The Guardian (17 page)

‘I’m trying to prevent a civil war,’ Toney said. ‘Maybe you don’t comprehend that.’

Ainsworth shook his weary head. ‘The civil war has already begun,’ he replied. ‘Maybe you don’t comprehend that.’

Saunders followed Nick and Cianna down the stairs into the dimly lit bar. It was clear to Saunders that the place was more Nick’s home than a business; more the
definition of who he was than what he did.

‘Do you think you’ll open back up for the rest of the night?’ Cianna asked.

It looked as though Nick had just been pondering the same question. It was still relatively early. ‘Probably,’ Nick said. ‘I’m gonna be here anyways, and it
shouldn’t be that busy a night.’

A voice from over by the doorway startled them all.

‘I don’t know about that, Spudge,’ the voice said. ‘It might get busier than you think.’

The light by the front door was flipped on and Saunders saw a short, balding man standing between what looked like three bodyguards. The man’s face looked like it had taken the worst of a
few fights in the past, and his skin was pitted and veined. He held a gun, as did the two nearly identical men flanking him. The fourth man, taller and leaner than the other three, stood behind
them, also armed.

‘Gruden,’ Nick said in an exasperated tone. Saunders recalled Nick’s earlier warning that a low-rent thug was looking for the dagger as well. He saw Nick’s gaze go to the
tall young man behind the other three. ‘You’ve added to your entourage, I see,’ Nick said.

Gruden nodded. ‘You know Carlos McSorlly, right, Spudge? He’s been makin’ a name for himself in the projects. I think you’ll find that he’s pretty
impressive.’

‘Too bad he’s never learned to read. The sign outside said the place is closed, Miles,’ Nick said.

‘Sign’s wrong. I say you’re open,’ Gruden replied. He looked Cianna up and down. ‘Good to see you back in the neighborhood,’ he said to her. ‘You still
look good, Cianna. Your face is kinda fucked up, but I guess that’ll heal.’

‘I don’t see how you have a say in when my bar is open or not, Miles,’ Nick said.

Gruden smiled. He had the pointy, yellow-brown teeth of a goblin. He gestured with his gun. ‘I guess I’ll have to make that clear, then.’

‘I guess so,’ Nick said. Saunders thought it was probably not the best strategy to antagonize the man, given the situation, but he respected Nick’s refusal to back down to a
man like Miles Gruden in his own bar.

Saunders scrutinized each of the four men carefully, looking for weakness. Gruden’s was clear: he was the leader, but he oozed over-confidence, and overconfidence was usually a fatal
defect. The two twin fireplugs next to him looked as though they were concentrating hard on keeping their drool from running down their chins. They shared their boss’s overconfidence, but
they lacked even the minimal intellect Gruden displayed. Without his leadership, they would be lost. The younger kid standing behind the three others seemed to be the wildcard. He had a slightly
manic look in his eyes, and he was grinding his teeth loud enough for Saunders to hear it from across the room. Saunders’s impression was that he was crazy, and therefore would be reckless.
That could be both a strength and a weakness, and Saunders would have to watch him most closely.

After his initial assessment, Saunders concluded that the four men posed more of an inconvenience than a genuine threat. If handled properly, they could likely be disarmed without much effort.
He just had to wait for his opening.

Nobody moved for several seconds. Gruden nodded, and the three other men with him began spreading out bit by bit, forming a semicircle around Cianna, Saunders and O’Callaghan.
‘You’re gonna learn some respect tonight, Spudge,’ Gruden said.

‘I don’t think so.’ Nick moved back toward the bar. ‘You want a drink before the war, Miles?’

Gruden snorted at the question. ‘Never a care for you, eh, Spudge?’

‘I sleep okay,’ Nick said. He was up against the bar, and he put his arm on it, reaching casually to the other side.

‘That’s far enough, Spudge,’ Gruden said, raising his gun and pointing it at Nick’s head. ‘You think I don’t know what’s back there?’

Nick’s hand was dangling over the inside of the bar, less than a foot from where the shotgun was hanging. Saunders admired the tavern owner’s spunk, but it was clear to everyone that
he would never get a shot off, even if he managed to get his hands on the shotgun. Nick pulled his hand back and frowned at the mobster. ‘What do you want, Miles?’ he asked.

‘I want to know where the dagger is. Between you and Charlie’s big sister, I know you know. You’re gonna tell me.’

‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about,’ Nick said.

‘No?’ Gruden pointed his gun at Cianna. ‘Maybe if I shoot her, you’ll remember.’

Saunders moved in front of Gruden’s gun.

Gruden pulled the hammer back on the revolver. ‘Who the fuck are you?’ he demanded. He moved forward slowly until he noticed the shirt bundled in Saunders’s hand. Saunders
shifted the bundle to make it less conspicuous, but it was too late.

‘That it?’ Gruden asked.

‘Is this what?’ Saunders responded.

‘Charlie’s antique golden dagger.’

Saunders squared his shoulders and clutched the dagger to his body. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, either.’

The tips of Gruden’s ears flushed red. His short forehead crinkled into a malevolent frown, and his smile became a sneer. ‘I don’t know who you are, but you’re gonna
learn some fuckin’ respect tonight, too. I had a deal with Charlie to buy that, and I’m going to take it. You understand? Hand it over, and we can be on our way while you can still
walk.’

‘I wouldn’t worry about me,’ Saunders said. ‘I’m pretty sure I’ll be walking out of here just fine.’ He wanted to draw Gruden in close. He was sure he
could make quick work of the man, and that would throw the others into a panic.

Gruden laughed. ‘It’s four against two. And we’ve got guns.’

O’Callaghan looked at Saunders and Cianna, counting out the three of them with his finger. ‘He’s a math whiz.’

‘I don’t count girls.’ He leered at Cianna. ‘Besides, I wouldn’t hurt this one. I got other plans for her.’ To Cianna he said, ‘Word is you’re
spending your time trying to save all the fuck-ups in the world.’

‘I haven’t reached out to you, so
all
would be an exaggeration,’ Cianna replied.

He laughed at that. ‘It’s a fuckin’ shame, you know? You could make a pretty penny for yourself with the right management.’ He leaned in closer to examine her face.
‘Yeah, that’ll heal, all right. A little makeup, and you’ll bring some good money even with it. You and I can talk some business. You can make a lot more with me than you can
doin’ charity work.’

‘Fuck you,’ Cianna spat.

‘Well, yeah sure. For starters. We’ll see where it goes from there.’

Nick grunted angrily. ‘Get out of my bar,’ he said. ‘Now.’

Gruden spoke to one of his men. ‘Joe, why don’t you take the girl over to the side of the bar,’ Gruden said. ‘No need for her to be in the middle of this. She gets more
bruises, and she’ll be worth less.’

Nick stepped forward, but Carlos McSorlly raised his gun and pointed it at his chest.

‘Keep it up, Spudge,’ Gruden said. ‘Trust me: Carlos, here, would like nothing better than to put a round into you. It’d only help his reputation.’

Saunders put a hand on Nick’s shoulder to hold him back. He didn’t want things to get out of control too quickly; the key was to take Gruden out first. Besides, he thought it would
not be a bad thing to have Cianna moved from harm’s way. In truth he shared some of Gruden’s chauvinism, though his flowed from a far more chivalrous vein. He felt he could maneuver
more freely if he wasn’t worried about Cianna getting caught in a crossfire.

Cianna, too, encouraged Nick to back off, which surprised Saunders somewhat. ‘Don’t,’ she said. ‘It’s not worth it, Nick. I can take care of myself.’

‘Listen to her, Spudge,’ Gruden said. ‘It’s not worth it.’

Nick looked over at Cianna and she nodded. ‘It’s okay,’ she said.

Gruden gave his goblin smile again. ‘Joe, take her out of this.’

Saunders watched as one of Gruden’s men stepped forward and reached for Cianna’s arm. His hand was a ham hock with chubby fingers, at the end of a stubby, short arm. She let him grab
her arm and pull her toward him, a resigned look on her face. As he got closer, though, she planted her left foot and spun her body around. The momentum carried her even closer to him, and as she
came out of the arc, she swung her right elbow out, putting the force of her shoulder behind it. The sudden, unexpected burst of violence caught everyone by surprise, and even Saunders had no idea
how to react.

It was perfectly executed, and the sharp end of her elbow caught the heavy man just below the sternum, in the soft spot right at the solar plexus. He made a noise that was midway between a
squeal and a scream, and his body seemed to collapse in on itself, his face going tight, his lips drawn into a tiny circle. He dropped to his knees, grabbing at his chest, gasping for breath,
dropping his gun. Cianna rocked back on her heels and swung her leg forward, kicking the man on the ground squarely between the legs. He went blue in the face and keeled over.

Gruden’s other bodyguard rushed Cianna, but not before she had managed to kick the gun on the ground over to Nick. He bent down to pick it up, but was warned off by Gruden, who shook the
barrel of his pistol at Nick and said, ‘I don’t think so, Spudge. Kick it to the corner.’

Nick looked at Saunders, who nodded. The last thing Saunders wanted was for the shooting to start before he could get a hold of his gun. Nick nodded back and kicked the gun over to the corner.
In the meantime, the second bodyguard had managed to get behind Cianna, and appeared to have her in a solid hold. He wore a determined expression, and he treated her with far more caution than the
first man had. With one hand, he twisted her arm behind her back, and he wrapped his other arm around her neck.

‘Let her go, Miles!’ Nick shouted.

‘Give me the dagger, and we’ll talk about it,’ Gruden said.

‘Don’t give it to him!’ Cianna yelled, breathing hard. ‘It’s Charlie’s only hope!’

Nick shot a nervous look at Saunders. ‘They’ll hurt her,’ he said. Saunders held the bundled dagger high to his chest with his left hand and reached up to it with his right
hand, feigning that he was going to give the relic to Gruden. Gruden’s eyes watered at the possibility, and his attention was diverted; it was the opening he was looking for. He slipped his
hand under the bundle and took hold of the gun in the holster under his jacket.

‘I said, don’t!’ Cianna yelled. She was bending forward, straining against the arm around her throat. She was strong for her size, but Gruden’s bodyguard had more than a
hundred pounds on her, and he bent slightly forward to keep hold of her. If he’d bent over any further he might have lost his balance, but he was careful to keep his head up. That was his
mistake.

Cianna leaned forward with all her strength and then swung her shoulders back, driving her body toward the man. As her torso gained speed, she snapped her head in a perfectly timed strike. The
back of her head collided with the bridge of the man’s nose, and he screamed in shock, his face erupting in blood. His grip on her loosened, and she lifted her boot and brought it back down
hard on top of the man’s foot, driving the heavy heel into the bone, drawing a fresh howl.

He’d released her completely now, and his hands were at his face, wiping away the blood that streamed into his eyes. Cianna squared herself and launched a straight shot with her fist that
connected with his throat. There was an awful popping noise, and the man’s expression went from pained to panicked as his hands flew to his throat and he struggled to breathe. Cianna stepped
back and kicked him in the abdomen hard enough to send him reeling back into a table against the wall. He collided with the table, his head catching the edge and splitting open as he collapsed to
the floor.

The men in the room were frozen. Everyone’s attention was on Cianna as she turned and regarded Gruden and Carlos, her face twisted in rage.

‘Holy fuckin’ shit,’ Gruden said. ‘This bitch is crazy. Shoot her, Carlos.’

Saunders didn’t hesitate. His hand was already inside his jacket, gripping his gun. The world slowed as he watched the scene play out, matching his actions to the rhythm of the violence
around him. He pulled the gun out and stepped toward Gruden and McSorlly. Cianna rushed Gruden, and Carlos McSorlly raised his gun, taking aim at Cianna’s chest. Cianna never hesitated,
though. Carlos smiled slightly as he pulled the trigger.

A shot rang out, deafening in the small bar. ‘No!’ Nick yelled in anguish.

Cianna heard the shot, and waited for the impact to carry her off her feet. It didn’t happen, though, and in her rage, she kept moving forward, rushing Gruden.

‘Shoot her again!’ she heard Gruden shout to Carlos. There was no answer, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carlos lying with his arm at an impossible angle, his shoulder
looked as though it had been torn apart, and blood was pooling underneath him.

‘What the fuck?’ Gruden said.

Glancing to her left, Cianna saw Saunders with his gun standing over McSorlly’s prostrate figure. As Gruden raised his gun toward Saunders, Cianna lowered her shoulder, and drove it hard
into Gruden’s chest, throwing him back. She heard his gun hit the floor as the two of them tumbled to the ground.

He landed on his back, and she was on top of him. She saw him struggling to find his weapon, and she raised her fist and drove it hard into him. It caught him just under the ribs, hard and
sharp, taking his breath away. Before he could turn and focus she unleashed a second punch, this one just under his eye, tearing the skin open. She could see the blood as it flowed, close enough
for her to smell the iron in it. His face was inches away, and she could see the terror in his eyes. She lost track as she continued to swing at him, each blow with the power of a jackhammer. She
felt his collarbone snap at one point, and he curled into the fetal position to try to protect himself. Rational thought had deserted her, and she was driven now by forces more primal than anything
she could recall in the past two years.