SPOT
You stupid fucking bastard thinking you can come into Spot Conlons territory and tell him what he's going to do. I looked over my shoulder and jerked my head at Slouch so he would know what I wanted him to do and then at the boys in general so that they would back off the dock.
"When ya git ta da end of da dock ya let da goil go," I said slowly.
"Nah Conlon, Ise tink I'll let 'er go when Ise feels like it, seems ta me like ya ain't got much say in it."
I stepped to the edge of the dock and Match followed close to my side. All of my other boys had backed off the dock except Slouch who, if he had understood what I had tried to communicate to him, had doubled back behind the crates to the right of me.
"Youse understand Conlon, youse make one move and I'll kill 'er," the tall bastard said pushing Kat towards me and Match. "Ollie youse walk in front a da goil keep der path to 'er blocked."
Ollie having not said anything or moved since we had shown up stepped in front of Kat so that I could no longer see her. As they approached I stared into the eyes of the bastard holding Kat in front of him, when she was almost even with me I glanced down to meet her eyes and winked at her letting a grin spread across my face. I knew the bastard was watching me and I was hoping for a good reaction from him. And Spot Conlon always gets what he wants. The fucking moron whipped the knife away from Kats neck and pointed it at my face and I just kept on grinning.
"What the fuck ya grinnin' at Conl……..," he started to say but was interrupted when Slouch came barreling out of the darkness to the right of me. He nailed Kat a little harder then necessary but it was effective. The minute they hit the dock Slouch rolled Kat out of the way, pulled her up behind him and darted into my boys who were spilling back onto the dock hooting and hollering. I stepped forward so that my face was less then an inch away from the now terrified man who had been holding Kat.
"Git Kat da fuck outta 'ere Slouch, she ain't gonna wanna see dis," I called out, staring at the man whose knife was still pointed at me.
"See had ya listened ta me when I foist told ya ta leave, wese wouldn't be havin' this unpleasantness wese havin' now," I said with a cocky little grin.
The knife he was holding started to shake slightly and my grin got wider. The fat one he had called Ollie was being pushed up against his buddy by my boys who had enclosed the two of them in a circle. I stepped back from the tall guy and glanced around, christ Brooklyn can be intimidating when we want to be. Some boys were pounding clubs into their fists, others were swinging chains back and forth slowly but they were all grinning like kids at their first fair and waiting for my command. I pulled my cane from the belt loops on my pants and slowly started walking in a circle around the two bastards in the middle, not saying a word.
"Heya Spot listen I'se neva wanted any part of dis, Charlie 'ere made me do it. I woulda neva hurt 'er," Ollie begged. "Jist let me go. I'se won't say anytin."
"Youse fuckin bastard dis was youse idea." Charlie screamed at Ollie waving the knife threateningly in his buddy's direction.
"Boys, boys no need ta git all riled up, placin' da blame on each odder," I said calmly looking around at my newsies before I turned back to the two scumbags in the middle. "Youse both fucked."
I smirked as my boys burst out laughing Match slapped me on the back. I leaned on my cane and tilted my head to the side at Charlie and Ollie who had shut up. With one eyebrow raised I said, "So youse crime is kidnappin' and attemptin' ta rape our goil Kat. Now any odder goil and punishment mighta bin a bit more lenient. But considerin' Jack Kelly'd be mighty pissed if Ise just let ya slide Ise gonna 'ave ta do somethin' bout dis. But ta be fair I'll leave it up ta da jury what youse punishment should be. Boys?"
"I say we break dere legs an throw em off da dock," Match said.
"Nah da Brooklyn bridge," shouted Tips.
"Deliver em ta Kelly after we'se beat dem wit'in an inch a dere lives," called out Slide.
As the suggestions were thrown out, I watched Ollie and Charlie's faces, I could see their fear quickly becoming terror. The knife in Charlie's hand was shaking so bad I was surprised he still had a hold on it. My anger was quickly becoming out of control again, I could feel it in my legs and arms, the hatred creeping up my back, my disgust at these two pigs. Abusing a little girl and then practically pissing themselves when they were threatened. Kats face flashed through my mind, her long auburn hair wild and tangled in the wind, tears and dirt smeared on her cheeks and forehead, blood on the corner of her mouth and the fear in her eyes. At that moment I wanted those two bastards dead, but Spot Conlon isn't stupid and killing them would bring the bulls down on Brooklyn's newsies.
"Alright boys," I said interrupting some of the more violent suggestions of what to do to these two bastards. "I'se quite fond a da beatin and deliverin' dere bodies ta Jackie-boy, I'se thinkin' he'll be appreciatin' such a gift from da very generous boys a Brooklyn."
"Come on Spot lets be reasonable," Charlie said.
I spun around and looked Charlie in the eye. "Brooklyn is nothin' if not reasonable." I said at the same time that I lifted my cane off the dock and slammed the end straight into his crooked nose. The surprise on his face was priceless but the sickening crack of his nose was even better. Blood shot across the foot that separated us and spattered against me and Match. It was time for Brooklyn to do what they did best.
KAT
Slouch had been pulling on my arm so damn hard on the way off the dock I thought for sure he had pulled it right out of the socket. We didn't go very far just a few feet away from the docks was the Brooklyn Newsboys Lodging House which was completely empty. Slouch shoved me in the door and onto a chair.
"Youse ok Kat," Slouch asked as he wrapped a thin moth eaten blanket around my shoulders. I was still scared and I was shaking like a leaf from the rain and the cold but I nodded my head yes anyway.
"Oh geez Kat wat was ya thinking bein' in Brooklyn afta dark, does Cowboy know youse 'ere?"
"Are youse kiddin', you know Jack would neva let me ova 'ere at night," I said in response to Slouch's question about my brother whom they sometimes referred to as Cowboy. I pulled the blanket tighter around me at the same time trying to rub my hands up and down my arms as quickly as possible. I could feel the water from my hair soaking the part of the blanket on my back pretty much rendering it useless to keep me warm.
"Den wat da hell was ya thinkin'," Slouch said as he kneeled in front of the chair I was seated on putting my hands in between his as he briskly started rubbing them to try and warm me.
"I'se just wanted ta go ta the poker game at da Mallory Tavern and Jack said I'se couldn't go wit Race and Blink and all dem cuz I was to young. So I pulled me hair up under me cap and borrowed some clothes from Snitch. So dey wouldn't recognize me if I kept me distance. And dey neva saw me," I said a little too proudly considering the situation at hand. Slouch laughed and continued on with his questions.
"Well now youse got youself in a wee bit a trouble though, how did dat happen?"
"I cleaned dose bloody bastards out fair an square but dey caught me jist outside da pub," I angrily replied.
"You poor goil youse musta been terrified."
"Nah I was in Brooklyn I knew me knights in shinin' armor would show up," I said with a grin and continued to shiver.
Slouch burst out laughing. "Ya can always count on Brooklyn. Are ya scared though bout whats gonna 'appen now that youse safe."
I thought for a minute, I knew Jack would be very angry at me and probably watch me like a hawk but I also knew the punishment wouldn't be a beating or anything that extreme.
"Nah Jack'd neva hurt me," I said confidently.
"Well yeah that's probably true but I was talkin' more bout Spot."
That froze me, I had never really thought about what Spot was going to do and the grin slid off my face. Shit Jack was always predictable but Spot he was hard to figure out, you never knew exactly what he was going to do, how he would react. Jesus he had looked pissed on the dock when he realized it was me. Spot had never hit me but there was always a first for everything. Slouch must have seen the panic on my face because he started to comfort me.
"Come on now doll, Spot ain't gonna hurt ya. He jist might be a wee pissed but mostly he'll jist be happy youse safe."
I started to nod when the door to the lodging house slammed open with a loud bang causing both me and Slouch to jump. There stood Spot Conlon with the Brooklyn newsboys behind him. His cane was still in his hand, his eyes were shielded from my view by the edge of his cap pulled low on his face and his lips were still in that thin angry line. Blood spattered the front of his tan plaid button up shirt and if anyone ever resembled the devil, it was Spot Conlon in this moment and my heart stopped beating.