Chapter 189: Singing in the Alley
"Going to jail has nothing to do with me. I'm not running anyway," Quinn leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
"You just assaulted a police officer, okay?" Tommy followed him: "In Florida, assaulting a police officer is a felony! You'll get at least ten years!"
"I didn't know!"
"Who's gonna care about you down here? You can barely speak without stuttering - who's gonna listen to you? If they catch you, they'll beat you down first, then throw you in county lockup regardless of your age. You know what's most common in Miami jails?"
Quinn went pale with fear. Tommy continued threatening him relentlessly: "With your looks, there's only one thing waiting for you inside. You'll be someone's girlfriend within a week!"
To be honest, Quinn's appearance really wasn't built for this kind of trouble. However, unlike Ron, who had a more rugged look, Quinn had a more delicate, almost feminine appearance. So it's no wonder people often mistook him for being younger than he was.
As they talked, a large man suddenly appeared on the road ahead, his eyes fixed on them. It was clear he meant business. Just as they tried to escape the way they had come, they found their path blocked by two other men.
They were definitely coming for them!
Tommy exchanged a glance with Quinn and suddenly threw a stack of newspapers at the first guy. He then swiftly kicked Miguel in the groin and wrapped Carlos in a beach towel that was hanging from a fire escape above.
By then, the buzz-cut guy had already freed himself from the papers and grabbed Tommy in a tight bear hug.
But Tommy suddenly pushed against the wall, leaned back, and with both hands on the man's shoulders, he flipped over him in the air, landing behind him.
"Ahhh!" The man had barely turned when Tommy's finger jab caught him in the eye, sending him screaming in pain. Tommy immediately followed up, striking him with a knife-hand, earning another grunt of pain. Then Tommy zeroed in on the man's most vulnerable spot.
"Ha!"
Tommy, with a classic cheap shot, went for the crown jewels. His hand formed into a claw, catching the big guy off guard and suddenly grabbing his most sensitive area.
Then he squeezed hard.
"Ah~~~~" This brought the big man's longest scream, the pitch rising higher and higher, eventually surpassing even the opera singers Ron had heard at Lincoln Center.
Seeing things going badly, Carlos immediately tried to escape, but he exposed his back to Tommy, who specialized in dirty fighting.
"Ultimate wedgie!"
"Oof!" There was the sound of fabric tearing, and then Carlos yelped, letting out a scream like a rooster and falling forward.
With this, Tommy, one against three, won! Finally, he struck a very flashy martial arts pose.
"Iowa farm boy fighting, thank you very much!"
"Smack!" Miguel, having recovered, slapped Tommy across the face. "Thank you my ass! Thanks for nothing!"
Carlos immediately pulled out a gun he'd hidden and was about to aim it at Tommy. Now it was finally time for Ron to make his entrance.
"Hold up there, boys. Are we really doing this? You're messing with army-trained personnel here. You sure you want this smoke?"
Ron came around the corner, and Tommy called out in relief, "Army buddy? Come save me!"
"Army buddy my ass!" Miguel was extremely aggressive, pointing his gun at Ron, "Back off! I've got a piece! Try anything and I'll drop you!"
"Glock 19? Not a bad weapon, but that's a cheap knockoff. Looks like garbage."
Ron said casually, not seeming nervous at all about the gun pointed at him, as if he were completely at ease.
Carlos had no doubt that if someone gave Ron a lawn chair right now, he'd sit down and act like he owned the place.
"You think I won't shoot?" Miguel, enraged by Ron's attitude, started to squeeze the trigger.
Suddenly, Ron's hand moved, and as if by magic, a pistol appeared in his grip. Before Miguel could fire, Ron had drawn his weapon, disengaged the safety, aimed, and in one smooth motion, fired.
"BANG!" Before Miguel could even pull his trigger, Ron's shot knocked the gun from his hand, and in the same instant, Ron's barrel was pressed against his temple.
"Want to see what the inside of your head looks like?"
"No! Hell no! Please don't shoot! I got an elderly grandmother and a baby nephew counting on me! Please, spare me!"
Miguel's knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground. Seeing their leader already down, the two behind him immediately followed suit and hit the pavement with twin thuds.
"You just tried to slap my army buddy? You nearly messed up his pretty face! How you gonna make this right? Talk!"
Tommy, feeling vindicated, seized the opportunity: "Army buddy, they actually tried to hurt your handsome battle brother - what do you think we should do with them?"
"Can you sing?" Ron tapped Miguel's head with his gun barrel.
Miguel looked up pitifully: "I only know Spanish songs, not much English."
"Sing me 'La Bamba,'" Ron said with amusement.
"Para bailar la bamba, para bailar la bamba se necesita una poca de gracia..."
After the song was finished, Ron nodded in satisfaction. Not bad, still had that classic sound.
"Good singing. You can go. Come on, next one."
"Wait! Army buddy, you're letting them go now?" Tommy protested indignantly.
"You want to handle them instead?" Ron rolled his eyes, and Tommy immediately backed down, not daring to speak.
Miguel still felt responsible as a leader, so he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stepped back and watched his men perform.
Then the big guy, using his size advantage, pushed forward and said, "Bro, I know some songs too. Let me sing something for you..."
Ron looked at his face, feeling no recognition. He shook his head, "Forget it. Your voice sucks. Just leave."
The big guy stepped back, revealing Carlos behind him. Ron still had a soft spot for people who reminded him of cartoon characters, and as a result, his attitude toward him improved considerably. "You... you better not litter anymore, okay? Don't want kids learning bad habits from you. Come on, the ground's cold, stand up and sing. What songs do you know?"
"I can do a great Johnny Cash impression. Want to hear 'Ring of Fire'?" Carlos started to sing, but Ron quickly stopped him, "'Ring of Fire' is Johnny Cash's song. How about 'Sweet Caroline'?"
After getting a nod from Carlos, Ron pulled Tommy forward and said, "Come on, sing something for my army buddy."
(End of chapter)
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