The hypocrisy was enough to make her head hurt, but she was trying to keep calm.
She didn't want Sam and his friends to see how messed up her life was.
People didn't want a walking disaster as their friend.
"You know why we're not together, Seaton? Because I'd like to know!"
Again, she wanted to remind him of the reasons, but that seemed like waving a red flag in front of him. He was as stubborn as a bull and as hard to reason with as a wild animal.
"It's late, Daryl. People are trying to sleep. Please, this isn't the time to talk about this-"
"This isn't the time to talk?"
She realized that she'd crossed one of his invisible lines by the tone of his voice and the hard look in his eyes.
Seaton gestured at the street and the dark houses surrounding them. "There are elderly people-"
"The fuck do I care, Seaton!"
Daryl stepped into her with his hand raised, and she stood there staring.
He'd used his height and size to intimidate her before.
But physical beatings had only been threatened.
Seaton sucked in a breath and braced herself.
But the expected blow didn't land.
She looked up through narrowly opened eyes and saw that Sam had a death grip on Daryl's wrist.
Daryl's arm might be thicker than Sam’s, but he didn't have the same strength.
Seaton felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Lincoln's voice at her side. "Step back, Seaton."
She tried to pull away. "He might hurt Sam."
"Sam can hold his own, but he might be distracted worrying about you."
Seaton knew that Lincoln was right.
Earlier, he'd bumped into her when Daryl had pushed forward.
If he had to worry about hurting her, Sam might not be worrying about himself.
Seaton knew she had to step away, but she also knew that meant leaning on Sam for help.
She didn't want anyone else to hurt because of her.
Maybe after this, it was better to go their separate ways.
CADDO
The man in front of him hadthatlook.
He'd seen it at accident scenes and fires.
It was the look of someone who felt like they were the most important person in the room.
