Except Tony, the man from the internet, isn’t in the same spot now. He’s in front of Dutton. Not even an arm's length away.
“Don’t take another step,” Dutton warns him.
Tony laughs, and it’s only then that I notice the audience we have.
Sadie to my left, Quinn to my right, and Gavin and Hudson moving to stand on either side of Dutton.
“I’m here to see Brooke,” Tony says, as if it’s the most harmless thing in the world. “Long overdue if you ask me.”
Nothing about his presence is innocent.
“Yeah, you won’t be doing that.”
“I think you should let her speak for herself.”
“I think you need to fuck right out of this town and never come back.”
Tony chuckles, and the noise itself sends goosebumps all over my skin again.
“Step back,” Dutton says.
“Why don't you let me talk to her first?”
“You're not talking to her. Do I need to repeat myself?”
“Look, man, she's a grown woman. Let her speak for herself.”
Dutton squeezes my hand three times. And then he says, “I am fully confident that she's fine with me speaking for her. Now step back and leave.” Disgust flows from his tone.
Gavin and Hudson move in closer.
“I think you should listen to him,” Gavin says.
Tony takes a small step back, looks from right to left, also taking in the audience we've gathered.
I hate that everyone is looking at me. I hate that this makes me feel like I'm intentionally drawing attention to myself.
I squeeze Dutton's hand.
The action distracts him, and Tony takes the opportunity to step around him. Hudson moves in to block him, but the man still tries to push his way through.
“I just want to speak to her. She fucking started this. I'm going to end it.”
Dutton shoves him.
“This is your last warning. Get the fuck out of here.”
An evil laugh slips from Tony's lips, and I can tell that this is not going to end peacefully. Not that any part of this interaction hinted that it would.
“What are you going to do, big man? Fight me?”
Dutton stays completely silent, but I can feel the anger radiating off his body. I step closer, resting a hand on the middle of his back. If he has to hit him, I will support him 100 percent. It's not going to help erase his reputation with this town. But in this instant, even though I'm not a big fan of violence, a fist to his face might be exactly?—
Oh, shit! I barely finish my train of thought before Dutton's knuckles connect with the man's cheek and Tony hits the ground with a loud groan.
There's a ruffle of commotion behind me, and suddenly, my father is standing next to me.
“What the hell is happening over here?”
