Page 104 of The Quiet Witness

A kid. She whirled around, in the distance a pair trudged through the thinning blanket of snow. The taller of the two lifted the kid up from the ground by the scruff, the child’s feet were dangling beneath him, desperately looking for a foothold. Only… The adult gave none.

Her blood froze to ice as she witnessed the man land an open hand to the cheek of the boy, the slap ringing out in her ears.

Raised hands, red faces uttering threats. It had been aimed at her more times than she could count. The hand rose again, but this time it wouldn’t land.

Before she knew it, she was crossing the road. Jaw set, teeth grinding over each other as she closed in, hollering. “Hey you!”

The adult barked back. “What do you want, woman?!”

“What I want?” She stopped right in front of him. The man finally dropped the child to the snow, she watched as the boy fought to stay balanced on the frozen ground. Cheeks red from the humiliation.

Ever since the attack on the sanctuary, Lucien had added body language signals to her training. The importance of seeing the state of the person in front of you, reading their cues. It made her take note of the man’s flaring temper. Elevated shoulders, nostrils flaring wide, cheeks reddened in anger. And his dark brown eyes, nearly black, alight with barely contained ire. He was furious alright, but so was she.

“What I want? Is for you to keep your hands off of a child.”

“Mind your own business.” He gritted out, roughly pulling on the kid beside him. Pale faced, the young one looked down to the floor. She felt her heart rate jump up at the sight of a blue bruise peeking out from under his beanie. Trembling in his too thin clothes.

No older than ten years, and already fighting the tendrils of a shit show for a childhood.

She got up close and personal in the man’s face. He towered out above her, looking down alongside his nose at the frothing woman in front of him.

Previous her would have been afraid, the closeness, the threat emanating from the man. But after living with Lucien’s imposing presence, his own threats, he who had the power to back them up. It had numbed her from feeling fear opposite ‘men’ like these.

So much for damage control.

“It is my business when adult men manhandle children! Maybe you should pick on someone closer to your own size.”

Someone called her name, but with the blood pounding in her ears, she barely heard it and forgot who the voice belonged to.

It wasn’t until a shadow fell over them, and the man’s eyes widened in surprise. That she realized Lucien had appeared by her side. His hand slinked around her elbow, distancing her from the seething man.

His green eyes narrowed, glancing toward the cowering child whose attention was still kept tightly on his own feet.

Kate saw reality set in on his face, saw his jaw clench together.

The man directed his attention to Lucien. “What is she to you, huh? Your girlfriend?”

She could feel the shift take place in the man standing beside her, who thirty minutes ago had been joking with her over a salad. His hand tightened around her elbow, slipping effortlessly into his colder than ice persona.

Lucien’s voice deepened to steel. “She’s someone to be treated with respect, same as your boy here.”

“Your girl has some guts. Coming here and telling me what I can and cannot do with this insolent brat of a child.” He spat on the snow in front of Kate’s boots. Regarding her with hate burning in his eyes.

Likewise, you piece of shit.

Kate cut in. ‘‘He’s not your property!’’ She leaned forward, only to be held back by Lucien’s hand, keeping her beside him with a firm nudge. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We should leave.”

She yanked on her arm, but his steel grip held her in place.

‘‘That’s right, tighten the reins on your woman before I will.’’

Lucien stilled. “What did you just say to me?”

The man’s face went as white as the snow upon which he shuffled his feet. Uncomfortable under the full focus of Lucien’s calm fury. Who let a deliberate silence fall between them, fixing the man with a death glare. Finally, he spoke, surprising her with his words.

‘‘I would leave, if you know what’s good for you, before my girlfriend here makes a move. And you better hope she finishes it, so I don’t have to lift a finger.”

The threat hit home.