Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(67)

This guy was trouble.

Kade intercepted the man about thirty feet from the front entrance. “Something I can help you with, buddy?”


“I ain’t your f*ckin’ buddy. Move.”


“Whoa. Then how’s about you tell me who you are?”


The man sneered. “How’s about you back the f*ck off, and lemme handle my business.”


“See, that’s where I have a problem. What goes on in that buildin’ is my business so you’re gonna hafta tell me yours before I let you step another foot on this property.”


“My wife is in there. I wanna talk to her. Now get the hell outta my way.”


“What’s your wife’s name?”


“None of your business.”


“Again, it is my business. Tell me her name and I’ll get a message to her.”


“I’ll give her the message myself, *. Move.”


“No. What’s your name?”


“What the f*ck is it to you?”


Kade was beyond pissed. “Wrong answer. Get in your truck and go home.”


The man’s beady black eyes shrunk to pinpoints. “You can’t keep me from my family. She took our kid and she’s hidin’ out in there and I got rights.”


“I don’t give a good goddamn about your rights. Get off this property. Now.”


“Or what?”


“It involves my boot in your ass, buddy.”


“Bet you’d like that you f*ckin’ pervert.”


The steel door banged open and Skylar stormed out. “What is going on?”


“You!” The guy brushed past Kade, menace in every ounce of his posture.

Rather than take a chance this idiot might hurt Skylar, Kade jerked him to a stop by the back of his shirt.

The man twisted, leading with his fist. He clocked Kade in the jaw with enough force that Kade stumbled back. The guy came after him again, swinging and missing, then driving a punch straight to Kade’s sternum.

“Fuck!” Kade launched himself at the idiot. They fell to the soggy ground and Kade landed a solid right to the man’s mouth. Blood burst from the guy’s lip. Kade followed through with another right, but the guy rolled and Kade’s fist connected with mud. Before Kade regained his balance, the man hit him in the side of the head.

Even though he’d gotten his bell rung, Kade automatically swung low and heard the whump of air as he punched the guy in the stomach. A splash followed as the man fell into a puddle.

“Enough!”


When Skylar moved to stand between them, Kade jumped up and blocked her from the man’s long reaching arms, even when the guy was curled up on the ground. “Stay back. You have no idea what this guy is capable of.”


“I had no idea that you were capable of this kind of behavior.”


Stung, he said, “He took the first swing.”


“I don’t care. Step aside. I’ll handle this.”


“The hell you will.” Kade dropped his voice. “Get in the goddamn building, Skylar, right now.”


“Last time I checked, I owned this place and you do not get to dictate to me here. So back off.”


“No. I will not let you put yourself in a dangerous situation because you think you can handle it.”


Skylar’s eyes were as cold as he’d ever seen. “I’ll handle it my way and it won’t be with physical violence like you’ve handled it.”


“There ain’t any other way.”


She sidestepped Kade and addressed the prone man. “Rex. Get off my property and don’t come back. If I see you within fifty feet of the front door, I’m calling the sheriff.”


Mud-covered Rex scrabbled to his feet and shuffled back to his pickup, amidst mutterings of lawsuits. He gunned the engine and was gone.

Kade seethed. Hadn’t she learned her lesson last night about purposely putting herself in danger? How did Skylar know the idiot didn’t have a gun in his truck? He could’ve pulled it out and started firing at her and gone after everyone in the building. He growled, glaring at her for her short-sighted decision to let the guy go.

Without turning away from Kade, she pointed to the building. “See those kids plastered to the window? Kids you spent all day caring for? They’ve been watching you beat the shit out of another man. Every single one of them has had to deal with domestic violence in some form. This is the one place they shouldn’t have that fear. You brought that fear to them today in Technicolor.”


“I didn’t. He showed up here lookin’ for a fight. I gave him one.”


“You should’ve walked away.”


“I didn’t do a damn thing that was outta line. I’d do it exactly the same way if I had to do it over again.”


“Is that macho cowboy bullshit supposed to impress me?”


“No, it was supposed to protect you. I was just defendin’ myself, and you, and what’s mine.”


“I don’t need you to defend me.”


“You really think you would’ve stood a chance at keepin’ that guy under wraps if he’d’ve come after you? Were you gonna try to reason with him?”