Chapter Ten

"Now, now, now, calm down little gal," Tommy exclaimed as he paced back and forth in front of his blindfolded prisoner.

The young woman had fiery red hair and was bound by her arms and legs. She wore a Piggly Wiggly T-Shirt and black jeans. The tennis shoes on the table beside where she sat were Nikes. She struggled against her restraints and cursed under her breath.

"I don't know why you brought me here. Tell me!" the woman called out.

"Everything will be revealed in due time, Christina. You just need to sit tight and wait until I give the signal for you to reveal yourself," Tommy retorted.

"Boss, what's the plan?" Brutus asked, entering the dark room.

"The plan is simple. I know Ruler is coming here. Hell, he may already be here with the slack security I have. He values his friends over thing else. How can he protect his friends and his family?" Tommy asked.

"Your using me as bait?" Christina asked, furiously.

"Not bait, my dear friend, I'm using you as an insurance policy. To ensure that I get my ass out of this fight," Tommy said.

"I think I recognize your voice. You are that rat bastard Tommy Leons, aren't you?" Christina asked.

"Rat Bastard? That's an improvement from what I've been called. Yes, Mrs. Greene, I am Tommy Leons. I moved to this town shortly after you moved away. But my dear friend, Mr. Mike Goforth has been keeping his eye on you for me and I called in a favor tonight. That's why your sitting here with me, instead back home in Maine with your loving husband Corey and your two brats. By the way, your husband cost me two of my best men when he killed them for trying to take your brats," Tommy explained.

"Corey did what he swore to do, to protect the children he helped conceive. Who are you using me for your insurance policy?" Christina asked.

"I did my research on you. See, this little Podunk town ain't much to be proud of but everything and everyone is written down in a history book somewhere. Including how you were part of a particular group in high school," Tommy said.

"Oh no. You found out I smoked cigarettes on the school bus in the afternoons didn't you?" Christina asked in mock shock. "What are you going to do? Make me pull a Billy Madison?"

"Funny, considering I'm the one holding all the cards and you are only trying to keep from pissing your pants. I know that you ran around with Tai Kwondo, Ken Manson, Alyson Jergens, Jennifer Walls, and Becka Dunn. This also means that you were in association with one Alexander Ruler. Which means, he will surrender when he sees you are in danger of losing your life," Tommy said.

"Fat chance. Ruler and I didn't like each other coming up, motherfucker," Christina said.

Tommy smiled as he pulled a blade from a holster hidden on his body and pressed the blade to her throat.

"I would keep the sarcasm to yourself, if you ever wanna play loyal house wife and loving mother to those brats, I would shut your mouth shut. I know what I am doing," Tommy said.

Alex lifted a heavy grate from the face of a wall and climbed into the air duct. Having dispatched all of the security officers to one side of the compound, Alex was sure that he had a straight shot to Leons. Following the air duct, he found himself in a large open room with no windows. A single light lit up the entire room, leaving only one corner in shadows. Carefully climbing out, Alex felt uneasy being the room.

"You ever have 'at feeling 'at yer bein' watched?" a familiar voice asked him.

Alex spun around, scanning the room. He hadn't witnessed a door opening, and no one had been in the room before he climbed down.

"Ah have been watching yer every move since you got here, Sheriff. You 'ave caused a lot of problems for us. Tonight, I settle the score!" the voice said again.

Alex wheeled around, focusing on the shadowy corner of the room. Clenching his fist tight, Alex braced for some type of impact that never came.

"Brutus Bagwell, I suggest showing yourself!" Alex said loudly.

"Now 'at would be no fun at all, would it sheriff? Me jist giving up very easy like?" Brutus' voice echoed a little bit this time and Alex realized he was alone in the room.

Brutus had been watching his every move. There was a speaker hidden in the shadowy corner of the room and Brutus was communicating through it. Alex cursed under his breath for not thinking this far ahead of himself. Oh well, Robin Hooda woulda shoulda coulda. Alex thought, opening the single door into the room and exiting into a large steel hallway. It reminded Alex of a Hospital without the cleanliness. Drawing his pistol, he proceeded forward.

Kuro paced in front of the mill workers. Keitaro kept his eyes on the mill workers. They were being unusually cooperative with their captors.

"Aye Kuro, you ever wonder why the mill workers are being so cooperative?" Kei asked as Kuro stood be side him.

"I've been pondering that myself. We'll have to be careful from here on out until Ruler completes whatever the hell he has planned," Kuro said.

"He's doing something honorable, Kuro. We have to help him as much as possible," Keitaro pointed.

"I agree. I'll keep an eye out on the prisoners. Think you could into the main house and found some evidence on Tommy or that other guy?" Kuro asked.

"You are still second-in-command. I have to obey your orders," Keitaro said, "No matter how fucked up I think they are,"

"We're not in the military any longer, Keitaro, I don't give orders. I just strongly suggest you do what I have asked, otherwise, the consequences will be severe," Kuro said.

"Sounds like an order to me," Keitaro said as he walked off.

Tai and Vinnie had loaded down Tai's cruiser with an assortment of weapons from the room in Alex's closet. They were almost home free when a familiar truck pulled up and out stepped someone whom Tai thought had died long ago.

"Goforth," he whispered, pulling Vinnie to a stop.

"Who?" Vinnie asked, his drunk wearing finally.

"Michael Goforth," Tai said, "The guy practically lives for hurting others. If he is back in town, this means!"

Tai suddenly realized what Goforth was doing in town.

"Vinnie, if Goforth is back in town, that means Tommy has called him to bring down someone who can hurt Alex, or Ken, or myself. There is only person that could be," Tai said, shoving Vinnie into Alex's room and closing the door.

"Who?" Vinnie asked.

"She's an old friend of ours from high school. Her and Alex didn't really get along all that well, but they were still friends. She moved away right after High School, and Michael moved too. I don't think it's a coincidence that he moved to the same city and state that Christina moved too? I've got to warn Alex," Tai said.

"This entire sitchie-ation is confusing," Vinnie said.

"Kwondo! I know you are here!" Goforth shouted, "You and I are going to settle an old score,"

"Great," Tai said, slapping his forehead. "Look, Vinnie. You've been sober for a few hours now. Here are the keys to my cruiser, get to town and have Ken warn Alex. I'm going to have to settle this score with Goforth. I'll be along later," Tai said, ushering Vinnie out the bed room window.

Keitaro opened a drawer on the small desk in the main office of the mill. He thumbed through a few files inside until he found one marked: Comprise Contracts. Opening up the manilla folder, Keitaro's eyes grew large as he read over the document inside the folder.

'In compliance with the comprise of Antoine Demarco and Tommy Leons, it has been decided the two opposing forces shall work together to prevent outside forces from interfering with the day to day operations of the cartel owned and operator by one, Luis Vanderbilt. Mr. Vanderbilt, under his contract with Mr. Leons, will provide funding to 'keep an eye' upon the entire city while under his contract with Mr. Demarco, he will provide munitions to protect the company, Mr. Vanderbilt built himself.

Signed

Tommy Leons, Antoine Demarco, Luis Vanderbilt, Derrick Johnson (Attorny At Law)'

Keitaro quickly grabbed the entire folder and hurried back to Kuro. He entered the small cafeteria area they had locked all the prisoners in and found Kuro sitting calmly at a table by himself while everyone else appeared to be knocked out.

"What happened in here? I was gone for maybe five minutes," Keitaro demanded.

"One guy tried to rally the others into a hostile takeover, so I had to put'em to sleep," Kuro said, sheathing a knife he had and eyeing the folder under Keitaro's arm. "What ya got there?"

"Something you should contact Ken about," Keitaro said, handing the file over to Kuro.

"Holy Hell in a Bottle," Kuro said, "This is fucking insane,"

"This coming from the guy who eats flames for breakfast followed by napalm as a chaser?" Keitaro said, mockingly.

Tai stepped out of the house, and locked eyes with Goforth. Goforth smiled before approaching him.

"Mighty big shame we're going to have to bring this house to the ground," Goforth spat.

"Mighty big shame, you are going to be pushing up daisies when I'm through with you," Tai said, leaping off the porch, flipping and landing in a fighting stance. "I don't want to settle our score with guns, Goforth, let's settle them the old fashioned way,"

"You mean with knives?" Goforth asked.

"No, with these," Tai said, hitting Goforth with a quick three hit combination, he spun in place to deliver a fourth hit( a round house kick) but Goforth rolled out of the way.

"Pretty slick moves, you got going on there," Goforth sneered, "but you are going down if you wanna brawl. I've been studying enough mixed martial arts to make your grandfather choke on his rice,"

"That so? Grandpa always told me to master one art, not many. Let's see who fares better? My Dragon Style or your mixed styles," Tai said, dropping his gun belt.

"We both know my mixed style will dominate your old school bullshit," Goforth retorted dropping his own gun. "Hi-yah!"

With that confident battle cry, Goforth delivered a shocking five palm combination, swept Tai's legs from beneath him, and dropped a few elbows into Tai's ribs. Tai had felt pain before, but nothing like having a near three hundred pounder deliver three consecutive elbow drops to his ribs. Before he could brace himself to push up off the ground, Goforth grabbed his collar and threw him on a bench swing in the front yard.

"Call this little number, the Exploder," Goforth said, raising his foot and bringing it down towards Tai's head.

Tai blocked by forming an 'x' with his arms, before thrusting his weight into Goforth's momentum and shoving the man backwards. Goforth smiled as Tai climbed to his feet and wiped his forehead with his forearm.

"I see you've encountered a style similar to mine before," Goforth stated, "Let me tell you the difference between that style and my own. Mine continues to evolve,"

"Evolve?" Tai asked. "Meaning you steal other peoples ideas and make them seem like your own?"

"Meaning I change my style depending on the fighter I'm fighting against," Goforth retorted.

"Yeah, just as I thought, you steal other peoples ideas and make them seem like your own," Tai said, "Let me show you what hard work and discipline can award you with,"

With that being said, Tai crouched low and closed both of his hands into fists. Clearing his mind like his grandfather had taught him, Tai opened all of his senses.

"Now, if you truly are a trained fighter as you say you are, Goforth, you will know what has just happened," Tai said, smiling.

"I have no clue. You are standing there like a constipated fool," Goforth shouted before lunging forward with a right hook followed by a right leg sweep.

Tai caught the right the hook and jumped to avoid the leg sweep, twisting Goforth's arm behind his back. Tai kicked Goforth's left knee and brought the big man down to his knees.

"I opened all of my senses, this allows me to tap into a resevoir of techniques that the dragon style offers. The main technique is called 'Mapping,'" Tai explained.

"Mapping?" Goforth asked.

"This means I can follow my opponent no matter what they do. Unless my opponent studies the dragon style and has learned how to 'Feint'" Tai said.

"Feint?" Goforth asked.

"Your teacher surely taught you that every fighter in the known universe gives off a faint amount of energy known as rei, right? Mapping allows me to pinpoint a fighter's rei and keep track of it. Feinting allows a fighter to hide their rei so only someone close to them can sense it," Tai explained.

Grunting heavily, Goforth climbed to his feet, striking Tai with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Tai stumbled backwards as Goforth charged him. Tai felt the change in Goforth's rei, and spun on his heel to strike the man in the temple. The big man hit the ground but the blow didn't kill him.

"I suggest staying down," Tai said.

"No, Kwondo, I'm going to rip your heart out. I want to watch you die like I watched your Ole man die," Goforth laughed.

"You what?" Tai shouted in anger.

"I killed your old man with my bare hands," Goforth laughed, "The blood of the Kwondo family stains the hands of every generation of my family. That tradition will continue with you,"

"I don't think so!" Tai shouted, anger consuming his body. "This is about to get ugly, Goforth, real ugly. I'm going to show you why The Dragon Style of Martial Arts is the most deadliest,"

"I thought Ruler's Tiger Style was the most deadliest," Goforth retorted.

"Alex's Tiger Style is almost on equal footing with my Dragon Style," Tai commented, charging forward.

Goforth's mind registered the way the air around Tai seemed to glow with a red tint, as the cop charged forward. What kind of trickery is this? was Goforth's last thought before Tai deliver an elbow to the man's chest that was followed by a sickening crunching sound. Tai would follow the elbow with a stiff palm to the chin, which brought forth a gut wrenching shattering sound. The palm would be followed by Tai locking Goforth's right arm and throwing the man through The Ruler's front door. As Goforth sailed through the door, Tai leaped, and landing right on top of the man.

"Dragonic Combination," Tai stated, "How's that for mixed martial arts?"

Before Goforth could respond, Tai placed one hand upon the man's broken chin and the other atop the man's head.

"This is for my family, I am forcing you to repay your debts," Tai scowled, "Dragonic Fatality,"

With that, Tai broke Goforth's neck with a sharp, sickening twist of the head. He left Goforth's body laying where it had fallen, as he turned and headed towards town, now unarmed.