Endless fighting drills and sparring matches. Some one on one, but now almost all were an eight-person free for all. Lillian would watch and keep trac... of the hits and wins. Her practice came on our hunts and she reveled in our time together then. I could not wait for her to be able to stay in her human form. As we grew closer and closer to the capital, trepidation at what we would find set in. We had no idea what would be waiting for us when we arrived and what kind of reception we had waiting. Hedipped a finger in it, touched it to his tongue.Cocaine.He’d noted before that Callie’s suitcase held twodistinctly different sorts of clothing. He took time tolook more closely. The first was what you’d expect tofind a child her age wearing. Fashionably ragged jeans.Shirts and blouses bearing labels which gave her statusamong her peers. Simple dresses and undergarments.The remainder, like the nightwear, was just as atypical.Flashy, revealing attire. Ridiculous five-inch. “It’s some new guy. Some Cuban nobody’s seen before. He was a big deal back home, but around the League, nobody knows shit about him yet.”Well, I would be hitting seventh for Gwinnett, so there would be a little bit of time to watch the Cuban guy in action. What the hell? He didn’t know what I could do, either. I figured this kid must be pretty good if they were starting him off in Triple A ball, right off the boat.I was still staying in a moldy little motel a couple of blocks from the ballpark. Now you'regoing to have to pay. Get down on your knees." No, look Robert. I was just trying to cheer you up." This will cheer me up. On your knees." No. I won't do it."He whipped his hand out of his trousers and charged up to me,grabbing the hair at the base of my neck. "You'll do whatever Isay you fat bitch! I've had enough of putting up with your shit.Now get down on your fucking knees!" I tried to stay upright buthe forced me down. "Now you're going to shut your face and dowhat I want you to.