Page 38 of The Tempo of Truth
“You should know better than to manhandle women.And if you’re going to leave marks on a woman like Winnie Halliday, expect there will be hell to pay in return.I’m sure a guy like you went through all those etiquette classes, just like Winnie did.‘Do not harm the heiress’ has to be at the top of the dos and don’ts list.”Since his face was already covered in blood and his gaze was looking panicked, I put my foot on the side of one of his knees and pressed hard.Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs as bone and tendon shifted, pulling the kneecap out of the socket and making his leg look deformed.
The shouting brought a couple of men from the locker room into the shower area.I didn’t bother to turn around when they asked if Oliver was okay.He screamed at them to call the police while holding the discarded towel to his face to stem the flow of blood from his broken nose.
I bent down so we were eye to eye.I could see the fear in his gaze and hoped he understood the violent intent in mine.“I didn’t kill that kid who jumped me, but I could’ve.You tried to set me up with a believable scenario because you investigated my background.If you know that I can take on a guy who actually knows how to throw down, what made you think I wouldn’t send you to meet your maker the second I found out you put your hands on Winnie?”I scoffed and reached out to flick his sweaty forehead.“Even if I left it alone, her uncles would figure out what you did, and they’re far more ruthless than I am.You might be a privileged asshole, but you have no clue what it means to beuntouchable.”
“What are you doing?!Can’t you see he doesn’t belong here?Someone call the police.This is assault!”
“Did he just say you injured a Halliday?Do you have a death wish, Oliver?Your father is going to murder you when he hears what you’ve done!”
“I’m not getting involved if the Hallidays are angry about something you did.”
“This is a gym.Fight back if you don’t want your ass kicked.”
The commentary from the witnesses was hilarious.It was obvious Oliver was losing it since no one present had his back.I smacked his cheek hard enough to leave a mark and straightened up.I pointed a finger at his now crooked nose and warned, “If you so much as think about putting a finger on Winnie again, I won’t just dislocate your knee.I’ll break both of your legs and smash your face into so many pieces that no one will be able to put it back together.”
Oliver finally gathered the courage and strength to scramble to his feet.The leg with the dislocated knee curved under his weight, sending him back to the ground.The impact was enough to make the men behind me cringe and whistle with audible sympathy.
“There are cameras all over this gym.There is a room full of witnesses.You’re never getting away with this, Kent.You’re a criminal.Winnie’s family should be doing everything they can to keep her away from you.You’re the main reason her board of directors thinks she’s not cut out for her current position.”
I shrugged and turned to leave.“Better to go down for something I did than for something you and your company fabricated.I own my consequences.”I laughed and gave him a pointed look over my shoulder.“Between you wanting me in jail and Winnie wanting me to wait for her after work, which one do you think is more likely to happen?Who has more influence, you or her?”I waited while he gritted his teeth and glared at me.“And even if those suits she works with think I’m dragging her down, her uncle is the one who got me the pass to get into this so-called gym.I’m sure you can guess which approval matters the most.”
I stepped around the small crowd that had gathered, indifferent to the curious stares that followed me.
When I exited the gym, I heard sirens coming from up the street.It looked like someone had finally called the police.Too bad I was going to be long gone by the time they got there.If they showed up at Lev’s later to arrest me, I didn’t care.Spending a few days in the slammer was worth it as long as that rich jerk learned a lesson.
I stopped my steady jog when a small skateboard in a window display caught my eye.It was the perfect size for Lowe.When I was a kid and a teenager, one of my favorite things to do, because it was free and fun, was to skateboard all over the city and ride through the park near my school after class.I didn’t know if it was something my son would enjoy, but since Winnie had already introduced him to my first love, maybe I could share my second favorite escape with him, too.
I popped into the store on a whim, careful to keep my bloodied knuckles concealed as I picked out the skate deck and the matching safety equipment.Growing up, I was too poor and often too unsupervised to worry about a helmet and pads, but I knew Winnie wouldn’t let Lowe out the door without the proper gear.
Right after I used my phone to pay, a message pinged on the screen.I thanked the cashier and was surprised to see Win’s name in the message box.I figured the news that I had used his name to make a mess at the fancy gym had already reached him.When I asked for the day pass, he never questioned why I wanted it.I knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t hate the way I put Oliver Byrd in his place.What he wouldn’t like was me dragging the Halliday name through the mud while wreaking havoc among the upper echelon.Only the Hallidays could embarrass the Hallidays.
To my surprise, the message was short and simple.
~ Halliday Inc.is a major investor in that chain of gyms.The company also owns the building where that workout area is located.The security footage from this afternoon was compromised.And oddly enough, the police couldn’t find a single witness who could describe the man who gave young Mr.Byrd a beating.
I put my phone away without responding.I should’ve known Win wouldn’t have given me a way into the gym without having a plan to keep my violent response out of the public eye.Of course, he was the type to pull the trigger but never get his hands dirty.I was the bullet aimed at the man he was displeased with, and the Halliday name was the shield that covered everyone from any possible blowback.
I decided to drop in and surprise Winnie at work.She often came to the gym unannounced.I figured turnabout was fair play.The difference was that I couldn’t simply walk into her office.I couldn’t even get inside the skyscraper where the Halliday Inc.headquarters were located until I passed through a security check.Fortunately, most of Winnie’s security team knew who I was, which sped up the process.Helio even showed up, guided me to the executive elevator, and let me know the code to get to the floor where Winnie’s office was located.He warned me that getting past her assistant was no easy feat.She constantly had many obligations and was on a tight schedule.But the older African American man, in a sharp suit and classy glasses, merely gave me a perfunctory once-over and warned that Winnie only had fifteen minutes free between meetings.Immediately, I regretted not stopping to grab her something sweet to snack on to help her power through the rest of her busy schedule.
I wasn’t nearly as thoughtful as she was.It was an area I wanted to explore.I had a son who was watching how I treated his mother and learning by example.There was no way I was sending my kid out into the world thinking it was okay to behave like Oliver Byrd.Nope.I wanted him to appreciate the women in his life, especially his mother.
Winnie had taken over Alistair’s office and had yet to decorate it to her taste.The space was an interesting mix of masculine design peppered with hyper-feminine accents.
Winnie came around the massive desk and practically threw herself into my arms.Her heels made her tall enough that she could easily plant a smacking kiss on my unprepared mouth.I had no way to keep her at bay since I was holding the skateboard stuff in one hand and keeping my banged-up knuckles behind my back on the other side.She kissed me again; this time, her teeth nipped at my bottom lip.
I lifted my hand to rub the slight sting, and her gaze locked on my scraped knuckles.
She frowned and asked, “Why do you always have a fresh injury whenever I see you?”
I grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers, bending down to kiss her forehead to distract her.“I’m in a boxing gym every single day.Obviously, I’m going to get nicked around all the time.”I held up the skateboard to change the subject.“Do you think Lowe will like this?”My heart hung suspended, waiting for her reply.
She shrugged.“I don’t know.He’s never tried it before.But since you’re giving it to him, he’ll more than likely love it.He’ll appreciate it even more if you’re the one who teaches him how to use it.Pick him up from my aunt and uncle’s and take him to the park to try it out.”
I froze and stood stuck in one spot as she reached up to wipe the red lipstick she had left on my face.
“You want me to take him to the park, just me and him?”It was the first time she suggested I could spend time with Lowe unsupervised.Granted, I’d practically moved into the brownstone and spent most nights with them, but Winnie had given no indication she was ready to trust me one-on-one with our son.
“You won’t be alone.Lowe’s security detail has to go with you, but I think you’re both comfortable enough with each other to start spending some quality father-son time together.”She sighed.“I’ve kept him all to myself for too long.I’ve got to start sharing him with you at some point.Now is as good a time as any.He’ll be in school soon, and I’ll need your help juggling being there for him and my work schedule.”
