Bare Knuckle Page #12

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GIDEON (CONT’D)

Have a look at this.

He hands him a paper. Jack looks. He turns flush with malice.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Again! Calling me out in the God

damn Herald! Who the f*** is this,

this lumberman?!

All the patrons watch Jack explode with anger.

62.

GIDEON:

Nobody knows his real name, sir.

DESTINE:

Lumberman? Like the killer from the

war.

GIDEON:

That’s right.

BAD JACK:

Won’t have no axe in the ring with

me. Talk to The Politician. Set the

fight.

Gideon runs off.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Gideon! We fight here, in New York.

INT. EMILY’S ROOM - DAY

Emily is packing clothes into a knapsack. Kieran enters.

KIERAN:

What do you think you’re doing?

EMILY:

Getting ready for New York.

KIERAN:

You can’t come with.

EMILY:

I ain’t gonna put any moves on ya.

KIERAN:

It’s too dangerous.

EMILY:

That’s why you need me. And I

figure maybe I can start a new

life. Go where nobody knows me as a-

KIERAN:

You risk too much for me.

EMILY:

I want to see you get back to your

woman, Kieran Connelly. I won’t

rest ‘til that comes true.

Kieran hugs her tight.

63.

EXT. ROAD - DAY

Rain pours down, thunder roars, and lightning strikes as

Kieran steers a wagon with Emily laying in the back covering

up. He turns the wagon down a small path.

EMILY:

Stay straight. This road leads

directly to the city.

KIERAN:

We can’t go into the city just yet.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - DAY

The harsh storm makes the midday seem like night.

KIERAN:

Wait here.

Kieran gets out of the wagon. Emily curls up under a blanket.

Kieran walks around the back of the farmhouse to see a man

chopping wood. As Kieran approaches, the man stops mid swing.

MAN:

State your business.

KIERAN:

Blood.

The man turns revealing himself to be Cillian. They shake

hands and hug. Cillian examines the wounds and new scars on

Kieran’s face.

CILLIAN:

What the devil have you been doing?

Wrestling with wolves?

Kieran laughs.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER

Kieran and Cillian approach the wagon.

KIERAN:

Emily, meet Cillian. The man who

got me through the war. A real hero

he is.

Emily crawls out of the wagon to shake Cillian’s hand.

64.

EMILY:

Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

CILLIAN:

I assure you the pleasure is mine.

Let’s get you out of this rain.

INT. CILLIAN’S FARMHOUSE - DAY

Emily warm herself by the fireplace drinking coffee staring

through the window at Cillian with girlish eyes.

EXT. FARMHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Kieran and Cillian are chopping wood. Cillian is good, but

can not match the intensity of the lumberman’s stroke.

CILLIAN:

You aim to hide out ‘til the fight?

KIERAN:

I aim to announce myself right out

in the open like.

CILLIAN:

If Jack sees you alive, he’ll kill

you, as sure as I’m standing here.

KIERAN:

Not if we rally the people. All the

Irish in New York are treated like

dirt. When they see one of their

own risin’ up from nothing, not

afraid to take on Jack and his top

hats...we’ll have a horde of

protectors at our back.

CILLIAN:

Putting your life in the hands of

the people is a mighty risk.

KIERAN:

Bad Jack thinks he’s untouchable

like some kind of King. I’m going

to burn his castle down.

INT. BAD JACK’S SUITE - NIGHT

Jack stumbles in his room, visibly drunk. He takes off his

shirt and trips on the foot of the piano. His pistol falls

from his belt and slides across the floor.

65.

Destine stirs and wakes. Jack takes down his trousers and

tosses them.

Destine slinks back against the headboard as Jack pounces

onto the bed. He climbs on top of her.

BAD JACK:

You’re not getting away tonight.

Jack shoves his tongue down Destine’s throat. He feels her up

then reaches down in between her legs.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Give me that quim. I need it.

Destine stops his hand. Jack grabs both of her wrists and

slams them against the headboard.

BAD JACK (CONT’D)

Don’t make me force you or I’ll tie

ya up on stage and let every hard

cock in the points have a go at

you!

Destine turns her head and lets Jack take her. Her eyes lock

on an item on the floor. Jack’s PISTOL.

She stares at it as Jack pounds her from the top. Each thrust

feeds her vengeance and sharpens her focus on the gun.

INT. WASHROOM - NIGHT

Kieran sits with a fresh haircut, Emily now shaving his

beard.

EMILY:

Your war hero friend, Cillian, does

he have a woman?

KIERAN:

Why, do you fancy him?

EMILY:

You hush. You didn’t tell him about

my former work in Philadelphia, did

you?

KIERAN:

Any man who looks down on you for

that, doesn’t deserve you.

Emily smiles and scrapes the last bit of his beard. She wipes

clean the loose hairs and shaving cream.

66.

KIERAN (CONT’D)

And no, I didn’t tell him.

Kieran looks in the mirror. He stares at all his scars.

KIERAN (CONT’D)

I wonder if she’ll recognize me.

EMILY:

You’re as handsome a man as I’ve

ever seen. ‘cept maybe for Cillian.

Cillian pops through the door and Emily blushes.

CILLIAN:

I made a bed up for you Miss Emily.

I hope it’s suitable.

Cillian extends his arm and Emily takes it. He leads her out.

Kieran gives one last stare into the mirror.

INT. BAD JACK’S SUITE - MORNING

Destine lays beneath Jack’s heavy body, draped on top of her.

She attempts to slide from beneath him, but his arms are

wrapped tight around her.

She lifts his arm to roll him off and suddenly he pops up

awake. He looks at Destine then sits up off the side of the

bed, shaking his head.

BAD JACK:

Bloody southern whiskey.

He looks at his trousers on the floor and stands to get

dressed, but Destine pulls him back to the bed.

DESTINE:

Lay back now. I’ll fetch you some

ale to cure that queasiness.

Jack grabs her arms and examines her.

DESTINE (CONT’D)

I don’t want to be on that stage

ever, Jack.

She kisses him. He releases her and lays back, rubbing his

eyes and smiling.

CLICK. Jack looks up to see Destine pointing his cocked

pistol at him. He quickly stands up.

67.

DESTINE (CONT’D)

Stay right there!

Jack stops and stares with anger.

BAD JACK:

You’re going to shoot the only man

who cares for you?

DESTINE:

You will never hurt me again.

Jack steps closer to her.

BAD JACK:

Go on then. Put me out of my

misery.

She closes her eyes and squeezes the trigger. Nothing. The

gun is not loaded. Destine’s courage is gone in an instant.

Now only sadness.

DESTINE:

No.

Jack slowly closes in.

BAD JACK:

I told you not to hurt me again. I

warned you.

WHAP! He smashes his fist into Destine’s face, knocking her

out cold.

INT. SALOON BASEMENT - DAY

Destine sits tied to a chair. Her right eye is swollen shut.

Lester, Gideon, and Bad Jack stand across from her.

BAD JACK:

What do you think I should do with

her, Lester?

LESTER:

I think she’d fit in just fine with

the topless lady fighters.

BAD JACK:

With those tits. She would bring in

a crowd, indeed.

68.

GIDEON:

I could take her off your hands.

I’d take proper care of her.

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