Page 40 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Summer 2014, Austin, Texas, USA

We hadn’t been at the bar for half an hour, and Ripp stood true to his word. He and a half-drunken Austin began running their mouths to a table full of drunken college football players, and within a few minutes, we were in the parking lot.

In the middle of the dark parking lot, between the parked cars and under a lamp pole, Shane and I stood back and watched as Ripp beat the one who had been arguing with him in three punches. The entire time, I was eager to see if my hand-to-hand combat lessons with Austin had been doing him any good.

The arguing match Austin was in eventually turned into what looked like might be a fight, and as it did, I cheered Austin on. The man he was arguing with was an absolute asshole, calling Austin every name in the book, including insinuating he was gay. As Austin reached his limit, he finally raised his hands and warned the guy to prepare to fight.

“Come on, Austin, remember what I taught you,” I said.

“Get him, Steve!” his friend screamed.

Great name, asshole.

Austin raised his hands and circled his opponent. If for no other reason than the man shared the name of my former best friend, I wanted Austin to pound the guy into the ground.

“Kick his fucking ass, Steve,” the other friend yelled.

Katie stood by my side, almost touching me as Austin spread his feet apart and took a fighting stance. As the man swung a punch at Austin, he stepped into him, blocked his arm, and punched him in the base of the neck.

And just like that, Steve collapsed in the parking lot.

“Good damned job, Kid,” I said.

“Who the fuck are you? Their coach? Y’all just come here to beat the shit out of people?” one of the peanut gallery from the idiot corner asked.

“Come on,” I said to Katie as I turned to the side. “Just walk away.”

“I heard you. You better walk away,” he grunted.

There was no doubt in my mind I could beat the guy in a matter of seconds, but I had nothing to prove. Although we had only been at the bar for 30 minutes, I was having a great time talking to Katie, and I wasn’t about to ruin her night.

As we were walking away, I noticed the idiot running up behind us. I tilted my head to the side and waited for him to get close enough to strike him if need be. As I prepared to spin around, he shoved his hands into my back.

Big mistake, asshole.

“Stand to the side,” I said to Katie as I reached down and tugged against the thighs of my jeans.

I spread my feet to a fighting stance and fixed my eyes on his. “You’re going to want to turn around and walk away from this, and I’m going to let you.”

It was his opportunity to correct his mistake. The same one I gave everyone.

“Fuck you,” he said. “You guys beat the shit out of Steve. I’m gonna whip your ass.”

My mouth curled into a smirk at the thought of him even challenging me. I felt it my duty to talk him out of it if there was any way I could.

“That pretty fucker standing beside you whipped Steve’s ass, all by himself,” I said as I nodded my head toward Austin. “And, to tell you the truth, Steve needed it. You see, he has an alligator mouth and a hummingbird ass. He needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Now my best advice to you is to go home. This is over.”

“It ain’t over till I kick the shit out of one of you for what you did to Steve,” he said as he doubled his fists.

I coughed a laugh. “You see, that’s where things are getting kind of cloudy for you. You’re obviously confused. You’re not going to win this fight. Not even if you get all your friends to join in. You see, I don’t think I can whip you. I know I can. Just go home. It’s probably best for us all.”

“My pappy always told me the guy that’s a runnin’ his mouth is the one that can’t fight a lick,” he said with a laugh.

I hated to bring the guy’s father into it, but I felt I had to.

“Well, I’m afraid to tell you that this time your father is sadly mistaken,” I said,