Page 25 of My Silver Fox Savior

“How are you doing, Landon?”

“Fine, Damon,” I say, staring him right in the eye.

He laughs, shaking his head. “You don’t look fine. You look like a man getting silly ideas in his head.”

“I’ve just heard the ambiance in here is relaxing. Already, I can see the rumors were true.”

“Ha ha ha,” he mocks. “You’re one funny bastard, aren’t you? Listen, fella, this is not a good thing for you to do. What if some of my less courteous friends happened to be here? You need to finish your drink, then get on your way.”

When the barman places my drink down, I ignore it. Instead, I make a show of looking around the bar. I feelice cold. I’m fueledby what this asshole did to Lily. He had no right to scare her like that. Nobody does.

“Where’s the playroom, then?” I say. “In the back? I’ve heard there are snacks and video games.”

“Those are vicious lies told by petty people who want to tear The Bear down,” Damon says.

“Why the fuck would multiple parents lie about this?”

“Ah, which ones?” he says with a gleam in his eye.

There it is, that self-assured suggestion of violence. Everyone in the bar is turning and staring at us. The music still plays, pumping, so I’m unsure if they can hear us. Yet, they must be able to read my body language. “Which ones”clearly indicates he’d hurt them if he had the chance.

“Now, why would you ask a question like that?” I say playfully.

He keeps smirking with that same gleam in his eye. He’s undeniably a man who’s gotten away with a lot and is used to walking all over people. It seeps out of his pores, this unearned confidence, this disgusting self-belief. It makes me feel like I did at the apple tree—that feeling again. It’s the only time I’ve felt it. He’s making me want to snap.

“Anyway,” Damon says, “maybe I’ve decided you don’t need that drink anymore.”

“Maybe I still want to see the game room.”

“I’ve already told the whore,” he snaps, taking a step closer, his hand twitching. I know he’s got a weapon hidden in those jeans or maybe in the fold of his jacket. “Don’t make me tell you, too. Go back to your life. Your Good Samaritan days are over.” Hegrins, leaning in. “Do you seriously think I wouldn’t look into you? You stopped giving a fuck a long time ago. Unless it’s about the girl …”

He leans even closer, which is a mistake. There should be fear coursing through me, logic telling me to get away from these people. But all I want to do is split his head open for thinking he can hurt innocent people and get away with it.

“Just leave the kids alone,” I growl.

“I’ve seen the photo of you and Lily Brooks.” The way he says her full name, savoring it and using it as a threat, makes me sick. He rolls therinBrooksas though to make a point, to rub it in—the asshole. “When she was a kid, I mean. It’s some puff piece, and all for what? For your ego? Now you and she are what, partners-in-crime?”

He smirks, leaning even closer. My hands are shaking. In the periphery of my vision, I notice people from the other tables watching, getting ready to react.

“Or is there something else going on, something more … immoral? It would make sense, considering your job and the general lack of values.”

“You keep her fucking name out of your mouth,” I say, stepping even closer, emphasizing the difference in our height. Not that it means much when he’s got at least a dozen of his buddies in here.

“You seem to have very strong opinions about that,” he says gleefully. “Just remember, I can visit her any damn time I want.”

“If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’ll put you in the fucking ground.”

His eyes pop open almost in a comic-book way. He looks absurd, almost. It’s clear nobody ever speaks to him like that. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

“You might think you know everything about me,” I growl, “but you haven’t done enough research. Leave. Her. Alone.”

I push past him, my shoulder barging into him. He feels weak and light as he falls to the side, but he feels the need to play the tough guy.“Maybe I’ll pay my not-so-little lady a visit tonight!”He shouts this loudly enough for some of his men to hear, and they laugh like hyenas.

I spin on the spot, staring at him, my hand twitching, ready. He cocks his head and brings his hand to his hip. “Are you really that fucking stupid?” he yells. “Get back to your office, lawyer man.”

More laughter, even if that is the shittiest insult I’ve ever heard. I’m ready to shoot him for what he did to Lily and his comments about her. Then his men stand up from the tables, some of them producing guns in such a casual way. I know this is business as usual for them. As they aim at me, they look almost bored, dead behind the eyes.

With no other choice, I leave the bar, waiting for the wave of fear, but it doesn’t come. I feel the most alert I have in years, the most carefree, almost. It’s like a weight has been lifted. After all this time, I’ve finally done something good again, but the feeling doesn’t last long.

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