On Ice

The snow creaked under his heavy boots. They were black like the rest of his outfit. His hands were tucked in his pockets and he kept his head aimed toward the path in front of him. He kept to the outskirts of the streetlights, avoiding anyone walking the path at this early hour. Every time he did see someone, his hand tightened on the butt of the gun in his pocket and his senses concentrated, anticipating any sudden or odd movement in his direction.

None of them made a move. He let out a sigh of relief once he was finally alone. He couldn’t fight anymore. His ribs were bruised, maybe broken and his muscles felt dry and stiff. A graying beard hid the blood trickling out the side of his lip and the swelling above his eye was beginning to cloud his vision. The pain in his knee throbbed with every step but he clenched his teeth and kept his gait normal to avoid any attention.

He collapsed when he made it to the bench. Plumes of warm breath escaped from his mouth and dissipated into the dark grey sky. He closed his eyes and thought of Gracie. It was this bench, or at least he thought it was. He couldn’t be sure. It had been a long night and his brain was still catching up. In his mind he saw ducks swimming in the pond down the hill in front of him. Dappled sunlight through the changing color of the leaves. He heard the sound of laughter and joy from the nearby playground. He opened his eyes. This was the bench. Even in the low light of the early morning and a blanket of snow covering it, he recognized the view. Too many warm, cherished memories with his little angel had taken place here. The warmth now drowned out by cold and darkness but the same view.

It wasn’t long until he heard footsteps approaching. His hand tightened in his pocket again, clenching tight on the loaded Glock 19.

He tensed his body and sat up, readying himself for anything. He kept his eyes forward as he checked his peripherals and watched the stranger sit to his left. After a few seconds, the stranger said, “I thought I’d find you here. You look like shit, Greene.”

Greene concentrated on his breathing, not letting his broken rib affect his posture and show any weakness. He nodded his head in agreement. “Ya know Jack, I feel like shit,” he said between gritted teeth.

“How bad is it?” Jack asked.

“Not bad enough,” Greene responded.

“Good, it’d be a shame if you couldn’t put up a fight.”

Greene let out a suppressed laugh, “I’ve put up a lot of fights tonight.” The index finger on his left hand slid into the trigger guard of the Glock.

“Oh yeah?” Jack asked, “How many?”

“I’m short one.”

Jack nodded. “So that makes me--”

“The last one,” they both said together.

They sat looking out at the white silence of the frozen pond in front of them. The air was still and the park around them was quiet. The city beyond that was just waking up.

“I’m gonna go to the dog track,” said Jack, breaking the silence, startling Greene’s senses back from the brink of exhaustion.

“What?”

“After I kill you. I’m gonna get up, find a nice diner, get some bacon and eggs, and a nice cup of coffee. Have a nice meal and wait for my account to jump a few digits. Then I’m gonna go to the dog track and bet a fucking fortune.” He laughed. “Not every day you kill the illustrious Ryan Greene.”

Greene sat quietly as the man laughed.

“Oh Jack,” he finally said. “You’re not even gonna make it off the bench.”

Greene pulled the Glock and pointed it at Jack but before he could pull the trigger Jack’s hand came up, grabbed his arm and pushed his aim wide. Jack slammed a punch hard on Greene’s bicep with his free hand. The Glock fell into a pile of snow beneath them. Before Greene could react he took another brutal hit, this time to his nose. Lighting shot into his face and his eyes watered as Jack, still gripping his arm, flung him forward off the bench as he slid down the hill that encircled the pond.

The snow caked the blood from his throbbing nose. Greene wasn’t sure he could get up. His limbs ignored the signals his brain sent. They were tired and heavy, the ground was cold and welcoming.

Jack slid down the hill and came to Greene spread out in front of the pond.

“Know how I knew you’d be here?" Jack asked as he approached. "Because I watched you. I watched you sit up on that bench with your little girl. I watched you for months, just waiting for the right time.”

Feeling returned to Greene’s limbs. His fingers twitched and a wave of clarity washed over him. He focused and listened.

“You didn’t give me a lot of room to work. I only found one opening. Every day at 3 o’clock you’d meet with the nanny. Say goodbye to the kiddo and head back to your place. That’s what you did every day. That’s what you were supposed to do. But on this particular day you had to catch a flight and little Gracie forgot her bag.”

Greene’s heart pounded in his chest. Blood boiled through his cold limbs and gave life to his tired muscles. He clenched his jaw and clamped his fists shut.

“You’re the best, you know that? I knew if I gave you anything, hesitated at all, I was done. I was inside, waiting. As soon as that door opened, I pulled the trigger.” Jack crouched down and pulled Greene’s face to look at him. “Before I know it, there’s a dead nanny and a little girl screaming,” he paused, a crack in his voice. “Well, you know the rules, Greene. No witnesses.” He stood back up. “It was supposed to be you!” He screamed as he kicked Greene in the side.

Greene moved fast, he grabbed the foot that kicked him and swept his leg to the back of Jack’s other leg. With a thud, Jack crashed to the ground as Greene pounced on top of him. White-hot anger coursed through his body as he made a mess of Jack’s face. Greene grabbed him by the collar and raised him up. Rage filled his muscles. Jack’s limp hand found a rock and slammed it to the side of Greene’s face. Greene dropped him and fell back, his head hitting the thick ice covering the pond. Both men laid still for a moment, recovering.

Jack crawled through the snow and straddled on top of Greene. His cold hands wrapped around Greene’s neck and started to squeeze. Greene struggled but couldn’t get any leverage on the bank of the pond. His world started to fade into the morning. With one last pulse of adrenaline he raised his good knee and slammed it into Jack’s groin as he grabbed his arms and swung him over. Greene crouched over Jack as fury ripped through his veins. He screamed as he took the man’s head and slammed it into the ice. Pounding until it finally broke through and he felt the sting of cold water on his scrapped and torn knuckles. He held Jack there as he struggled and gasped. Cold water turned red from the damage Greene had caused. Jack went limp.

Snow began to fall as soft white light lit the morning sky. Greene dragged the body out of sight on the bank of the pond hidden behind a bush. He hoped the snow would fall enough to cover the rest. With any luck they wouldn’t find the body until Spring. It wouldn’t matter. Greene would be out of town in a few hours.