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Children laughed and shouted as I neared the playground. The sound of a couple arguing drew my attention for a second before I tuned them out and continued on my way.
One of the voices sounded vaguely familiar, however, even though it was strained. I slowed down, scanning for the couple in question. Glancing in every direction, I almost gave up before spotting them, a man and a woman arguing a short distance from the kids, but not far enough away. The woman was pleading, begging the man to leave, her hands waving wildly back and forth.
“Sofia?” I said out loud, my eyes narrowing as I stared, and she turned.
“Oh, thank God, Ryan.”
Thank God?
She ran toward me but kept glancing back at the playground, as if she was scared to get too far away. The guy followed her, his hands balled into fists.
Oh, hell no. If he thought for one second that he was going to hit her, he’d better think again.
“Who the hell is this? He’s not Matson’s father,” the guy said, clearly agitated as he pointed at me.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but he looked like a grade-A douchebag, an unhinged one at that, and I wanted to punch him for it.
Sofia looked more agitated than I’d ever seen her, and my entire body came alive with a possessive need to protect her. I moved to shield her body with mine.
“Is there a problem here? Sofia, is this guy bothering you?” I asked, straightening to my full height so I could tower over the short little prick.
“Yes,” she said, just as he said, “No.”
I’d give this guy a fucking problem if he didn’t leave her alone. Taking an aggressive step toward him, I felt a perverse satisfaction as he stepped back. Yep. Douche-face was afraid of me. Good. He should be.
“Who the hell is this asshole?” he yelled at Sofia while pointing a well-manicured finger at me.
“I’m about to be your worst nightmare if you don’t get
that finger out of my damn face,” I growled, my eyes narrowing to take in his perfectly styled hair and pressed clothes. He couldn’t have looked less suited for a day at the beach.
“Touch me and I’ll have your ass thrown in jail,” he shouted.
I couldn’t have been less concerned about his threat. I’d go to jail right now. Hell, I’d lock myself in there. It’s not as if my brothers would leave me stranded. Not to mention the fact that we had the best lawyer in town on standby for any issues regarding our business or personal lives. This wasn’t the first time I’d threatened by some entitled asshole.
“Touch Sofia and they’ll have to put me in jail to keep me from killing you,” I growled at him.
The guy pulled his cell phone from his pocket, hovering his finger over the screen. “Care to repeat that?”
“Are you serious?” I glanced at Sofia before glaring back at this tool, who was doing a shitty job of getting me to threaten him on video.
“Derek, just go. You shouldn’t be here.” Sofia tried to sound strong, but I noticed the tremble in her voice.
“I have every right to be here, and you know it,” he said, clearly trying to bait her. Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he took a step toward Sofia, but I blocked his path and he stepped back.
“I think you should leave,” I demanded.
“Or what?” he spat out as he took another step back from me.
“Or else we’re going to have a big fucking problem. Right here. Right now. And I’ll call the cops myself. You want that?” I moved toward him again and watched as he stepped even further back.
He glared at her, and all I could think was that if looks could throw punches, Sofia would have been knocked out cold. “This isn’t over, Sofia. Not by a long shot. You know the kind of power my family has and what I’m capable of. He’s my son too.”
“Leave,” I said again, my tone threatening, and he turned to stomp away.
Refusing to take my eyes off of him, I watched until he disappeared from view. He only turned around once to look back, his phone aimed high, probably taking a picture. But I’d worry about that later.
Turning toward Sofia, I took her into my arms. Her entire body relaxed as I pulled her against my chest, resting my chin on her head as I ran my fingers through her hair, calming her. She went nearly limp against me with relief, her breathing deep and ragged, but my curiosity forced me to end this magical moment before I was ready.
