Matt rushed over when EJ marched in front of Anya, but his girlfriend stood her ground.
“Don’t even think about it,” Matt snarled, and stood in front of her. “If you think you’ve got a leg to stand on, you can petition the courts. Otherwise, leave.”
“I don’t have to listen to you,” EJ shouted and stepped to the side.
“You do,” he said more calmly. “Amber, do you want to get security?”
“I’m going now,” Amber said.
“Don’t be a bitch, Mom,” EJ whined. “This is all about Anya, the favorite kid getting her way. She’s going to take all the money from the sale of the building. It should come to me. I’m the oldest.”
He’d never seen a grown man stomp their foot before.
“You’ve never been around,” Anya said. She wasn’t yelling, but her voice was higher than normal. The nice, friendly girl that had gotten walked all over when she was younger was no more. “We’ve tried to keep you involved in what was going on and you wiped your hands of it. Now suddenly youthinkI’m getting something more than you and you’re pissed. Mom still has us splitting everything in the will.”
“I don’t believe it,” EJ said, crossing his arms. “You’re a stupid little crying bitch like you always were.”
Matt growled and took a step forward again. “You need to leave.”
“Get out of my face,” EJ said, shoving him.
He wanted to back the bastard against the wall but knew better than to lay his hands on someone.
Anya sidestepped before he knew what she was about and pushed her brother’s arm. All hell was breaking loose in the circus. “Everything isn’t all about you. It’s always been that way. You’re not happy unless you’re causing issues.”
“You didn’t just lay your hands on me,” EJ snarled.
An evil came into the guy’s eyes.
Matt saw the rapid change and stepped in front of Anya the minute EJ swung. The guy’s fist connected with his left cheek and eye instead of his girlfriend’s face.
His head snapped to the side, then came around. He grabbed EJ by the shirt before he could stop himself from reacting.
Security came rushing in and pulled them apart. EJ was kicking and screaming like a teenage girl having her phone taken away.
“You need to settle down now or we’re going to restrain you like we do patients,” the security guard said. They had EJ wrapped up in their arms and got his hands behind his back. “The police are on the way now.”
“Why?” EJ shouted. He was crying and kicking his feet up on the ground in a fit of rage.
“You just assaulted someone. We have to file it and he might want to press charges,” the security guard said. “Stop fighting me.”
Matt looked at Amber, saw her crying. Anya was livid and asking someone for ice. He could taste blood in his mouth.
He’d never taken a shot to the face before and had to admit he never wanted to again.
A nurse came in after EJ was escorted out. “Let us check you out. We want to make sure you’re all right. You’re going to have one hell of a shiner.”
Matt was led into a chair and felt like an idiot over EJ catching him like that. Once the nurse was done looking him over, she gave him an ice pack to put on his face.
“I’m so sorry, Matt,” Amber said. Her face was bright red and there were dried tears on her cheeks.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. If the guard hadn’t come in when he had, I’m not sure what I would have done.”
The thought that Anya could have taken that hit to the face made him want to vomit.
At least he hoped it was that and not the pain he was feeling.
“You should press charges against him,” Anya said. “It’d serve him right.”