Chapter 2 Beating Up the Hooligans

"What are you doing?" Jack stepped forward.

The scarred man at the front twisted his face in rage and barked, "None of your business. Get lost."

Carol looked over at Jack, her face full of shock. "Jack, just go. This has nothing to do with you. I have business to settle with them."

Deep down, she had no respect for this cousin of hers and wished he would disappear from her life for good. But she knew Jack had just gotten out of prison today; she couldn't let anything happen to him.

Jack gave Carol a pat on the shoulder and smiled. "I'm your cousin. If you've got business to handle, I'll handle it with you. We're family. No need to worry about me."

Then he turned to face the thugs and snapped, "I'm counting to three. All of you, get lost."

"Son of a bitch, you got a death wish?" Scar face went cold. He threw a punch straight at Jack's face.

Behind him, seven other thugs held back, watching and waiting.

Bang!

Jack threw a counter-punch first, landing it square on the scarred man's face. A crack rang out as his nose caved in completely.

"Aagh!" He screamed in pain. Then Jack drove a kick into him, sending him flying six feet back.

The seven thugs behind him couldn't hold back anymore. They charged at Jack with a roar.

Jack stayed calm, lowered his stance, bent his knees slightly, and got ready to fight.

Bang! Bang!

His fists flew in a blur. The thugs got hit hard all over their bodies and cried out in pain. In moments, all eight men, including the scarred man, were flat on the ground, faces covered in blood, groaning in agony.

"This... how is this possible? Is he really my cousin?" Carol stared at Jack in stunned disbelief.

How could this cousin who'd spent six years in prison fight like this? Six years ago, he was just a quiet, mild-mannered college student. Now he'd just taken down a whole group of tough thugs?

Jack walked over, grabbed the scarred man by the head, and said coldly, "I heard you people grabbed a woman named Caroline. Where's your boss? Tell him to let her go. Now."

"I don't know anything, man. This has nothing to do with me. Please, I swear it's not my fault." Scar face was shaking with fear, completely rattled. He'd never seen anyone like this before — the men he'd brought were wiped out like they were nothing.

Wee-woo. Wee-woo.

A siren wailed. A police car spotted the scene from down the road and pulled up fast.

A young female officer jumped out and ran over to Jack's side. "What's going on here?"

She looked around the scene, eyes wide, and her gaze landed on Jack. It was pretty obvious this young man had just taken down seven or eight thugs by himself.

The scarred man panicked, lying on the ground, and called out to her. "Officer, help! He's trying to kill us! Arrest him!"

Carol quickly cut in. "Officer, don't listen to him. These guys are criminals. They were trying to kidnap me. My cousin stepped in and saved me."

"Your cousin... This guy?" The female officer pointed at Jack, and their eyes met.

His gaze was deep and intense, radiating a kind of pressure that felt almost primal, like something ancient and dangerous. Who was this person?

"Miss, I'm the officer on patrol for this area. You're saying your cousin just saved you, meaning he's the one who put all these people on the ground?"

Carol opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.

The officer first handcuffed the eight men on the ground, then turned and walked toward Jack, pulling out another pair of handcuffs. "Looks like you were all involved in a brawl," she said coolly. "You're coming with me."

Jack looked at her and shook his head. "I can't go with you. My mother is still being held by these people."

Carol jumped in. "That's right, officer. Since you're here, can you help us get my mom out?"

"Your mom was kidnapped? Understood. I'll contact my colleagues and have them rescue her." The officer nodded at Carol, then pointed at Jack. "But he still needs to come with me for questioning."

Jack's face stayed blank as the officer stepped closer. Just as the handcuffs came near, he reached out and grabbed them.

"What do you think you're doing?" the officer asked, confused.

A second later, the sound of metal cracking. Jack squeezed, and the handcuffs crumpled into a twisted lump of scrap metal that dropped to the ground.

"What? How is that even possible?" The officer's face went pale. She stared at him in shock, watching the veins bulge across his hand. Could a human being actually do that?

"Don't move! Hands up right now, or I'll—"

She shouted and yanked out her gun, aiming it straight at Jack.

In a flash, Jack shifted behind her and struck the back of her neck with a knife-hand chop.

Thud!

Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, out cold.

Scar face and his fellows watched in stunned silence, their hearts pounding. This guy really had no fear — he'd actually taken out a cop. And what did he just do — crush steel handcuffs with his bare hands?

"Jack, how could you—" Carol rushed over, her face full of worry, ready to lay into him — but Jack cut her off with a sharp look.

"Carol, this isn't the time. We need to get your mom out now. If we wait, something bad could happen."

Carol sucked in a sharp breath. His words hit her hard. Were these people actually planning to do something to her mom?

Jack had spent years inside, and he knew exactly how these street thugs operated. Caroline was a well-known beauty in Tidewater — stunning in her younger years, famous throughout the whole county. With thugs like these, it was never just about money. He couldn't leave this to the cops. He had to handle it himself.

"Any of you still alive down there? If you are, take me to Jace's place. Right now." Jack looked around at the thugs sprawled on the ground, then kicked the scarred man in the head for good measure.

"Ow!" The scarred man yelped, staggered to his feet, and stumbled forward.

The rest of the thugs dragged themselves up and scrambled ahead to lead the way, piling into a van.

Jack moved fast and climbed in after them.

Just then, Carol ran after him and grabbed his arm. "Jack, are you out of your mind? You're going to walk in there alone and rescue my mom? And you just got out of prison — now you're already assaulting people and knocking out a police officer?"

In her eyes, what he was doing was pure suicide.

"Let me borrow your phone." Jack ignored her completely, reached over, and pulled her phone right out of her back pocket.

Carol's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She shot him a glare. He'd touched her backside — she wanted to die of humiliation. This cousin of hers was absolutely unbelievable.

Jack dialed a number and spoke into the phone. "Is this Sonny — from the local mob? I just got out and I've run into some trouble. I need a favor."