Page 216 of The Wright Man

"Damn. You really doing all this for another man's wife. That's loyalty, I guess."

I ignored him. He followed anyway.

"Tell me, she making you wait for the pussy like she made me?"

I stopped mid-step.

"I mean, if she's got you doing all this now," he said, smirking, "least she could've done was let you hit. Suck some dick or something. She gave head like a pro, I'll give her that."

I kept my back to him. Breathed. Kept moving.

"And look, if she throws that ass back the way I taught her, you in for a good time. You're welcome."

I set the trunk down on the driveway. Carefully. Quietly.

The only reason I hadn't knocked Gavin's teeth into the damn baseboards was because I needed to get her shit out first... now that reason was sitting at my feet.

And this motherfucker kept running his mouth like I didn't just sit the last shred of my patience on the pavement.

Then I turned around.

I caught him mid-chuckle, arms crossed, leaning against the garage wall like he'd really just said something clever.

He must've took my silence for meekness. Like because I hadn't said shit yet, he could run his mouth without consequence.

Wrong move. Real wrong.

Before he could open his mouth again, I had him by the collar.

Slammed him so hard into the garage wall that the drywall cracked. His smirk evaporated, replaced with something a lot more honest. Panic. His hands shot up on instinct, but I already had a forearm pressed hard against his throat.

"You must be out your motherfucking mind," I said, low and lethal, my voice damn near vibrating with restraint. "Talking about Angelica like that. To me. Like you don't know better."

He tried to speak, so I pressed harder.

"You remember how I used to beat the dog shit outta niggas in school for joking about her? I know you do. You would get quiet as a church mouse every time I walked in a room. Sat up straight. Picked your words real careful. Because you knew."

His face turned red, jaw clenched, finally silent.

I leaned in close—real close—till my lips were next to his ear.

"I don't give a fuck that she married you," I whispered. "She's always been mine. You just held a title for a minute. That's it."

I eased back just enough to look him in the face. To make sure he understood.

"And I'm not the same kid you used to side-eye in the hallway, bruh."

I let out a low chuckle—calm, almost amused. The kind that made stupid men nervous. "I'm trained. Hardened. You used to be scared of me?"

I leaned in just enough for him to see the truth in my eyes.

"You should be fuckin' terrified now."

He went completely still.

Good.

I let him go—slowly. Watched him crumble forward, coughing and rubbing his neck like that was the only thing keeping his head on straight.