He swats the air. “Who fucking cares about her. You stole my girl. I want her back.”
“She was never yours to begin with.”
“Was so.” Acting like a toddler must be one of his hobbies.
“I believe you’re mistaken.”
“She just doesn’t know about us yet. That’ll change soon.”
Lance is talking about Sutton as if she’s a toy or some possession to own. How is this clown an officer of the law? An idea occurs to me. “Aren’t you dating Molly?”
He shrugs. “Not sure what she has to do with this.”
Is this dude for real? “She’s your girlfriend. Stop talking about Sutton and focus on Molly.”
His snort echoes off the brick wall. “Please. As if that bossy loudmouth could replace true love. Molly is just a poor substitute while this Sutton situation gets sorted. She’s the one I really want.”
What a lunatic. “Too fucking bad that’s never going to happen.”
Lance steeples his fingers. “We’ll see about that.”
“You’re delusional.”
His laugh is maniacal. “I’ve been called worse.”
“What’s your problem?” I flex my muscles, the itch for a fight screaming at me.
He points a stubby finger at me. “You. You’re my damn problem.”
I swing my arms out and spread them wide. “I haven’t done shit to you. If anyone has dirt on their hands, it’s you.”
“Sutton is supposed to be mine.”
I let my hands drop, fists forming with his words. “Wrong, buddy. Try again.”
He watches my every move. “Getting mad? Good. Wanna punch me?”
The answer is hell yes, I really do. But that’ll get me locked up faster than his blood spilling. A heavy exhale breezes through my clenching jaw. I force myself to relax. Sutton comes to mind and I almost smirk. She gets me even when we’re apart.
Our silence yawns and I’m more than ready to end this exchange. Before I can get gone, sirens begin wailing in the distance. Maybe Lance will get called in and leave me the fuck alone. He stays put, squaring off against me. There’s an odd gleam in his eye. I wonder absently if he’s high. Wouldn’t that be a shit-kicker?
A warped grin curls his lips. Out of nowhere, Lance punches himself in the nose. The crack is sickening. A river of red immediately pours down his face.
My stomach curdles. “What the fuck, man? Are you psycho?”
He smiles, showing off his bloody teeth. “Close, but the correct term is sociopath. The doctors would be proud to hear me finally admit it. But that’s not important. You just assaulted an officer, Grady.”
“The fuck I did. I haven’t laid a finger on you.”
“We’ll see who they believe.” Lance smashes a fist into his cheekbone.
The sirens drift closer. I can only gawk at him. Startling clarity smacks me in the face. Holy shit, he’s setting me up. My heart gallops beyond reasonable rhythm. I stumble backward, already picturing how this will go.
His eyes flare with some sort of sick excitement. “Scared now? I dare you to run. That’ll make this even better for me.”
When a squad car screeches to a halt along the curb, Lance’s entire persona changes. He begins whimpering, folding over and shying away from me. It’s his word against mine. Fuck, I’m screwed. I’ll always be the lowlife loser who makes an easy target. There’s no escaping the stigma.
Two officers I don’t recognize storm toward me. I hold up my palms, not bothering to fight. This will only end one way. They slam me to the filthy ground with a knee jabbing into my spine. I land with a jarring thud that radiates through my body and has me seeing stars. Cold metal slaps around my wrists, tighter than necessary. I feel my wallet get yanked out of my pocket. A set of hands hauls me off the pavement and I tilt from the force.
