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They all piled into Andre’s Triton and headed to the hotel. Bloodnok had assured them that Stuart was still there, as he’d been able to find a camera field watching over the hotel car park, and the Monaro was still sitting there, unmoved, from the previous afternoon.
Noah cracked his neck from side to side, trying to loosen up, just in case he needed to defend himself. He’d learned Judo as a child and had started back up after Michelle had left, trying to find some semblance of peace, as well as discipline, and he felt confident in himself. Seeing how Stuart liked to physically intimidate and bully people, Noah felt that his knowledge of and skill in martial art could come in handy.
Andre pulled up next to the metallic plum Monaro, and all four of them got out of the truck and headed towards the unit Bloodnok had provided them. Darryl, Andre, and Sammy stood a few steps behind Noah as he approached the door, knocking firmly before squaring his shoulders. After a moment, the lock rattled, and the door swung open, revealing a dishevelled Stuart standing in the open doorway. He started in surprise before quickly transforming his shock into a sneer, but it was too late for Noah to not have noticed.
“Oh look, if it isn’t the long-haired hippy, and you’ve brought some of your little friends. What, did you need them to hold your hand so you wouldn’t wet yourself, little boy?” Condescension and contempt coated Stuart’s voice as he smirked at Noah.
“No, they’re here to make sure that you can’t accuse me of assault.”
Stuart blinked at that reply, only noticing then that Sammy was filming the interaction on his phone. Andre and Darryl simply stood by, arms crossed over their chests, jaws clenched, nostrils flaring as if challenging Stuart to try something.
“So, why are you here then, boy? How did you even find me? You pathetic little stalker. Have you been following me?”
“No, I’m not like you. I don’t need to stalk anyone. I don’t feel the need to harass or terrify those weaker than me and trust me, you are weaker than me.”
Stuart scoffed at that, eyeing Noah up and down, “Boy, I’m taller than you, heavier than you, and older than you. I’m sure I’m also a lot more experienced than you. What makes you think I’m weaker?”
“How about the fact that you never go up against someone in a fair fight? How about the fact that you are happy to pound on a young woman, who is much smaller than you, until she’s pissing blood for a week? How about the fact that the only way you can feel like a real man is to brutalise women and animals? You are nothing more than an overgrown toddler throwing a tantrum.” Noah could see the rage building in Stuart. Rage because Noah had recited all of this calmly, without any sign of agitation.
“You never answered my question, boy–”
“I am not a boy, as you well know. My name is Noah. You weren’t that hard to find. Blind Freddy could have followed the trail you left. Honestly, you didn’t cover your tracks well. We can trace your path from Albury, Sydney, Melbourne, and then here to Brisbane, all after Allee left you. It’s rather sad, really.” Noah allowed a smirk to cross his lips as he looked disparagingly up and down Stuart’s body as he counted off on his fingers. “I have emails showing how you breached regulations protecting people’s privacy. I have the photos you took of Allee’s house and the ones you took of her when she was unaware. I have the logs of you going in to the forums for Black Bugs to spread vile messages and threaten Allee. I have all of the details.” Noah paused, a sense of satisfaction unfurling inside him as he watched Stuart’s throat convulsively swallowing that information. “As to why I’m here? Well, that’s simple. I’m here to tell you how you are going to live your life from here on. You are going to pack your shit, get back into that beautiful car you don’t deserve, and you’re going to drive your sorry arse back to Albury.
“You are going to forget all about Allee and Piddle. You are going to erase them from your mind completely. You are not, in any way, shape or form, to ever contact her, her family, her friends, or anyone even remotely connected with her. You are going to do that, and you are not going to complain.”
“Why the fuck should I do that? That cunt owes me. I made her into the person she is today; she was nothing before I met her!”
Noah sighed in disgust and shook his head, “You are going to do this because Allee deserves better than you. You are the one who is nothing, you are nobody. All you are is bullshit and hot air.”
“And if I decide not to?”
Noah held his hand over his shoulder, and Darryl placed a piece of paper in it.
“Recognise this place? I think your parents did pretty well for themselves. Pity they’ve been stuck with you for a son.” Noah handed the printed photo of Stuart’s parents’ house to him before reaching over his shoulder for another page. “What about this? Oh, and look at who’s in the photo; that’s you, isn’t it?” This time the photo was of a custom car repair garage, and in it Stuart had a smaller, older man by the throat. “Amazing what CCTV can catch nowadays, isn’t it?”
Stuart's only response was a strangled gulp and sweat trickling down his temple.
“We have a lot of other photos like that one there. We also have other items that your work, your parents, and even the police will be interested in.” Noah paused to stretch, deliberately popping his neck loudly in the quiet. “Here’s the deal. You get your pathetic self back to the rock you crawled out from, and you stay there. You stay the fuck away from Allee and out of her life for good. You behave yourself. Because if you don’t, all these pieces of paper will be delivered to a lot of people who will not be happy with you afterwards. Understand?”
Noah watched Stuart’s brain processing his demands and spotted the exact moment when Stuart decided to fight back.
He watched as, almost in slow motion, Stuart telegraphed the punch aimed towards his head. However, instead of ducking away or flinching like Stuart may have expected, Noah stepped forward, grabbing the fist that swung towards him, and pulled Stuart into his body. Noah twisted his hips and ducked, wedging his shoulder in Stuart's armpit, before bucking upwards and flipping him feet-first over his shoulder.
Stuart landed with an audible thump, his arm still in Noah’s hands, so his shoulder and head never connected with the ground. Noah swiftly twisted around and knelt on Stuart’s chest, his hands still grasping his arm. Stuart gasped and wheezed for air, having been winded by his abrupt and solid landing.
“That wasn’t very nice, Fuck-knuckle. That’s what you are, did you know that? You are a stupid, brutish fuck-knuckle. Now you’re also a defeated fuck-knuckle.”
Stuart glared up at Noah, still trying to catch his breath.
“Now, I’ll repeat it for the idiot in the class – that’s you, by the way. You will get your sad, sorry carcass, and you will get into your car and drive back to Albury and slither back into the hole you crawled from. You will not call Allee, you will not text her, you will not contact her in any way whatsoever. You will also refrain from contacting anyone who may have even the remotest connection to her.” Noah gripped Stuart’s shirt and pulled him up further. “From now on, you will not raise your hand to anyone or anything, not even in self-defence.
“You will not target another woman, should one be willing to put up with your pathetic, misogynistic bullshit. You will become a fucking saint. You will walk the straight and narrow until you breathe your last breath. If you don’t, you will not like the results.” Noah released Stuart and stood up, brushing his hands down his jeans.
“How are you going to make sure I do all of this? There’s no way you can make me!”
Andre chuckled, a low, malevolent sound, his voice deep and savage as he responded. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. We’re going to have eyes on you, and you’ll never know who or where we’ll be watching from.”
Stuart visibly shuddered at the thought of being monitored so intently.
