himself, this was Chao’s son, Ana’s brother. The lessons needed to be tempered with mercy. The purpose was to teach, engage, not crush the kid’s spirit any further.
“ Sure you wanna do this in the dark of night, kid? I was looking forward to kicking your ass in front of everyone, including your sister.”
At Kai’s growl, Gabe taunted him further, eager to ratchet up his anger to the boiling point. “Yeah, kid, I think your sister needs to see how a man fights. See me take down a snotty nosed kid who thinks he’s a warrior, but is nothing more that a scared boy trying to prove to the world he’s tough. Yeah, Kai, it’s important that Ana sees who can really protect her, keep her safe. ”
Kai face flushed a dark reddish purple, his body vibrated with rage. “You fucking son of a bitch. God damn you! So help me God, you go near my sister again, I’ll kill you!”
Gabe tossed his cigarette, grinding it out with his boot. He saw that Kai was at the breaking point. All he needed to do was tweak him a little more.
“ What’s your problem, boy? You want to be the only one Ana turns to for protection? Or can’t you stand to see another man kiss her, run his hands over that lush, nubile flesh?”
Kai exploded. His shrieking warrior yell screamed across the courtyard. He threw himself at Gabe, his strong young body a lethal weapon. The move was precisely what Gabe expected, engineered. Gabe sidestepped him. Meeting nothing but air, and propelled by the strength of his attack, Kai flew by and landed in a heap on the ground. Shaking his head in surprise, he leapt to his feet and charged, an angry bull powered by his fury.
Gabe wasn’t all that much older than Kai and practiced the same warrior arts as the kid. The difference was that he was a warrior, Kai was a brash street fighter. Gabe struck with the same contained violence that destroyed his adversaries at the poker table. He never lost his strategic focus. Relying on the moves that made him the scourge of the back alleys of Boston, Gabe was pitiless. He sidestepped or batted away each angry rush of his furious opponent. When Kai was thoroughly confused, striking blindly out of anger, not skill, Gabe turned to his particular advantage.
Trained by a Kung Fu master who included savate in his repertoire, Gabe attacked. He aimed a flurry of savage kicks at Kai’s most vulnerable body parts. Overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack, Kai huddled helplessly trying to scuttle away from the merciless overkill.
Gabe eased up a little to give Kai the chance to concede. It was important that Kai acknowledge he was beaten, to own the defeat. A minute later, Kai rolled over in a protective ball and put up his hands, the signal for “enough”.
Gabe stepped back, watching him carefully, judging his injuries. Kai rose to his hands and knees coughing up blood. He tried to stand, but couldn’t. He sunk back down to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.
Gabe dug his bandanna out of his back pocket and sopped up water from the cistern by the horse trough. Kai managed to heave himself to a sitting position and leaned against the hitching post, the damage to his face visible in the moonlight. . His lip was split, puffy, his right eye swollen shut, but not enough to halt the tears streaming down his cheeks. Gabe knelt beside him and pressed the cold rag in his hand.
“ Here, Kai. Hold this against your eye. It’ll keep the swelling down.”
Kai tried to shove his hand away but Gabe persisted, folding the damp cloth like a bandage and held it against the kid’s face.
After several minutes Kai stopped spitting blood and leaned back against the post, holding the bandana to his face. Gabe rose to his feet.
“ Look, Kai, I don’t hit a man when he’s down, but you need to hear this. You are a hell of a fighter. You’ve got the skills. Someone taught you well. And, hell, you’re strong as an ox. Damn, you probably have thirty pounds on me. But until you learn
“ Sure you wanna do this in the dark of night, kid? I was looking forward to kicking your ass in front of everyone, including your sister.”
At Kai’s growl, Gabe taunted him further, eager to ratchet up his anger to the boiling point. “Yeah, kid, I think your sister needs to see how a man fights. See me take down a snotty nosed kid who thinks he’s a warrior, but is nothing more that a scared boy trying to prove to the world he’s tough. Yeah, Kai, it’s important that Ana sees who can really protect her, keep her safe. ”
Kai face flushed a dark reddish purple, his body vibrated with rage. “You fucking son of a bitch. God damn you! So help me God, you go near my sister again, I’ll kill you!”
Gabe tossed his cigarette, grinding it out with his boot. He saw that Kai was at the breaking point. All he needed to do was tweak him a little more.
“ What’s your problem, boy? You want to be the only one Ana turns to for protection? Or can’t you stand to see another man kiss her, run his hands over that lush, nubile flesh?”
Kai exploded. His shrieking warrior yell screamed across the courtyard. He threw himself at Gabe, his strong young body a lethal weapon. The move was precisely what Gabe expected, engineered. Gabe sidestepped him. Meeting nothing but air, and propelled by the strength of his attack, Kai flew by and landed in a heap on the ground. Shaking his head in surprise, he leapt to his feet and charged, an angry bull powered by his fury.
Gabe wasn’t all that much older than Kai and practiced the same warrior arts as the kid. The difference was that he was a warrior, Kai was a brash street fighter. Gabe struck with the same contained violence that destroyed his adversaries at the poker table. He never lost his strategic focus. Relying on the moves that made him the scourge of the back alleys of Boston, Gabe was pitiless. He sidestepped or batted away each angry rush of his furious opponent. When Kai was thoroughly confused, striking blindly out of anger, not skill, Gabe turned to his particular advantage.
Trained by a Kung Fu master who included savate in his repertoire, Gabe attacked. He aimed a flurry of savage kicks at Kai’s most vulnerable body parts. Overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack, Kai huddled helplessly trying to scuttle away from the merciless overkill.
Gabe eased up a little to give Kai the chance to concede. It was important that Kai acknowledge he was beaten, to own the defeat. A minute later, Kai rolled over in a protective ball and put up his hands, the signal for “enough”.
Gabe stepped back, watching him carefully, judging his injuries. Kai rose to his hands and knees coughing up blood. He tried to stand, but couldn’t. He sunk back down to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.
Gabe dug his bandanna out of his back pocket and sopped up water from the cistern by the horse trough. Kai managed to heave himself to a sitting position and leaned against the hitching post, the damage to his face visible in the moonlight. . His lip was split, puffy, his right eye swollen shut, but not enough to halt the tears streaming down his cheeks. Gabe knelt beside him and pressed the cold rag in his hand.
“ Here, Kai. Hold this against your eye. It’ll keep the swelling down.”
Kai tried to shove his hand away but Gabe persisted, folding the damp cloth like a bandage and held it against the kid’s face.
After several minutes Kai stopped spitting blood and leaned back against the post, holding the bandana to his face. Gabe rose to his feet.
“ Look, Kai, I don’t hit a man when he’s down, but you need to hear this. You are a hell of a fighter. You’ve got the skills. Someone taught you well. And, hell, you’re strong as an ox. Damn, you probably have thirty pounds on me. But until you learn
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