Page 65 of Animal's Reformation
“There’s nothing like fresh pan-fried rainbow trout. I can taste it already.” His dad chuckled. “You gonna bring Lucy over here on poker night?”
Animal fished out his car keys from the front pocket of his jeans. “No. Belle’s having the old ladies and the kids at her house. Savannah and Timmy will be going there too, so it’ll just be us guys at Ryder’s.”
“That’s good. Is Lucy adjusting better?”
“Seems to be. Making friends with Paisley has helped a lot, and now she’s spent a few times over at Chas and Addie’s place playing with Hope. It seems like those three—Paisley, Hope, and Lucy are getting real tight. I wish she had some friends from her school, though.”
“She will—it takes time. She’s gone through a lot in the last several months. It’s never easy for a kid when her mom walks out on her. We’ll all help her along the best we can.”
“Thanks, Dad. I better go. I don’t want Lucy thinking I forgot about her.”
“Throw another log on the fire before you go.”
Animal did as his dad had asked, then walked into the kitchen. “I’ve got to pick up Lucy,” he said to his mom.
With her back to him, she nodded. Animal could tell by the way her body stiffened and how she slammed the pot down on the stove that she was still angry at him. He stood there for a couple of seconds, and when she didn’t acknowledge his presence, he opened the back door and walked out without uttering a single word.
* * *
A sound likea car backfiring brought Animal to his feet and reaching for his 9mm in the pocket of his leather jacket laying on the chair. He crossed over to the window and peered through the slats of the blind. A man in jeans and a red hoodie slammed the door of a silver sedan parked in front of Olivia’s house. The guy hurried up the sidewalk and pounded on the door as he kept looking over his shoulder.
The coppery glow from the setting sun shone on Olivia’s face as she opened the door. Animal noticed her facial muscles tighten, and she didn’t look too pleased to see the man. She closed the door slightly and hugged the doorframe with the side of her body.
A sudden uneasiness punched through Animal as he watched the two of them talk. Olivia’s face looked strained as the man took a few steps closer to her and started to wave his hands around.
“That’s it, asshole,” Animal muttered as he backed away from the window. The dude was yelling at Olivia and it was scaring her, and Animal was going to shut that shit down. Now.
“Lucy,” he called out at the bottom of the stairs. “Come here for a sec.”
The girl appeared at the top of the stairs. “What do you want?”
“I’m going over to Olivia’s for a minute, okay?”
Lucy shrugged.
“I’m locking the doors and I don’t want you going out or opening the door to anyone.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want you to be safe. I’ll be back soon. Now go back to your room and finish what you were doing.”
“Okay.” She turned around and disappeared down the hallway.
Animal stepped onto the porch, making sure the front door locked behind him, then glanced over at Olivia’s. The sound of angry voices rose suddenly to a shout, and Animal sprinted across the lawn and up the sidewalk.
“What the fuck’s going on here?” he said.
The man turned around. “This isn’t any of your business,” he gritted. His eyes flashed like an angry bull, and red blotches spotted his face.
“The fuck it isn’t.” Animal looked at Olivia. “You want this fucker to leave?”
She grasped the collar of her turtleneck and nodded.
The man snapped his gaze back to Olivia. “We’re not finished here.”
In one smooth movement, Animal had the guy by the neck, dragging him down the sidewalk to his car. The guy took several punches at him, one that landed on the side of his face. The asshole was a strong fucker, he’d give him that, but Animal quickly bounced back and threw a few punches that seemed to calm the jerk down.
“Get the fuck outta here, and I don’t want to see you back in this neighborhood. You will not bother Olivia again, got it?”
