As Bailey and I walked to my Harley after our final class of the day, she smiled and swung her ponytail back and forth.
“In my writing class, I took my final exam before the break,” Bailey said. “Now I can skip out tomorrow and go shopping with Maddy and Mom. She’s still figuring out the last touches for the wedding, but it’s mostly set. Redneck chic is pretty cool. Hint.”
I only smiled. “When our time comes, you can do whatever chic your heart desires.”
“I know, but I still like hearing you bow to my will.”
All the good humor left me once I noticed Winnie standing in the parking lot next to my dad and three of his asshole friends.
“What the hell?” Bailey asked as I walked faster.
“Take Winnie and go,” I said over my shoulder before we reached the men.
My dad looked just the way I remembered. Big, rugged, and handsome, he hovered over a clearly rattled Winnie. By the expression on his face, he was flirting with her. His every word caused her face to disappear more behind her hair.
“There you are,” Dad said when he noticed me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, standing between the men and Winnie.
“I looked you up at the address you gave your grandma, but you’d moved out. I asked around and a stoner told me this girl worked for your girlfriend. Is this her?”
Ignoring his question about Bailey, I turned towards her. “Take Winnie and go,” I said again in a hard voice, hoping she understood.
Bailey’s temper demanded she ignore the danger of the situation. Even worried about Winnie, she wouldn’t leave me alone with these men.
“Who are these fucking douches?”
“Little mouth on her,” Dad said to his friends. “I like the quiet one better.”
“Who are you?” Bailey growled, now in full redneck bitch mode.
“I’m Nicky’s dad.”
Standing between them, I felt a familiar unease. The same feeling I got as a kid when violence was coming. These days, Dad knew he couldn’t take me alone, so he brought back up.
I glanced at his shirt pocket where his cigarettes and lighter rested. Those were his favorite weapons when I was growing up. He once told me the smell of burning flesh turned him on. I remembered thinking he was evil. I hadn’t been wrong.
“Why are you here?” I asked calmly, going through the motions until the first punch was thrown.
“Drove all the way up here to see the great Dragon fight then I find out you’ve pussied out and thrown in the towel. Over a slut too.”
I glanced at Bailey who took the word “slut” as to be expected.
“You understand?” I said to her, but she only frowned. “Look after Winnie. She needs you to protect her. Be smart.”
“I’m packing.”
“Be smart,” I said again and Bailey’s anger faded.
“I want to kick his ass.”
“Not today. Not with so many eyes on us. Think of the family. Don’t hurt them to get revenge. Payback never tastes as good as you think it will.”
I turned to my dad who only smiled. “Nick.”
Glancing at his big middle aged friends, I shrugged. “While you’ve never been much of a thinker, you were smart enough to bring muscle.”
“I didn’t come here to fight you,” Dad said.
“Too late for that now. You terrorized Winnie and called my woman a slut. No backing down now,” I told him, shoving my hands in my pockets. “You’d have liked watching me fight in the Thunderdome. I was pretty good and know how to hurt a man without causing serious injury. A lesson I won’t need today.”
Unlike my dad, I never had any swagger. Life taught me true badasses didn’t need it. I doubted the normally silent Judd did much threatening before he broke a man.
Dad and his friends eyed Bailey standing next to Winnie. I suspected they planned to use the girls to their advantage. Bailey figured the same thing and flashed the gun in her purse.
Shaking my head at her, I grinned at my dad. “You came a long way to bleed, so let’s get on with it.”
“You always were a drama queen,” he said, tossing aside his cigarette. “Just like your fucking mom.”
In my mind, I played out how his friends would kick my ass. I’d never fought more than two guys at a time, so I wasn’t beating all four of them. I couldn’t win the war, but I planned to make sure my dad bled.
Like in the cage, I built up my rage. This man came to my new home, insulted my woman, and threatened my happiness. He frightened an already traumatized girl like he’d harmed so many women before. He was foul, stinking of the trailer. He brought with him the evil of my past. My father was the enemy and only his pain would free me.
I threw the first punch, hitting him square in the mouth. For whatever reason, the fucker looked shocked. His life really was too easy if he thought today wouldn’t end badly for him.