Then he dumps the entire milkshake over Kauss’s head.
Chocolate sludge splashes across his hair, face, shirt, and shoulders, dripping slowly down ebony scales and dark fabric onto the bakery floor.
Nobody moves.
Nobody breathes.
I stare at Kauss in absolute disbelief.
He stands there covered in melting ice cream and humiliation, fists clenched so hard his knuckles crack softly, eyes fixed somewhere over the gang member’s shoulder like he is surviving artillery instead of this.
The gang erupts laughing.
Something inside me snaps.
Not elegantly.
Not thoughtfully.
Just completely.
I grab the fire extinguisher off the wall.
Darlene sees it first. “Honey?—”
Too late.
I yank the pin and unleash white chemical foam directly into the leader’s face.
The bakery explodes into chaos.
The gang member screams and stumbles backward, clawing at his eyes while foam blasts across the front tables and two of his friends. Customers scatter. Someone ducks beneath a booth. Al starts laughing so hard he coughs.
“GET OUT!” I scream over the roar of the extinguisher. “GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BAKERY!”
The leader crashes into a chair, sputtering foam and curses. Another gang member lunges forward like he might grab me.
Kauss moves then.
Just one step.
One.
The floor shakes beneath the force of it.
Every Poison Memories member freezes instantly.
Kauss does not touch them. Does not threaten. He simply stands there dripping chocolate milkshake with murder burning quietly behind his eyes.
The leader stares at him through foam-covered lashes.
For one terrifying second, I think somebody’s about to die anyway.
Then Kauss says, very softly, “Leave.”
The word lands like a loaded weapon.
The gang backs toward the door immediately, dragging their blinded friend with them. One tries to mutter something tough about this not being over, but his voice cracks halfway through.
