Bare Knuckle Page #14

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BAD JACK:

Come a little closer and say that,

fat man. I fear nothing!

KIERAN:

Then let’s fight. You and me. Right

here, right now.

BAD JACK:

With pleasure. Circle it up!

The crowd forms a circle around the fighters. Jack hands

Gideon his pistol and pulls his shirt off. Kieran follows.

Lester grabs Destine and drags her to the front row. Gideon

draws the scratch with the barrel of the gun, then backs

away.

GIDEON:

Toe the scratch!

No hesitation. Kieran and Jack walk to the line with

conviction. Just as they reach it:

KABOOM! A canon fires a lead ball through the air, smashing

into the brick wall of a neighboring building.

THE POLITICIAN stands with a darkly dressed militia, all

pointing rifles and pistols at the scene.

THE POLITICIAN:

Nobodies turning the championship

of America into a side street

brawl. Disperse! The lot of you!

The crowd breaks up, and the masses flee the scene.

75.

INT. THE POLITICIAN’S OFFICE - NIGHT

Smoke swirls as The Politician fumes.

THE POLITICIAN:

God damn you Jack. You have run

wild for too long. Hanging his

woman in the square!

BAD JACK:

I should have strung them both up.

THE POLITICIAN:

Connelly has the Irish gangs at his

back, which means you’re going to-

BAD JACK:

You’re afraid of the Irish gangs?

THE POLITICIAN:

You’re going to let him alone to do

promotions so that every Irishman

in the city will bet on him! You

saw them. They think he’s their

savior. When you beat him, it’ll be

the biggest purse in history.

BAD JACK:

Unlike you fat cat, I don’t care

about money.

THE POLITICIAN:

Do you wish to make an enemy of me?

BAD JACK:

I wish to cut off Frenchy’s head

and send it to that blockhead on a

f***ing platter!

THE POLITICIAN:

If she’s dead Connelly won’t fight!

The bout is only two God damn days

away so put your rage to bed for

Christ sake!

Jack stares down the tubby top hat.

BAD JACK:

My rage does not rest.

THE POLITICIAN:

Do not f*** with me on this.

Jack spits on the floor and exits.

76.

INT. HOTEL BATHROOM - NIGHT

Kieran sits in a bath. Emily pours water over him.

KIERAN:

I keep imagining what he is doing

to her. Hurting her, or worse.

EMILY:

Hush now. She’s gonna be fine.

Emily kisses Kieran’s shoulder and holds him tight.

KIERAN:

Part of me wants to walk into his

saloon and bury my axe in his

heart. Let his men kill me and meet

Destine in the afterlife.

Emily strokes his back to calm his dark thoughts.

INT. KNOW NOTHINGS BASEMENT - NIGHT

Destine lays sleeping. A pebble hits her face and she stirs.

A larger pebble strikes her and she wakes to see Gideon

sitting across from her with a handful of stones.

She lunges at him, but her hands shackled and chained to

metal rings in the wall

GIDEON:

That’s right. Jack doesn’t want you

going anywhere.

Destine responds with a cold stare.

GIDEON (CONT’D)

I remember that first day you was

singing on the stage up there. You

sure was beautiful.

Gideon wipes the grease dripping on his forehead.

GIDEON (CONT’D)

If Jack didn’t make a move I think

I was gonna have to. Do you

remember seeing me that night?

DESTINE:

I make it a point not to remember

sewer garbage.

Gideon heaves the entire handful of rocks at Destine’s face.

77.

GIDEON:

I take back everything I said!

He pulls out his knife.

GIDEON (CONT’D)

You’re gonna start being nicer to

me.

INT. JACK’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Lester pours Jack and himself a glass of whiskey.

BAD JACK:

That Jack-Rabbit politician putting

money before my pride.

LESTER:

Best the lumberman in the ring and

then we can get nasty. What’s the

problem?

BAD JACK:

The problem is I want Connelly in

agony now!

LESTER:

I’ll do anything to help you, Jack.

BAD JACK:

That doesn’t ever need be said out

loud. It’s a given.

LESTER:

What about his black lady friend? I

could pay the bobtail a visit. Take

a stroll down her cock alley or

maybe even her blind cupid?

Jack nods with permission. Lester is giddy at the thought.

EXT. KINGS HOTEL - DAY

Emily adjusts Kieran’s coat on the front steps of the hotel.

KIERAN:

Don’t leave the hotel for anything.

EMILY:

I’d feel safer going with you.

Cillian approaches in his cloak.

78.

CILLIAN:

Destine is locked up in the

basement of Jack’s saloon.

EMILY:

You been out all night?

CILLIAN:

There’s only a few guards.

KIERAN:

Grady’s at the square. Let’s get

him and-

CILLIAN:

This is a job for a ghost, not a

gang, so do your promotions as

scheduled. Emily, you stay in the

hotel like Kieran says.

Emily huffs.

CILLIAN (CONT’D)

Promise me.

Emily is turned on by Cillian’s care for her safety.

EMILY:

I promise.

Cillian moves off down the road. Kieran walks the other way,

immediately swarmed by a flock of devoted Irishmen.

Pulling back we see Lester watching from a distance. He

stares deviously at Emily who walks back into the hotel.

EXT. PARADISE SQUARE - DAY

A huge crowd surrounds the stage where Kieran and Grady put

on boxing gloves.

KIERAN:

Thanks for having my back, Grady.

GRADY:

You fight for the Irish and we

fight for you.

INT. KINGS HOTEL - DAY

Lester walks up the stairs with a cocky grin. He lurches down

the hallway, scraping his billy club along the wall.

79.

He stops at a door and knocks.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Emily quickly pops up from laying on the bed. She looks

around not sure what to do. More knocking.

LESTER (O.S.)

(soft tone)

It’s the police. We have questions

for the occupant of this room.

Instantly Emily puts her hand over her mouth in a panicked

attempt to stay quiet. Her eyes go bugged with fear. More

knocking.

She curls herself into a ball, frightened to the core.

LESTER (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Anyone there? Nobody is in. I guess

we’ll be off then.

A few silent moments pass. She puts her ear to the hinge of

the door. Nothing. She peeks through the keyhole.

BOOM! The door is kicked open, smashing Emily’s face, sending

her flying to the ground. Lester kicks the door shut behind

him and stalks towards her.

LESTER (CONT’D)

Hello dear. Recognize me?

Emily is dazed from the blow and struggles to gain focus.

LESTER (CONT’D)

Last time I was in Philadelphia, my

brother and I went to this proper

bawdy house, no dirty puzzles or

nothing. I had me this sweet

freckled beauty who gobbled up my

cock like it was a Thanksgiving

feast. And if I’m not mistaken, my

brother had you.

Emily wipes blood from her face, looking up in terror.

LESTER (CONT’D)

He said you bounced that buttered

bun on his whore pipe like no one

he’s ever seen. I told him there

was no way some blackie was as good

as my redhead, but he insisted.

Today I find out.

80.

EMILY:

No, please.

She scoots back and puts her hand up in defense.

EXT. PARADISE SQUARE - DAY

Kieran demonstrates punching on Grady for the crowd.

KIERAN:

I use my legs and hip, driving

forward just as if I was chopping

with my axe.

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