Page 28 of Ink & Snow
And the guy, he was once more focused on me, though it appeared he needed a moment to make sense of my words. Then he smirked.
“You people are just asking for trouble.”
What followed happened very quickly. Ironically, it was Cecil who’d gotten me into kickboxing or at least the MMA version of it that he preferred. He’d liked going to the gym with me because for a long time, he’d beat me in the ring. When that had occurred with less frequency—after I’d pinned him that one time and had moved in to kiss him—he’d enjoyed it a lot less.
Anyway, the guy in front of me was big and heavy, and I’d never been that. I was fast and weaselly. I saw the fist come for my face. Someone screamed. I moved in, easily evading the fist by dashing forward, and shifting into full contact with a short punch of my own that hit just right and made the angry guy fold over.
Before I gave him the slightest chance to grab me, I was already moving back out, and to secure my retreat, I brought my knee up.
It would have been nice to hear cartilage crunch, but that was just the snow. And really, for the optimal effect of that move, I should have been holding the guy’s head, but that might have gotten me into trouble down the line. After all, appearances were important, and as it was, people had seen that he’d been throwing the first punch.
Once I put some distance between us, time seemed to catch up.
Jenny shouted, “Nick! What are you doing?”
Other people were shouting as well, but I wasn’t really focused on them. Nick’s face, his nose bloody, was my focus.
“You’re dead, you little cocksucker,” he hissed.
He was about to lunge at me when I made use of the freshly fallen snow, swiping up with my right foot and sending some of it flying into his face where it mixed with the blood and turned pink.
Honestly, the scene was hilarious or would have been if I hadn’t been very sure he would do worse to me if he got me.
He stumbled back, growling, looking all riled and pissed off, and I thought he was about to spout some more obscenities at me when the Taser hit.
Oh, fa la la la la, was it ever satisfying to see Sheriff Dwayne tase the fucker. He still stumbled forward because he was a big asshole like that, but then, in slow motion, he fell, bloody face hitting the path.
“You okay there, Soyer?” Dwayne asked, digging out a nice pair of cuffs from his belt.
“Oh, fine. Jenny?”
She stood frozen, hands covering her mouth, tears streaming freely. Laura ran to her mom and hugged her middle.
Dwayne moved in to cuff Nick, patting him down. He then looked at me. “Are you pressing charges?”
Unless I was mistaken, the sheriff’s eyes begged me to, and I could guess why. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time this clown had been disruptive, and from how he’d talked, he wasn’t a townie. Or not one of the townies I was now a part of.
I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Dwayne grunted, relieved. He picked up the wet sack that was Nick, showing a good amount of muscle hidden behind that beard. Nick groaned. Dwayne mirandized him. He’d probably have to do that again later on when Nick was fully back to functioning.
“I’ll take him with me. You should get checked out.”
I said, “I’m fine,” although that wasn’t entirely true. I’d gotten some snow into my shoe when I’d kicked it up and into Nick’s face. And with this incident, I’d had about as much icy fun as I was willing to endure. “Do you need my statement now or can we do that tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow’s fine,” Dwayne said. “He’s already in violation of his restraining order.”
“Of course he is.” I saw Jenny flinch, not sure why. Or I was sure. She was blaming herself, because that’s how these fuckers worked—beating someone down until they automatically accepted the blame. It made me furious.
I turned. Garnet was still standing there behind my camping table, though he’d dropped his coffee. The little paper cup had rolled onto the snow we’d flattened under our boots.
“Garnet? I’ll be gone for a half hour or so. Can you watch my table?”
He stared open-mouthed, then nodded slowly while Dwayne walked Nick off and away.
“Thanks,” I said, and stomped towardWe Hikin’ Love It.It was time to get a townie winter makeover.
We Hikin’Love Ittook up the entire corner it sat on, and whatever I’d expected, it wasn’t this fancy place I might have walked into in any bigger city anywhere on the globe.
