Page 23 of Rewind

Mark dropped his arm from around Candace and got in Ethan face. He tilted his head back until their eyes met, and noses were only inches away. “What the fuck did you just say?”

The contempt he had for this man ran deeper than the Grand Canyon. He refused to be intimidated by this low life piece of shit who only went after people who were physically weaker than him. “You heard me just fine, but a coward like you isn’t going to do anything about it because I’m not a women and I’m not afraid of you.”

“Oh, I know you’re not going to let this guy talk to you like that.” Candace burst out laughing.

Mark flared his nostrils and snarled as he raised his fist, sending it directly toward Ethan’s chin.

Ethan easily caught Mark’s fist in his palm and drove his own fist into the other man’s midsection.

The other man doubled over with a loud gasp before collapsing to the floor, clutching his stomach.

“Oh my God!” Paisley call out.

“Damn!” Candace sounded mildly impressed.

Ethan debated kicking Mark as he writhed on the ground, but the funeral director chose that moment to enter the room. “What’s going on in here?” He ran over to Mark who was still writhing on the floor and groaning.

Ethan looked down at Mark, daring him to get up. “He just ran out of hot air. He’ll be fine. Trust me. I’m a doctor.”

He couldn’t bear to spare another glance at Amina’s body. That was no longer her. Ethan wanted to remember her smile, and kindness and the gentle warmth of her eyes.

Besides, seeing her lifeless body would only serve as a reminder of what might have been.

Storming out of the funeral home without looking back, he didn’t notice anyone had followed him until a hand fell on his shoulder. With adrenaline surging through his body he spun on his heel with a balled fist ready to swing.

“Eek!” Paisley backed away with a jump. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to walk up on you like that.”

Ethan took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. That guy just rubs me the wrong way. Even still, my behavior was inappropriate for the setting. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

She shook her head and waved her hands in a flurried gesture. “No. There’s no need to apologize. You were great. I wish I could have done the same. That guy makes me uneasy. And did you see how close he was to the cousin? It’s like they have something going on between them. That was so tacky. Anyway, what was that move back there? I didn’t know you had that in you.”

Ethan clenched and unclenched his fists to stretch his muscles. “I used to do some boxing in high school and college. I was actually pretty good. Made a little money on the side to help with expenses.”

He had invested some of his winnings in the stock market that still earned him dividends to this day.

Paisley stared at him with awe shining in her blue eyes. “I’m impressed. I assume you don’t box anymore?”

“Not since I started med school. In my specialty the preservation of my hands is important so it was either continue to box or forget about being a surgeon.”

“Well I’m glad you gave that jerk what was coming to him.” She bowed her head. “Dr. Han, I wish there was more we could do for Amina. It’s clear that jerk was hurting her. Maybe we could go to the police or something.”

Ethan had thought about that but he’d seen so many domestic battery victims get pushed to the backburner when it came to the police. “It’s a thought, but I’m not sure what they’d do. And people like him, will always have an excuse and wiggle their way out of trouble.”

Paisley raised her chin defiantly. “Well, I’m going to go to the police. Even if they don’t do anything about it, it will be on record. Amina deserved so much better.” She sighed. “I need to get out of here but if we ever see each other again, I hope it’s under better circumstances.”

On his drive home Paisley’s words resonated in his head. She was absolutely right. Amina did deserve better and if it was the last thing he did, he’d see that bastard pay for what he did to her.

He released an exhausted breath when he pulled into the garage of his condo building. As he walked across the parking lot toward the entrance, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He stopped and looked around him. The parking lot appeared empty but as just as he pulled out the key card to allow him access to the building he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

He cautiously turned, thinking it was probably one of his neighbors, but a man in a black hood approached him. “Hey, are you Dr. Ethan Han?” the mysterious man asked in accented English.

Ethan tensed. “Who wants to know?”

The hooded man approached him. “I have something to give you.”

“What? And who are you?”

Though Ethan couldn’t make out the person’s entire face, he saw the man had a visible scar on his mouth from cleft palate. His lips curled into a smirk. “Oh, just a special delivery.”

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