FIFTEEN
Tested
Teresa and I were playing volleyball against Marta and Gregorio. Despite the fact all four of us sucked, we were playing hard, dripping sweat, and were covered in sand. A game didn't last long because we were so bad, but after a couple of games, we'd decided to spice up the matches by electing to play the best three out of five... with an adult twist. The games had started with the four of us wearing swimsuits, but each time a team lost a game, one of the members had to remove an article of clothing. First team to lose all three pieces of clothing lost the match. Gregorio and I were already nude, Teresa only had on her top, and Marta her bottom. This was the fifth and final game because one of the ladies was going to lose their last piece of clothing. Because Gregorio and I were playing hard, I don't think any of us doubted that when this match was over, the ladies would join us in a new match, one where it was boys against girls, where sucking was considered a good thing.
Teresa had just slapped me on the ass for scoring a point on Marta when I noticed Valencia approaching across the lawn. Marta and Gregorio noted we were watching past them and turned to see what Teresa and I were looking at. Gregorio tossed the ball back over the net to me, but I didn't setup to serve.
"What does she want?" Teresa murmured under her breath.
"Marta... Anders... come with me," Valencia growled, seemingly more pissed off than normal.
Marta and I glanced at each other. "Both of us?" Marta asked, her confusion obvious.
"Yes, so come on. Voice is waiting."
We glanced at each other again before we moved to the grass, picked up our swimsuits, and put them on. The moment I finished tying Marta's top, Valencia pirouetted on her toe and stomped away.
"What's her problem?" Marta whispered as we followed.
"Seems like she's always this way to me," I murmured in reply.
"Yeah... but today she's worse than normal."
We followed Valencia until we popped out from behind the concealing greenery, and I could see the main house. She stopped and pinned Marta with a no-nonsense look. "Go into The Room. Voice is going to explain the game to you." Valencia turned her attention to me. "Follow me."
As Marta continued to the house, Valencia moved smartly away, leading me into the grass. I followed her as she led me to the very back of the lot and into the corner where there was a large expanse of open grass. Six men were waiting, three looking uneasy, three others standing almost at attention, their faces impassive.
She stopped eight to ten feet from the men and spun on me. "You were holding back with VÃctor," she said, her voice hard. "Why?"
I shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want to know why you didn't break his arm. You had the chance. Twice."
"Because there was no reason to. I made my point."
She held my gaze a moment. "I'm not sure he'd have given you the same courtesy." I shrugged again. "Before you were invited here, we looked into you," she said, switching to English. "I know you trained at TTS and then went to work for ORSS."
"Yeah... okay? So?" I replied, also in English, when she didn't continue.
"Why'd you leave TTS? ORSS seems like a step back."
"ORSS offered me more money."
She continued to hold my gaze, perhaps searching for a lie. "Virgillio said you seemed to be able to handle a weapon. I watched the video and agree." She paused, but I waited her out. "You seem very well trained to be just a security guard."
"Like I told Virgillio, some of the places I've been, you'd better know what you're doing. You know, places like Mata de Juárez. I was there one day, minding my own business, fucking this whore, when a couple of goons tried to jump me. Maybe you heard about it?"
For the first time, a tiny smile cracked her lips. "Yeah, I may have heard something about that. You clearly have some skills, so why are you here? Why--"
"You told me to follow you," I said, speaking over her.
"Don't be a smartass. You have a DPT from the University of Texas. You've clearly got enough skills to do more than guard gas wells, so why are you?"
"Look, when I graduated, I was up to my ass in student debt. I went to work for TTS, then ORSS, to start making a little money. I still had my residency to go, and that doesn't pay shit. In case you didn't notice, I'm not a doctor," I said as I made tick marks in the air on the last word. "Working for ORSS I was making as much money as I'd have made after I finished my residency. I figured I'd work for ORSS a few years, pay down some of my debt, bank a little money, then go back, do my residency, and then settle into my career."
She was quiet a moment. "And now? Here?"
"Voice made me an offer I couldn't refuse."
She continued to hold my gaze. "Pussy and money?"
I scrunched up my face as I rocked my head side to side. "The money, mostly. The pussy... that's just a benefit."
"So, it's all about the money?"
I grinned. "Yes... but the benefits package isn't bad either." I paused, but when she didn't say anything, I continued. "Why don't you tell me why I'm here... and what they're doing here?" I asked with a jerk of my head toward the goon squad.
She said nothing for a moment before she turned her attention to the three men that looked anxious. "These three assholes," she said, switching back to Spanish, "were discovered drinking on duty yesterday. The only reason I didn't kill them on the spot is because they weren't intoxicated... yet." She turned her attention back to me. "Voice has left it up to me to determine their punishment... so I've decided you're going to administer it."
"Me!" I squawked. "Why me?"
"Because I want to know more about you. I have a feeling there's more to you, Mr. Kraten, than you show. Therefore, I've decided that you're going to punish these three men for me, and I'm going to watch."
"Not going to happen," I said firmly.
"Yes, Anders, it is." She turned her attention back to the men. "You three should consider yourselves fortunate that I'm feeling generous today, so I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourselves." She jerked her head at me. "Kick this man's ass. If you can, whatever lumps you receive in doing so is all the punishment you'll receive. You fail..." She let the implied threat linger in the air.
"No. I'm not doing it," I snapped.
"Then that will be most unfortunate for you."
"Fuck you. I want to talk to Voice. He said I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to. He won't like it if I can't compete in a couple of weeks because I got the shit kicked out of me."
"That only applies to his game, but very well, if that's what you want. He's given me a free hand in this matter, and you speaking to him will change nothing."
"And if I get my ass handed to me?"
"Somehow, I don't see that as likely... but if it happens, I'm sure Voice will understand. I won't let them injure you, not severely."
My lips thinned. "I have to take on three guys, and their only goal is to beat the shit out of me? Hardly seems fair."
Another tiny smile caressed her lips. "Maybe, but these are the only three that need to be reminded of their duty." When I didn't say anything, she continued. "You'll be doing them a favor," she said more softly and in English. "My predecessor would have likely had them whipped... or worse. I offered them the option of leaving, but they elected to stay and accept whatever punishment I deemed appropriate."
I grimaced, remembering the pictures I'd seen. "So, what do you want from me?" I demanded in the same language.
"Take them out of the fight as quickly as possible by any means necessary... short of killing them."
"And if I refuse?"
"You won't. You're not going to let them beat you senseless without defending yourself."
I glared at her. "You're a sadistic bitch, you know that?"
"As I said, it would have gone much worse for them under my predecessor." She glared at the three men, and they wilted a little more. "Discipline must be maintained, and what happens to them will serve as a reminder of what occurs when someone willfully, and recklessly, disregards their duty," she growled, returning to Spanish.
I said nothing for a long moment debating my options. I had damned few. "Fine," I snarled.
She nodded as she stepped back. "Excellent."
"So, if we kick this gringo's ass, that's the end of it?" one of the men asked.
"That's right."
"And if we lose?" asked another.
"That depends on how much effort you put into winning." She smiled but it was cold and ruthless. "I suggest you don't lose."
The first man to speak spat into the grass as he moved away from his companions, his face becoming hard. "Sorry about this, gringo. It's nothing personal," he growled.
"I hope you remember that," I rumbled in return as the three men began to surround me.
These men weren't VÃctor, and there was no guarantee I was going to get out of this without have the shit beaten out of me. Even if I did manage to win, I knew there was no way I wasn't going to take my shots, not with three of them. They weren't stupid and kept their distance as I waited and watched. One guy moved in a little too close, probably preparing to engage me, but I struck first. I lunged at him and drove the heel of my hand into his face as hard as I could. Blood burst from his shattered lips as he stumbled back and fell.
Having gained myself a little room, I whirled to face the attack I knew was coming from behind me. I sidestepped a swing, catching a little of it under my ribs. Grunting with the punch, I turned to the third man, kicking him in the chest as the man who'd grazed me with his punch reloaded. The man I kicked stumbled away, but I didn't have enough time to recover and took a full power shot from a left hand to my stomach.
Grunting hard, I stumbled back as I tried to recover from the blow. The man powered in, going for the kill. He hit me again, with a right under my ribs this time, working my body, and I again grunted hard and deep as I stumbled back even more. He followed, his teeth bared. He fired another left, but this one I was able to slip, and I drove a closed fist into his kidneys for his trouble. He grunted hard with pain, and I knew he was probably going to be pissing blood later.
The first guy was back on his feet, his face a bloody mess. He waded in, a wild roundhouse connecting solidly with my head. Fortunately his aim was off and he hit me high, snapping my head back and causing me to fall, rather than ringing my bell by connecting with my jaw or temple.
Being on the ground was a death sentence. The man who'd just punched me bore in, intending to finish me. I lashed out with my foot and kicked him in the nuts. Fighting fair was for suckers. His scream could have been heard in Houston as he crumpled, falling over me as he grabbed his wounded balls.
I'd tried to avoid his fall, but was only partially successful. I was trying to scramble to my feet when a foot connected solidly with my stomach and ribs. I'd managed to soften the blow slightly with my hands and arms, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. I crashed back to the ground as one of the men, I wasn't sure if it was the man who'd just kicked me, or the other one, tried to stomp on my face. I ducked that, barely, knowing what was coming. I wasn't wrong and took another kick in my side by the second man.
I'd gotten my arm down to protect my ribs, and while the kick hurt like a
