Dallas greets, "Haven't seen you here for a long time, Hanks."
The Jackson gym is packed as usual. Commoners and nobles are boxing without any differences in social status. This is probably the only place in England where your birth status doesn't mean much.
Hanks looks around. He is angry. No, that's understatement.
He is furious!
He has been away for just few years. When he got back to England soil, he learned his older brother has died. Killed in a phaeton crash. As the only son left, It would be his responsibility to take care the estates.
I never asked for this! He is supposed to live longer than me. Taking care everyone. He was born for that role. Not me. I'm the black sheep in the family. Nobody likes me.
He closes his eyes. Another grief washes over him. His big brother was so different from him. He was always so cheerful. So full of life.
How could he die in such young age?
Hanks punches the sand sack with all his might for a while. Punching it never brings any satisfaction.
He stares up and his gaze meets with Dallas.
The owner sneers and mocks, "You wanna challenge me?"
"Punching you would make my day," says Hanks.
"You would get the beating of your life. Don't say I didn't warn you."
The others cheer for them when the boxers enter the ring. They are both good fighters. Hanks manages to punch few jabs to the boxing champion.
Damn!
Only one strong hook to his jaw and his light is out.
Dallas stretches his body. His records still stands. Undefeated.
He almost got it there. Defeated in front of his loyal customers. Hanks is quite good in boxing. Although people said he is better in using a sword.
Thanks to Hook's tip. One night many years ago, he's drunk in a bar. He said Hanks jaw is rather weak compared the other spots.
*****
Hook asks, "Feeling better now?"
He has rights to be worried. Hanks is kinda their informal leader. The one with cool head. It wasn't his style to challenge a boxing champ.
Patch is the glutton and the ammo guy. He prepares guns and foods for them. Hook is the mouth. Hanks is the brain. That has been the arrangements since they first started working as a team in battlefield.
Hook shakes his head.
He comments, "Never see you in this state. Maybe it would be the year you end your life."
Hanks rubs his jaw. It's pretty swollen.
He says, "I'm not pulling the trigger. Don't bury me yet."
Hook chuckles.
He says, "I mean you would fall in love and get married. The end of your free lifestyle."
Hanks laughs dryly.
There is only one woman I love. And she has married another man.
Hook adds, "Stop thinking about her. She belongs to Val. No longer our little princess."
They are the OC crews. Outcasts. Without Nessie, they are no longer needed.
Hook says, "I know it's hard to loose someone you sworn to protect. But she's happily married. Not dead. So we should be cheering for her."
Hanks swallows up his pride. Since he left England, he never asked news about her. Although Hook keeps his communication with Patch.
He finally asks, "How is she?"
"She's doing great. Got few kids and her husband loves her. Val owned a printing company now. You see those popular greeting cards in the bookstore we passed earlier? His company made them. He is the artist. Not bad, huh?"
As usual, Hook never stops blabbering as soon as he opens his mouth.
Hanks rubs his jaws again.
At least she is happy. That's all I need to know.
He reluctantly rises from the bed.
Dallas prepared beds for customers to rest or when they got KO like him.
Hook asks, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to my father's house."
He never felt it as his home. He refused to acknowledge it as his home.
"I've already packed everything for us. We could leave anytime. Tickets are still available for us if we hurried."
Hanks asks, "You are coming?"
"I would never leave you in battlefield, Pal," says Hook.
"Thank you."
Hook knows him too well. Facing his father again would be like walking alone in battlefield. Without any armor or any weapon. Stray bullets of anger would be fired like crazy.
Hanks would rather face speeding bullets in battlefield than going home again. But he has no other choice.
Hook is right. It's time to say goodbye to his past.
*****
Dallas shakes his head. The last customer has just left. The gym is dirty again. His maid isn't very diligent like Sophia. She spent too much time flirting him instead of cleaning.
God, I still miss her. Where could I find a girl like her again? So sweet. So naive.
He closes his eyes.
Time to do the cleaning himself.
He locks the door after finished the cleaning.
It isn't the safest neighborhood in town. Not exactly the slum either.
A hooded woman is walking alone. Her clothes are too flashy for this environment. Not exactly a commoner.
Dallas got a bad feeling about her so he secretly follows her.
Few thugs jump out from nearby alley. They are the local predators here.
One of them orders, "Leave everything behind, Lady. Even your fancy clothes."
The Lady protests, "Certainly not."
She swings her bag to a thug's head when he tries to grab her.
"Leave her alone," orders Dallas.
A thug mocks, "Isn't it the champ himself. You're far from your gym, buddy. Get back to your place. This is our territory."
Another thug warns, "We are fully armed, champ. Just go."
Dallas stares her. It's too dark to see her face. But she's shivering, probably out of fear.
He says, "No. You are the one who should leave."
The thugs start to attack him. Five against one. Not a fair fight because they are using knives and he fights with his fists.
Somehow he manages to knock out three of them. The other two fled afterwards.
Dallas stares down when he feels dizzy. Adrenaline is rushing in his veins. He doesn't even feel pain. A knife has buried in his belly.
"Oh, Sir!"
That's the last thing he heard before he fainted.
"Help! Help! Please help me!"
The Lady runs to her coach to find help from her servants.
*****
"I don't need help," says Dallas.
"You grunt! Doctor said you should have complete bed rest for a month," protests her.
She is a bit short and plump. Probably over thirty years old. Few years older than him. A rich Lady if you saw how many jewelries adorned her body. She is like a walking jewelry store.
He tries to get up again from bed. But she pushes him down with her smaller body.
"Stay," orders her.
He never likes Bossy woman. Having one on top of him makes him felt irritated. It also makes him wants more. It has been months since he had fun with a woman.
She smells wonderful like chocolate. Reminded him of a baker woman from nearby shop.
She blushes when she realizes how close they got.
"I'm sorry. You are injured, Sir. Please don't move too much. If you died, my conscience couldn't take it."
Dallas says, "Not your fault. It's a thug..."
"They were sent to claim my life. Jacob's nephew desired my factory. But I shall never handed it over to him."
She begins to tell the tale. Her husband and her built the chocolate factory ten years ago. He ran the management. She made the chocolate recipes. They managed to built a loyal customer base. One of the biggest factory in England.
When he died, she inherited everything.
But his nephew wanted a part of, no, the whole factory for himself. The good for nothing runt would only gamble his fortune away.
She fought against him in the court and won. The judge was a good friend of her husband.
Now the nephew tried to erase her by any other mean.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you everything. It's my fault, Sir. That's why I must make sure you recover completely."
Dallas closes his eyes. His head is dizzy for losing too much blood.
Her brown eyes look worried. She leaves the room silently.
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Please vote and comment :)
Poor Dallas unlucky in love. Now he is wounded. Will his luck change?