight dirty, he’ll just piss Tommy off.” Standing by the doorway, Rene yanked free from Jared’s arm. “Stop. Just stand here. I don’t want Tommy to get hurt.”
A crowd surrounded the two men, leaving them a large circle of room to fight in.
The man’s friends all whapped his back and cheered him on. The bartender was frantically trying to contact the police on the phone at the bar.
“Go easy. Don’t fuck him up too bad.”
“ After you kick his ass, can we fuck him like a goat?”
The banter was pathetic.
Tommy stood motionless in the middle of the floor. Beer dripped off his blond locks of hair. His anger causing his blood to heat and steam rose from his wet hair.
32
In the End
Rene stared at him. She could sense his rage—in fact, she began to become enwrapped in it. The mental mind-fuck had somehow linked her to Tommy and his burning anger began to boil within her also.
“Okay, bitch. Let’s get it on.”
Tommy looked up, eyes radiating a red ember like the coals of a fire.
The man stepped back and then lunged his fist in a roundhouse swing.
His large, pillar-sized arm swung hard and hit flush against Tommy’s hand. It was as if he hit a brick wall, the man’s fist cracked and broke. He swung upward with the other hand and hit Tommy flush in the stomach. Again, the man whimpered as he crushed his hand into a true six-pack of abdomen muscles.
The man wrung his hand and stood back. He wouldn’t be humiliated by a smaller, less physical man. Apparently blocking out the pain, he rushed Tommy and bear-wrapped him in his arms. He raised him up, and Tommy arched his head back and firmly head-butted the brute, breaking his nose and causing him to loosen his arms.
Tommy punched him square in the solar plexus with a crunching sound. The man gasped. The goon fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. With a thud, he fell to the floor. With a straight jab, Tommy smashed the man’s nose further. Tears filled the goon’s eyes as the pain swelled in his face. Blood drained from his broken nose and he was humiliated.
Reaching his hand back, Tommy swung his open palm across the man’s face. The slapping sound made the crowd cringe. A hand impression glowed red across the brute’s face. Tommy turned, leaving the man sprawled out on the ground in a bloody, gasping heap.
Tommy tossed him a napkin from a table and said, “Wipe your face, it’s a bitch to get blood out of a cotton shirt.”
Tommy walked toward the crowd that split apart in a caricature of Moses at the Red Sea.
33
S.L. Carpenter
Three of the goon’s friends stepped beside their fallen friend behind Tommy. They were apparently torn as to wanting to defend their friend and getting their asses kicked by this slender man.
The goon held his arm up, motioning them to stand back. He pulled his body upright and groaned quietly in pain.
Behind Tommy, the shattering sound of a beer bottle echoed through the room.
Bubba was going to fight dirty. “GO FUCK YOURSELF! Fucking fag, I’m gonna cut you a new asshole.”
Tommy turned back around to face the large, bleeding hulk.