Page 12 of Bronx

Layla gasped a little and stared down at his grasp. "I can walk over there on my own. Let go." The last words were through gritted teeth.

My pulse pounded so loudly, I could no longer hear the peripheral noise in the room. I unclenched my jaw and my fists, once he released her arm. She discreetly rubbed her wrist and swept angrily past him toward the dining table.

Bulldozer turned an angry glare my way. It seemed everyone in the room held a collective breath. Helix came, seemingly out of nowhere, and clapped Bulldozer on the shoulder. He didn't look too pleased with Helix.

"Hey, Bull, the ribs are almost gone. I suggest you get some. They melt off the bone." Helix's tone was light, but his expression didn't match it.

Bulldozer pulled his feet from the spot he was standing as if they'd been stuck in cement. He lumbered off toward the food table. Helix gave me an admonishing look before following his friend.

Suddenly, I wasn't in the mood for any of the food. There was another restaurant just outside the lodge. The cool air would help clear my dark mood, and I could pick something up for Kingston.

8

Iraced through the lounge area, still crowded from night skiers taking a breather. I pushed out the door and into the frigid night air. It was just what I needed. I stood in front of the small restaurant, still needing to swallow the fresh mountain air.

The lights on the mountainside reflected off the snow, making it seem like a bright, sunny day. The slopes were still crowded, dotted with skiers and snowboarders ripping through the icy slush left behind after hundreds of skis and boards.

I walked to the menu posted outside the restaurant. Nothing sounded good to me, but I was sure a pastrami on rye would satisfy the patient up in the room.

"Hey, Devlin," an angry voice called from behind.

I swung around. A massive, solid fist plowed into my ribs, knocking the wind from me and sending me backward against the building. I bounced forward hard onto my knees as I gasped to regain the air I'd lost. My vision blurred and a searing pain in my side assured me a rib was broken. Once the air flowed back into my lungs, it caused the sudden pain to feel like a knife. I pressed my arm against my side and managed to push to my feet. I leaned against the building to keep from falling back down. Bulldozer's face was beet red and his jaw was set like a steel trap. Both his giant fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

I should have let it go, but he'd caught me off guard. "That's how you fight, eh?" My voice creaked with the pain in my ribs. "Just catch a guy unaware and then break his rib?" We'd already gathered the attention of onlookers. "Thought you'd have more integrity than that. Guess I misjudged you."

"Yeah and I misjudged you," Bulldozer said through gritted teeth. He raised his arm and flung it forward.

I held my breath against the sharp pain as I dodged his fist and threw one of my own. It landed squarely in his eye. He stumbled back, but he'd been trained as a boxer. He recovered so fast, I was just getting past the pain in my knuckles when his fist returned, slamming me in the cheek. I fell back against the building but stayed on my feet. My ears rang and the surrounding landscape blurred into wavy lights and distorted faces.

"All right, that's enough," a scolding voice came through the haze.

I couldn't see straight, but as the ringing in my ears subsided, I recognized familiar voices, anxious, tense.

I braced myself against the building. The pain in my ribs was now competing with the pain in my head. My vision was blurred, but I caught a glimpse of my opponent. Bulldozer's right eye was turning purplish blue and sealing shut. Angus and Helix had hold of Bulldozer, but he was working hard to pull free of their restraining hands. He wasn't done with me yet. I was ready for more too. We'd never been friends, but this fight would cleave our tenuous relationship for good.

Bulldozer yelled and managed to pull his arm free from Helix, then Angus. I braced myself for another pounding and readied my body to duck the onslaught. I pushed off the wall and met another obstacle, a massive, impenetrable obstacle. Kaos had stepped between us, his arms crossed and feet set wide. He stared down at Bulldozer, casting a great shadow over my opponent and our fight arena.

"You outweigh Bronx by fifty pounds, more if you count that big slab head of yours," Kaos said. His voice was crisp and clear in the cold night air. Our audience had grown, and now employees of the resort were entering the group to try and regain control of the situation. They needn't have bothered. Bulldozer knew he would never get past Kaos.

Bulldozer relaxed his stance. His shoulders and hands loosened. "That's all right. I already gave it to him good." He sneered at me and turned to head inside.

Kaos looked back at me. "You gonna make it inside on your own."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I waved him away and stumbled toward the lodge. A rush of faces, familiar and unfamiliar, blurred as I walked past. The only face I didn't see was Layla's. And that was how far gone I was. I'd just gotten nearly cold cocked by a jealous husband, and there I was, hoping to catch a glimpse of his wife. I needed my fucking head examined.

Bulldozer had plunked down on one of the couches in the lobby. His head was back and his legs were stretched out in front of him. At least he was going to feel something tonight other than revenge.

"Sit down on that couch too, so I can get a look at both of you." I'd never heard Layla angry, but it still sounded like music to my ears. I glanced back at her.

Her frown deepened. "Holy shit. Just sit. I need to check for concussions."

I walked past Bulldozer's big feet and gave him a sideways glance. He watched me through the lowered lid of his good eye. I sat at the other end of the couch. Since the actual fight was no longer part of the entertainment, most of the onlookers went back to their evenings. The rest of the crew, though, stood around with arms crossed and disappointed scowls. The one person I needed to see right now was up in the room with an ice pack on his knee. He'd be scowling too though. This was going to get us suspended. I was sure of it.

Layla knelt on the rug in front of the couch. She tugged her curve hugging dress down before leaning forward with a penlight to check Bulldozer's ears, nose and pupil. "Just as I expected," she said after a minute. "Nothing in there but a lot of hot air. You'll live." One of the employees brought over several ice packs. Layla took one and handed it to Bulldozer. "Put this over that eye."

He hesitated before covering his eye and watched as Layla moved to my end of the couch.

"Let someone else check out Devlin," Bulldozer growled.

---