Battle-Hardened, War Weary Ch. 03

'I wonder what the hell happen now,' he thought as he strolled further into the living room. He saw Deer Parker standing by the massive fireplace. He carried one of his daughters in his arms. The scene was amusing for Ryan.

His friend was an imposing type of man. Deer had an intimidating physique with his six-feet-six inched frame, which was heavily muscled, dark brown skin tone, bald head and other masculine features. But, in regards to this night, he looked funny. He held his three year-old daughter, Alexis in his massive arms and she was dressed as a pink ballerina. The scene was cute ever since he was the unwilling participant of wearing her toy tiara.

"Hey, man," Ryan greeted Deer, with a straight face. His eyes drifted off of his face and landed on the item that was on his head. He ended up snickering while he stared at the top of his head.

"Hey, yourself," his friend returned his greeting. "Don't you dare say anything," warned Deer with a slight snarl on his face.

Ryan openly laughed. He turned his attention to Alexis. "Alexis, sweetie, you made your daddy look very pretty tonight!"

The three year-old giggled. "Thank you, Uncle Ryan!" she said with a sweet smile on her face.

Ryan laughed even more.

"Alexis, baby, can daddy take this off now?" Deer asked his daughter.

"Nooooo, daddy!" she whined.

"Why do you want to ruin your make-over, daddy?" Ryan teased.

Deer gave his friend a glare, which made Ryan, laughed.

"Where have you been? You just miss the good news, man."

"What good news?" inquired Ryan, as he started to play with the pigtails of Alexis' hair. The child grabbed her ponytail and tried to pull it out of his hand. Ryan chuckled.

"Our homeboy Danny is going to be a daddy, man" Deer informed him. "Mary Anne's old man had just announced the news."

"Mary Anne is pregnant?" The news was a pleasant surprise for Ryan. He knew that this news was going to the death-knell for Daniel's relationship with Kali.

"I don't think Danny knew about the pregnancy though," Deer commented, as he shifted his weight to foot-to-foot. "When the pregnancy was mentioned, the expression on his face was funny as hell. He looked as if someone just told him that he was dying of a weird disease and he had forty-eight hours to live."

Both men stared at the large group and found Danny standing in the middle of the bunch. He stood next to his wife. Various relatives were coming up to him and congratulating the husband and wife, who were about to become parents. Ryan gazed at Danny and saw the façade that his friend sported. From outsider's point of view, Danny looked happy, but Ryan knew better. There was a smile on his face, but the jovial nature was not found in his eyes. There was sweat forming on his brow, as if he was nervous. His fingers kept raking through the strands of his hair. In Ryan's opinion, his friend looks terrified.

"Yeah, I don't think he knew about the pregnancy" Ryan stated to his friend. His eyes surveyed the living room. He was searching for Kali. Despite the full house, Kali wasn't hard to miss. Besides Deer and a few other guests, she was the only black person here and plus her choice of outfit made her stand out even more. He was about to ask Deer has he seen Kali, but realized that he didn't want to be questioned about his interest.

'That fucking bitch...'

He remembered his recent interaction with Carlo. He appeared to have gotten into an altercation and apparently has lost that fight. Then he remembered the incident that occurred twenty minutes ago, when the Tolleys were searching for Daniel. Carlo had volunteered to retrieve Daniel from the basement, where they all knew Daniel was hiding. His mind replayed those memories as if it was a silent film.

'Carlo... Basement... Carlo... Bloodied face... That fucking bitch... Kali is missing... She is in the basement... Carlo... Carlo... Kali... Oh no, Kali... KALI!'

Ryan glanced at Deer. "I'll be back, man!"

"Rye, are you all right, man?" asked Deer. He noticed the sudden look of uneasiness on his usually stoic face. His eyes were slightly wider and his eyes were slightly glazed.

"Yeah, I'll be back."

Ryan had briskly traveled from the living room to the kitchen. He rudely pushed individuals that were stood in his way. He heard several people yell insults at his back as he traveled. Once he arrived to the staircase that led into the basement, he descended the steps in a rushed manner.

"Who's that?"

The statement was spoken, once he reached the bottom of the stairs. The voice sounded similar to Kali's voice. He saw there was lit up room located on the other side of the wine shelves. He proceeded to walk over to the large eight-foot tall shelves.

"Kali!" he shouted as he walked through an aisle.

"Ryan?" he heard her say. The call had come from the well-lit room.

He traveled to the room's doorway. Before he could enter the room, he was greeted by a man. The action was so unexpected that Ryan had backed away from the doorway.

"Who the fuck is you?" Ryan asked with a grimace on his face while sizing his potential opponent.

The man was sporting a white tank top, a pair of black slacks and a pair of black shoes. Ryan concluded that the mystery man was a server that was supposed to be working right now. He was a few inches shorter than Ryan. Judging by the subtle muscle definition in his arms, Ryan figured that the guy didn't lift weights and work out. He was fair-skinned. He had curly, blonde hair that was close-cropped to his scalp. He looked young in age.

"Who the fuck is you?" the server asked him, with just as much attitude.

"I'm—

"Patrick, he's okay." He listened to Kali's voice. She sounded as if she was tired.

"Kali?" He made another attempt to enter the bathroom, but Patrick thwarted his attempt again. Ryan groaned in irritation. "If you don't get out of my way—

"As long as I am here, no one is going to hurt her again," Patrick said to him. "I know what type of person that you are."

"Oh yeah," Ryan teased. "What type of person am I?"

"You're the type of person who gets their jollies off by hurting women, because of some bullshit side effect of being used as a punching bag by your folks. You're also the type that thinks that another person can be owned, as if they're a fucking toy..." Patrick stared into the taller man's eyes and saw the hatred that burned in them. He knew that he was right with his assessment. A small part of his soul was in glee that he was able to rile this asshole up. "Oh yeah, I know what you're thinking. Yes, she's told me everything that you did to her..."

'Oh shit,' his inner voice had spoken. Then, an unusual sensation started to permeate into Ryan's soul. It was a familiar feeling, which he hasn't felt in a long time. The last time he had felt this way was when he was a boy. The feeling he felt was fear. 'He's bullshitting you. He doesn't have shit on you. You know Kali hasn't said anything to him. She is afraid to.' As soon as the fear arrived, it quickly left, thanks to the case of denial that he has conjured up. 'He's trying to intimidate me. What a fucking dumbass.'

Ryan's eyes looked past this smug asshole and he gazed at Kali, who sat on the toilet and was staring down into her lap while she pressed a bloodied towel to her lips. Then, he returned his stare at the punk who was standing before him.

"I advise you to get the fuck out of here, Rich Boy and leave her alone. Or else, I'll contact the authorities," Patrick informed him.

"You want to contact the authorities?" challenged Ryan.

"Yes, I'll call the cops on your sorry ass and make sure they pick up that other son of a bitch too!"

'You want to call the cops asshole? Fine, let me help me with that,' Ryan's mind had spoken.

"Fine" Ryan said to him. There was a brief stare-down between the two men. Each man tried to intimidate the other man. Ryan was the person to break the trance. He had to take one last glance at Kali before he left. There was a strong urge to gaze at her before he had gone. His emerald-tinted eyes left his opponent and focused on the woman that was in the bathroom. She had her face concealed. But he saw how her body trembled as she sat on the toilet. He knew that she was crying.

'You're the cause of it.'

He felt like the declaration could've been spoken to him, by an actual spoken, instead of by his conscience. Guilt had creep into his body as if the emotion was fingertips grazing along his back. There was tightness in his throat and a slight case of nausea due to his stomach rumbling. He turned his eyes back onto the face of the waiter. He knew that he couldn't let the kid see any vulnerability on his face. With an expressionless face, Ryan gawked at the other man. He kept the kid as a focal point even as he backed away from the bathroom's doorway.

Patrick watched Ryan walk backwards and away from the vicinity. He kept his eyes trained on the interloper as he walked down an aisle and until he was out of sight. He listened to the sounds of footsteps as they ascended the staircase. He continued to stand in the doorway and on guard, even after Ryan was gone.

Patrick knew that the tall, red-haired man did not leave because he was afraid. He knew that he didn't retreat. As he stood in front of Patrick, the younger man stared into his eyes. He didn't see any cowardice. Patrick knew that this guy wasn't bitch-made, despite his wealth and social class status. Based off of the information that Kali had given him, he knew that the ginger was cunning, conceited and manipulative. He knew that this guy had something up his sleeve.

A low-pitched sob rung out into the small lavatory and it captured Patrick's attention. He glanced over at Kali. She was still sitting on the toilet. Her head was wedged in between her forearms while her elbows rested on her kneecaps. Her body trembled and swayed simultaneously. The volume in her cries had become louder.

"Kali," whispered Patrick as he walked over to where she was sitting. He squatted down in front of her and gently clasped onto her forearms. "Kali, honey" he sighed. He felt an extreme case of pity for the woman. He began thinking of ways on how to help her. He had come up with ideas that both ranged from being legal to illegal. "Kali, I'm going to help you..."

Patrick's ears picked up on the sounds of people coming down the basement's stairs. He figured there were two sets of footsteps. He figured that that Ryan person must've called the cops and gave a bullshit story in which he was the batterer and not his friend. He hoped that Kali will tell the police officers the truth. Based off of his past experiences with dealing with battered women, they tend to protect the abuser. He hopes that she is different than the rest of them.

"Kali, I want you to know that the cops are about to enter the bathroom" warned Patrick. He rubbed at her forearms and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I know that you are afraid of the consequences of fighting back, but I want you to know that I would like to be there for you. Okay?"

"Step away from the woman," said a voice that had come from the doorway. The man dug into his breast pocket and produced a leather wallet. He flipped the lid and showed Patrick his police badge. In response, Patrick nodded his head.

Patrick looked over at the entryway of the bathroom. There was a man standing in the threshold. He recognized the man as one of the people that he served, at the party. He was a man that was of medium built. He wasn't fat or overweight, but he wasn't skinny or very muscular either. Patrick figured that he had to taller than five-foot-ten inches tall, but he was not as tall like him. The man was pale. His dark-colored hair was styled in a crew cut. He was clean shaven. He wore an authoritative presence just like the fancy-looking suit that he wore.

Patrick complied with the officer's request. He pressed his body against the unfinished wall that was across from where Kali had sat. He stared at the officer. The officer turned his attention to Kali.

"Kali Doreen?" the officer said to her. The sounds of her sobbing still filled the room. "Kali Doreen," the officer repeated, but this time in a louder tone of voice.

The sounds of the sobbing continued, but the pitch did alter a bit as she lifted her head up. The left side of her face was stained with blood. Her lower mouth was covered with the towel. Her eyes were wet with her tears. Her eyes traveled over to the doorway. Patrick watched her eyes widen, which was a sign that she recognized the person.

"Jack?" she sobbed into the towel.

"Yeah Kiddo," the officer said to her with a gentle laugh. He turned his attention to Patrick. "I'mma need to have a word with Kali alone please," he instructed the younger man.

"Ok, sure" he muttered. He traveled to the doorway. The officer stepped away from the doorway and allowed Patrick to exit the room. He noticed that Ryan was in the wine cellar. He was leaning against the wall. He took note of the small smile that was on his lips. The police officer glanced at him.

"Hey Kid, don't wander off. I have a few questions to ask you," he informed Patrick.

"Don't worry, I am not going anywhere," Patrick said to the officer while glaring at Ryan, who stood across the basement.

The officer entered the bathroom and closed the door behind his back. NYPD detective Jack Logan shook his head in disgust. He wasn't disgusted with Kali or at the young man that was with her. It was aimed toward the bad luck that seemed to stick to this young woman. He has known Kali Richardson since she was four years old. He saved her life. According to the newspapers presses at the time, he was the 'bright light that managed to shine through, after she had to endure nothing but dark clouds'. Jack didn't share the same opinion. He believed that he was just a NYPD officer, who was doing his job. Since their first meeting, he has been a positive and active figure in her life. Her grandparents considered Jack to be her unofficial godfather.

Jack walked to the wall that was in front of Kali and leaned against the solid surface. He stared down at the woman's battered face. She is usually a very pretty woman, but tonight she looks like a prized fighter after a bout. Her face was swollen. The skin under her left eye was starting to swell. He could tell that it was going to bruise soon. There was a nasty scratch covering her left eyelid. Then he noticed the bruising that covered her neck and cheeks. Based off of the coloring, the bruises were days old. He figured out that she was beaten up before.

The notion that there was a monster out there, which had beaten up Kali, made him very angry. He was angry to the point where he was homicidal. Preferably, he wanted to murder the person who has put his hands on his goddaughter. He was seething with rage, but he managed to keep his emotion concealed.

"Okay Kali Doreen, tell me what's up?" inquired Detective Jack Logan, with a tone of voice that hid his true emotions.

Kali whimpered, in response to his question.

"Okay, Kali, can you tell me what happened to you? We can start by you telling me who did this to you?"

Kali's violet eyes gazed at him. She continued to hold the towel to her mouth.

"Did my nephew do this to you?" he inquired.

'Please God, please don't let her tell me that Danny had done this to her' he silently pleaded.

He saw Kali frantically shake her head. She lifted the bottom of the towel until it was away from her mouth, but was still covering the sight of the wound.

Jack continued to pray to God.

"No, Daniel didn't do this to me" she answered.

He felt the tension leave his body at hearing her answer. 'Thank you God,' his mind muttered.

"Oh, she speaks!" Jack taunted, even though he wasn't in a jovial mood. Her face frowned up, in return. "So, if Daniel didn't do this to you, then who did? Because I am going to be honest with you, if you don't give me anything right now, I am going to have to arrest that kid out there." Kali's brow wrinkled in confusion while her eyes displayed shock. He had gone on to explain. "According to Ryan, that kid was down here, beating you up. Of course, I don't believe that bullshit for one second, but it is the only thing that I have to go along with, unless you tell me what happened."

Then, the small bathroom was filled with silence. Some sounds from the party had managed to sneak into the room with the two of them. Jack Logan stared at Kali while she stared at everything else except for him. He thought that she gave off the appearance that she was forming a false story to tell him.

'Come on kid, don't pin this on an innocent person,' he thought as he stared at her.

For Jack, with every second of silence, his anxiety grew. He felt like he was riding in a car of a rollercoaster and the car was about to take a deep plunge.

Finally, Kali glanced at Jack. Gingerly, she removed the towel entirely away from her face. Jack's eyes widen in disbelief as he stared at her wounded, upper lip. One half of her lip was swollen three times its size and there was a deep gash searing across the pink skin of her inner lip. A steady flow of blood seeped from the cut. Once he saw how serious her injury was, he made the decision that the asshole was going to die.

"His name is Carlo Rossi," she answered. She placed the towel back on her mouth.

'Carlo Rossi... The name sounds familiar... Did I arrest him before? Or arrest anybody else with the name of Rossi?' Jack pondered. He figured that Kali could help him with this information. "How do you know Mr. Rossi?"

Kali removed the towel from her lip. "Carlo is Ryan's friend. He also had gone to Bainbridge as well. Danny and Cossette know him too."

"Cossette, who's Cossette?" inquired Jack.

"Cossette is Mary Anne's middle name, but she prefers to be called Cossette," she informed him. She placed the towel back on her mouth.

"Oh, I didn't know that," he muttered. "So, this Carlo Rossi kid had gone to school with you guys and he is friends with Ryan Whittler?" He watched her nod her head, in reply to his inquiry. "Explained what Mr. Rossi looks like."

Kali removed the towel from her mouth. "He's white and his skin is pale. He is usually tanned. He's short—

"How short?"

"He's about five foot-seven or five foot-six inches tall. He has black hair which is brushed back and away from his face. He looks like one of those fake mobsters that you see in the movies. He has dark brown eyes."

"Okay" Jack murmured while memorizing the physical details of his perp. "Tell me what did he have on tonight."

"Tonight, he wore a black suit which was not tailored—

"How do you know that it wasn't tailored?"

"Because it looked terrible on him" she answered.

Jack laughed. "Go on with your explanation" he instructed.

"He wore a black suit and a red shirt underneath his suit jacket. It was a dark shade of red. Plus the fabric of the shirt was shiny, like it was satin."

"Explain to me what happened to you before the attack. Tell me the events that led up to the assault."

Kali removed the towel from her mouth. "Carlo had come down here to get Danny. He said that Cossette was looking for him." She pressed the towel on her mouth.

"So, you're still diddling my nephew, I see" Detective Logan said as if he was talking about a pair of pants that he had bought. His eyes focused on her semi-covered face. She carried an expression of surprise. He couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll explain to you before the night is over. So, continue telling me about what happened between you, Carlo and Danny?"

Kali had sat up straight. She removed the towel slightly. "Danny had gone upstairs, back to the party. Carlo was down here with me. He was insulting me and I got mad. I had gone to slam the bathroom door shut, but he caught the door before it could close. He pushed the door open and then started to scream at me about slamming the door on him. He came into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. He locked the door. He..." She stopped speaking. She glanced away from Jack's prying eyes and gazed down at a corner of the room.