A second pair of boots thuds behind me as Knox vaultsover in a rush. “Sawyer?” he asks, eyes bouncing from me to Harrison. “What’s going on?”
“Harold here thought it was okay to put hands on your sister.”
Knox’s face shifts—concern turning to barely contained fury.
Trouble cuts him a look, calm but direct. “She said let go. He didn’t. That’s all I needed to see.”
Knox takes a step forward, fists clenched, but Trouble lifts a hand. “I’m handling it.”
Knox stares at him a long beat before nodding once. “Go back to Daddy, Sawyer,” he mutters, closing in on Harrison with Trouble.
Trouble turns to Harrison, grabs him by the shoulder with just enough pressure to make him flinch. “Walk,” he says, leading him away with that deadly calm of his.
And for the first time in forever, I don’t feel like I have to stand my ground alone.
twenty-eight
Trouble
I keep my hand locked around Harrison’s arm, tight enough to make sure he knows who’s in control here. He glances back over his shoulder, eyes darting like a damn weasel, searching for Sawyer. She’s out of sight now, tucked safely behind that arena gate. Which is good because she doesn’t need to see what happens next.
But her brother does.
I hear Knox’s boots crunch behind us, watching. I don’t blame him. I’d watch too if someone was hauling my sister’s ex out like last week’s trash.
“You know,” I say low, just loud enough for Harrison to hear, “in a town like this, grabbing a woman like that doesn’t go unnoticed. You’re lucky if I let you walk away with your hands still attached.”
Truth is, I’m not holdin’ back for his sake, I’m holdin’ back for Sawyer.
He scoffs, but there’s no weight behind it. “It was a misunderstanding.”
I spin him around, push him back against the fence. Nothard enough to draw a crowd—but enough to make a point. “A misunderstanding is ordering her the wrong drink. What you did? That’s askin’ for a broken nose.”
He tries to straighten his collar, like that’ll save him from the mess he’s made. “You don’t understand. She’s emotional. Dramatic.”
My jaw ticks. “You put your hands on her. That’s all the understandin’ I need.”
Knox shifts beside me now, arms folded, brows furrowed like he’s putting the pieces together. He’s smart. He’ll figure it out soon enough. But for now, I keep the spotlight on Harrison.
“You’re gonna get in that fancy car of yours, drive back to whatever glass tower you came from, and leave her the hell alone. You hear me?”
Harrison straightens, puffing out his chest like he’s got something left to prove.
“And if I don’t?”
I lean in. Close enough for him to feel the heat of my breath. “Then I stop being polite.”
There’s a long pause. He shifts like he's weighing his options. But he knows. I’ve already decided for him. He blinks, adjusts his watch—the Rolex, of course—and nods once.
“Fine,” he says under his breath. “I’ve been dying to get out of this stupid town. My father sent me to drag her back to the office… but I’ll just tell him to take over her clients. We don’t need her.”
I shift back just enough to open a path for him.
“One more thing,” I say, just as he starts to turn. “Give me the watch.”
He blinks. “What?”
“The Rolex.” I nod at his wrist. “Hand it over.”
