Page 126 of The Alternate Captain
“You tell Johnny to get his fucking ass out here now. You stupid—”
But then there’s a banging in the distance, and the attack on the door stops.
Then I hear Johnny’s voice.
“What the fuck is going on?” Johnny says.
Mr Foot abandons the door and strides towards Johnny, which is when I recklessly decide that I’m leaving the safety of the apartment.
“You.” Mr Foot points his finger at Johnny, and now they’re standing face-to-face, it’s clear to see that Johnny has a good four inches on this guy. And a lot more bulk.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” Johnny says.
Mr Foot flings himself at Johnny, and all I can do is watch in horror. Except, Johnny reacts quickly enough, grabbing ontothe guy’s forearms and pushing him against the wall between Johnny’s place and next door.
“How fucking dare you,” Mr Foot says, fighting against Johnny.
“How dare I? You’re fucking kidding, right?” Johnny says, making the task of holding him back look effortless.
“Does she know?” Mr Foot asks, motioning to where I’m standing.
Johnny’s gaze drifts over to mine for a split second before his face darkens with concern.
“Kelly, go back inside, please,” Johnny says.
“Oh, this is priceless. Don’t go anywhere, princess. You need to hear all about this,” Mr Foot snarls.
“Johnny? What’s going on?” I ask.
“Kelly, please—”
“Did you know he’s being fucking my fiancée?”
Johnny drops his hands, releasing the guy, who uses the opportunity to take another dive at Johnny. But Johnny corrects himself, pushing him back into the wall.
“I know all about it,” Mr Foot says.
“Really? Because I don’t think you do, Charlie,” Johnny says.
“You and Sarah. Fucking sneaking around. She told me everything, Johnny. And you’ve knocked her up and—”
A laugh erupts from Johnny’s throat. Wicked and hard. One I haven’t heard before.
“You’re crazy,” Johnny shouts. “Actually, fucking crazy.”
Charlie goes right for Johnny’s throat, causing him to tumble to the floor after he loses his balance. This is when I panic. Even more than before. What do I even do?
“I’m calling the police,” I say, fishing in my pocket for my phone, but Johnny pushes Charlie off and pins him down.
“Get the fuck off me,” Charlie says, his face flushing red. I honestly think steam is going to fly out of his ears at this rate.
And then the door at the far end swings open, and Parker Fforde comes into view.
“What the—” Parker pries Johnny off Charlie and stands between them both. “What the hell is going on?”
Parker’s eyes find mine and his face drops.
“He got my fiancée pregnant!” Charlie screams, fighting against the wall of Parker’s arm.
