Page 73 of Nixon’s Promise

I wish I’d been paying attention. Instead, I was teasing Jameson about the extra pizza he was taking home. All of us had dishes in our hands when we made our way to the front of the pizzeria. I glanced to my side and saw Mandy’s smile was gone, replaced with a deep scowl, and my mood instantly took a nosedive at the change in my sister. It had been a good night. No, it had been a good few days—she’d been happy and smiling, now she was pulling into herself and I hated that.

My gaze lifted. I scanned the room, then I saw it. What had her hiding away. Deputy Dick Face and his dad Sheriff Shithead. Both were openly staring at us.

“Keep walking,” Nix mumbled, suddenly at my side. He’d maneuvered Mandy behind me and I hoped the rest of the guys were close.

The front of the restaurant was packed. People milling around waiting on the to-go orders, others sitting in the booths enjoying their meal. This meant we had to walk right past the sheriff and his son. I thought the older man was a dick, but it was the younger one I wanted to throat punch. When I was done with that, I wanted to gouge his eyeballs out.

“Mandy.” I heard muttered. “Long time—"

My blood turned to ice and I swung my head in the direction of the voice.

“Don’t you dare,” I seethed.

Deputy Dillinger’s eyes flared and his face screwed into a nasty grimace before he schooled his reaction and said, “Ma’am.” He tipped his head. “Don’t think we’ve met.”

“We haven’t,” I confirmed. “I’m McKenna Wilson.”

“Didn’t say I didn’t know who you were. Just that we hadn’t met.”

Stupid cocksucker.

“Since we’ve never officially met, that means you don’t actually know me. If you did—know me that is—you’d know that the last thing you want to do is harass my family.”

“Harass? Ma’am—”

“Don’t try and bullshit me,” I cut him off and lowered my voice. “I ever hear about you being anywhere near my sister again, you’ll understand a new meaning of uncomfortable.”

“Babe.” Nixon’s hand wrapped around my bicep and gave me a gentle tug.

Deputy Dickhead scowled. “I don’t know what kind of lies—”

“I would stop speaking, Dick,” Nixon warned.

“You would? You’d stop speaking, Nixon?” the deputy snarled. “Well, good for you. I don’t know what that little girl told you, but whatever it was, she’s lyin’.”

Mandy whimpered. Zack grunted. Nixon growled. It sounded like a bad soundtrack for an Animal Planet episode about ferocious jungle cats.

“I hope this asshole isn’t talking about our girl,” Jameson said from somewhere behind me.

Deputy Dillinger’s eyes flitted over my shoulder and once again they widened. Only this time, he couldn’t mask the fear.

“You best be movin’ on, Swagger. And I better not have any issues with any of them.” The sheriff jerked his chin and continued. “If I do, I’m holding you personally responsible. And by movin’ on I don’t just mean out of my space, I mean, out of my county.”

“Like I hold you personally responsible for your son being an asshole?”

Nixon didn’t wait for Sheriff Shit-for-Brains to answer; he propelled me forward. A quick glance over my shoulder told me the other four men and teenage boy had circled Mandy.

My little sister was protected.

Totally and completely encompassed by a group of men who wouldn’t let any harm come to her.

We dumped the dishes, Nixon held open the door while looking beyond me, farther past my sister, and didn’t take his eyes off the two assholes.

When we were all outside, I finally exhaled and my body sagged. Uncaring it was going to piss my sister off, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me.

“You okay?” I whispered.

She nodded, then spoke. “I’m sorry.”