Page 20 of Hot to Trot

He must have planned this. Scarlet seethed as she pulled her sign loose from a pimply teenager who wore a T-shirt advertising Harvey's gossip rag. "Give me that."

"Witch!" he yelled, eyeing the police officers swarming up the steps.

"Wrong," she growled. "I'm a vampire. Don't make me bite you, you little punk.”

The kid dropped the sign and retreated. She'd freaked him out. Good. She picked up the sign and turned to where the protesters squared off with some of Harvey's people. Meg looked ready to stomp the Hush Puppies of one of the men, and Betty laughed as Brent tried to soothe the older woman who had latched on to Scarlet moments before. The elderly lady had tears coursing down her grooved cheeks. Obviously the older woman was even more of a drama queen than Scarlet ever dreamed of being. But it made her feel bad anyway. It shouldn't have come to this.

Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlet caught sight of Harvey wearing a self-satisfied smile. He'd manipulated people into being his winged monkeys, doing his dirty work, while he remained in the center, seemingly serene and in control. A martyr for his misguided brand of justice.

Scarlet stormed toward him."You did this on purpose."

Harvey lifted a woolly eyebrow. "I did nothing but what was required, madam. I suggest you disperse your group before you end up in the back of a police car."

"You take your people and leave." Scarlet jabbed a finger at him. "You turned this into something it wasn't supposed to be."

"Scarlet," Adam said, his low voice somehow comforting. "Step away and let it go. Nothing can be done."

"Do as he says," Harvey said.

For a moment, Scarlet felt a burning in her gut. It was as if she were caught between two impenetrable walls, walls that were closing in on her. "No."

"Scarlet," Adam said, gently grasping her shoulder in effort to turn her from Harvey.

"Stop," she said, shrugging away from his touch, a touch that stirred, a touch that oddly enough made her feel safe. But his plea wasn't enough to make her step down from the ass clown standing before her, looking condescending and smug. "I'm not leaving. We have the right to protest."

"But not the right to disturb the peace," Adam said, his voice more firm. He raised his voice above the melee. "Okay, folks, that's it. Time to move on. Go home."

A grumbling emerged at his words, but most people stepped away from the area surrounding the flagpole. The law was respected in Oak Stand. Adam represented authority. He meant business.

Brent clamped Adam on the shoulder. "Thanks, man. We didn't want it to turn into this."

Adam nodded. "You, too, Primm. Take the book and go."

Harvey frowned. "Very well. Justice has triumphed today, and it is done. Good day to you."

"Wait!'' Scarlet shouted."You can't leave. This is a protest!"

Betty shook her head. "We did our best, honey. We'll have to let it go for now."

"No, I won't leave," Scarlet declared. "This is unfair. I can't. I can't let him win."

"Baby doll, come on. Let's have some sweet tea and pound cake on my porch. We'll brainstorm and come at this from a different direction.” Betty rubbed a hand down her sticky back.

Scarlet spun around and picked up the backpack she'd dropped beside the cooler. It held packages of crackers, a packet of gum, a brilliant script by an upcoming Broadway writer, and...a pair of handcuffs. Strong, rimmed in red faux fur, they would just fit round the smaller flagpole that flew the Texas state flag.

Scarlet sat and clicked one cuff on her right hand and the other she fastened around the hot steel of the pole.

"What are you doing?" Adam called. "No. Don't."

She clicked the cuff shut.

"Honey," Betty groaned. "No call for that."

Harvey had been moving toward the street and his large black car. He turned. “This from the lawless young woman who calledmea crackpot."

Reporters moved from Harvey and swarmed toward Scarlet.

Brent crossed his arms and looked at Adam. "I knew she was trouble, but this beats all I've ever seen. I’ll call Rayne and see if she can talk some sense into her sister.”

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