Page 31 of Viktor

Andy crossed his arms, mimicking Viktor’s stance. “What’s he doing here, and why did you look like you were about to start the make-out session of the century?”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, Andy. Viktor’s here to…”

“I’m here to keep her abusive husband the fuck away from her and her daughter.” Each word out of his mouth sounded like a missile aimed right for Andy.

“The fuck?” Andy’s gaze shot to Sara, and Viktor tried to put her behind him again, but she sidled away from him and walked down the steps.

“Andy…”

“Don’t you dare ‘Andy’ me, Sara Jane. Roger said you were telling lies about him, and now you’ve gone and hired someone to keep him away from his kid?”

“He hit his kid so hard her tooth went flying across the room,” Sara snarled. “Don’t you dare come here spouting that self-righteous attitude with me, Andrew Michael Crawford.”

He frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Viktor jumped the steps, landing right beside her. This woman kept putting herself right in the path of danger. If Andy was Roger’s best friend, he might be just as dangerous as her asshole husband.

“I’d be careful what you say to her.”

Andy’s attention snapped to him, and Viktor smiled lazily. He hoped the guy tried something. A good fight was what he needed to release some of this pent-up frustration he was carrying around.

He enjoyed the fact Sara moved a little closer to him when Andy took a step forward. The signals she gave off confused him. He wasn’t sure if Andy was a threat or not.

“The night I left him, he hit Delia.” Sara shifted again, this time brushing right up against Viktor. “The doctor said we were lucky. They thought at first her jaw was fractured, but it wasn’t, thank God. Hitting me is one thing, hitting my baby is another.”

“You’re telling me he hit you?” The quiet words startled Viktor. They were full of bewilderment. Did he not know the kind of man he called friend?

“Yeah, Andy. Roger hit me. I took it for a long time, but no one touches my kid.”

“Is she okay?”

“She will be.” Sara took a step toward Andy, and Viktor towed her back. She glared at him, but he ignored it. He knew in that moment she didn’t consider Andy a threat, but Viktor wasn’t willing to take that chance. Not if he was Roger’s best friend. This could be an act.

“What are you doing here, Andy?”

He looked from Sara to Viktor, his lips thinning. “I got a call from Roger. Said his mother ran into you and some guy in the grocery store. He wanted me to come and see what was up, since you took out a restraining order on him.”

Smart, Viktor thought. If Roger suspected Sara had hired someone, he would keep his contact with her to a minimum. Sending people to do his dirty work would make it harder to catch him doing something that violated the order.

“Yes, we were at the grocery store shopping for, you know, groceries.” The sarcasm in her voice was hard to miss. “I didn’t realize that was a crime.”

“It is if you’re cheating on your husband.”

Sara sucked in a breath, preparing to let him have it, but Viktor had other ideas. He turned, lifted her up, and set her behind him. “Don’t you dare move.”

Then he turned back to Andy. “I’m here to protect her and her daughter from being hurt by her ex. That includes him sending people here to harass and hurl unfounded accusations at her. She doesn’t deserve to live in fear. You’re not welcome here if that’s your intent. I suggest you get back in that truck and leave.”

“What’s going on?” Mason said from behind them. The incredulousness on Andy’s face made Viktor want to turn and look at his baby brother, but his eyes never left Andy. He had a feeling Mason hadn’t washed his face before stepping out on the porch.

Sara burst out laughing, but Viktor’s focus never left Andy. The man tried to stare him down, but he’d faced drill sergeants scarier than this fucker.

“Nothing to worry about.” Viktor widened his stance, daring the fucker to take a step toward him. “Go back inside.”

“You sure?” Mason asked, and Viktor nodded. His brother might be the scrawniest of all of them, but he was always more than willing to jump in and lend a hand in a beatdown.

“Yeah,brat. Go get cleaned up.”

When Sara tried to step around him again, he caught her and pulled her against him. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

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