Noble Beginnings Read Free

trained
prize fighters. We were equals now.
    Martinez threw
a flurry of punches. One landed on the side of my head. The blow knocked me to
the ground. I knew his next move would be to kick me in the midsection. I
quickly rolled and got to my hands and feet.
    Martinez backed
up.
    I looked to the
side. Saw black combat boots less than four feet away. I didn’t have to look up
to know the boots didn’t belong to Bear. He wore brown boots.
    Martinez
started toward me. I had to time my attack just right. If I struck too soon
Martinez would be out of my reach. Too late and he’d be upon me before I would
have a chance to react.
    I took a deep
breath as time slowed down. Martinez’s boots hit the packed dirt, heel then
toe, left then right. He was ten feet way, then eight, then six.
    I launched into
the air to the right and twisted my body. Kiser didn’t have time to react other
than to turn slightly toward me. His outstretched right arm moved too slowly.
My body continued to twist to the right, and I whipped my left arm around. My
hand wrapped into a fist and struck Kiser’s windpipe hard and fast. He let out
a loud gasp as the impact caused him to drop his gun. His hands went to his
neck as he stumbled backward and fell to the ground. He tried to suck air into
his lungs, but his crushed throat wouldn’t allow it. His lungs shriveled and
his face turned red, then blue, and scrunched up into a contorted look of
agony.
    Martinez closed
the gap between the two of us. It was the right move at the wrong time. What he
should have done was pulled his weapon. Again, I ducked and slipped to the
side, letting his momentum carry him a good ten feet away from me.
    I cast a quick
glance toward Bear, who held Bealle’s limp body against the building with his
left hand while his right delivered punch after furious punch.
    With Bealle and
Kiser out of commission, I turned to deal with Martinez, who had just scraped
himself off the ground and was approaching. I still couldn’t figure out why he
didn’t pull his gun on me. End it quickly. He stepped over Kiser’s limp body,
coming to a stop a few feet away from me.
    I heard a body
hit the ground behind me and then Bear appeared next to me.
    Martinez lunged
forward. I moved to the side and brought a fist down across the bridge of his
nose, sending him to the ground, hard. Bear picked him up, and then drove two
hard blows to the man’s face and then tossed him onto the ground next to
Bealle.
    We reentered
the house with our guns drawn and confronted Gallo. He gave up without a fight.
    “You people
should leave,” I said to the family. “Tonight. Now.”
    Bear removed
the thick plastic ties that bound their arms together.
    The family
huddled together. Each parent scooped up a kid.
    “Follow us out
and then go.” I grabbed my M16 from its resting spot on the wall and then led
the family down the narrow hall. I stopped by the door, took a deep breath and
then stuck my head outside. It was deserted. Martinez and his men and even the
group of Iraqi men down the street had bailed. I saw flashing lights reflecting
off the surrounding buildings as sirens filled the air.
    “Bear,” I
called down the hall. “We need to get out of here.”

Chapter 2
    Martinez and
the others peeled away in the van we had rode in. That left Bear and I
searching for a way back to headquarters. But before that, we had to get away
from the house before the police arrived. We managed to slip around the corner
before a squad car arrived.
    “You pay
attention on the ride in?” I asked.
    Bear nodded.
“I’ve been out here before.”
    I scanned the
street. Empty, except for a few small cars parked on narrow strips of dirt
between the road and houses.
    “Take your
pick.”
    He pointed at a
blue two door that didn’t look like it could fit one of us, let alone both of
us. He started toward the car parked a half block away. The sound of driving
slowly echoed from behind.
    “We better pick
it up,” I said.
    We