The hammer slams against the brick wall next to me, pieces of it chipping off and falling to the sidewalk, dusting my feet.
With Jared’s arms still extended out, I use the momentum of my already moving body to push away from the wall and shoulder him away from me.
Another pair of hands grabs at the back of his jacket, and for a moment I think it’s Grant.
But then a head of pepper grey hair flashes out of the corner of my eye right as Jared is yanked backward.
I blink a few times.
Richard?
He slams a fist into Jared’s cheek, snapping his head back from the force. Jared crumbles to the ground, the hammer in his hand falling from his slack fingers.
Richard leans over him, grabbing a fist full of his hair. “You think you come back here and fuck with my daughter’s life again? You think you get to make threats at my friends and then walk away?”
For the first time since meeting him, Jared looks small.
There’s real panic in the way his eyes dart between Richard and I as he silently begs to be let go.
Richard leans in until his face is just inches from Jared’s. “Leave. Town. Now. If I find you within a mile of this place, I will get you arrested for destruction of private property, harassment, and assault. You’ll never see the light of day, and I’ll be in that court room enjoying every minute of your sentencing.”
Jared’s mouth opens then closes.
He spits out a curse that sounds just as shaken as he seems.
As soon as Richard lets go of him, he scrambles up and stumbles over his own feet, bolting down the street.
His footing skids through the slush as he goes, and soon he disappears at the end of the block.
Richard lets out a long breath and straightens back up. I can see him uncoil from the rigid set of his shoulders as they loosen, the slow blink telling me he’s working the adrenaline down.
For a second he just watches after Jared’s retreating figure before finally turning back to us.
“Son of a bitch,” he mutters under his breath before finally turning to face us. “You boys okay?”
I rake my hands through my hair. “Bit of a knight and shining armor moment, wouldn’t you say?”
That earns me a small, humorless smirk.
Richard wipes his hands on his thigh, shaking his head before straightening fully to face me. “Was coming by to check on the shop and saw you two having it out with him on the sidewalk. Thought another B&E was going on until I recognized you both.”
Grant lets out a low chuckle, though it sounds more like a sigh. “Been that long you don’t even recognize us anymore?”
Richard snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, I didn’t expect to see you both over here. Sue me. Besides, wouldn’t you rather I come in hot instead of asking questions why a hammer’s being swung at your face?”
“Fair,” I say, exhaling a short laugh despite how frayed my nerves are. “Glad you showed up when you did. If you hadn’t, Grant might’ve broken his jaw. Or I might’ve. Doubt the cops would’ve let us off with a warning.”
Grant rolls his eyes. “He swung first.”
Richard just shakes his head, that weary, disappointed look returning. “Yeah, well. I’m just glad you didn’t hurt either of you. He’s unstable and desperate. That’s the most dangerous kind of man out there.”
The tension in my chest twists and before I can stop myself, I mutter, “Oh, he cares about us again.”
It’s meant to come out as a light jab, a half-joke to lighten the air, but it lands wrong. It always does when there’s history underneath the words.
Richard flinches.
Not dramatically, just a slight twitch in his expression like the hit landed harder than intended, but it gets him to drop his arms to his sides, the fight draining out of him.
