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#Post#: 2890--------------------------------------------------
Haunted by the Past - Chapter 06 - Undoubtedly
By: RampageSports Date: February 12, 2016, 8:03 am
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Author's Note: I do a little character borrowing at this point,
which is something I'll explain at the end of the chapter.
(Don't jump down and cheat. :P) For those who are not familiar
with this character, the end of this chapter will feel like a
big build-up to nothing. But, if there happens to be a fellow
fan who reads this... well, I hope I did the intro justice.
Oh, and if, by chance, a fellow fan has been reading along...
then perhaps you already have a clue as to what's coming. :)
[hr]
Haunted by the Past - Chapter 6 - Undoubtedly
Present Day - RSI
We sat quietly for a moment as the weight of my story sank in.
I watched Danni as she watched my desk. Her face gave away
nothing as she studied the miscellaneous junk that had
accumulated there.
"Did she.." she mumbled, never taking her eyes from the desk.
"I don't know," I said softly.
Factually speaking, that was true. I had never heard another
word about my opponent after that night.
But I knew.
"It didn't look good," I added, awkwardly trying to push her
toward the right conclusion.
I wasn't trying to hide anything. That girl had died that
night. I knew it, and I was pretty sure Danni knew it, too.
I just didn't want to say it out loud.
She was quiet again as the listless staring continued. I felt
like I should say more, but I didn't know what. I'd done what
I'd done, and it was up to her to decide how she felt about it.
Then, her eyes came to life and she focused on me... and I knew
before she said a word that she was about to lie to me.
"It wasn't you're fault," she said firmly.
I stared back at her and shook my head.
"I appreciate you saying that, but..."
She cut in as if I hadn't spoken.
"She forced your hand," she said. "She cheated. Whatever
happened as a result is on her."
"Look, Danni..."
"She tried to kill you," she said sharply. "You were fighting
for your life. It's not your fault."
I held my hands out in front of me and gently motioned her to
pause.
"Stop," I said patiently. "I've had this conversation with
myself a million times. Trust me."
She started to respond, but I put my hands up more insistently.
"We can make a list of the reasons things happened the way they
did," I said. "We can argue about whether I was justified or
not. But there is one thing that isn't open to debate: it was
my fault."
She shook her head in defiance, but she didn't interrupt.
"They were my hands... my fists, Danni," I said. "I could have
stopped, but I didn't. There's no getting around that."
"You should never have been in that situation," she protested.
I gave a short laugh then rubbed my face with my hand.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" I asked.
"Not likely," she said.
I nodded resignedly.
"Then I won't argue with you. I guess we'll just have to let it
go."
"For now," she agreed.
I smiled again. Like anyone, Danni can be beset by doubt on any
number of subjects. But, when she's sure, she's sure.
This appeared to be a topic about which she was very sure.
Truth is, her support meant everything to me. As well as we
knew each other, we were way out in uncharted waters now. First
of all, we were exploring a part of my life she knew almost
nothing about. Illegal fight clubs... mobsters... hired guns.
Really fun stuff. A legacy to be proud of, for sure.
On top of that, I had just told her the story of the night I had
killed a woman in the ring.
I considered myself lucky she hadn't simply gotten up and left
the room, never to be heard from again.
"I still don't understand," she said. "Why is this guy King
here, now?"
I sighed deeply, wondering just when this torture would end.
As if this day had not been enough fun already, I was now going
to have to admit that I'd murdered a woman for no reason.
"I f*cked up his plans," I answered.
"What plans?"
"There was more going on than I'd realized, that night. It
turned out it wasn't just her. The whole thing was a setup, and
it started with King."
She shook her head as a confused look crossed her face.
"Why would he..."
She stopped suddenly as it all became clear to her. Knowing
that King was involved changed the whole story, and the missing
piece had just slid into place for her.
"My god," she breathed. "The money."
I nodded sadly.
"It was so obvious," I said. "I can't believe I didn't see it."
The whole thing had been about the money. I'll never know when
it started, but my guess is that the original fight was real.
When my opponent had to drop out, King saw an opportunity to
make a killing. The fight had generated a lot of interest, and
he was going to have a big crowd. They'd be pissed at the last
minute substitution, but hey... that just made the betting
easier, right? Put the money on the redhead, and sail away to a
tidy profit. And poor King ends up on the short end of things,
all in the interest of trying to do right by his patrons.
Then he gives that b*tch the lead-lined gloves, and hands me a
line of bullsh*t about carrying the fight so I'll let her hit
me.
If she had won, Powers would have made a mint, since all the
money was on me. Instead, he'd lost much more than he took
in... a fact he blamed entirely on me.
"Goddammit," I growled, still as angry now as I was all those
years ago. "I said it! I f*cking said it out loud, and I was
still too dumb to see it!"
"Well, you're not exactly a criminal mastermind," she replied.
"Sh*t like that is not something normal people think about."
"I was around those people for years," I said. "I should have
known. But, I just blocked it out... like I was too busy having
my own little adventure. Richelle, the great warrior."
"So?"
"So, who was I kidding?" I said. "Hell, what was I doing?
Hanging out with mobsters and murderers, just so I could get my
kicks? Was I f*cking crazy?"
She held her hands out in front of her.
"Maybe it's just me," she said, "but this might not be the right
time for a detailed examination of your misspent youth."
I was so worked up that the smart ass remark didn't register
right away. When it did, I gave a quick laugh.
Then, I laughed a little more.
Then, I started laughing like a fool, despite all the troubles
that lay before us.
Really... what had life been like for me before Danni came
along?
"So," she said once I'd gathered myself, "not to be too blunt,
but why are you still alive?"
"Stupidity, obstinacy and dumb luck."
"All true, I'm sure," she said, "but I meant in respect to this
particular situation. If King is here looking for revenge now,
I'm guessing he wasn't too happy back then, either. So, how
come he didn't take care of it in Boston?"
I held up a finger.
"Hold that thought," I said. "It's time for me to make that
phone call."
I opened my top drawer and pulled out a small, black, personal
phone book. Yeah, I know... the days of pen and paper are
behind us. There's a phone book on my cell phone, so what do I
need this thing for? Well, let's just say I'm a little
old-fashioned. When I read, I still like the feel of a book in
my hand. I still have a stack of VHS tapes stored under my TV,
even though I have no VCR to play them on. And, I still believe
that Mary Kate and Ashley are one person.
On the other hand, I finally cleaned most of the denim out of my
wardrobe, and I no longer have a flip phone. So, progress is
slow, but steady.
I put the book on the desk, set my finger on the little tab with
the S on it, and flipped it open. Though I knew my target's
personal number by heart, I was less familiar with the office
number I needed now. I found the listing I wanted, picked up
the phone and dialed.
Though I wasn't physically there, I could close my eyes and
picture the scene in Boston's Back Bay. The office door opened
onto a small, spartan space. On a simple table in the far
corner, a half empty coffee pot sat on it's warming plate,
surrounded by a glass sugar dispenser, a paper cup full of
stirrers and the other basic needs of the serious coffee
drinker. Milk could be found in the small refrigerator beneath
the table. French vanilla creamer, low-calorie sugar
substitutes and accoutrements of that ilk would not be
available... because if you need that stuff, then you're not
really serious.
Two guest chairs sat about a third of the way into the room...
their blend of plastic and fabric looking reasonably inviting,
though not particularly comfortable. The centerpiece of the
room was a large, weathered, mahogany desk. The desktop was
fairly clean, with a few piles of paper arranged on and around a
green felt blotter. One corner of the desk was occupied by a
computer so old, it looked like something David Lightman might
have used.
The desk had another constant feature that was not for public
display. Sometimes, this office was visited by persons with
evil intent. Though the occupant firmly believed he possessed
the ability to disarm all who entered here with his winning
smile and rapier wit, some still proved impervious to his
charms. So, hidden away in the top, right drawer of the desk
was a loaded Magnum revolver... because luck favors the
prepared.
Behind the desk, there was a black office chair of the
adjustable, rolling variety. This was an important detail, as
such a chair can be easily turned to face away from the desk and
toward the window behind. That would be it's current
orientation, as it's occupant looked out onto the intersection
of Boylston and Berkeley Streets. His highly trained
detective's eye would be acutely alert for signs of trouble and
the occasional attractive woman crossing the street on her way
to or from one of the various office buildings. Rush hour was
over, and it was too early for lunch. So, the odds of such a
sighting... the woman, not the trouble... would be low. He
would be lamenting that sad reality when the ringing of the
phone would pull him from his reverie.
On the second ring, he would swivel around... actively wondering
what mystery the call might bring.
Third ring...
Fourth...
"Spenser."
[hr]
Author's Note: The Spenser character belongs to mystery novelist
Robert B. Parker. Mr. Parker is one of my favorite authors, and
his work is a major influence on the the way I write. Whether I
even come close to mimicking his style is open to considerable
debate, but I have chosen to use his characters in this story as
something of an homage. My goal is to handle them as lightly as
possible and to maintain them as Mr. Parker created them. Any
failure on that front is completely my own.
[hr]
Character Reference
https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjM…
Name: Richelle Winterfeld
Nickname(s):
Background: Owner of the RSI stable, former underground fighter
https://aade768506dacb303a01a361d3dc0d27209a5ec4.googledrive.com/host/0Bz8YsEjM…
Name: Danneel Harris
Nickname(s): Danni
Background: RSI stable leader, reigning DEF welterweight
champion
#Post#: 2891--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 06 - Undoubtedly
By: awesome aries Date: February 12, 2016, 3:30 pm
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This is a great story so far. Kept me on the edge of my seat :)
:)
#Post#: 2892--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 06 - Undoubtedly
By: RampageSports Date: February 13, 2016, 12:08 pm
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Thank you, very much. :D
This took me a long time to do, but once I got started, I
couldn't stop. My only goal was to write something our little
group would enjoy. So far, so good, it would seem. ;)
#Post#: 2893--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 06 - Undoubtedly
By: umma-manager Date: February 14, 2016, 3:57 pm
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I'm loving this...and it gets me thinking that this content
(along with a lot of other amazing stuff on the forums) should
try and find it's way to the main website.
We have the Forum feed on the Home page...But I'm not sure what
sort of attention it draws.
I'm not going to hi-jack this thread :) So, let me think on it
and we can discuss it later.
#Post#: 2894--------------------------------------------------
Re: Haunted by the Past - Chapter 06 - Undoubtedly
By: RampageSports Date: February 14, 2016, 9:51 pm
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I won't try to nudge you in any direction. I'll just say that
if you carved out a section of the site for this stuff, I'm
confident the amateur authors here would be very pleased. :)
In the meantime, I'm glad this story is still holding its own.
;)
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