Page 127 of The Very Naughty List

“If you say another goddamn word about her, you’ll regret it,” Reid adds.

“Now move the fuck along before we land you on your ass.” Nick jerks his chin, looking just as pissed as his brothers as all three of them square off with Dylan.

43

NICK

I’m nearly vibrating,ready to snap this motherfucker in half if he says another word to, or evenabout, Hailey. It takes everything I have, every last thread of self-restraint, for me not to knock him down where he stands.

Dylan blinks, clearly a bit cowed by the combined force of our anger. His face shifts color, the drunken flush replaced by a sickly pallor that makes him look even more like the weasel he’s always been. But then he puffs out his chest, affixing a smug smirk to his face as he glances back at Hailey.

“You really think these three cavemen are your best option?” he asks, snorting a laugh. “You really think they can protect you? I’m going to absolutelyruinyour family, Hailey. Their diner is toast. I’ll make sure that The Griddle House is closed up within the month, and your family will haveyouto thank for it.”

Sebastian makes a noise in his throat. “Fuck it,” he grunts, his hands curling into fists.

But before he can take a swing at Dylan, I’m already moving, my body following the impulse before I’m even consciously aware of having it. My fist draws back as I take a step toward Dylan, then land a punch squarely on his jaw.

Dylan reels backward from the blow as he tries to steady himself on his feet. If it weren’t for the people that he stumbles into, grabbing on to for support, he’d probably go down like a sack of potatoes. There’s a ripple through the crowd as the townspeople around us realize what’s happening, and Dylan wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he straightens, glaring at me.

I can tell that he’s both scared and pissed off, just like a cornered animal, and I can’t help the primal feeling of satisfaction that rushes through me.

Good.

Maybe now he’ll think twice before talking shit about Hailey.

“You’re going to regret that,” Dylan hisses like a petulant child. “I’ll take you down too. I’ll use every bit of my family’s influence to ruin you and destroy your career at the fire department.” He tugs at his jacket, glaring at me. “My parents make a sizable donation to the fire department. You can be sure that you’ll never become fire chief now. Hell, you’ll be lucky if anyone lets you even clean the toilets at the station after this stunt.”

Fucking asshole.

Blood rushes in my ears as I step forward again, grabbing Dylan by the throat to pull his face to mine.

“You’re nothing but a shit stain and a bully, hiding behind your money and threatening people by abusing your status. Without your parents’ resources, you’d have nothing. You already lost the best thing you ever had—and trust me, you’re never getting Hailey back. So I don’t give a fuck what you threaten to do to me. You can’t use blackmail to get your way this time.”

Dylan shoves at my arm, his eyes a bit wild, and I release my grip on his throat—only because I’m afraid I won’t be able to fight down the urge to squeeze much longer. As soon as I’mno longer touching him, he seems to regain some of his bluster, letting out a derisive laugh as he lifts his chin.

“I would never stoop to blackmail. My family just uses the connections they have, and unlike you, people in this town actually respect me.”

“Well now, I respect the Coopers.” A gruff voice from the crowd catches my attention. “They’ve always done right by me. And I respect the Bennetts too.”

I glance around to realize that we’ve drawn an audience. Everyone at the Christmas Eve Bash seems to be focused on us. The man who spoke—Jasper Williams—steps forward, giving me a little nod before glaring at Dylan.

“You’rethe rotten part of this town, Dylan Montgomery. You and your corrupt parents have done nothing but hurt people and their businesses here.” Jasper’s white hair sticks out from beneath his winter hat, his breath clouding the air in front of his face as he shakes his head. “And as for blackmail, I don’t know what else to call the awful terms of the business deal your family pushed me into—except for extortion, maybe.”

I rock back on my heels a little, surprised as hell to hear someone from this town actually stand up to Dylan or his family. It’s been an open secret in Chestnut Hill for years that they’ve been taking advantage of small businesses and family-run operations, abusing their wealth and power. But no one ever stood up to them or confronted them about it, because they’d make sure to pull strings and punish anyone who tried.

“He’s right—they’re all right.” Meredith Jenson, a woman with thick brown hair and a straight nose, narrows her eyes at Dylan while coming to stand beside Hailey. “My father went into business with you, and then you and your parents snuck all sorts of shady terms into the contract that cost him his antique shop. You preyed on an old man’s livelihood just to line your own pockets even more.”

“They did that to us too!” someone else shouts from the crowd. “Put my family through hell!”

I glance at Reid and Sebastian, who both look as surprised as I am at this sudden outpouring of support. The murmurs rising up from the crowd grow louder as several more people step forward to reveal that they too have had to endure Dylan’s manipulation and abuses of power over them and their family businesses.

Hailey isn’t alone. Her family isn’t alone.

Dylan and his parents have tried to take advantage of almost everyone here, abusing their power in Chestnut Hill and threatening people to stay quiet about it so that they would feel like they were in a vulnerable position against the Montgomerys.

Within moments, the amassed crowd begins to turn on Dylan and his parents, finding courage in their collective strength and calling them out for what they’ve done. Hailey’s parents come to stand with us, and Mr. Bennett speaks out in a sterner voice than I’ve ever heard him use before.

“You’ve bullied this whole town with your family’s money for a long time. The way that you engage in business practices is shady at best, and illegal at worst. And now you’re trying to blackmail my daughter simply because you think you can.” He gestures to the people gathered around us—people he’s known for his whole life, neighbors, patrons of their diner, and friends. “Well, I have news for you: youcan’t. We’re done letting you get away with that kind of nonsense.”

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