Band-aids Over Bullet Wounds

Price to Pay

I had just closed the door behind Valerie when I heard it behind me; laughing.  Not joyous laughing.  Oh no, what I heard was much worse.  It was a mocking laugh- shrill.  The worst happened after the laughter died down.  There was a shuffle, and suddenly a harsh smack of flesh on flesh, and I knew without a doubt that the pimp from the restaurant had just slapped one of his girls across the face.

I spun around, vibraitng with the anger.  I heard Valerie clambering out of my car, the rain sure to soak us both at this rate. “Darren… don’t.”

I shoved her off, I stalked towards the man and his crowd of five females. “Hey!”

He turned to me slowly, waving his cane like I was about to make his night. Perhaps I was, and perhaps the excited cocky smile etched onto his face at the sight of me attested to that.

“What do you want?” The pimp with the eye patch spat on the floor, as if adding to the rain. 

“I want her.” I stated bluntly, not knowing in the slightest what I was doing.  By the way she coward behind him, and how she craddled her cheek, I knew she had been the one he’d slapped.  She had also been the one to take the tumble to the floor in the restaurant when she’d spilled his coffee.

“And what would you want with this whore? You’ve got one right behind you,” and like his words caused Valerie to react, she gripped my forearm hasitly. 

“Darren, please.”  Her whisper was feverish.  For me, a plea.

“Get back in the car.” Shoving her off again, I demanded her back in the car, ignoring her still.

“You can’t even get this one to obey, how are you gonna deal with my Kimmy, she’s a right handful.  Disrepectful twit.” He had her face gripped between his chunky fat fingers before I’d seen him go for it.  He squeezed her face in his meaty hand- hard.  She whimpered at the pressure.  He hissed at her savagely. “Shut up whore.”

Unable to control her sobs, she let out a soft defeated whimper once more.  Finally loosing it, he pushed her roughly, slamming her into the hood of a mustang convertible.  She bounced off the exterior and hit the floor, clutching her stomach. 

“Stop it!” I hollared.

He didn’t listen, only reached down, yanked her up by her hair and smashed her face into the grills of the car before I could react.

“HEY!” I was raging hot now, seeing red. 

Valerie was grappling at my arm, trying to hold me at bay while I struggled blinded.  She didn’t exist anymore, nothing and no one except that pimp did.  Him and my sailing body slamming right into his.  He released his charge as I rammed into him, taking him to the floor with my body weight.  We grappled with each other, each one trying to win the upper hand until I won, slamming my fist into his face again and again until he lay motionless and bloody.  Alive, but just barely. 

Valerie was tugging on my arm again, begging me to stop.  I’d frightened her.  The tears in her eyes and the worry on her face finally broke through to me.  I released my hold on this sick man’s shirt, allowing him to slump to the floor, and got up.  Three out of the five girls with him were gone.  One of them being the girl he’d been abusing.

“Ladies, I suggest you get out of here too,” Valerie aided me to my feet, holding me up right.  I was a bit dizzy.  Lifting my hand to my nose, I drew away with the unfamiliar senstion of it being covered in blood.  Angry all over again, I sailed a kick to the pimp’s stomach.  He groaned, rolling on to his side.  Two of his girls crouched down beside him, begging me to let him be.