I laughed in silence.
“You mean it?”
“Very serious.”
“What if I don’t?”
“You walk away with nothing.”
I looked at the road ahead.
Then on my left knee.
The knee that had never been right since Fallujah.
“You really want to do this?”
“I want to see what Claire was married to all these years.”
I was quiet.
Then I said:
“Friday.”
I hung up.
And for the first time in years, I felt more than just exhaustion.
I felt awake.
SECOND PART — APEX PREDATOR
Apex Predator Martial Arts smelled of bleach, sweat and old rubber.
Derek was exactly what I was expecting.
Twenty-eight.
The perfect teeth.
Perfect hair.
The perfect muscles.
The kind of man who seemed to believe mirrors was invented specifically for him.
He looked at my work boots.
Then in my faded flannel.
Then he smiled.
“Is this him?”
Several people laughed.
I didn't.
Derek walked towards me.
