Page 89 of Reveal

“Oh? You think you’re not going to write a check out to me?”

“For what?” I ask, although my stomach is already churning, because I know what he’s going to say.

“To pay me off so I don’t steal the adoption right out from underneath that cunt of a sister-in-law of mine’s nose.”

Each word he speaks ignites a fire in me like I’ve never known before. My body vibrates from the physical restraint to not swing my fist before he says another word.

“No one’s paying you a dime, you worthless piece of shit.” I take a step closer to him, shoulders squared, fists clenched. “You think this is going to win you favor in the whole process? Selling your daughter to pay for your habit? Huh? You might think you can get away with saying it to Vaughn. That people won’t believe her. But I’m a lawyer. I know a lot of people who can make your life fucking miserable.”

He claps his hands slowly, his expression one of complete indifference. “Congratulations. I’m so impressed. You must be really smart to screw people out of money for a living.”

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Get the fuck out of here.”

“Or what?”

It’s my turn to laugh, loud and disbelieving, as I imagine breaking the fucker in two. My hands itch to. “Take your pick. Broken nose. Hospital bed—”

“She really has you whipped, doesn’t she?”

“Last warning.”

“Tell me,” he says as he sniffs loudly and completely disregards my comment. “I always wondered something about Vaughny.”

“Your choice.”

“Is her pussy as tight as she is uptight?”

In my mind my fist is plowing into his face. One punch after another until my knuckles are bruised and his face is bloody. In my imagination this all takes place, and there isn’t a single repercussion to beating the shit out of this loser.

But I’ve let my reactions govern too much when it comes to Vaughn. When it comes to fucking things up for her.

And it takes every ounce of restraint I have to not throw the punch.

Every.

Ounce.

My muscles ache from being so tense.

“So it is that good, huh?” It’s not his words but rather the way he looks at Vaughn as she opens the door and gasps at the sight of him.

“Get the fuck out of here,” I grit out, every single vestige of control I have snapping in my words. I take an aggressive step toward him, and the fucker jerks to step back and trips, plowing face-first into the concrete retaining wall of her raised flower bed.

He yelps as I watch him flounder on the ground, and I feel nothing at the sight of the blood where the brick has cut his cheekbone.

“Vaughny,” he says when his eyes finally focus on her standing beside me, and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck from the way he undresses her with his eyes, like he’s imagining violating her every way he can. “You didn’t tell me you had a man.”

“Leave, asshole.” My fist clenches, and I push her behind me so he can’t look at her.

In his delayed reaction, he finally reaches up to feel his cheek. When he looks at the blood on his fingers, a slow, taunting grin slides onto his lips.

“You can thank your sugar daddy,” he says to her as he hunches over and pushes himself up, his laugh sounding so odd right now. “Just think what the cops are going to say when I head there looking like this, pointing the finger your way.”

“Go right ahead,” I grit out, my body vibrating with adrenaline. “I didn’t touch you.”

His laugh echoes through the empty night. “They’re not going to know any different.”

“Try it.” I take a step forward, and he stumbles back, that sick smile still on his lips.