Chapter 1

Ty was jumping rope, beads of sweat bouncing off his chest as his legs pistoned up and down on the filthy tile of the men’s room floor. For Ty, jumping rope was not just a healthy endeavor, it was his way of meditating, of detaching himself from the world.   From beyond the bathroom door the crescendo of blood-thirsty hoots and howls was building. The crowd was a tinderbox and the half-price drink special was the lit match.

“You better get out there,” said Buzz, as he grit his teeth and finished his 90-lb dumbbell curls. “You don’t want to give them an excuse to start playing with their knives.”

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