turn cautiously around, “Excuse
me, Sir?”
“With Haven,” her name comes out of his mouth
again. I grind my teeth. He shouldn't toss her name around like
that. It's not his to be so frivolous with. “The way you're acting.
The way you're protecting her. I know what that's like. I went
through that with your mother.”
The comparison gnaws at me on the inside,
starting in my head and racing downward, blazing a path of rage and
disgust. My fists ball up. I bite my tongue. I don't have time for
an argument right now. I don't have time to stand here and tell him
that he knows nothing about me, my life, Haven, or our
situation.
I swallow the knot in my throat, “With all
due respect, Sir, please leave Mom's memories with Mom.” Sir raises
his eyebrows. “Buried.”
After I nod to dismiss myself, I exit through
the front door, an all-too-familiar need to punch something
coursing through my veins. Where's that sweet angel of mine’s voice
when I need it?
Back outside, I see Mindy and Haven have a
visitor. The driver of the sports car has made his way over. My
attention settles on Howard who, like the sleaze he is, settles his
hand on Mindy’s car. Is he hitting on Haven? That sneaky, snarky
sack of shit just can't help himself from leeching onto every
female that crosses his path. No, he's not like Glove in the sense
that Glove has morals, some standards—not high nor many but they
are there. Howard's the kind of lowlife that, if he had a
stepsister, he would sleep with her if she had a decent pair of
tits. His name alone is usually enough to get my blood pressure
raised to level of annoyance. I swear, if his mother wasn't a
computer genius who just re-hardwired Haven’s a new life, he'd need
a miracle from God himself to be saved from my wrath.
I march hastily across the street, doing my
best to keep calm. Keep rational. Stay focused, Grim. Ignore the
adrenaline that's doing laps around your body. Howard’s hand
reaches to touch my tags around her neck, gently grazing the tops
of her boobs.
At that moment, my mind goes blank. I twist
the asshole's hand to an obvious position of pain behind his back,
while I grab a fistful of his brown hair and slam his head against
Mindy's Audi door. All 5' 11", 165 pounds of him whips around like
rag doll.
“If you ever touch her again, I'll make sure
the only way you can drink is through a straw. Got it?” I bang his
head again, his pale, white skin turning a bit red from the drops
of blood I teased out. God, that felt good. “Got it?”
Howard nods, and I tighten the grip, one
twist away from breaking his damn arm off. How easy it would be
with one little snap–
“Clint!” a voice booms, yanking me out of the
trance like state I slipped into. The voice sounds like a
displeased commanding officer. The words are spoken slowly but
powerfully. “Let. Him. Go.”
My body stiffens, my jaw now throbbing as is
my temple. Shame rains down on me as I stand in disbelief that I
just let that happen. How did I let that happen? I just told myself
to stay calm. I've never lost control like that before. I know
better than this.
The Callaghan’s door slams. Mindy's voice
squeaks as she rejoins the scene, seeing my handiwork, “Seriously?
What could have possibly happened? I only stepped inside for a
minute.”
“Clint!” The strict voice booms again,
leaving Mindy unanswered.
I nod at him, “Sorry, Sir.”
My eye contact fades off into a point in the
distance, preparing for the ass chewing that has yet to commence.
Out of my peripherals, I finally notice the look on Haven's face.
She's frozen, muscles as still as the look on my face, the
exception being her eyes. They dance among all of us. I expected
her to look terrified, at least contemplative that my actions were
harsh or too violent, frightening even, yet she looks at a certain
ease. Maybe now she gets that I won't let anything happen to her.
Maybe now she sees I'll drop anything that I feel threatens her in
the
me, Sir?”
“With Haven,” her name comes out of his mouth
again. I grind my teeth. He shouldn't toss her name around like
that. It's not his to be so frivolous with. “The way you're acting.
The way you're protecting her. I know what that's like. I went
through that with your mother.”
The comparison gnaws at me on the inside,
starting in my head and racing downward, blazing a path of rage and
disgust. My fists ball up. I bite my tongue. I don't have time for
an argument right now. I don't have time to stand here and tell him
that he knows nothing about me, my life, Haven, or our
situation.
I swallow the knot in my throat, “With all
due respect, Sir, please leave Mom's memories with Mom.” Sir raises
his eyebrows. “Buried.”
After I nod to dismiss myself, I exit through
the front door, an all-too-familiar need to punch something
coursing through my veins. Where's that sweet angel of mine’s voice
when I need it?
Back outside, I see Mindy and Haven have a
visitor. The driver of the sports car has made his way over. My
attention settles on Howard who, like the sleaze he is, settles his
hand on Mindy’s car. Is he hitting on Haven? That sneaky, snarky
sack of shit just can't help himself from leeching onto every
female that crosses his path. No, he's not like Glove in the sense
that Glove has morals, some standards—not high nor many but they
are there. Howard's the kind of lowlife that, if he had a
stepsister, he would sleep with her if she had a decent pair of
tits. His name alone is usually enough to get my blood pressure
raised to level of annoyance. I swear, if his mother wasn't a
computer genius who just re-hardwired Haven’s a new life, he'd need
a miracle from God himself to be saved from my wrath.
I march hastily across the street, doing my
best to keep calm. Keep rational. Stay focused, Grim. Ignore the
adrenaline that's doing laps around your body. Howard’s hand
reaches to touch my tags around her neck, gently grazing the tops
of her boobs.
At that moment, my mind goes blank. I twist
the asshole's hand to an obvious position of pain behind his back,
while I grab a fistful of his brown hair and slam his head against
Mindy's Audi door. All 5' 11", 165 pounds of him whips around like
rag doll.
“If you ever touch her again, I'll make sure
the only way you can drink is through a straw. Got it?” I bang his
head again, his pale, white skin turning a bit red from the drops
of blood I teased out. God, that felt good. “Got it?”
Howard nods, and I tighten the grip, one
twist away from breaking his damn arm off. How easy it would be
with one little snap–
“Clint!” a voice booms, yanking me out of the
trance like state I slipped into. The voice sounds like a
displeased commanding officer. The words are spoken slowly but
powerfully. “Let. Him. Go.”
My body stiffens, my jaw now throbbing as is
my temple. Shame rains down on me as I stand in disbelief that I
just let that happen. How did I let that happen? I just told myself
to stay calm. I've never lost control like that before. I know
better than this.
The Callaghan’s door slams. Mindy's voice
squeaks as she rejoins the scene, seeing my handiwork, “Seriously?
What could have possibly happened? I only stepped inside for a
minute.”
“Clint!” The strict voice booms again,
leaving Mindy unanswered.
I nod at him, “Sorry, Sir.”
My eye contact fades off into a point in the
distance, preparing for the ass chewing that has yet to commence.
Out of my peripherals, I finally notice the look on Haven's face.
She's frozen, muscles as still as the look on my face, the
exception being her eyes. They dance among all of us. I expected
her to look terrified, at least contemplative that my actions were
harsh or too violent, frightening even, yet she looks at a certain
ease. Maybe now she gets that I won't let anything happen to her.
Maybe now she sees I'll drop anything that I feel threatens her in
the
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