Page 53 of Tango

“This is why we love Ivy!” Sloane called from the corner of the room where she’d been stretching. Ivy crossed her arms, and I gave her a slow nod, then she directed a look at Ty, who was not pleased at being put on the spot.

“She has a point,” I told him. “You have a problem with me. We do it here or out there.”

“Fine.” Ty disappeared and returned a moment later wearing shorts and sneakers. “Let’s get this over with.”

The instructor gave us the rules, we bumped gloves, and we started to circle each other. He immediately went in for a jab to the ribs. I blocked it, but he set another blow and got me. The kid was quick and packed a mean hit. I was impressed.

“Nice hit.”

Again, he came in, faked a punch, and hit my thigh. I used his technique, but he was ready for it. Clearly, this wasn’t his first time in a ring.

“Ty,” Ivy said softly, and to my surprise it got him talking.

“I know you were a good man, Paul—”

“Am,” I corrected.

“But you have to see it from my point of view.” He bounced, around and I could see his frustration with me come to the surface. “Where’s the line?” He jabbed my jaw, and I shook it off.

“What are you talkin’ about?” I huffed as he sent in another, hard.

“The line, Paul. The line between the man you were and the enemy you became. Is there gray there?"

“No gray. Just black and white.” I ducked to avoid another jaw shattering jab.

“Sam Duggan,” he started again, “one of my buddies from training. Was a smart guy,” he huffed. “Climbed the ranks fast.” He gasped as I faked him out and hit low. He recovered quickly. “Three years in and ended up a POW. Took five weeks to find him.” He danced and shot me a good one in the head.

“That all ya got?” I said as my head spun. “What are you goin’ on about, this Sam guy?” I danced around him as I tried to find an opening.

“He flipped, that’s what.” He dodged. “They got to him while he was in there. We never saw it comin’, and he led them right to us.”

“Ooff,” I huffed as he slammed me when I let my guard down at his words.

“Lost two good men that night. They brainwashed him into thinking he was one of them.” His hands fell as the heaviness of what he just shared weighed on him, and we both stopped. “Sam was a friend, a good soldier, but now he sits in a prison cell because in those five weeks he let them get inside his head.” He tapped his head with his gloves then ripped them off and tossed them over the ropes. “You were there for over a decade.” His eyes burned into me. “You see where I’m goin’ with this?”

“Look, I get it. But I’m not Sam,” I assured him. “It’s unfair for you to compare us.”

“No, you’re right, it isn’t,” he shrugged, “but I can’t help the way I feel.”

“Then we have a problem here.”

“Yeah,” he huffed, “we really do.”

“Now what, Doc?” Mark chimed in.

“We can do this two ways.” Ivy put her hand on her hip. “You two keep talking, or I’ll have to call in Doc.”

“She plays dirty,” I muttered under my breath as she held up her phone.

“She’s not bluffin’ either.” Ty swiped a hand over his face.

The door swung open, and Savannah stepped in. She froze as they all looked at her.

“Out!” the guys all yelled out in unison.

“Wow, you guys are a comedy act.” Savannah rolled her eyes but never wavered in her step as she approached the ring. “One, Cole isn’t here, so…” She flipped us the bird. and I knew she’d caught the humor. None of us could let the moment pass without reference to the last time she got in trouble in the ring years ago with Cole. “And two, I know better than to interfere with whatever you got goin’ on here.” She twirled her finger at us. “Ty, I was hoping to talk to you. I need a little insight on the guys and what they might like to eat.”

“They’re in the middle of a session,” Ivy said, and Savannah’s face lit up. “So, he’ll be a bit.”