Monroe has time to block the punch, but he doesn't. He turns his head slightly and takes the blow on the side of his jaw. On unsteady legs, he stumbles back several feet. He looks up at me and his hand comes away with smeared blood from a small cut at the corner of his mouth.

"I will not fight back, but I would prefer no broken teeth."

"If you won't fight back, broken teeth will be the least of your worries." This time my fist lands in his midsection.

When ...