An uppercut seared Danny’s chest. His lungs felt like they were stuffed with hot ashes. He took a wild swing and connected. Cardona’s nose collapsed with a sluggish flow of crimson, and now it was the Italian’s turn to hold on to his opponent, crowding him into a corner.
A hook drove home near Danny’s heart, and the wind shortened instantly. He tried to get up on his toes, to stay away and jab the cook off his balance. But there was no life in his reflexes now. Cardona forced his guard down and nailed him on the cheekbone. Donovan tried to clinch again, but Cardona stepped away and Danny’s knees buckled, dropping him to the mat.
The referee’s voice picked up the count, and with each stroke Danny could hear the words drumming against his ears – “You cops ain’t so tough without a gun, Donovan!”
“Get up, punk!” Cardona yelled. “I’m not through pounding on you yet. Get up and take it, damn you!”
Danny got one knee under him and one glove on the ropes, pulling himself up just before the count of ten by Calvin, the tall, broad-shouldered referee.
A top boxing novel.
Pulp goes Top Secret in this military comedy drama set in Europe during the height of the Cold War. A group of misfit MPs must confront spies and the black market while dealing with a boxing tournament on Post! Not since M*A*S*H* and Soldier In The Rain have we been treated to an inside look at military life with a touch of humor by a soldier who actually experienced it.
COLD WAR HEROES by Tom Johnson is loosely based on the author’s experience with the 202nd Military Police Company in France during the 1960s.
Available on Amazon and Kindle.
