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“You have to tell him I’m sorry. You have to…”
He trails off when I start laughing.
Finally, I turn to Evie to find her smiling. There’s some doubt in her eyes. Despite what this man did, despite his bullying nature, she doesn’t feel comfortable kicking somebody when they’re down. It’s more proof of what an incredible mother she will be, kind even when she has every reason to be cruel. I use the laughter as a weapon to make Keith angry. I’ve got no problem being cruel to this asshole.
“Your uncle doesn’t know about these documents,” I say, “but he will unless you apologize to Evie. You had no right to belittle, bully, or call her names. You had no right to make her feel small. Nobody does. So apologize. Nothing else.”
He stares at me for a moment as if debating saying something else. He must be able to see the rage in me, the fact I’d happily beat him to a bloody pulp before I passed on the info.
“I’m sorry,” he says, turning to Evie. “Really. I… I don’t know why I’m like this.”
“You shouted at me so many times,” Evie replied. “I was trying to be a good employee by working those hours, and you humiliated me.”
Several times as she speaks, his expression shifts, like he wants to argue, but then he glances down at my phone and swallows.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think you mean it,” Evie says, stepping forward. She places her hands on the desk and stares down at him. “But do you know what? I’m glad you have to say it. I’m glad you’ve got no choice. I’m glad you have to sit there and take this, just like I had to.”
Keith turns to the bald guard, grimacing. When the bald man reaches for his hip—it seems to be a nervous reflex—I clear my throat. He looks sharply at me and remembers the threat. He lets his hand drop.
“Evie, would you wait outside for a second?” I say.
“Why?” she asks.
I almost touch her shoulder reassuringly, but Keith would try and use it against me. Leaning over, I lower my voice so only she can hear.
“I’m going to threaten them. I don’t want you to hear some of the stuff I’m going to say. Please.”
She raises her hand and lowers it a moment later. She’s aware we have to be careful too. Once she’s gone and the door is closed, I look at Keith, then the bald man, and back to Keith.
“You’re the sort of man who’ll want revenge for this,” I say. “The brick stunt at my new studio proved that. So, keeping that in mind, you need to know two things. First, if anything happens to Evie or me, these documents will be instantly and automatically sent to your uncle.”
Keith’s drains of what little color he had left.
“Second,” I grit my teeth and let out a deep breath, “ if you come for me and fail, I’ll be brutal in my counterattack. You won’t see me coming. You won’t know how many buddies I’ve got with me. You’ll just wake up one day, and I’ll be there, ready to put a goddamn bullet in your head, and if you ever think about hurting Evie, insulting her, or even showing up in her life again…”
What I say next is vicious, outlining how I’ll torture them. I turn cold as I say these words, my woman in my mind, as I detail specific evils I’ll commit against them if they disturb my woman’s life. By the time I finish, both of them are stunned with terror.
“Have I made myself clear?” I growl.
“Y-yes,” Keith stutters. “We get it. You’ll never see me again, and please, let me pay for the window. Your car window.”
I turn without saying anything else, throwing the office door open.
“Is everything okay?” Evie says once we’re outside.
“There’s this darkness in me,” I tell her. “Maybe it’s because my dad used me as a punching bag, or maybe it was there before the day I was born. Wherever it came from, it’s there, Evie. I can feel it now, wanting to come out and fight. I never thought I’d find anything to calm it down.”
“And now?” she murmurs.
I hold my beautiful woman’s gaze. “With you, I can focus on the light. Let’s go. We’ve still got to eat breakfast.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve got a better idea if you’re up for it.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I ask curiously.
“Why don’t we swing by the studio?”
“For the tattoo? But didn’t you say that once the tat’s done…”
She flinches, and I realize she forgot what she said. We’ll tell her dad once the tattoo’s done, but she nods quickly as if pushing away her doubts.
“I promised you a tattoo, and I’m going to give you a tattoo. What do you think? Or is it a silly idea?”
