Page 117 of Other Side Of Never
Gary rolled his eyes, a brave move considering the fury of the man pressing him into the wall.“Who the fuck are you now?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am.What matters is who she is,” Kian stated firmly.
“She’s nothing but a—”
Kian’s other hand clamped around his throat.“Quiet, asshole.She is mine.”Kian yanked him forward only to slam him back once more, his head meeting the wall with a sickening thud.“And you don’t want to fuck with what’s mine.”
“Nice night,” Daire commented.“Really starting to cool off.”
Max snorted while Gabe laughed outright.
Gary’s eyes bugged out of his head as he scrambled to pull Kian’s wrist away from his throat.
“Do we have an understanding?”Kian demanded, his jaw tight.“Or do we need to involve the police?”
Gary shuddered at the thought, shaking his head mutely.
Kian smiled, and it was shockingly cruel.“See, I don’t give a shit about my reputation, but I’m thinking you do.I’m more than happy to take this to the police.”
Gary’s eyes slid in my direction.
Easing around Daire, I placed a soft hand on Kian’s back.“Let him go, Kian.He’s not worth the trouble.”
Kian slowly loosened his grip as I continued, no longer willing to allow Gary free rein over my life.Or Jake’s.“I’ll file a restraining order and make sure everyone in his circle knows.Jake can do the same if he wishes.”
“You can’t!”Gary rasped.
Facing him, I held his furious gaze.“I can.And I will.Unless we have an understanding?”
From fear to fury, his switch flipped so fast I didn’t see it until he lunged at me.
I screamed and covered my head, but Kian stepped between us.Gary bounced off him like a furious rubber ball.
Hawkley, his big hand at the small of my back, steered me to stand behind him, Daire, and Max while Gabe stood grinning next to Kian.
Knowing he was no match for Kian and that he had no hope of penetrating the wall protecting me, he faced me and sneered, “Maybe I’ll file a restraining order against you.”He smiled coldly.“Who are they going to believe?The devoted father?Or the stepmother who abandoned her sons?”
Jake, his face stark white against his mop of dark, unruly hair, pushed his way through the wall of testosterone to stand just slightly behind Kian.Holding up his hand, he showed his father a USB drive pinched between his fingers.
Voice shaking, he challenged, “You sure you want to do that?”
Gary’s eyes widened.“What the fuck is that?”
Jake’s entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind, but he stood his ground.“You banging on Bridget’s door every day for two weeks before she moved.”Stepping minutely closer, he continued.“Every single message you sent her from my phone.And yours.”His voice got louder, his breath coming faster.“The emails you sent her last year, the ones you mistakenly copied me in on, and if that’s not enough, there’s video proof of what you’ve been doing with your ex-wife when you’re already engaged to your next wife, you dumb fuck.”
I screamed as Gary lunged toward Jakey, but Kian got there first.Stepping in front of Jake, he took the punch Gary meant for his son.
Smiling darkly, Kian cracked his knuckles then closed the distance between himself and Gary before delivering a brutal, triple jab to his face.
Gary’s head jerked back once, twice, and a third time exactly like one of those pop-up inflatable boxers before righting itself.
Blood spewed from his nose as he screamed and covered his face with his hands.“Argh!You know what?She’s not fucking worth it.”Pointing a bloody finger at his son, he sneered, “You’re not fucking worth it.”
Kian leaned closer and raised his eyebrows as Gary stumbled back.
“Fucking, go,” Kian demanded.
Spinning on his heel, a now red-faced, humiliated, but uncharacteristically quiet Gary, scuttled off in the direction of his car.
