Page 80 of Five Alarm Love
He could only imagine what Lou was going through.Her worry for her brother.The need to protect him.
A rush of adrenaline drove Tuli to protect both of them.
The man recovered.“Hey, the fellow got in our way.Shouldn’t be out here if he can’t walk.”
Tuli glanced over his shoulder.Yep, Lou’s face had turned a lovely shade of pissed-off purple.
“I don’t know you,” Tuli said.“But it seems you like to pick on folks with disabilities.Real big of you.”He laughed loudly and turned ninety degrees.“Is this the kind of company you keep, Hunter?”
Hunter muttered, “I was here helping.”
“Clearly,” Tuli said in a droll tone.“Lou?”
Eyebrows raised, she shrugged.“Hunter’s also trying to set me up with Zach.”
“This guy?”Tuli leaned forward and pointed to blue flannel who, to his credit, took a step back.“Quality friends you’ve got here, Hunter.”
“At least I have friends,” Hunter snapped.“You’ve got—”
“Top notch crew, like Gordy.And Lou.I’ll hang with a select few good people rather than multiple bullies any day of the week.”Tuli braced his stronger leg behind him and faced Hunter.“We’ll talk about this later at work.”
“This isn’t work-related.There’s nothing to talk about.”
Tuli clamped his mouth shut for a solid ten seconds, holding back what he wanted to say.Instead, he settled for a more civil alternative.“If you’re not going to be helpful, then why don’t you three musketeers move on?Unless you want me to broadcast you.”He patted the phone in his back pocket.
Hunter sneered.“Everything’s a video moment for you, isn’t it?You’re not here helping anything but your online clout.”
“Maybe it’s two birds, one stone.I can do more than one thing at once, like how you are able to talkandbe an idiot.What’s to say I haven’t already filmed you and posted it online?Hashtag, Bullying.Now I’m looking after my friends.You’re lucky I don’t report you to the troopers.”
Blue flannel—Zach—said, “Tattling to the police.That’s rich.”
“If it keeps the good people of my town safe, I’m down for it.”
“This town isn’t yours for long, idiot,” pudgy vest guy said before Hunter whipped his head around and hissed at him.
“What’s that mean?”Tuli peered at the trio of tools.
“Anyway.Looks like Gordy’s in good hands,” Hunter said.“No harm no foul, right, Gordy?”
Gordy looked at his device, but the screen was cracked and blank.His big, friendly smile was gone.
So was Lou’s.She hovered near her brother like a mother bear, tense and ready to charge.
“Skip along with your friends, Hunter.”Tuli waggled his fingers.“Play some patty cake.Plan world domination.Pretend to pan for gold.Whatever you losers like to do.”
In a blur of movement, Hunter whipped around and kicked out, his booted foot glancing Tuli’s bad leg.
It buckled painfully, and down Tuli went, landing next to Gordy.
“Oh wow.Now you can’t walk either,” Zach said.
Hunter had the good sense to look offended.
Tuli rubbed his leg, pushed to a standing position, and reset his shoulder-width stance on one good leg and one burning, unreliable leg.He’d protect Lou and Gordy or die trying.“This is getting to be a habit, Hunter.”
“What?With the inability to fight because of your bum leg?”Hunter sneered.“You’re useless.”
“Don’t need my foot to fight.”Tuli feinted a jab toward his face, then swung and connected with the guy’s gut.Hunter doubled over, his wheezingoofmusic to Tuli’s ears.“Anyway, I’d hate to make your ass-kicking public.”He forced his throbbing leg to keep him upright and stepped into an upward punch, catching his nose.
