Page 46 of Truck Hard

Cam bursts into the entryway, his face twisted with rage. “Get away from her!” He places himself between Charlie and me, small but fierce in his protectiveness.

“Cameron.” Charlie’s voice turns silky smooth, the way it always did when he was at his most dangerous. “Is that any way to talk to your father?”

“You’re not my father!” Cam’s whole body trembles with emotion. “You never were!”

Charlie moves so fast I barely see it. One moment he’s by the door, the next he’s grabbing Cam’s arm, yanking him roughly. “Don’t you dare—”

“Let him go!” I lunge forward, but Charlie shoves Cam away. He stumbles, catching himself against the wall.

“Run!” I scream at Cam. “Go! Now!”

Understanding flashes across his face and he bolts, darting past Charlie and out the front door. Charlie makes no move to stop him, his attention focused entirely on me now.

“Liam?” He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “That’s what this is about? You running back to that pathetic excuse for a man?”

“Don’t talk about him like that.” The words come out sharp as knives.

“Why not? It’s true.” Charlie advances slowly, like a predator stalking prey. “Liam can’t help you, baby. He didn’t help you back then and he won’t help you now.”

“You don’t know anything about Liam.” But even as I say it, old pain resurfaces. The memory of Liam pushing me away, believing Charlie could give me a better life.

He didn’t know.I remind myself.He never knew what Charlie was really like.

“I know he was too weak to fight for you.” Charlie’s only a few feet away now. “Too cowardly to stand up to me. And now what? You think he’ll play daddy to my son?”

“Cam isn’t your son!” The words burst out of me like a dam breaking. “He never was!”

Charlie goes very still. In all our years of marriage, through all the abuse and control, these were the words I never dared voice. It didn’t matter that we both knew the truth. Neither of us ever put words to it.

“What did you say?” His voice is deadly quiet.

I lift my chin, meeting his gaze directly. “You heard me. I’m saying what we both have always known to be true. Cam isn’t yours. Never was. And you know what that means.”

The mask of civility shatters completely. Rage contorts his features into something barely human. He lunges forward, backing me against the wall. His fists slam into the plaster on either side of my head, caging me in. From the corner of my eyes, I can tell his fists went right through, punching holes in my wall. That’s how deep his rage burns.

“You whore.” he snarls, tracing his finger along my jaw right over the scar he gave me. “All these years—”

“Get your hands off her!”

The voice cuts through the tension like a thunderbolt. Charlie spins around, and my heart leaps at the sight in the doorway.

Liam stands there, filling the frame with his solid presence. Behind him, I catch glimpses of his brothers—Warren’s cold fury, Garret’s clenched fists, Christian’s predatory stillness. But my eyes are drawn to Liam. He radiates protective fury, a fierce confidence that makes Charlie take an instinctive step back.

“Get the hell away from her.” Liam’s voice is low and dangerous as he strides into the room like he owns the ground beneath his feet.

Our eyes meet over Charlie’s shoulder, and in that instant, everything shifts. The fear recedes, replaced by something stronger. Something built on shared history and unspoken promises. On the knowledge that this time, I don’t have to face the monster alone.

Charlie glances between us, his expression calculating. “Well, well. The childhood lover returns.” His laugh is bitter. “Come to play hero, Liam? A bit late for that, don’t you think?”

“I’m not playing anything.” Liam moves closer, his brothers fanning out behind him. The threat in their stance is unmistakable. “You’re going to walk out that door right now. And if you ever come near Hannah or Cam again—”

“You’ll what?” Charlie sneers, but I can see the uncertainty in his eyes as he takes in the wall of angry Mutter brothers. “Attack me? That would look great in court.”

“Who said anything about court?” Warren’s voice is casual, but his eyes are hard. “Sometimes accidents happen. Especially to men who don’t understand the meaning of ‘stay away.’”

Charlie’s face flushes with impotent rage. He looks at me one last time, his expression promising future retribution. “This isn’t over.”

“Yes, it is.” I step away from the wall, move to stand beside Liam. His presence steadies me, gives me strength. “It’s been over for a long time. You just refused to see it.”

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