In the middle of chatting with the businessmen, Sapp suddenly caught a glimpse of a very familiar figure. When he looked more closely, he instantly recognized who it was.
Rorschach Butcher.
That was right—this meddling Chicago detective.
He would never forget this guy's face. Back then, this bastard named Butcher had actually dared slap cuffs on him and threatened to have him convicted of assault, intimidation, and abuse, and thrown into Fox River Penitentiary.
He was a hotshot in the fighting world, a two‑time heavyweight champion. And this damn cop had not shown him a shred of respect.
If that idiot Susan had not been obedient enough, he might really have ended up disgraced and behind bars.
And now, here he was, running into him at the arena—wearing a patrol uniform, no less. Clearly, he had been demoted.
Sapp could not wait to taunt him.
His provocative shout immediately drew the attention of the businessmen around him. Following his gaze, they spotted Rorschach and Ginny at the entrance.
Thump.
Sapp hopped down from the ring. His thick lips curled into a contemptuous grin, revealing gap teeth so wide two people could stand in them side by side.
"Hey, don't be in such a hurry, Rorschach."
He strode up to him, voice dripping with mockery. "You here to watch my fight? Want me to comp you a couple of VIP tickets? They go for over fifty grand a piece. You'd have to starve yourself for a year to buy one. Oh, wait—my bad, almost missed it…"
He suddenly pointed at Rorschach's patrol uniform and laughed. "Looks like you got busted down again. Just a beat cop now? Hahaha. Then you really shouldn't turn me down. Two years of your salary wouldn't cover one ticket to my fight. Hahaha…"
Listening to the wheezy, leaky‑bellows sound of his laugh, Rorschach gave him a flat once‑over, then let out a soft snort.
"Do you have any idea how ugly you look when you laugh? Like a chimp that just found a banana."
"What the f*ck?!"
Before Sapp could react, his agent had already rushed out from behind him, jabbing a finger at Rorschach and shouting, even threatening to file a racial discrimination complaint.
Rorschach could not even be bothered to respond to such an empty threat.
He simply patted Sapp twice on the shoulder and said mildly, "Hope your fists work as well on men as they do on women. To show my support, I'm betting on you to lose the day after tomorrow. Don't let me down."
"Tch."
Sapp snorted. "Then you can watch yourself go broke. Ungrateful little cop…"
He struck a pose, shook his head in disdain, and turned back toward the ring, laughing and chatting with the businessmen again as if Rorschach were beneath his notice.
"Let's go."
Rorschach waved to Ginny.
He did not seem to care about Sapp's mockery at all. He just gave the man a long, deep look, clearly calculating something in his mind.
As they reached the exit, they happened to run into a woman coming down from an RV with a food carrier in her hand.
Bruises mottled the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her face was haggard, and the way she walked was off, clearly favoring one injured leg.
When she saw Rorschach, she froze, then involuntarily called out his name.
"Butcher? Officer Butcher?"
He looked up and recognized her at once—Susan, Sapp's wife, who had been battered and hospitalized over and over, yet still refused to divorce him.
He did not answer, just gave a slight nod and walked past her.
Feeling the chill coming off him, Susan's expression dimmed, but she still forced a smile, clutching the meal prep Sapp needed for bulking and hurrying into the arena.
Ginny glanced at the woman's back without much interest. She was in a foul mood herself and had no energy to spare for strangers.
"Rorschach." She turned to him, unable to resist trying to comfort him. "You don't need to care about what that Black guy said. He looks like the classic case of muscles for brains. No matter how much money he makes, he'll blow it all sooner or later and end up broke."
Hmm?
Rorschach turned to look at her, a little confused. Since when did he care what that guy said?
All he had on his mind was how to use this fight to stir up trouble between the Salamancas and Gus. As for that Black idiot?
As if he were worth Rorschach's attention.
If there was ever time, he could just swing by one night with a gun and put a couple of rounds through his hands…
Watching Ginny trying to console him, Rorschach found it both funny and a bit strange. The girl really did not hold grudges. He had been nothing but hard on her, and she still had the heart to worry about his feelings.
"Worry about yourself first."
Instead of thanking her, Rorschach kept a straight face. "You've got two hours to memorize every emergency exit in this arena and check them all for safety issues. I'll quiz you before we clock off. If you can't do it, get ready to be running behind the squad car again."
"You… you're impossible!" Ginny stamped her foot in anger.
Rorschach chuckled and was about to send her off when Susan suddenly came hurrying back out of the arena.
She seemed to have come specifically to find him. Spotting him still outside, she plastered a smile on her face and asked ingratiatingly, "Officer Butcher, are you in charge of security at this event?"
Rorschach gave her a sideways look and nodded slightly.
Seeing he was still so cold, Susan did not get angry. She just said softly, "I know you're one of the few good cops in Chicago, Officer Butcher. But please believe me—things between my husband and me aren't as bad as you think. He's just a little hot‑tempered. He's not the criminal you make him out to be. I was hoping you could treat him a bit better and stop getting involved in our family issues. He really isn't a bad person."
By the end, her voice had taken on a pleading note.
Looking at the fading bruises on her face and the desperate look in her eyes, Rorschach did not need to guess. Sapp had obviously taken out the anger he felt toward Rorschach on her inside, and that was what had driven her out here to beg him.
"Heh."
Rorschach gave a bitter little laugh and spoke slowly. "Let me be very clear: your husband is a criminal. But you're right about one thing—I won't be getting involved in your crap anymore."
"The girl I remember from school—the one who worked hard and fought to climb out of the South Side mud—doesn't exist anymore. The person standing in front of me now is nothing but a punching bag with no thoughts or feelings of her own."
He held her gaze, voice full of disappointment. "Do you know why I'm calling you a punching bag and not a woman?"
"Because women are strong, beautiful, vibrant beings. A woman should embrace life with passion. A woman should choose how to make her life better."
"Susan, you made the worst possible choice."
"You're not worth my effort. You're not worth anyone's effort to save."
With that, Rorschach crushed his cigarette underfoot and walked away without looking back.
If she had not once been his classmate, he would not have given a damn whether she lived or died.
"Rorschach…"
Susan tried to call after him, but he did not slow or turn, as if he could not stand to spend one more second near her.
She pressed her lips together and turned to Ginny. "Officer, could you maybe help me…"
Ginny, however, was staring blankly at Rorschach's back, her eyes full of disbelief.
That guy whose head was stuffed full of macho bullshit had just said… that?
"Officer?"
"Sorry, I've got work to do. Can't help you."
Ginny waved her off and then trotted after Rorschach, falling obediently into step behind him.
——————————
Meanwhile, back in the arena ring.
Sapp drove a thunderous straight right into his sparring partner, blasting the man back several meters and over the ropes to crash to the floor, drawing a wave of cheers.
He caught the towel tossed up to him and wiped his sweat, eyes filled with violence as he looked down at the man sprawled on the ground.
By tomorrow morning, this practice ring would be replaced by an octagon. Once that happened, there would only be two ways out for his opponent: get KO'd or tap out in humiliation.
Although, if he could swap in Rorschach Butcher for his scheduled opponent, that would be even better. More than another belt, he wanted to see that meddling cop broken under his fists.
"Mr. Sapp, here's the champagne you asked for."
A fresh young voice cut into his fantasy.
Sapp turned. The speaker was a pretty young waitress carrying a tray, her face bright and youthful. Her long blond hair, exactly the same color as Susan's, only stoked the viciousness in his heart.
He looked her over like she was prey, then after a few seconds flashed what he thought was a charming smile and licked his lips. "You know who I am?"
"Of course. You're the champ, a sports star, and my idol." The girl's smile grew even brighter when she realized he was talking to her.
"Yeah?" Sapp smirked, then added meaningfully, "Think you could do me a favor and bring a few bottles out to my RV around eight tonight? It's parked right outside."
She hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Sure. Eight o'clock tonight. I'll be there."
A short distance away, the Salamancas' accountant, Jose Salamanca, watched the scene with a slight frown.
To patch a few holes in the books, he had quietly dipped into the family's funds and placed a hefty bet on Sapp.
If that idiot showed up on fight night with jelly legs…