I… did… not… think… so.
My eyes narrowed and my head cocked to the sight of the gun.
In a serious, pissed off voice, I said, “I’ll say it one more time, let him go.”
To my surprise, he let him go. To my despair, he only did it so he could come at me.
Martin was still struggling against the headlock, intermittently groaning and whining. His feral noises of fear were spurring me on by pissing me off even more.
Curtis was standing frozen, likely partially dazed, partially scared stiff.
“Watcha gonna do Law? Slash my tires? Throw a smoke bomb? Light some shit on fire on my doorstep? You’re a f**kin’ joke,” Jermaine taunted.
Excuse me, I never lit poo on fire on someone’s doorstep. That was immature.
“Go. Now,” I returned, ignoring his words. “Leave the kids alone. If you go, no one will get hurt.”
“Fuck you, bitch,” Jermaine snarled and then came at me.
When he came at me, I switched my gun to the other hand knowing he’d get physical just to prove a point. The big man subdues the silly woman.
Fuck him.
Right away he gave me my opening, throwing out his arm to grab me. So I took it.
When he arrived at me, I grabbed his wrist and leaned down, ducking under his arm, using my leverage, his momentum and bulk, and I twisted his arm and flipped him up and around and he landed with a sickening thud on his back.
Then without hesitation, I aimed and kicked him savagely between his legs. He let out a ferocious howl and curled into a fetal position. I put my boot to his neck and leaned my weight into it (maybe a little more weight than I needed but I told myself that I was new to this and allowed myself some leeway).
Then I lifted my head, my eyes slicing to Clarence. I switched my gun to my right hand, cupped it with my left and aimed.
“Let him go,” I ordered.
Clarence was staring at me in shock, so much so he didn’t let Martin go.
I dropped my aim and fired. The bullet hit next to his left foot. He felt the impact and jumped but he didn’t let Martin go.
I lifted my gun, aimed it at his head and cocked my own to the gun’s sight. “I said, let… him… go.”
He let Martin go.
Martin ran immediately to Curtis.
I stood aiming at Clarence, my boot still at the writhing Jermaine’s neck and I wondered what the hell I should do now.
Then Clarence’s eyes moved from their study of my gun to look over my shoulder.
“Holy f**k. It’s true,” Clarence whispered but loudly so I could hear.
Like a sixth sense, I felt rather than saw Crowe coming up behind me. Then he got up beside me and stopped, his eyes were on the man at my boot.
I guessed I was wrong about not having a tail.
God, he was good.
Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow move from behind Clarence. I focused and Mace arrived at the scene. He was looking at Vance. At the sight of Mace, I got over my admiration of Crowe.
This is just great, I thought with mental sarcasm.