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A quick jab to Troy’s jaw sent the man reeling. It made Bubba’s hand throb, but he didn’t care. Bruised and bloodied knuckles were going to be the least damage from this. He advanced on Troy, raining blow after blow on the other man, taking a few but landing far more. Troy was used to women, not men who had been trained in hand to hand.
Bubba didn’t keep track of how long he and Troy went at it in the yard. He only stopped when two police cars pulled up and stopped in the street. Two officers got out, weapons drawn and approached as Troy fell to his knees. Bubba didn’t know if Troy was that hurt or was playing it up for the audience. He didn’t care.
“Hands up!” one of the officers called.
Bubba held his hands above his head and backed away from Troy.
“What’s going on here?” the other officer asked.
“This is my home,” Bubba spoke up. “This man is trespassing. He came to take my girl and I wouldn’t let him near her.”
“He’s holding my girlfriend prisoner. Her father sent me to get her.” Troy’s words were slurred by the swelling around his mouth. He hadn’t bothered to put his hands up, instead they hung limp at his sides.
“Talk to Celia, see what she says.” Bubba tilted his head toward the truck, not sure if she could hear him, he kept his hands above his head and turned so he could keep Troy visible on one side, but still see Celia in the truck.
“Her name is Sissy and she’s going to go back to Alabama with me.”
Bubba’s gaze shifted to the nearest police officer who approached, weapon still drawn but not aimed at anyone, yet, to see what he was making of Troy’s assertions.
“Talk to Celia.”
“Ma’am? Will you get out of the truck and talk to us?”
Celia didn’t move at first, then looked at Bubba. He nodded and she opened the passenger’s side door. He hoped she’d at least put the pistol down but couldn’t say anything now. She moved around the front of the truck so when she was visible, she was as far from Troy as she could be while still following directions.
“Yes, officer?”
“Can I get your name?” the officer who’d spoken to her, his name tag read Hernandez, said.
“My name is Cecilia Metcalf. I often go by Sissy and Cole calls me Celia.”
“Will you tell us what’s going on here?”
She took a deep breath, her gaze flicked to Bubba, then back to the officer. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Wherever you feel comfortable.”
“Cole and I arrived home to find that car sitting there, Troy in the driver’s seat. Cole told me to stay in the truck, he’d handle this, then he got out. He told Troy to leave. Troy refused. Tried to get to me in the truck, Cole wouldn’t let him near me, for which I’m thankful. Then Troy hit Cole and Cole fought back.”
Officer Hernandez’s gaze flicked back and forth between the men.
“You know them both?”
“I do,” Celia said, sounding resigned. “Up until last week I was dating Troy. When I broke it off, he did this.” Bubba watched as she motioned to her face where the eye he’d blackened still sported a good amount of purple along with the green and yellow it had faded to.
Troy sputtered, trying to deny that he’d done anything. Bubba kept his hands above his head as he spun and kicked Troy in the face to shut him up. No one wanted to hear his bullshit. Troy fell face first into the gravel of Bubba’s desert landscaping. He appeared to be unconscious. Good. At least he wouldn’t upset Celia more that way.
“Enough. On your knees,” the second officer moved closer to Bubba, pulling his weapon up until it was vaguely pointed in Bubba’s direction. Bubba knelt without argument, keeping both hands in the air. He didn’t want to cause more trouble. He knew as soon as the Souls found out what had happened they would do what it took to get him released, he just had to keep from pissing someone off and getting hurt in the meantime.
“It seems that guy believes you’re being held against your will?” Officer Hernandez watched Celia. “Is that true?”
“No.” She met the officer’s gaze and didn’t look to Bubba for permission to answer him, though her gaze kept flicking to Troy, then back to the officer. “Like I said. He’s my ex. Cole was telling the truth when he said Troy was trying to force me to go back to Alabama. I have no intention of going anywhere with him ever again.”
Pride swelled inside Bubba. She stood tall and didn’t let anyone cower her, especially not the piece of shit of the ground.
“I’ve called an ambulance for him, but we’ve got to take you both in.”
“Cole was just defending me.” Celia started to push past the officer and head in his direction. She looked like she was ready to swoop in and defend him.
