Silence.
There you have it. It wasn’t arrogance. Not boasting. It was panic.
Cal looked at him carefully.
« What does Raymond have to do with all this? »
Dustin said nothing.
« Dustin. »
Still nothing.
I approached.
« Marcy told the police everything. »
His face went blank.
I continued.
« So everything you’re protecting is already exposed. »
« You stupid old bastard. »
He lunged at me. What happened next lasted less than three seconds. No dramatic exchange. No cinematic fight. I stepped aside, redirected his momentum, and brought him to the mat without striking him. Hard enough to stop him. Not hard enough to hurt him.
He stared at me, incredulous. I crouched down next to him.
« That, » I said softly, « is the difference between knowing how to hurt someone and knowing when not to. »
Cal looked at Dustin, then at me. All four fighters did the same.
Then someone hammered on the locked front door.
