Karma's a Bitch & Then Someone Dies

I was still leaning on a pool table and Thomas tried to grab my shirt. First I hit him in the throat going between his reaching hands. When he grabbed his throat, I swept his legs out from under him. Grabbing his pool stick, I turned and attacked Ralph. The idea was to put him out of the game as fast as possible. I was pretty sure I could handle Sergio and Thomas, but Ralph was another matter.

I hit Ralph across the bridge of his nose with the pool cue. If you hit some one's nose, the first thing they do is grab it with both hands. Their eyes start to water and they can't see for a second or two. Sergio had started forward; I took a second to kick him in the groin and he went down.

Turning back to Ralph, I kicked the side of his leg at the knee with the toe of my boot; I was wearing steel toed boots and he went to the floor. I had done what I had to keep Ralph out of the way. His nose was probably broken and that knee may never be the same. Thomas was up and moving by this time by this time.

Thomas was put back on the floor with a punch to his nose, another to his tender throat, and a kick to his mid section. The confrontation with Thomas and Ralph took less than 15 seconds. Now for the last one.

Sergio had moved behind the pool table after getting up. He was on the opposite side of the table with his pool cue held like a club. Now he began to wonder and he wasn't sure he wanted to mess with this old man.

A word here about using a pool cue as a club. Most people grab a cue by the smaller end so they can use the big end as a club. Problem with that is that when the stick breaks you are left with a thin piece of wood to protect yourself. The best way is to grab the thick end; if it breaks you still have the larger end as your weapon.

I went around the table toward him and he tried to stay away from me by circling the table. I picked up a ball from the table, threw it at him, and as he ducked I jumped onto the table. When he looked up again, I kicked him on the chin; Sergio went down and I jumped on him. I put his arm across my knee and used it as a lever to dislocate his shoulder.

Now I had all three of them in a situation I could control. I pulled all of them close together; I had a message for them. Two were barely conscious and I had to revive them a little. When I had their attention, I started my little speech.

"You guys are pitiful. You let an old man kick your ass," I laughed at them. "The only reason you are still alive is because of the promise I made my sister in law. If it was up to me you would never get up from the floor. This is what you are going to do. You will leave my family alone after our little discussion here. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

All three of them said yes or nodded their heads. "Let's not have this conversation again, guys. You really won't like the outcome next time." I left the back room and walked through the bar. I gave the bartender a fifty and told him I broken a couple of cues. I felt no guilt about the confrontation with the unholy trio. It was 3 to 1 but I was better than them and they had got their lumps. Payback pure and simple. If I hadn't made that promise to Beth, the three of them would be just a pile of dead meat.

I went back to my brother's house and sat down in a chaise lounge on the back porch. No one was home; the family was still at the hospital visiting Zack. That was okay, I need the time to wind down. After every military operation there is a debriefing session. This is used to gather information for the future and just as important it gives men time to unwind. You have to have a little quiet time to allow the adrenaline to get out of your system. If you don't wind down, you'll get the shakes.

The next morning found me sleeping on the back porch. When the family got home last night they didn't check out back and I was already asleep. Having breakfast with Beth, Alyssa, and Jake was a pleasant experience. I hadn't had breakfast with a family since my wife Sally was killed.

After breakfast, I treated my hands for some cuts and abrasions from the night before. No matter how hard you try, your hands will always take a beating from a fight. I finished cleaning up and we all went back to the hospital. Zack was doing very well and was going to be able to go home the next day. The bullet had missed everything important and he was healing nicely.

I almost expected the police to come see me about the fight at the bar, but they never showed up. I guess the three tough guys didn't want to admit that an old man kicked their asses.

Beth and I brought Zack home the next morning. His leg was healing but it was very weak and sore. We fixed up the hide a bed in the family room for him and Beth so they could sleep there for a few days. I went to sleep upstairs in their room for now. Everything had just about got back to normal.

What happened next was my fault. I was sure that I had read the three men correctly and that my little conversation with them would solve the problem. I was a little cocky when I explained to Zack and Beth about my meeting with the trio. My over confidence cost us, big time.

Two weeks had passed since my meeting in the pool room and everything had been quiet; the trial was going to start in about a month. It was mid Saturday morning, I didn't feel that I was needed anymore and was packing to leave. Grabbing my kit and starting down the stairs, I head a sound I had heard too many times in Vietnam; an AK-47 in full auto mode. The front of the house seemed to explode as the rounds struck.

I jumped to the landing and used the door jamb as cover. It doesn't pay to rush into at stream of bullets from a fully automatic weapon. That will get you dead. I pulled my Kimber .45 out of my kit and waited for the shooter to reload. He had been using a spray and pray technique and usually that isn't a very accurate way to shoot because the barrel rises and you lose your target. When the firing stopped, I went to one of the front windows to locate the shooter.

A car was stopped in front of the house and I could see the rifle barrel sticking out of the window. I shot twice at a spot just behind the weapon. The car raced away and I fired twice more. Then it was time to check the family. Zack's face was cut in a few places from flying glass, but the cuts weren't bad. Beth hadn't been as lucky, she had been hit at least twice. Both kids had been in the back yard and weren't hurt.

We called 911 and Zack rode in ambulance with Beth. I gathered up the kids and took them to Beth's sister for the night. After I got them settled in I went to the hospital and found Zack in the surgery waiting room. Beth was in surgery and it would be at least an hour before we knew anything.

The police arrived and started to question Zack and me. I almost went ballistic and started yelling at them. "Jesus Christ, my brother's wife is in surgery and you idiots are wasting time asking stupid questions. You know who did this so go get them you idiots." Zack calmed me down and gave the police all the information he had.

Then the police asked if one of us had shot back at the car. The cop said the neighbors heard the machine gun fire and then four very loud gun shots. I took a couple of deep breaths to keep from overreacting and told him that I didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't really seem to believe me but he had no proof that anyone had shot back. The cops left and we went back to worrying about Beth.

Remember the debriefing? I hadn't had any quiet time and the snakes were crawling. I started to shake and then I started to cry. I wasn't sobbing or anything, just tears rolling down my face. I had caused this by being over confident, I thought. Zack and I had talked about moving the family away until the trial but I was so sure that I had handled the problem that we didn't. Beth was in surgery fighting for her life, because of me.

Two hours after I got to the hospital, a doctor came to the waiting room and asked for Mr. Clark. Funny thing both Zack and I answered to Mr. Clark. The doctor said that Beth would be okay and that she had been hit twice. A ricochet had sliced into her left arm and that wound was more like a deep gouge that would heal easily. The other wound had been to her left shoulder. The round had done a through and through just below her collar bone. She had some muscle damage, but again should heal with no problem and regain full use of her arm with therapy.

I said a prayer for Beth and then one for me. Even though I was thinking about Beth my mind was planning my next move. I realized that I couldn't do anything to help Beth right now but I could see to it that no one else in the family would be hurt. I didn't say anything to Zack; he had enough on his mind right now and didn't need to worry about me too.

We wouldn't be able to see Beth for a least another hour so I left to go talk to the kids. They needed to see my face when I told them their mother would be okay. After wards I went back to the house to get ready for my mission. As I said before, I always have a kit ready to go in case I have to go somewhere in a hurry.

The kit contained the usual; extra clothes, toiletries, and an extensive first aid box. There were a couple of additional items and my weapons. In the kit was the Kimber .45, and there was also a selection of knives. Ammo for the guns completed my kit. Behind the seat in my truck was a steel box holding my "deer hunting" rifle, a .308 Remington 700 ADL. I have several accessories that turn this sporting rifle into a sniper's dream. These are the tools I will use to solve the problem of that unholy trio.

My mission was a simple one. I was going to make sure those thugs didn't have a chance to make another attack on the family. The action I was planning had three possible results and only one was good. I planned on taking Sergio and company out. First result: I could be killed and not get the job done. Second result: I erase Sergio and his posse, but get caught and jailed. Third result: (And my choice) the mission is completed and no one goes to jail. See, only one good conclusion out of the three possibilities.

Yeah I know, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the lord", but the last time my family was attacked, the lord must have been busy. He will just have to judge me after the fact because I will not allow my family to be attacked and hurt again. IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. Not on my watch. Now before you totally get the wrong idea, let me explain some facts of life as I see them.

I don't believe in going around shooting people at random. I do believe in protecting what and who I care for. In the Army I protected and supported the guys in my squad and my company; it was part of my job. I will protect my loved ones with even more vigor. Before you get all emotional about "those poor innocent boys", remember what they had already done.

They stole my niece's car, beat the hell out of her, and tried to rape her. They might have killed her after they were done with her. Then they slapped around a 10 year old boy to show my niece what would happened if she testified against them. Next, Sergio and company tried to kill my family with a drive by shooting. These are not innocent young boys doing a little mischief; these are stone killers and rabid dogs. And I am the dog catcher.

A close in fire fight is a lot different than a hand to hand combat. Even if only one of them gets lucky while exchanging gun fire it could ruin my day. That is why I was going to use the sniper rifle if I could. I intended to do my mission from 400 yards away, if at all possible. Their AKs and hand guns don't have that kind of range and they probably wouldn't even know where the shots were coming from.

I was watching the T.V. news that night to get a weather forecast and got a bit of good news. The news reported that the body a young man by the name of Ralph Brown had been found down by the river. He had been shot twice with a .45 but the police had no leads to the shooter. The police had pulled in Sergio and Thomas but they had alibis from their girlfriends. On the plus side I guess the shots I fired at that car had done some good after all.

There was no need to look for Sergio and Thomas during the day; they would only come out at night. So I went to see how Beth was doing and to talk some business with Zack. I found Beth sitting up in bed looking pretty good. She and Zack were laughing about something when I walked in. Beth saw me and smiled; I almost lost it. I got tears in my eyes and apologized to her; then Beth held out her arms to me and I went to her.

"Nate, what's wrong? Why are you apologizing? You have been a rock for us and have nothing to be sorry about," Beth said.

"It was my cockiness that almost got you killed. I thought I had those punks scared enough to leave you guys alone. I should have made sure," I told her.

Between Beth and Zack they got me calmed down a little and we had a nice visit. After about 30 minutes, I motioned Zack out of the room. I asked him to take a walk with me and we ended up in a courtyard. I handed him a large thick envelope.

"Zack, you guys are the only family I have left. If something happens to me, my will is in this envelope. I have left almost everything to you, Beth and the kids. I want Stella to have my boat, she always enjoyed going out on it. The condo is paid for and can be sold for enough to put Alyssa and Jake through college, or whatever you want to do with it. The bank accounts and investments are for you and Beth. Buy a summer home or whatever and enjoy life. Keep any of the rest of the stuff you want and the rest give to the Army/Navy relief fund or the Goodwill."

"What do you mean, if something happens to you? What are you planning?" Zack wanted to know.

"I'm going to solve this problem, that's all you need to know. If this mission goes south, you can truthfully say you knew nothing about happened. Don't push me on this Zack. You can't talk you way out of this with those assholes and I won't let any of you get hurt again. Remember, I love you guys." I hugged Zack and left him in the courtyard.

My next move was to find and scout the area that the remaining two assholes ran around in. After finding out their habits, I could plan the mission. It took me two days to find them again and another two days observing their movements before I was ready.

Sergio and Thomas had changed bars. I guess even those two weren't dumb enough to go back to the bar I where I had first met them. I never could find out where they were living. The new bar didn't fit in very well with my plans. There wasn't anywhere that I could use my rifle and therefore wouldn't be out of range of return gunfire. That only left the "Gun fight at the OK corral" method.

I would have to get up close and personal to do what I felt had to be done. The only consolation was that the AKs probably wouldn't be involved. I knew I could take the two punks, but the question was could I do it and not get hurt? There wasn't going to be a chance of doing this from far away so there would probably be witnesses. I would prefer not to go to jail, but if my family were safe I could handle it.

The plan was simple. I would wait until Sergio and Thomas went into the bar and I would follow them in. Once inside, I would get in their face, insult them, and question their manhood. The goal was to provoke them into attacking me, either physically or with weapons. I could then claim self defense when I took them out.

A physical attack even if they used knives shouldn't be a problem; however it could go south if they pulled guns. They would just have to get lucky once to put a hurting on me. As much as I hate to believe it, I have slowed down a little. I wasn't as much of a"Rambo" as I had been and I was becoming a senior citizen.

I decided that do the mission on Friday night. Beth was still in the hospital so I called Zack there. He answered the phone in Beth's room just liked I hoped.

"Hi Zack, it's me. How's Beth."

"Nate where are you? We haven't heard from you in almost a week. What are you planning?" Zack was full of questions.

"It's not important where I am or what I'm going to do. I just wanted to check on Beth," I told him.

"Beth is doing fine; we can take her home tomorrow. By the way, the police captain friend of yours was looking for you. He told me to tell you to leave things alone. That the police will handle those guys," Zack told me. "He said he didn't want you to get in over your head or get in trouble."

"Charley always was a worrier. Don't tell him you talked to me. I don't want you involved in all this stuff. Remember the envelope and instructions I gave you Zack. I love you guys. Take care."

"Nate, Nate, wait. Don't do........." I hung up on him. I had told him the important stuff. Now it was time to do the mission and put an end to this shit.

I got to the bar just after dark and parked my truck a couple of doors away from the entrance. Going around to the back of the building, I blocked the back door with the bar's dumpster; no one would be using the back door to get away. I knocked out the street lights around the bar and the light over the door. Then I went across the street and waited in the shadows for the punks to show up.

An hour had passed and I began to think I would have to wait for another night. Then the two assholes pulled up in the same car they had used when they shot up Zack's house. What dummies. They got out of the car laughing at something and went into the bar.

I wanted those two to have a few drinks before I braced them. While I waited I went over my preparations and the plan in my head. I was wearing a "kidney belt" like motocross riders wear under my shirt. It covered me from just under my arms to just above my hips and had strips of hard plastic sewn into it. The belt would help protect me from knife wounds. It wouldn't help much with a gunshot though.

I had my .45 in the small of my back covered by my jacket. There was a .38 special revolver strapped to my right ankle as a backup. I also had a special ops throwing knife taped to my left forearm. It was sort of overkill but I wanted to be prepared.

An hour had passed and it was show time so I slowly walked into the bar. The only people there was the bartender, a couple of drunks at the bar and Sergio and Thomas. They were at the back of the room sitting at a table. I stepped to the bar and got two beers. I carried the beers over to their table and set them down. Then I stood there and stared at Sergio and Thomas. They didn't notice me until I set the beers down.

"What are you doing here old man?" Sergio was the one that spoke. He wasn't as cocky as he had been the first time we met.

"I thought I cured you of that old man shit the last time we met junior. I wanted to buy you guys a beer before," I said.

"Before what?" Sergio was being a great straight man.

"Before I kill you and you buddy here, asshole," I answered. Sergio and Thomas were surprised at my answer. In their world a guy would talk trash and be insulting before getting down to the nitty gritty. "You bastards made a bad career move when you attacked my family. You made an even bigger mistake when you didn't kill me with that drive by shooting. By the way, where's Ralph?"

Both of the men were beginning to realize that I wasn't just talking. They knew that I was going to do what I said. They began to fidget in their seats and looked at each other. Knowing that I had to escalate the action, I picked up the two beers and threw them into their faces. It got the reaction I wanted.

The men stood up and Sergio pulled a very large knife and started toward me. I glanced at Thomas, but he was staying put. I turned to Sergio and took a step to meet him. That's when I felt the fire across my back and into my side. I dropped to my knees.