Ricardo's obsession

Chapter-21

“Don’t bother her.” Ricardo yelled at Lambert making him drop his phone on the desk. He examined his friends fractured and bloodied  forearm. This man was lucky enough that his bone did not push out through the flesh or he'd need a surgery and given that his whole day was packed with surgeries it would have been impossible for him to complete his task at both. Ricardo was going to be the death of his and it was going to be very soon. With all the problems he carries around him he was bound to one day make him the bearer of unfortunate news to Iris.
“Tell me you did not visit Danny’s?” the silence was the answer he received all loud and clear. It had been 7 years since he had been there. They decided to not have anything to do with that illegal place but Ricardo had already been there and it only proved that there was something eating him from the inside but he wasn’t willing to pour out.
“You cannot keep it away from Iris.”
“It does not concern her and you will not spill a word to her if you want to keep that mouth of yours.” Lambert raised his hands on his sides as if he was surrendering but in a teasing tone he said “Unlike you I got a lot to do with this mouth of mine so I will try to keep it for as long as possible. You better do that with your arms and life too, it is still very early for that little wife of yours to be left a widow.”
Ricardo was not here to hear this entire nonsense spill from his friend’s mouth and when he was about to give him an earful but damn Lambert was fast and had already put the tape on his lips smearing the blood on his cheek in the process.
“Sorry you need to safe your breath for later when you meet your wife. You got a lot of explanation to do.”
Warning him not to use his arms as much as possible and also prescribing him a sheet full of meds he needed for the quick recovery. After successfully putting a cast as thin as possible yet durable. He so wanted to plaster his whole body to restrict any movement of Ricardo’s for his betterment but that would only have him kicked on his ass.
Lambert visited the Danny’s where he learned how Ricardo had took on 4 men back to back and how he took the last man down without lifting his injured arm. Saying he will pay for the medical bills for those poor fellows who encountered Ricardo’s fist while he was emotionally troubled.
Juan dropped off Iris at Ricardo’s apartment. Amazed at how well off Ricardo was when he saw the private parking and the massive collection of limited editions and some were not even in the market yet. Iris thanked him and fled off his car without caring to invite him in and if she did he wouldn’t have denied. Juan resisted the bitch in him when it came to cars; it went crazy whenever it was near one. He drove away ever so slowly.
Ricardo was in his study with a half smoked cigarette between his lips and a bottle of golden liquid on his desk which was half empty.
“Are you supposed to be drinking in that condition of yours?” she asked inspecting the label on the bottle but there was none.
“It is Dalmore if you’re wondering the brand.” He said putting the litted cigarette down on a paper which looked like a business deal. She quickly reaches to stop his hand when he groaned in pain. She went still; did she just hurt his injured hand? But how was she supposed to know which side was the injured one. Lambert only told her that her husband had a fractured arm and in a hurry to get back she forgot to ask the details.
“I’m sorry. I did not know it was the injured hand.” She let go of his hand ever so cautiously not wanting to hurt him but he took hold of her hand. She pulled away in an instant pushing his arm to meet the desk with a thud and him groan in pain again. She quickly knelt on the floor while reaching out to take hold of his injured arm in hers. Looking up she realized how bruised he was. His jaw was slightly swollen and there were some cuts on his face. What just happened to him? How did he get himself into such condition in just 4 hours?
“What happened?” she asked timidly not wanting to say anything that will set him off again. He was a ticking time bomb which could go off any second. She knew he was always hanging on by a thin rope whenever they were together not wanting to scare her than he already did.
“Don’t worry. It is nothing.”
“Then stop worrying me. All that you do only ends with me worried yet you expect me not to worry!”
“I’m sorry. This won’t happen again.”
“Were you into a fight? Did you injure anyone? Where did you go off to?”
He pulled her on her feet and sat her on his lap. The closer she was to him the better it was for him. She calmed him, she peace she provide were never to found around anyone else. He took in the smell of her hair as she ran her hand ever so gently on his casted arm. She was worried, deciding he was holding enough things back on her “It was at Danny’s. And the men who were injured are paid off too.”
“Who is Danny?”
“It’s the name of an illegal fighting ring.”
She gasped at the word illegal. Did he earn his wealth illegally? What if they were raided then what?
“It is illegal but safe.”
“How can it be safe when it is illegal? Did all this come illegally?” she asked pointing at the wall from the other wall to the other wall indicating to his property and he let out a tired laugh.
“No. I only fight there not a single penny I own is from there. Also it is illegal by choice as there is no particular owner and the government cannot legalize it as it has no property or any man running it.”
“Then were you there?”
“I’ve not been there for the past 7 years until today.”
“Anyway why would anyone risk their life for nothing in return?” she asked curiosity at its best.
“It is run by the public for the public. They gather at some random places set the ring and all the collected money on that very night is the prize money.”
“It must not be much then so why are people risking for such prize?”
“The fights are worth it and for as long as I can remember the prize money has never been below 6 digits.” She looked at him in disbelieve and he only chuckled.
“People who come there are not just some random ordinary man but I bet 60% of the crowds are the elites. Some are there to find men who are capable to provide protection and the ladies come too with their own agendas.”
“Ladies! They are not there to fight are they?”
“They sometimes fight but not physically, they let their bank balance do the job of their fists.”
“What is your purpose for going there?”
“I sometimes go there to cool off and look it works too.”
“Will you mind if I go there too when I need to cool off?”
“That is no place for you. If you are ever troubled you can always run to me I am here.”
“And what if I want to run away from you?”
“That will never happen so you need not worry.”
“Will you not if you were in my stead?”
“That is totally different topic.”
“This is what it is with you. You can but I cannot. You need to let me have my say in my own life.”
“You ask me of things which I cannot give you. I only want the best for you.”
“If only worry is all that I am to receive while being married to you then I don’t want it. You give me the reasons to worry but never the opportunity to lessen what burdens me.” He was dumbstruck at her words. He had never thought she was feeling all these and yet he could do nothing to improve it. Every conversation between them was fast forward with no peaceful conclusion.
“Tell me what you want and I will try my best if it has nothing to do with you planning to get away from me.”
She was glad her words hit somewhere right and there were too many things she wanted to put on the table but the most important at the moment was his recovery. As much as she wanted out and away from him she did not want any bad for him too after all he was the one providing for all the secret missions she was running behind his back without his consent.
“You need to listen to all that Lambert instructed you to do and the next being you will not get physical to hurt yourself or others again.” he took a whole minute to ponder then agreed. This was the least he could do for her and Lambert was in desperate need to have a taste of his fist which was going to be soon, very soon.
That very night he lay in bed listening to her faint breathing. They had changed their bed sides as she wished, she did not want to hurt him in her sleep and he was not willing to sleep away from her. He was so used to sleeping on the right side of the bed that it was uncomfortable to be sleeping on the other side. He stayed still only because she was with him. Her head rested on his chest. She was careful not to come too close to him fearing to cause any more discomfort even though he assured her he was fine. But somehow in her sleep she ended just where he wanted her to.
A week had passed on with her forcing him to take his meds on time while he so miserably failed to prove he was all okay. Lambert was too smart to visit only when Iris was by his side preventing him to have his way with his so called best friend.
The doctor in him had mastered the trick to have his way with his patient (Ricardo) and the most and only strategy was Iris.
“Iris. Would you like to go out with me? Since this husband of yours is too invalid to do so.” He teased Iris and mocked his friend. Ricardo’s grip on her waist tightened and gave Lambert a deathly glare.
“I am capable enough to take my wife around the world even in this condition and not give her reason to complaint on, if that’s what she wants.”
Okay this friendly conversation was going to lead elsewhere if she did not do something to cool down her husband without hurting his ego.
“Thank you Lambert but I’ll pass but do keep a slot open for me the days to come. In case I can no longer tolerate my hubby here.”
Ricardo had a weird look which turned into a smile.
“You never call me that when we are alone.” He whined she got away from him
“And here I was trying to save your face.”
Lambert burst out laughing at his friends failed attempt and the childlike way he was behaving.