Page 195 of The Fine Line
“We don’t,” she says at the same time I mutter, “Coffee shop.”
His gaze drops. My undone pants. No button.
“Holt, I?—”
His fist cracks into my jaw.
“No. You don’t say a fucking word. You’re lower than I possibly could’ve thought, Sutton. You’ve crossed a line there’s no coming back from.”
“I didn’t?—”
He shoves me into the wall.
“Brendan!” she yells.
But he doesn’t stop.
“You know, I always figured it had to be somewhat of a show you were putting on. But no,” he spits, grabbing two fistfuls of my shirt. “Youreallythink you’re hot shit. That you’ve got the entire world in the palm of your fucking hand. That you can just do whatever you want—takewhatever you want. No consequences. Well, this is your wake-up call.”
“Holt, I swear—I didn’t know she was your wife?—”
I’m silenced with a jarring blow to my face. This time across my cheekbone. I feel the slice of his wedding band tear skin.
“I—”
Another punch. My nose erupts.
“You’re nothing more than a worthless fucking prick, Sutton. A pretty face on skates. You’re a strung-out, pathetic disappointment. A junkie. A fucking joke?—”
Something in me snaps.
And that’s when I lose it.
I lunge forward with a strength I didn’t even know I had, tackling Holt to the ground. I register a scream to my side, but it doesn’t phase me. I unleash. Fists flying. Years of pain, shame, frustration—all of it pours into every punch.
The sounds around me all meld together, from every crack and crunch of my fists to Holt’s sputters and gasps to the stomps of feet and voices becoming louder and more frantic as they approach.
I have no idea where the line blurs between me mentally seeing red and physically seeing it. Blood smears. His face splits open. I bust his eyebrow clean through and break his nose. I don’t stop. I can’t.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Sutty, stop it!
“Nettie?”
“Oh my God, Cap!”
“Rhett, what the fuck are you doing?”
“Sutton’s killing Holt!”
“Get off him!”
Hands tear me off.
“Holt, Jesus?—”
I’m dazed. Panting. The blur in my vision slowly starts to clear.
