Takedown (25 page)

Krogan spun back around to Gavin. “Who are you?”

Gavin pulled off his mask and stared him straight in the eye. “I’m the guy who’s going to take you down, Krogan.”

Shock swept across Krogan’s face, his eyes huge. “Pierce!”

“I thought you might remember me… after all we’ve been through.”

The announcer started the countdown for the match to begin.

Krogan smiled, his smugness returning. “I suppose I should thank you. This was my second most gratifying day ever, second
only to
The Day,
when the son was crucified. This is better than I’d hoped… much better.”

“Three… two… one…”

T
he bell rang to start the contest. Gavin had seen enough of Krogan’s other matches to know that the beast would first wait
to be attacked, probably as a show of unconcerned dominance and willingness to take on all strategies. Gavin found it hard
not to take Krogan up on his postural offer. Every natural cell in his body was screaming for him to throw the first punch,
second punch, and anything else he could throw from his well-trained arsenal of hand-to-hand experience. But that wasn’t the
game plan. As the demon stood tall and still, Gavin neared him, hands down… forced to his sides.

“What’s the matter, Krogan? Feel like we’re ganging up on you?” Gavin bluffed. He couldn’t see any of the “many friends” he
was supposed to have helping him and wondered if Krogan could.

Krogan smiled nonchalantly. “Gang up? Those two weaklings who were at your side are long gone, bozo. You are alone, Pierce.
Just you and me. And soon there will just be me.”

“That’s not what I see,” Gavin lied, gambling that Krogan was unable to know what he could see. “You’re surrounded and they’re
closing in. Nervous?”

Krogan frowned, then started to circle around to Gavin’s side. The crowd, which had been stunned by Mammoth’s defeat, was
now beginning to boo at the lack of action in the ring.

Gavin ignored the distraction and stayed focused on the task at
hand. He counter-circled, keeping Krogan in front of him. He could sense the confusion. But he wasn’t sure if Krogan was confused
over Gavin’s talking about things that weren’t there, or because Gavin was speaking about things he wasn’t supposed to know.

“Are you here to talk or fight?” Krogan snarled.

“I already told you… I’m here to take you down.”

“Then do it. You came to me. Here I am.”

“And what do you expect me to do? Drive into you like you drove into my house?” Gavin said, hoping for an admission that would
end the fight before it started.

Krogan was about to speak but stopped himself. His chin rose as he looked down on Gavin suspiciously, then after a long moment
smiled thinly. “Very crafty, Pierce. But your friends should have informed you that I’m better at this than you are. They
should know.”

So much for Plan A. Gavin tried not to show disappointment. “Did you drive through my house with a cement truck?” he demanded.

Krogan laughed and shook his head. “Why do you ask me a question you know the answer to?”

“I command you to tell me,” Gavin said, as the Salt guys had instructed him to.

“By whose authority?” Krogan laughed. “The Nassau County police?”

“Not this time, you filthy beast.” Gavin remembered how well that had worked two and a half years ago. “Answer me in the name
of Jesus… now!”

Krogan winced and buckled, pulling his arms in as if he’d been punched in the abdomen, veins swelling in his neck and face.
He looked up at Gavin in total surprise. Sweat framed his face. “Not bad, Pierce. Not bad. This will be more satisfying than
I thought.”

The audience was growing more impatient at the inactivity, chanting Krogan’s name now and booing louder. Their champion
wasn’t killing someone yet, and a minute had already passed. Meanwhile, Gavin felt incredibly focused. He understood his job,
and he wasn’t allowing the crowd or Krogan’s obvious physical advantage to distract him.

“Confess, Krogan. Did you drive—”

Krogan lunged and Gavin instinctively darted, sidestepping the charge… or at least he at first thought he had. But he’d never
reacted that quickly before, and after a moment, he realized he’d somehow been moved from Krogan’s path like a matador sweeps
a cape. Krogan couldn’t stop before hitting the ropes off-balance, but quickly regained his footing and spun around.

Gavin smiled in admiration and relief. He had been promised, and the angels—or whatever they were—were delivering. “What’s
the matter, Krogan? Have a real fight on your hands?” he said, suddenly in no hurry to get the confession. He could enjoy
watching this all day.

“You’re gonna need more help than that, Pierce. They can only keep you from me for so long. When I get you, I’ll have no mercy.”

“You’re the one who’s going to need the mercy. But I hate to tell you that’s not my strong point.”

“Gavin!” called a distressed voice from behind, causing him to snap his head around.

“Amy!” he cried. There she was, Amber at her side, hands cradling her beach-ball abdomen.

What is she doing here!

How could he pay attention to Krogan, God, the angels, his new Salt friends, or anybody else with Amy here, about to have
a baby where she stood? He couldn’t care about anything else. He dashed to the ropes, but took only a couple of steps before
falling on his face, his right leg anchored by the ankle. He turned to see Krogan on his hands and knees, holding him fast
but unable to do much
else. Apparently, the angels weren’t here to do the work without his participation.
Just great!

“Let him go, Krogan,” Amy screamed.

To Gavin’s surprise, he immediately felt Krogan’s grip loosen. But any appreciation for Krogan’s being dealt another blow
was lost on the fact that Amy was stressed and angry. All he could remember was her doctor telling him that she needed to
spend the rest of her pregnancy mummylike in bed. He turned toward Krogan, but for the sake of the counsel everyone had given
him today, he restrained from kicking him in the head with his heel.
Really
restrained. He didn’t understand how Krogan could be hurt more by not physically hitting him, but the surrender to the spirit-world
approach seemed to be working. “Release me and confess,” Gavin ordered.

Krogan cried out, as if in pain as his fingers sprung open from Gavin’s ankle. Gavin didn’t understand how any of this speak-respond
dynamic worked, but he had a strong feeling Krogan understood it well.

Gavin heard a woman’s scream and he whirled about. This time it was Amber. She was standing over a kneeling Amy.
Praying,
Gavin thought.
Amy’s praying for me.

“Her water broke!” Amber yelled at Gavin, as if he would know what to do. For a moment Gavin was furious with Amber for having
brought Amy. She should have known better. But then again, nobody could tell Amy not to do something once she was determined
to do it. “Jesus!” Gavin cried. “Not now… not here!” He sprang to his feet, but again before he could get out of the ring,
he was stopped, his shirt grabbed from behind. He continued forward, his shirt ripping off his back. He had to get to Amy.
He had to get her to a hospital. He had to get her there now.

Krogan’s arm was around Gavin’s waist, pulling him off the ropes and throwing him hard to the mat in the middle of the ring,
knocking the wind out of him. After a moment of respiratory paralysis, he gasped, stunned and sucking hard for air. This wasn’t
working. The more attention he paid to Amy, the more strength Krogan gained. And apparently Krogan was not interested in anything
less than a fight to the death. Gavin’s death. But how could he focus on both Amy and Krogan? Clearly, the fastest way out
of the ring was through Krogan, who was now dropping like a rock through midair, right at him.

“Cease,” Gavin ordered, remembering the word Buck had used in their last battle. He rolled and sprung away from the slam as
quick as a cat.

Krogan, writhing in pain, managed to get to his hands and knees. Gavin was beginning to understand that his words brought
more pain than physical impact ever could.

Now what!

Beyond Krogan, Gavin could see uniformed police streaming down the aisles toward the ring. The announcer was speaking, but
Gavin couldn’t catch what he was saying. A horn blared. The crowd erupted. Police surrounded the ring. Gavin yelled desperately
to one of them, pointing, “She’s having a baby! Help her! Help her!”

Krogan was on him again, and Gavin was on his back, his head slamming on the mat. He felt dazed. He heard the cops yelling
to Krogan but couldn’t understand what they were saying with the loud ringing in his ears. Krogan had three heads… then two.
The world was coming back into focus, but before he could utter another word, cops were grabbing Krogan’s arms. He shook one
of the officers off like a toy.

“Stop!” Gavin tried to yell but could only whisper as two more cops were on Krogan’s free arm.

“Hold it right there, big guy. You’re under arrest,” said a familiar voice.

Gavin turned to see Chris standing in the ring. “Arrest?”

“Easy, Gav. We’ll take it from here. He’s under arrest for the attempted murder of Gregory Robertson, this morning in Hamden,
New York,” Chris said, not taking his eyes off Krogan.

Krogan frowned, then looked to the side of the ring, probably assessing the situation. Even by his standards, he was vastly
outnumbered. Angels, cops, the Salt guys, and who knows who or what else?

“Gregory?” Gavin said incredulously, realizing Krogan had found Buck’s farm. He’d probably—

“She’s got my gun!” shouted one of the uniformed cops outside the ring. All heads turned to see the woman in black who had
entered with Krogan now pointing the officer’s gun at those standing around her.

“Easy, now,” one of the cops said. “No one has to get hurt here.”

“There’re a lot of people around you, lady,” another cop said.

Without warning, she threw the gun into the ring. In the same instant, Krogan shucked the four cops holding him as if they
were Styrofoam mannequins and grabbed the gun. Everyone immediately froze and backed off.

Krogan smiled. “You lose, Pierce,” he said, pointing the nine-millimeter’s deadly barrel between Gavin’s eyes.

“Cease,” Gavin ordered.

Krogan was straining to hold the gun outstretched and steady. The veins in his arms and hands swelled, his face deep red,
his eyes growing, growing.

The gun fired. There were screams. The audience gasped, then hushed eerily.

Unable to pull the trigger on Gavin, Krogan had turned the gun on himself. The gun fell from his fingers, blood dripping from
a hole in his chest. Krogan stared into Gavin’s eyes and with a crooked smile, repeated, “Like I said, Pierce… you lose.”

… Pierce, you lose .…
”

Krogan’s words were still echoing in Gavin’s ears as he stared at the dead body of Jackhammer Hoban.

“What did he mean by that?”

“Huh?” Gavin said to Chris, who was standing next to him, also staring at the body.

“What did he mean by ‘you lose’?”

“I already explained this to you, Big Dog. He’s gone. He’s escaped. The murderer’s gotten away,” Gavin said, looking Chris
in the eye.

Chris sighed, shaking his head. “I knew you were gonna tell me this. I have to admit that none of this makes any sense. When
I got the call from the state that this guy was at Buchanan’s farm, I got an ice pick in my spine. I couldn’t believe it.
But how can your explanation be true? Last I looked, I wasn’t a character in a horror movie or something. I mean, a real demon?
Next you’ll be telling me about ghosts, aliens, and angels.”

Gavin just stared at him, then said, “Do the DNA on him. You’ll find he’s the guy who drove through my house. I gotta go.”
Gavin turned and started walking away.

“Go! Now where are you going?”

“I don’t know, but somewhere my wife’s having a baby.”

Just then a cop came running up to the ring. Gavin recognized
him as Officer John Kelly, whom he’d see at the train wreck. He was sweating and breathing hard. He caught Gavin’s stare and
said, “Detective… your wife… she’s calling for you.”

Gavin ran to Kelly and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Where is she?”

“We couldn’t get her to the hospital… too late .… She’s… she’s in a dressing room. Come on… I’ll show you.”

Moments later Gavin was running in Kelly’s wake through a rubbernecking crowd and then backstage, Chris right behind him.
Another crowd in a curving hallway, mostly cops and WWX staff, parted as Gavin approached. He tried to read their faces but
couldn’t since most of them were busy looking at his ripped clothes and scratched body. Kelly opened a door and went in.

The first thing Gavin saw was the back of a woman paramedic standing over an ambulance stretcher.

“Here he is!” Kelly said, sucking in air.

The paramedic turned and stepped away, letting his searching gaze find its mark quickly. Amy’s eyes met his. She looked exhausted,
eyes at half mast, but she had a glow not unlike that of the angels.

“You okay?” she said weakly.

“What’s happening?” Gavin said desperately, unsure of what kind of attention she needed.

“The question isn’t what, Gavin… it’s who,” she said with a sly smile. Gavin frowned. Was the whole universe in on some kind
of joke where he was the punch line? “What do you mean?” He drew close to her.

“Easy, Gavin. You don’t want to disturb your daughter’s first meal, do you?” Amy smiled at him, peeling back the white blanket
just enough for him to see the newborn infant enjoying nourishment from her mother’s breast.

Gavin couldn’t move… couldn’t breathe… couldn’t blink.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt the need to swallow. “Is… is…”

“She’s perfect,” Amy said with a broad smile, her own eyes glazing. “Do you want to hold her?”

“No… I mean, yes… not yet. She looks so…”

“She’s yours, Gavin. And she’s got your appetite.”

“I… I can’t believe it.”

“Well, you can thank Barbara over here.” Amy motioned toward the paramedic. “She’s a real pro.”

“Thanks,” Gavin said to the paramedic, a thirty-something black woman with a beaming smile.

Barbara shook her head. “Mom’s the hero. I was just here to catch. And I’m sorry to break this up, but we need to get to the
hospital. This room gave us some privacy in a pinch, but it’s not exactly where we’d like to set up shop, if you know what
I mean.”

Gavin nodded as he looked around the dressing room for the first time. The place was a wreck, and he was just now realizing
it smelled of liquor. He held Amy’s hand as Barbara gave instructions to start clearing the path for the move to the ambulance.

“Congratulations, Pop! And you too, Mrs. Pierce,” Chris said, slapping Gavin on the back. “There’ll be plenty of time to see
baby, so I won’t ask you to disturb her meal. Having just been born, right now she probably looks like you, Gav, but don’t
worry, that’ll change in time. With any luck, she’ll look like her mom.”

“Thanks, Chris,” Gavin said, still looking about the room. “Whose dressing room is this, anyway?”

“I don’t think you want to know,” Officer Kelly spoke up, standing guard by the doorway.

Gavin looked at Amy, who didn’t seem to hear what Kelly had said, then at Barbara as he whispered to her calmly, “Get them
to the hospital now. I
don’t
want them in here.”

Catching the seriousness in his demeanor, Barbara nodded and began wheeling Amy out.

But not before Gavin could give Amy a kiss and tell her he’d be riding behind the ambulance. They kissed again and then both
gave the baby a little kiss on her head. He just couldn’t believe it. He was a father, Amy was fine, and the baby was thriving.
He thanked God in his heart, gave another little kiss, and let them leave.

As the room emptied, Gavin fell back and kept Chris with him. “This was Krogan’s dressing room,” he said, looking around.

Chris nodded. “I heard.”

“You mentioned to Krogan that he was under arrest for attempted murder.”

“Yeah, he flipped over and crushed a chicken coop this guy Gregory Robertson was in.”

“Gregory is Buck’s farmhand. He’s deaf. From the back, he’d look a little like Buck, and Krogan must have mistaken him. You
said he lived?”

“Yes. From what I understand, he wasn’t even hurt, just scared.”

Gavin nodded.
Wow! I guess the angels had more than just his bases covered today,
he thought. “Now he knows Buck is still alive.”

“Who?” Chris looked startled. “The demon?”

“Yes, the demon. Who else?” Gavin sounded a bit agitated.

“Sorry, Gav, but this whole business takes a bit of getting used to.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So you think Buck is in danger?”

Gavin stared at Chris, trying to keep in mind that he was new to this. “Nothing’s changed, Big Dog. He’ll be back… and he
doesn’t seem to waste much time.” Gavin picked up a newspaper off the makeup table that was open to page three, with a picture
of the capsized ferry. He turned the paper over to confirm it had a picture of Krogan on the back, then laid the paper down.

“Where did Hoban live?” Gavin asked.

“I don’t know. I’m new here, remember?”

Gavin nodded. “Let’s find out where and take a ride.”

“I can’t, Gav. I’ve got to get back on the Hess case. I don’t want to remind you after all you’ve been through today, but
tomorrow’s the Fourth and this guy’s still out there.”

“This
is
the Hess case, Big Dog. Trust me.”

As Gavin and Chris were about to leave the room, the door opened and a balding man in a blue business suit entered. He looked
as if he’d lost his way to a deposition, with his power tie, ring, watch, and cologne.

“Detective Pierce?” the man said.

“Yes.”

“Mark Bodder. I’m Michael Grossman’s attorney.” He extended his hand.

Gavin took it tentatively. “We’re in a hurry, Mr. Bodder. What’s up?”

Bodder cleared his throat. “As you might imagine, what happened here tonight came as a complete surprise to us, and quite
frankly, we’re not looking for any further trouble. Especially from you.”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

“Well, you were the challenger. And despite the unorthodox bout and the eventual outcome, you lasted beyond the required three
minutes while the bout was still under way. Didn’t you hear the horn sound and the announcer declare you the winner?”

Gavin just stared, saying nothing.

Bodder reached into his suit jacket and produced a piece of paper. “This was supposed to be presented to the winner in the
ring, but under the circumstances…”

“Are you telling us he won a million dollars?” Chris said, incredulous.

“Well, yes. Congratulations,” Bodder said, then handed Gavin a check. Gavin just stared at it.

“Well, Gav,” Chris said, giving him another pat on the back. “Looks like you won’t need me to rebuild your house.” He laughed.

Gavin pocketed the check and looked at Bodder. “Where did Hoban live?”