Maternal instincts kicked in, and Sky reached for her daughter’s hand as she took a step closer to Logan, pushing Maddie behind her.
The boy stared at the man he knew to be his father as though trying to confirm it.
This close, it was easy for Sky to note the resemblance between father and son. Almost the same height, they shared the same tawny-gold hair and athletic build, though the dimple in Logan’s left cheek was more pronounced than the one Cade sported. Where Cade’s mouth was thin and cynical, Logan’s was generous and full.
But there was one glaring difference. The eyes. While the same color, Logan’s exuded the wide-open honesty of youth. Cade’s showed only contempt.
“You’re Anna Sue’s kid.” Cade’s voice was cold and clear as ice water.
Logan nodded. “Yeah.”
“I don’t know what kind of crap she’s feeding you, but I can tell you it’s a bunch of lies.”
“If you don’t know what she said, how do you know it’s lies?”
Cade glared at Logan’s quick comeback.
Sky mentally gave the kid a high five.
But Cade rallied. “I just know the kind of woman she was then.” He paused. “And some things never change.”
Logan flinched, and Sky grabbed his arm. “Enough, Cade,” she snapped. “Come on, Logan.” She tugged again and glanced up to find Max right behind Cade.
If she thought he looked angry before, it was ten times worse now. His fingers flexed at his side, his nostrils flared, and she could almost hear his teeth grinding together. The vein in his temple doubled in size and pulsed with each beat of his heart.
Oh crap.
Cade didn’t look at Sky; instead, he focused on Logan. “She claims I’m your daddy.” He studied the face that was a younger version of himself and shook his head. “I wonder how she can be so sure.”
The weasel had the audacity to wink at Logan.
Sky sucked in a breath. The proverbial shit was about to hit the fan.
Logan lunged at Cade a split second too late.
Max already had him spun around. It took every ounce of restraint not to plant a fist in his face right then and there.
Undaunted, Cade continued to feed the fire. “Ain’t that right, Lover Boy? You tell him you and his—”
Hands fisted in his shirt, Max jerked Cade close to his face. “So help me God, Cade. You finish that sentence, and you’ll regret it the rest of your life.” Flames of rage shot through him, clouding his judgement. He saw each rapid beat of his heart as a dark spot before his eyes. Control. Don’t let him get to you.
“Hey, I’m just trying to protect my reputation here.” He took a step back and pushed Max’s hands away. “Anna Sue is spreading lies about me and—”
“The only person spreading lies,” barked Max, “is you. And it stops. Now.”
“Or what?” Cade looked around at the crowd gathering, obviously enjoying the precarious situation he’d put Max in. “You gonna go all postal on me again like you did in high school? Prove what I been saying about you all this time is right?” He looked at the throng again and smirked. “Ever ‘one knows all that killing and shit messed you up. You’re nothin’ but a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.”
Every muscle in his body tensed with anger. He read the taunt in Cade’s eyes as clearly as if he had spoken out loud. Max wanted to put the past behind him. Cade wanted to use it to intimidate and humiliate.
The entitled bully from high school was now the entitled adult who still derived pleasure from hurting anyone he considered weak or vulnerable.
Or a threat to the power he craved. Like Max.
He would push until Max pushed back, then he would play the innocent, place all the blame on Max while he walked off scot free.
Not this time.
He took a deep breath and looked at Sky. Her face had lost most of its color, but she managed a weak smile.
Maddie stood beside her, eyes wide, bottom lip trembling.
When Max didn’t react to his last remark, Cade sneered. “Loser Logan. You still can’t get over the fact that I had her first.”
Max heard Sky’s quick intake of breath, before he blocked everything except the man in front of him.
He saw Logan lunge for Cade again, but Sky pulled him back.
“And you know what?” He grinned. “All I gotta do is this.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis. “And I’d have her again.” Cade smiled and looked around. “Cause that’s all a woman like her needs.”
Logan roared and lunged at Cade. Hampered by Sky’s grip on his arm, he only succeeded in driving the man off balance. Surprised by the sudden attack, Cade stumbled and ran into Maddie, knocking her to the ground, where she cried out when her head hit the compact earth.
White-hot anger erupted through Max in a single heartbeat. Hurting Maddie was the last straw. He grabbed Cade’s arm and spun him around. Every hurt, every injustice, every slight he had ever endured because of him exploded in the fist that connected with Cade’s face. The blow knocked him to the ground, and Max jerked him up and hit him again.
Cade fought back, landing some punches. Max tasted the blood in his mouth but never felt the blow that put it there. Driven by an anger more intense than anything he’d ever experienced, he hit and hit again.
Shouts from the crowd penetrated the ringing in his ears, but they fought on, rolling around on the ground, punching and kicking, grunting as they flailed about.
