“Best that you don’t come back around here,” Ezra said. “Especially if your fond of breathing.”
“She belongs to me,” he seethed, spit dribbling from his mouth.
“She belongs to no one,” Ezra said. “Fucking bastard.”
He laughed dangerously. “So, you thought you could come here, push me outside the store, threaten me, and what? I would just disappear?”
I pretended to think about it. “Yep. Pretty much.”
“Over a worthless witch?” he snapped.
“Over my sister. And she’s not a witch,” I said. “I have no idea where Toni is and I don’t blame her for leaving you.”
He laughed. “You’re dumber than I thought if you think this charade has me convinced you didn’t come for Toni. She’s mine. You can’t have her.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Rin muttered. “You’re the one that picked a fight with three shifters.”
Ezra chuckled. “Good point. You also barely classify as a man.”
“All right, I’ll do you a favor,” Jared said. “Give her back to me and I will make sure you have what’s left when I’m finished with her.”
Shuffling happened behind me as I knelt on the ground. I didn’t know what that was about other than Ezra trying to keep Rin from ripping this man’s head off. Regardless, I didn’t care. I frowned at Jared. “Let’s get something clear. I don’t care who she is to you, if she doesn’t want to be with you, you need to take the hint and exit her life.”
Jared smirked. “Sure. I’ll get right on that.”
“You better, because I meant what I said about never showing up again.” I stood up and headed inside the store.
A moment later and Cadence said, “He’s still here.”
I glared out the window. Sure enough. Jared stood outside, in the middle of the parking lot, staring me down. He made a gesture that suggested he wanted me to come to him. A curl of four fingers. Not the type that meant he wanted a friendly chat.
“He really wants to push his luck,” I muttered.
“Ah, come on,” Rin said. “I want to play.”
“He’s probably never going to go away unless we use a show of force,” Ezra added.
“I don’t care what you guys need to do to get rid of him,” Cadence said. “Just do it and be quick about it please.”
Jared and I had locked eyes. He was challenging me. He mocked me by smirking in the way he was.
“All right,” I said. “If he wants a show, I say let’s give him one.”
“With pleasure,” Rin said.
The three of us walked out of the store once more, joining Jared in the parking lot.
He chuckled. “This is going to be fun.”
Rin cracked his knuckles. “You have no idea.”
I sucked in a breath with my fists clenched at my side. I stepped up to him, looking down my nose into his ugly, smug face. I wasn’t going to back down, and it seemed, neither was he. He chuckled again, and this time, I socked him in the face with my right and hammered into his torso with my left.
His head snapped to the side and then he bowled over.
I took a step back. Rin charged, tackling the man to the ground. Once he climbed above him, Rin let the man have it a good three or four times before getting up.
Ezra walked over while the man rolled on the ground. “Who’s laughing now, dick?”