Page 40 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

I didn’t even have to look around for the source. The source was right there in front of us, his fury swirling around his entire being.

And all of it was focused on the man who was still leaning down, his lips a few inches from my ear.

Marcus’ large hand landed on the guy’s shoulder with a heavy and painful-looking thud. We all winced.

“Move,” he growled. “Before I beat you into fucking pulp where you stand.”

Fear flashed across the man’s face, and he took a step back but hesitated. As if he wasn’t ready to abandon his manhood yet, but he really,reallywanted to.

He was better than me. If someone were glaring at me the way Marcus was currently glaring at the man, I would have zoomed out of here so fast that you wouldn’t have even seen my dust.

But the man must have been brain-dead because he puffed his chest out instead, and I could see him ready to start something. “Or what motherfucker? You think you’re big and bad, and I’m just going to run away?”

There was a pause, and then a maniacal half-smile appeared on Marcus’ face.

He leaned down slowly, and I watched the man gulp.

“The only reason you’re still alive,” Marcus said in a deadly baritone, “is that I don’t want to fucking mess up her floor with your fucking blood.”

The menace in Marcus’ voice would have been enough, but the man’s friend tapped his shoulder, leaned forward, and whispered something in his ear. The man’s eyes widened then, and he swallowed loudly.

“Alright, man. I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled. “No hard feelings, right?”

Marcus was still glaring at them.

He gradually backed away from Marcus, but Marcus kept glaring at him.

I wasn’t sure Marcus wouldn’t go after him once he left here, so I quickly gestured over to another cashier who was about to leave and said, “Hey, could you watch my station for a few minutes? I’ll give you twenty bucks.”

The teenager nodded, disinterestedly moving to the front and continuing to scan the groceries.

I grabbed Marcus’ arm, somehow managing to pull him outside.

When we got outside, I turned around, holding out my hands. “Alright, calm down.”

“Calm down?” he exploded, looking at me like I had lost my mind. “Did you fucking hear what he said to you?”

“Yes, I did. And while it was horrible, it’s nothing to lose our heads over, okay?” I could practically still see the steam rising out of his head.

He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking off into the distance to where the parking lot was. “I should find him. Take care of him once and for all. One less miserable bastard in the word.”

He strode forward.

I blocked him, putting my hand up. He walked into my hands.

“No, definitely don’t do that,” I said firmly, but the sudden ringing of my phone interrupted us. With one hand still up against his chest, I used the other one to whip out my phone.

“Um, Athena, this is kind of not the best time.”

“It’s Caleb!” Her voice sounded frantic and panicky. “He’s missing.”

SIXTEEN

MARCUS

This was the second time I watched all the energy drain from her face.

Allie’s reaction was the only thing that could distract me from the rage coursing through my body. It had started when I saw her standing at the end of that grocery line bagging groceries as the bastard talked down to her.

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