Page 133 of Nash Falls

He rose, went to the doorway where Shock had placed a pull-up bar, and did as many as he could until his strength failed.

You have to get stronger, Nash. As strong as you can. It’s the only shot you have.

Because you have to find her. Please don’t be dead, Maggie. Please God don’t let her be dead.

He did another pull-up and then another, even as the tears trickled down his cheeks.

“Come on, Isaiah, what are you really doing with that man?”

It was a month later. Shock and Jackson were in their bedroom having a nightcap, Shock a bourbon neat, and Jackson a cup of peppermint tea.

Shock sipped his drink before answering. “Exactly what I said.”

Jackson shook his head. “Sure he’s getting some muscle. He can run faster and longer. He can shoot fine, and in a fight he could hold his own with ninety percent of the dudes out there, maybe ninety-nine percent because most guys don’t know shit about defending themselves or really hurting somebody else. But the dudes he’ll be going up against, according to you, are in that one percent he can’t overcome.”

“More like the one-tenth of one percent,” corrected Shock.

“Well, then, back to my question. What are you doing? And he’s one of the most wanted dudes in the country, and if they find him here with us you and me are gonna be spending the rest of our days under the watchful eye of the federal government. And that is not a good place for any man to be, especially Black men, and old ones at that. I don’t want that for my golden years. Do you?”

“I made his daddy a promise.”

“Butheain’t Ty Nash. What do you owehim?”

“Don’t matter what I owe or don’t owe him. I gave my word to a dyin’ man, the best friend I ever had, and I mean no disrespect to you on that. But me and Ty went through shit together, well, that’s all I say ’bout that. And he woulda done the same for me. No lie. So that’s all there is to it in my book.”

Jackson sipped his tea and shook his head in frustration. “You worked your ass off building all this up and you’re gonna risk throwing it away over some white dude you don’t even really know and probably don’t even like.”

“I knew him as a boy. I just now got to know him as a man. And what I know is he’s done everythin’ I asked him to do. He’s gottenthe shit kicked outta him, by me and by you. He coulda quit. Give up. Lord, most days I was hopin’ Walter would quit, and then he go on about his business and I could go on about mine. But he didn’t. He got back up, wiped off the blood, and got back to work. Remind me of his daddy, no lie. You got to respect that. Least I do. And his daughter is dead. I know it, you know it. And the truth is Walter knows it, but he can’t admit it, not yet. What father could?”

“Everybody loses folks, Isaiah.”

Shock frowned and shook his head. “Uh-uh, not like that they don’t.”

“Okay, you train him up and then he leaves here, goes after these folks, and gets killed. What have you really done for him?”

Shock set his drink down and leaned back against his pillow. “What I’m givin’ him is a chance, a fightin’ chance. Dude is an underdog, sure; you think I don’t know that? You thinkhedon’t know that? But when I’m done with him the man will have a shot. That’s all you can ask for from this life. It’s what I asked for. It’s what you asked for. It’s what all folks ask for.”

“Most don’t get it. Especially folks like us.”

“Which means the ones that do get it, they got to go for it. Otherwise you just pissin’ in the faces of all those that ain’t never got a fair shake.”

“You gonna help him after he’s all trained up?” asked Jackson.

“I’m gonna do what I need to do to keep my promise to his daddy. And that’s all I got to say ’bout that.”

Jackson grimaced. “He run into these boys you told me about, he’s gonna die. You can build the dude up but you can’t make him into a killer, Isaiah. He’ll be going up against dudes been doing this their whole life. How can you not see that? You’re leading a lamb to the damn slaughter.”

“You’d be right, ’cept for one thing.”

“What’s that?” Jackson asked sharply.

“I knew that boy’s daddy better’n anybody. Man had a motor that ain’t never quit. You don’t think the goddamn Vietcong ain’tspent their whole lives learnin’ how to kick the shit outta people? Kill ’em with their thumbs, not have one ounce of compassion if you in the other uniform? But Ty Nash survived all that shit I don’t even know how, and he pulled me along for the ride, or else I’m not gonna be here with you. From small observations he would build big decisions that saved our butts time and again. Attention to detail, discipline, figurin’ shit out, gettin’ the job done. That’s stuff Walter’s been doin’ for decades, just while sittin’ in a chair and wearin’ a suit. But even as a youngster I saw something special in him. He was thoughtful, observant, hardworking, and he figured shit out. Now, if Walter has even a little bit ’a Tiberius Nash in him, he may surprise me.Andyou.”

Jackson shook his head. “I just don’t see it.”

“Well, then come with me and maybe you willseeit.”

Shock led a curious Jackson over to the training center. Before they got there they both heard it. Jackson glanced at his companion in surprise, but Shock didn’t look surprised at all.