Compromised by Lawrence Kelter Read Free Book Online

not?”
    “Got a mouthpiece?”
    “Get real, you scrawny pissant.” He grinned, exposing his pearly white teeth. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks for every tooth you knock out of my mouth.”
    Lido was smaller but not by much. He was six-two, two-twenty with catlike reflexes and speed. He smiled at his massive opponent. “Suit yourself, but don’t come crying to me if you need a mouthful of caps. Ya big baby—I know you’re afraid of the dentist.”
    “Like you’re not.”
    Lido shook his head. “Never heard of laughing gas, chucklehead?”
    Coltrane pounded his boxing gloves together and gave Lido a cocky sneer. “Lido, you do have a death wish. No hard feelings if I mess up that pretty smile of yours?”
    “Go for it.” Lido grinned and tugged on the training gloves. Both men pulled on their protective headgear and stepped into the ring.
    Coltrane was an old-school boxer, like Jake LaMotta on steroids. If LaMotta was the Raging Bull, Coltrane was the Runaway Freight Train. He raised his fists and took his position in the center of the ring, unyielding and menacing.
    By contrast, Lido liked to move and jab.
    “Stand still,” Coltrane griped. “Take your beating like a—”
    Lido fired off two quick jabs, rattling the behemoth before he could finish his sentence.
    “Now you made me mad.”
    Coltrane lowered his head and advanced, coming for his prey, determined to demonstrate his prowess in the ring. He took a wild swing, which Lido easily sidestepped before slipping a jab into Coltrane’s ribs. It was a solid hit, but the big gloves absorbed most of the blow. Coltrane cleared his nostrils and closed in. His technique was crude, a series of hard punches that Lido was able to block and counter.
    “Is that all you’ve got?” Lido said. They were sparring for exercise, and neither wanted to hurt his opponent, but the comment sparked something in Coltrane. He unleashed a wild haymaker that caught Lido on the side of the neck, triggering a sharp pain in his throat.
    “You okay?” Coltrane asked.
    Lido nodded and coughed into his glove. His eyes snapped open as he began backpedaling around the ring.
    “Stand still, Muhammad Ali,” Coltrane said. “I promise I’ll be merciful.”
    “Fine. Let’s do this.” Lido stopped circling and met Coltrane in the center of the ring, his head buried behind his gloves, patiently waiting for an opening. When it came, the result wasn’t pretty. Rage over Stephanie’s pigheadedness rose within him and manifested itself in the form of a lightning-fast punch. He was hot and out of control. His fists shot forward in alternating succession like guns firing from the turret of an aircraft carrier, pummeling Coltrane’s chest and stomach, and driving him back against the ropes.
    “Getting a little worked up?” Coltrane asked as he attempted to push Lido away.
    Lido should’ve stopped, backed off, and shut down, but he didn’t. He was lost in the moment, his mind filled with white noise and his arteries surging with venom. He didn’t even notice that his partner was surrendering.
    “I give,” Coltrane said. “I’ve had enough.” He pushed Lido away. “A little frustrated, buddy boy?”
    It took Lido a moment to clear his mind, to come back to the here and now. “Huh?”
    “I know you and the missus haven’t been coitus-cleared by the doc, but man, someone’s got some pent-up anxiety issues. I’ve never seen you like this. You all right?”
    Lido was spent. He was out of breath and exhausted. He shook his head. “Sorry, man. I don’t know what got into me.”
    “It’s okay. We’ve all been there. The missus okay? I mean, she’s getting better, isn’t she?”
    Lido closed his eyes and nodded unconvincingly.
    “Want to talk about it? A couple of cold beers maybe?”
    He looked at Coltrane but didn’t answer. His cell phone, which was lying atop his towel, lit up. He could see the display: Ma.
    Lido had been living in fear every moment since Stephanie