“Hey, get your hand off him.”Olivia moved through thecrowd.The crowd parted to let her through as though she was the queen andeveryone knew it.
Well, except for Amy and Lola.
Jason’s whole demeanor changed.“Olivia, it’s good to seeyou.I was looking for you.”
“I call it like I see it,” Amy announced.“And everyoneknows that family is perverted.Her dads sleep together.Her mom is only thereto give them babies.I don’t know why they haven’t thrown that old whore out.”
Keane started to move, but Olivia was faster.
She threw the first punch, and Keane knew his night hadtaken a turn.
* * * *
Garrett looked to the deputy with a calm demeanor.He’d learned sounding calm even when his heart was threatening to explodeusually worked best in these situations.“Deputy, I’m so glad we can handlethis without having to drag anyone to jail.”
The deputy was a man who looked like he was on the brink ofretirement and wanted nothing more than to keep things quiet.“I do not want tocall Jack Barnes and tell him his daughter is in jail for pulling out a bunchof fake hair and trying to shove it down Amy Lou’s throat because she calledher momma a whore.Trust me.Amy Lou doesn’t want that either.If Olivia’sdaddy hears about this…”
Garrett put a hand out, waving off the worry since he fullybelieved the gossip mill would take care of that girl.“We have no need to talkabout this evening.I’m going to take Olivia home and everything will be finein the morning.”
The deputy sighed like he knew that was an impossibility,but he was stuck in this position.“I can only let her go because the managersaid there’s no real damage.Jack’ll find out about it eventually, but I figurehe’ll be in a worse mood if he has to leave his vacation to deal with this.”
“I’m an adult, you know.”Olivia was still a littleunhinged.
It was weirdly sexy.He watched that woman pull hair andthrow punches and kick another woman where no one wanted to get kicked and allhe could think was how damn pretty she was.
“I don’t care how old you are.You are Jack Barnes’s babygirl and until he’s dead and gone, I will avoid having to deal with him if Ican.Your daddy’s scary.”The deputy frowned and pointed to the two young womenbehind Olivia.“And I’ve met that one’s daddy, and he’s as scary as damn JackBarnes.Do I want to know who the other young lady’s father is?”
Gigi grinned even as she held an ice pack to her cheek.“Igot in trouble once when we were out here visiting.They got to meet the realWinter Dawson.”She gestured Miranda’s way.“Her dad is an ex-NFL quarterback.”
“Hey, don’t forget my papa,” Miranda complained.“Papa isjust as scary as Dad is.”She shook her head.“Nope.I can’t even lie.Papa isa puppy compared to Dad.I blame the hookers and the cocaine.I shouldn’t haveread that bio.Momma told me not to.”
Miranda and Gigi had Olivia’s back.He knew that now.Theywere strangely good in a girl fight.He got Miranda.She was from a ranchingfamily and had rodeoed a lot.She wasn’t some pampered princess who had neverseen the bad in the world, but he kind of thought Gigi was.After all, herfather was a billionaire, and he hadn’t made that money off of cows.He’d madeit through finance and ruthless will.
“George,sheattacked me,” Lola yelled from herplace in the back of the police car.“This is discrimination.”
George’s eyes rolled.“No.This is me making sure whenBarnes comes after you for calling his wife a whore, he doesn’t actually killyou and bury your body.”
Lola frowned.“That was Amy.I called his daughter apathetic bitch for trying to steal my man.”
Olivia’s eyes rolled.“Like I want your man.I don’t evenknow who your man is.I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t keep up withyou.I don’t care about you.”
Keane stood beside her.The minute the cops had shown, Keanehad let Garrett do all the talking.He’d stuck close to Olivia and her friends,watching over them, though they had proven they could take care of themselves.Miranda knew how to punch a tit, and Gigi didn’t mind slapping someone.She’dbeen pleased that she did it all and hadn’t even broken a nail.
Keane leaned in and whispered something to Olivia, whoseface went red.He could tell even in the parking lot lights.
“Jason Hart?”Olivia laughed and shook her head.“I thoughtI saw him earlier.I avoid him at all costs.”
Jason had fled immediately when it was clear the girl fightwas happening.The coward had lost himself in the crowd and left them allbehind to deal with the cleanup.
Lola pointed a finger her way.“I know you’ve always wantedhim but he only wants your money.He loves me.Everyone knows your pervertfamily made a deal with the devil.”
Gigi cracked her knuckles and started forward, but Keanecaught her.
“Bad Gigi.No.”Keane shook his head.“I would have broughtmy sprayer if I’d known all the kittens were going to show their clawstonight.”
Olivia sighed.“Don’t bother, Gigi.It’s nothing I haven’theard before.”
The deputy turned to Olivia.“Livie, she’s jealous.Look, Ijoke about your daddy being scary and he is, but only when he’s protecting hisfamily.I know he’s had problems with the sheriff’s office in the past, but notnow.We know how much your whole family does for the county.”
