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I shove his arm off my shoulder and scoot into the corner of the booth. He just slides over and wraps his arm back around me, pulling me tight against his side.
“Dell.” Maya leans toward us, her eyes glassy. “You look terrible. What have you done to yourself?”
I’m too close to get a good look at Dell, but I can smell him. He clearly hasn’t bathed in a while and there’s something rotten and decaying about his scent.
“I haven’t done anything to myself.” Dell wraps his fingers around my arm and squeezes. Hard. I elbow him in the ribs and he lightens his grip, but he doesn’t let go. “You left me, Maya. You did this to me.”
Maya crosses her arms over her chest, her chin quivering, but defiance in her eyes. “I did what I had to do for myself and your nephew. You changed, Dell. You got greedy and put me in danger. Now, let go of Honey and tell me why you’re asking her for money.”
“Why?” Dell snorts. “You going to help me out? Or are you just going to walk away again?”
“Let go of her.” I recognize Mac’s voice, though it’s sharper and deeper and more dangerous than I’ve ever heard it. I lean forward enough to see him standing at the end of the table, hat low, his mouth set in a firm, angry line.
“Fuck off, asshole.” Dell doesn’t even look at Mac. “I’m having a conversation with my ladies.”
“Let her go, or I’m going to make you let her go.” Mac is seething with anger, but there’s fear flashing in his eyes, too. Fear for me?
“I’m okay,” I say.
“Yeah, and I’m going to help him make you let her go.” Maya shoves the food aside like she’s ready to come over the table and pull Dell off me if she has to.
The restaurant has gone silent. Everyone can feel the tension at our table, even though we haven’t raised our voices yet.
The Dell I knew was always the type to throw the first punch, to let his temper and his passion lead the way. He leans in close, nuzzling his nose against my cheek. “Keep my sister out of this or I’m bringing your sisters into it.”
He slaps a hand on the table, then raises both hands, letting me go and scooting to the edge of the booth. “She’s all yours, bro. No need to fight about it.”
“Are you okay?” Mac asks, his gaze on me, worry making him pale.
Dell gets out of the booth and walks away.
Mac’s so focused on me, he doesn’t see Dell turn and rush him, fist raised. “Mac! Look out.”
Mac spins and straightens so that Dell’s fist hits his shoulder instead of his face, but even so, the punch has enough force to make him wobble and catch himself with a hand on the table.
Everyone in the restaurant is watching now. A manager walks toward our table.
Mac faces Dell, hands up, palms out. “I don’t want to fight you. I just want you to go away and leave Honey alone.”
“I have business with Honey that has nothing to do with you. Stay the fuck out of it.” Dell lunges forward, and body slams Mac onto the table between us. Mac’s hat flies off, and Maya gasps.
“Holy shit. Is that—?” she says.
“Dell, get off him.” I shove at Dell to get him off Mac. Dell’s not punching him or anything, just pinning him to the table and yelling in his face about staying out of his business.
When Dell doesn’t move, I grab the salt shaker from the little basket on the table, unscrew the lid, and toss as much salt as I can in Dell’s face.
Dell shouts and slides off Mac.
Mac jumps off the table and gets in a defensive posture, but Dell is just standing there, cursing and rubbing his eyes.
Somewhere in the restaurant, someone screams like they’re being cut in two. I have no idea what happened to the manager who was headed our way before the fight started, and I slide out of the booth to see what’s causing the screaming.
My first thought is that Dell’s trouble, the real reason he’s asking me for money, has followed him here.
Someone yells, “Jaxon Hayes. Oh, my God, it’s Jaxon Hayes.”
I spin, trying to find where the yelling is coming from and see a table of what look to be twelve-year-old girls, all of them wearing adorable birthday hats on the sides of their heads. Like a mom got them the hats, and they wanted to wear them, but didn’t want to seem like little kids, so are wearing them in a goofy way.
