Chapter 8:
Rae shivered as they walked the streets of Coney Island, looking for Duchess or one of her goons.
Spot put his arm around her, keeping a close lookout as well. "Everything will be fine," he told her.
"I don't think I've ever been so jumpy before a fight."
"Me neither," he replied quietly, glancing around suspiciously for any sign of a sneak attack.
"Spot..."
"Hmm..."
"There..." she said, pointing ahead of them where Carney was walking toward them.
Spot gritted his teeth.
"Well, well, well... look who's come for a visit," Carney said.
"Two Brooklyn newsies are missing...I came to get them back."
"I thought you had left town, Conlon. Got married and gone soft, so I heard."
"I am married, but I'm far from soft," he growled.
Carney snorted and gestured behind Spot and Rae. They turned around to see two more goons standing behind them. "You've both gone soft."
Spot turned back to Carney, scowling. "We just want the kids back."
"Finders keepers, Conlon."
"Take us to Duchess...now!" Rae said.
"You're looking as beautiful as ever Miss Kelly," Carney replied with a smirk.
"Shut your flapping mouth and take us already!"
"And still as feisty...alright...let's go." The men roughly grabbed Rae's and Spot's arms and dragged them off to Duchess' hideout.
"It's about time you showed up Conlon," Duchess said in greeting, walking over as they entered.
Spot simply glared at her.
"You have two kids," Rae said. "We've come to get them back."
Duchess ignored her and turned to Spot. "The boy told me something about some scars...I just didn't believe him...Very nice, Conlon."
"Just give us Chris and Molly, Duch," he snapped.
"Not likely."
"And why not?"
"I'm not about to just GIVE you anything...I've worked to long and hard to get where I am..."
"At least let us see them!"
"Tut tut, Conlon. You'll see them, eventually."
"Now!" he growled.
She eyed him critically. "I don't believe you're in the position to make demands from me," she finally said, gesturing to her goons surrounding them.
"We'll fight if that's what you want," Rae said, "but not until we see and speak to Chris and Molly."
Duchess' eyes finally flashed to Rae. "I don't believe this either... You.. and Conlon? Honestly, I thought you would have known better..."
Rae simply crossed her arms and glared at the girl across from her.
After a moment, Duchess sighed. "I suppose I could indulge you one last request..."
She nodded to two of her goons, who disappeared and returned a moment later with Chris and Molly.
"Spot! Rae!" they cried out.
The goons let them go and they rushed toward their rescuers.
"Are you all right?" Rae asked anxiously.
"What happened?" Spot demanded, fully prepared to start lecturing Chris if he had to.
Molly wrapped her arms around Rae, and began to quietly sob. "I wanna go home."
"Don't worry, we'll take you home," Spot assured her.
"Not so fast, Conlon," Duchess said.
Looking up, he glared at Duchess. "What?"
"We have a fight to settle remember."
"Can't this wait until some other day? I have some children I need to talk to."
She motioned to her goons who grabbed Chris, Molly and Rae. "We settle this now."
"On one condition..."
"I don't think you're at liberty to make conditions, Conlon."
"ONE condition."
After a moment, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "All right. What is it?"
"Win or lose, you let THEM go."
She considered this seriously for several long minutes. "Fine."
He spat in his hand out of habit. "Shake on it."
She copied the action and they shook firmly, binding the agreement. Spot rolled up his sleeves and she mimicked the action. "Let's get this over with."
The opponents circled each other cautiously, maintaining eye contact. At last, when it felt the tension could get no thicker, Duchess aimed a punch at Spot's jaw. As she was a very good fighter who gave nothing away in the movement of her torso, the punch landed solidly. "Any last words, Conlon?" she smirked as he shook his head, slightly stunned.
"I'm not going to give you the pleasure," he said, throwing a punch of his own.
She was expecting it and dodged to the side, but not quite fast enough. The blow glanced off her shoulder.
Concentrate, Conlon, he told himself as he watched his opponent.
"Get 'im Duch!" shouted one of her men.
"You have gotten soft Conlon," Duchess remarked as she sent a high kick toward his sternum.
He saw the kick, but didn't have time to react before her foot hit him. He stumbled backwards. "I'm not soft," he retorted. "I just haven't fought in over a year."
Duchess managed to contain herself from laughing gleefully and knocked him off his feet instead.
He pulled himself off the ground. "I know you can so better than that," he taunted.
Rae held her breath, and she and Molly were clutching tightly onto Chris' arms.
Duchess kicked him in the ribs before he could get fully upright again. "That better?"
He clutched his ribs. "A little."
He straightened himself up before lunging at her. She dodged quickly, leaving a foot in his way to send him flying again. He went sprawling onto the cobblestones, their rough edges scraping his face. He had just managed to turn over and was trying to get to his feet when Duchess, eager to finish this fight quickly, leapt on top of him, straddling his chest and punching him repeatedly until he was nearly unconscious and a couple of her goons dragged her back.
"He ain't moving," one of them said.
"I think he's dead," another responded.
"NO!" Rae yelled.
Duchess rolled her eyes and shook off her thugs' restraining hands. "He's not dead," she said in a bored tone, "More's the pity."
Chris and Molly led Rae away.
One of the goons grinned. "They think he's dead."
A calculating gleam entered Duchess' eyes. "Drag him inside," she told Carney, "Tell me when he wakes up."
"Yes ma'am," he said, carrying out her orders.
