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“I’m serious.” I swept my arms wide. “Two grand USD for anyone who bests me.”
Javal stroked his jaw, considering me. “And what can you hope to gain from this?”
“Respect, the ability to walk through the streets without being jumped, and...” I paused, sweeping another glance around the goons. “I’m planning to hike to the Rodu Waterfall tomorrow, but I want the park to myself.”
“I can’t help you with that last request,” Javal lied.
Hooking my thumbs in my pockets, I bounced on the balls of my feet. “I heard you have the mayor’s ear. Something about smuggling goods on cruise ships?”
Javal shot to his feet. “Who are you? How do you know this?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not planning to do a damn thing with the information as long as I get to hike uninterrupted tomorrow. No tourists, no officials. Just me, my companion, and mother nature.”
One of the goons stepped forward. He was good; he didn’t even look at me. The bus boy from the resort leaned in and cackled something to the kingpin. The tension visibly eased from Javal’s shoulders. “Ah, so there’s a girl,” he mused.
“There is, but that’s my business.” I didn’t look at the goon as he slid back into the ranks. The bus boy, Davide, had done his part by dropping his lines exactly as I’d paid him to; there would be a big tip for him tomorrow.
“Man, let me warn you now that doing crazy things for a girl doesn’t end well,” Javal lisped. The thick way he spoke made the mispronunciation hard for my Russian-English ears to discern, but I caught the gist.
“Ah, don’t worry, my friend, this one’s worth it.” I gave him a lupine grin.
“They always are,” Javal laughed. “Alright, American, you can have your fight. But I want four grand USD when I kick your pale ass.”
“Done.” In a swift move, I removed my shirt and weapon and placed them on the table. Then I leaned forward and fisted my hands at my navel, flexing my bulk.
Javal shrugged, stepping from around the table. “So what? You think that steroid-induced mass scares me?”
“I’ve heard not much scares Javal Sampson. You’ve reigned unchallenged for a long time, my friend.”
“I’m not your friend, pig.” And, so saying, Javal charged.
I dodged, but so did he. The result was that his smaller fist clipped into my arm. Dukes up, I bounced around.
Javal was everywhere. Left and then right. He was a good boxer with street fighting credentials. After getting another round of hits in across my body, I finally landed a blow.
The kingpin staggered back.
“Concede, and I’ll throw in the cash as a gift to my new friend,” I said, shaking out my fist. If my knuckles hurt that badly, then his cheek had to kill.
Javal snarled, lip pulled back to show bad oral hygiene.
“Come on, comrade. We both know you can’t afford to be laid up if I land a few more rockers like that one.” I gestured to the goons, who’d formed a circle around us, drooling over the fight like a bunch of wild dogs.
“We could wake Tajo.” Right on cue, Davide the bus boy spoke up.
Greed sparked in Javal’s eyes. “Alright, I concede to your terms and accept your...gift. But only if you get past my best fighter.”
“That’s not exactly fair,” I said, focusing on the stern expression on my face.
The kingpin laughed. “We have your gun; you’re outnumbered. You can fight him or leave.”
“Fight.” The word boiled through me.
The cry rose high among them. “Tajo! TAJO!”
My opponent lumbered out of a crooked, orange door. The wave was tattooed on his right eye, just as Davide had described. Cauliflower puffed in his ears. Scars littered his body. He was at least six-and-a-half feet tall, nearly as tall as I was.
Calm flowed through my veins.Perfect.Tajo was exactly what I was in the mood for tonight.
