a single, well-timed punch.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen him do it.
“Welcome back, Bonesaw,”
Darren grinned, using the cage fighter nickname that the fans had
unceremoniously given me. I’d built quite the following here in Pensacola
before I’d moved on… Knowing how on edge I usually was, he had picked the table
furthest into the corner, and left me the chair that faced into the crowd.
Just the way I liked it.
It was a defensible position. No surprises.
Darren motioned towards the Miller Lite that had been waiting for me,
but I overlooked it and watched the drunken men and their barflies.
“Aw, shit, that’s right. You don’t do domestic, do you?”
“Domestic beer tastes like cold piss,” I reminded him with a
condescending smile, my eyes on the bottle in his hand. “But it’s fine. I don’t
need one tonight anyway. I’m riding.”
“Fair enough,” he nodded, taking a swig of his own premium bottle of
frigid urination – the classic Budweiser. “I’ve got
to ask, man…what brings you back to Pensacola? You haven’t been here in a
little while, eh? Not since I saw you last?”
“No,” I agreed. “Not for about three years now.”
“Right,” Darren nodded. Another swig of beer.
“My stepsister is here,” I told him. “I’m keeping an eye on her. Doing a
favor for my father.”
“Your sister?” He eyed me with a smile. “Didn’t even know you had one. Look
at the dreaded Bonesaw…from cage fighter to bodyguard in no time flat! But
that’s what family’ll do for a man, right? Always got to stick to the
priorities…”
“How the mighty have fallen.” I couldn’t help but grin too. Of course,
nobody begrudged a fighter looking out for his family – particularly a
sister. Even in the underground side of the cage-fighting community, there was
a certain code of honor – a respect that was given and expected.
“So, how long are you going to be down?”
“The rest of the summer.”
“Cool. What are you planning to do with yourself?”
“I haven’t quite decided,” I answered. It was true – the options
were wide open in a place like this. “Does Luke still have New Horizons?”
“Barely,” Darren laughed. “I don’t know how he’s held onto it as long as he has…when we left, I wasn’t sure
he could keep the old cage together. We almost bet some money on that,
remember? I’d be buying you beers all summer!”
“Yeah, I remember,” I smiled. “Glad the place is still around. Summer’s
a long time out of the cage. Thought I might get into a few little scuffles
while I’m in town…keep up appearances. You know how it goes.”
“Aw, hell yeah! ” Darren
smacked the bottle down hard on the table. I flinched, expecting the glass to
shatter under the force of his movements, but it somehow held together. The
drinkers at the next few tables glared over at us, but Darren didn’t seem to
notice. “Just like the old times!”
I chuckled at his enthusiasm. I thought back to how quickly he and I had
become friends, or how he’d helped pick me up last time I’d come to Pensacola…
I’d counted on this man once, and I knew he’d do me right now that I was back.
“That’s right, man. Just like the old times.”
( Return to Table of Contents )
Chapter 11 – Saffron
Pensacola, Present Day
Enough was enough. I was tired of moping around our luxury villa, trying
to keep out of his way. Sawyer clearly didn’t want anything to do with me, and
I was going to find out why. I knew he would never explain himself without some
prodding, so I did the next best thing.
I followed him.
You see, there was a small, white plastic box that dangled from my keys.
It was a GPS tagger that allowed me to easily find them from an app on my
iPhone. The way the device worked was to lead me to
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen him do it.
“Welcome back, Bonesaw,”
Darren grinned, using the cage fighter nickname that the fans had
unceremoniously given me. I’d built quite the following here in Pensacola
before I’d moved on… Knowing how on edge I usually was, he had picked the table
furthest into the corner, and left me the chair that faced into the crowd.
Just the way I liked it.
It was a defensible position. No surprises.
Darren motioned towards the Miller Lite that had been waiting for me,
but I overlooked it and watched the drunken men and their barflies.
“Aw, shit, that’s right. You don’t do domestic, do you?”
“Domestic beer tastes like cold piss,” I reminded him with a
condescending smile, my eyes on the bottle in his hand. “But it’s fine. I don’t
need one tonight anyway. I’m riding.”
“Fair enough,” he nodded, taking a swig of his own premium bottle of
frigid urination – the classic Budweiser. “I’ve got
to ask, man…what brings you back to Pensacola? You haven’t been here in a
little while, eh? Not since I saw you last?”
“No,” I agreed. “Not for about three years now.”
“Right,” Darren nodded. Another swig of beer.
“My stepsister is here,” I told him. “I’m keeping an eye on her. Doing a
favor for my father.”
“Your sister?” He eyed me with a smile. “Didn’t even know you had one. Look
at the dreaded Bonesaw…from cage fighter to bodyguard in no time flat! But
that’s what family’ll do for a man, right? Always got to stick to the
priorities…”
“How the mighty have fallen.” I couldn’t help but grin too. Of course,
nobody begrudged a fighter looking out for his family – particularly a
sister. Even in the underground side of the cage-fighting community, there was
a certain code of honor – a respect that was given and expected.
“So, how long are you going to be down?”
“The rest of the summer.”
“Cool. What are you planning to do with yourself?”
“I haven’t quite decided,” I answered. It was true – the options
were wide open in a place like this. “Does Luke still have New Horizons?”
“Barely,” Darren laughed. “I don’t know how he’s held onto it as long as he has…when we left, I wasn’t sure
he could keep the old cage together. We almost bet some money on that,
remember? I’d be buying you beers all summer!”
“Yeah, I remember,” I smiled. “Glad the place is still around. Summer’s
a long time out of the cage. Thought I might get into a few little scuffles
while I’m in town…keep up appearances. You know how it goes.”
“Aw, hell yeah! ” Darren
smacked the bottle down hard on the table. I flinched, expecting the glass to
shatter under the force of his movements, but it somehow held together. The
drinkers at the next few tables glared over at us, but Darren didn’t seem to
notice. “Just like the old times!”
I chuckled at his enthusiasm. I thought back to how quickly he and I had
become friends, or how he’d helped pick me up last time I’d come to Pensacola…
I’d counted on this man once, and I knew he’d do me right now that I was back.
“That’s right, man. Just like the old times.”
( Return to Table of Contents )
Chapter 11 – Saffron
Pensacola, Present Day
Enough was enough. I was tired of moping around our luxury villa, trying
to keep out of his way. Sawyer clearly didn’t want anything to do with me, and
I was going to find out why. I knew he would never explain himself without some
prodding, so I did the next best thing.
I followed him.
You see, there was a small, white plastic box that dangled from my keys.
It was a GPS tagger that allowed me to easily find them from an app on my
iPhone. The way the device worked was to lead me to
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