“You and Lorrie haven’t been together for months, Tag. You know that. She has a restraining order against you. You can’t come in here.”
“Shut up, bitch. This isn’t your concern. Lorrie, if you don’t want anyone else to get hurt, get over here.”
“I’ve called the cops, Tag,” Lexie said. She stood too, stepping close to Linda to protect her sister from the huge man who had taken a couple of steps into the room, clenching his fists threateningly. She held up her cell phone. “They’ll be here any moment.”
Marie came in behind him. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave right now.”
Tag swung around and took a threatening step toward Marie. “Shut the fuck up, bitch, or you’re going to get hurt.”
Malichai was immediately on his feet, Amaryllis moving to the right some distance from him. “That’s enough,” Malichai said, his voice low. “You can stop threatening the women. Marie is the owner and she’s asked you to leave the premises. Lorrie has a restraining order against you, and the police have been called.”
“Lorrie!” He spat the name. “You call her Lorrie? Are you fucking him, Lorrie? Is that why you left? Him?” He gestured at Malichai contemptuously.
“I left you because you beat me up every few days.”
“All you had to do was stop being such a lazy bitch,” Tag said.
He ignored Marie now that he had a real target. He didn’t walk around the tables, he simply walked a straight line toward Lorrie, shoving or kicking tables and chairs out of his way. Diners got up hastily, moving out of his way, rushing toward the walls to stand there, phones out, recording his menacing progress.
Malichai stepped smoothly in front of Linda and Lexie. To his shock, Craig, Burnell and Jay also joined him. Malichai silently applauded them, but they were going to be in his way when the fight started, and there was no doubt in his mind that one or more of them was going to get hurt.
“Step back behind me,” he said softly to them. “Keep Lorrie behind you and Linda. I need fighting room.”
The three men moved quickly out of harm’s way, but they did what he said, standing directly in front of the Montclair sisters, forming another line of defense. The few diners left in the room continued to press against the wall silently, trying to be as small as possible and not call attention to themselves.
“That’s so you, Lorrie, probably blowing all of them so they’ll come to your rescue when your real man comes to take your worthless ass home.”
“If you feel that way about her, Tag, why don’t you leave her alone?” Linda demanded.
Amaryllis had made her way around the room, signaling to Marie to keep back, and then she kept moving, her eyes on her target. Those eyes of hers, two bright blue jewels, had gone feral, predatory. Her eyes nearly glowed, turning silvery as she approached, coming in on Tag’s left side.
Tag was almost to Malichai, his eyes burning with anger. He was used to being the biggest, baddest guy in the room. He didn’t like that Malichai showed no fear or respect for him. He caught sight of Amaryllis closing in on his left.
“Another bitch, needing a lesson in manners,” he snapped, and took one step toward her, swinging his fist.
Amaryllis ducked and kicked him in the belly, putting her entire body weight behind the kick. Tag grunted hard and doubled over for a moment, folding in on himself. When he straightened, there was fury in his gaze.
Fire exploded through Malichai. He moved almost before he thought. He caught Tag’s shoulder, swung him around and smashed a fist into his face, using his enhanced strength without thinking about it. Bone crushed beneath his fist, the jaw and cheekbone shattering, even turning to powder in two places. Tag dropped like a stone just as the police burst into the room, weapons drawn.
Malichai stepped back, hands in the air. Amaryllis raised her hands and everyone behind them did the same. Tag was known to the local cops and they ignored those with their hands in the air, intent on securing him before he could fight them.
“He needs medical attention,” one said, looking up at Malichai.
“She kicked him,” Craig offered helpfully, pointing to Amaryllis. “Right in the gut. You should have seen it. He folded over like he was bent in half. Amaryllis, my hat is off to you. That was a thing of beauty.”
The diners clapped their appreciation.
“I don’t think her kick destroyed his face,” the cop said. “He’s having trouble breathing properly. Too much blood going down his throat.”
Malichai tried to look innocent as Craig stepped up, in spite of the police surrounding Tag, so he could get a better look. Craig nodded in satisfaction.
“He was threatening everyone, but particularly Lorrie. Marie asked him to leave and Linda said there was a restraining order out against him, but he kept coming like he was going to kill her. It was brutal. We were prepared to try to stop him, but you see how big he is. Malichai hit him with one punch. That was all. To save Lorrie. It was self-defense for all of us.”