His jaw tightens.
Evan pivots toward him immediately, relief flickering across his face.
“She’s having another episode,” he says quickly. “He showed up and upset her.”
The wordepisodelands hard.
Faith stiffens behind me. I feel it in the way her grip tightens.
“I am not having an episode,” she says. “I asked him to come.”
William’s eyes snap to her, furious beneath the surface.
“Faith,” he says, and his tone is calm in the way that means punishment later. “Get in the car. We’ll discuss this privately.”
Her fingers tremble against my back, but she doesn’t move.
“No.” The word is small yet seismic.
Silence follows is thick and dangerous, like the air before a storm.
Evan exhales sharply. “This is ridiculous,” he snaps, stepping closer. “You don’t even know what you’re dealing with…”
Evan shoves past Boone.
That’s his mistake.
Everything explodes at once.
I move on instinct, stepping into him again just as he swings. His fist catches my shoulder instead of my face, the impact jarring. I drive forward anyway, grabbing his jacket and slamming him back against the side of the SUV.
“You don’t get to talk about her like that,” I snarl.
He lashes out, nails scraping at my jaw, knuckles cracking against my collarbone. Pain blooms sharp and bright, but it barely registers. All I can see is Faith, frozen behind me, eyes wide, breath coming too fast.
I won’t let him near her.
Evan’s control is gone now… completely gone. He’s shouting, incoherent and furious.
“She’s unstable!” he yells. “She doesn’t know what she wants! She needs to be handled…”
That word.
Handled.
Something in me snaps clean in two.
I hit him again and this time there’s no restraint. My fist connects solidly, his head snapping to the side. He stumbles,curses, swings back wildly, catching my jaw hard enough that my teeth clack together.
The taste of blood floods my mouth.
“Dallas!” Faith screams.
Hands grab me again. Strong, relentless.
“Enough!” Boone roars, hauling me back with everything he’s got.
At the same time, Nash slams into Evan, pinning his arms as Clay wedges himself between us, broad shoulders blocking any chance of another hit.
