“Don’t I know it.”
“Sucker,” he teases, knowing full good and well he’d be a goner if he had a daughter.
“Can I get all the flavors?” Kimmy asks when we get to the red and blue stand.
I wince when I think about how awful that will taste. Kids, though. Am I right? “Sure, Squirt. If it is terrible, you will have learned a valuable lesson.”
She cocks her head at me, confused, clearly not understanding the lesson implied.
“How can I help you two?” An older man smiles down at her.
“I’d like a snow cone, please. All the flavors.”
“All? Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of sugar. Does your dad approve?”
There’s that word again.
Dad.
And I fucking love it.
“This time, yeah. But we can’t go making it a habit. Again, your mom will kill me.”
Kimmy snickers and the man prepares the snow cone happily. When he hands it to us, I lift a brow at him.
The ice is brown or maybe a mucky purple.
“I know,” he reads my mind and Kimmy takes it from my hand, scooping a large chunk of it in her mouth.
“So good!” Kimmy chirps. “Want to try it?” She hands me the disgusting mess that reminds me of swamp water.
I shake my head. “It’s all yours, Squirt.” I ruffle the hair on top of her head.
“Cool.” She shoves another scoop in her mouth and hisses, pressing her hand against her forehead. “Brain freeze.”
“Slow down,” I tell her. “You don’t have to hurry. We aren’t leaving anytime soon.” I place my hand on her shoulder and direct her to the Ferris wheel.
We pass a strongman competition and Warden—or Bane, one of them—is up next. He has to lift the sledgehammer and slam it on the metal button. If it rings the bell, he gets a prize. If he doesn’t ring the bell, I’m never going to let him live it down.
“Go Warden!” Kimmy cheers and he whips his head around to see Kimmy. He grins, holding up his thumb as he takes the large sledgehammer in his hand.
How the hell can she tell them apart after not seeing them for months? I see them every day and I still struggle with it.
I’m bigger than Warden, but where I’m more bulky muscle he is a bit leaner. He might not have the weight behind his swing to ring the bell.
He lifts it above his head, his face red, and he lets it fly. It smashes against the metal button and the silver bullet flies up the post. It stops just before the bell before sliding back down.
“Oh, come on,” Warden gripes.
“Do it, Quin. Do it, do it!” Kimmy tugs on my hand, her mouth and chin purple from the snow cone.
“Yeah, big shot, you do it,” Warden teases me, and I give two bucks to the guy in charge.
“I will and I’ll be getting that big unicorn for my Squirt.” I point to the unicorn, lift the sledgehammer in my hand, and with all my damn might, I slam it as hard as I can on the button.
“Go Quin!” Kimmy cheers for me now, a big purple smile on her face.
The silver bullet runs up the post and slams against the bell hard, ringing and echoing for all to hear. I take my bow to the cheering crowd, placing the hammer against the wall and the man hands me a big pink unicorn.
“Congrats. She’ll love it,” he says.
“Thanks,” I say right as Kimmy runs up to me, screaming.
“You did it! That was so cool! You were like… whoosh, and the thingy was like bam!” she cheers, mimicking me when I slammed the hammer on the button.
“This is for you, but I’ll keep it until you wash those sticky hands.”
She jumps up and down, clapping, that big smile making me smile.
“Freak.” A guy knocks the unicorn out of my hand before I can hand it to Kimmy. It tumbles on the dirty ground, landing right in a small puddle.
I clench my fists together until my knuckles are white and grind my teeth together.
“Didn’t know pirates still existed,” another says, slamming me in the shoulder.
The man I used to be starts simmering beneath my skin and I’m dying to snap their necks. I don’t care if it’s in front of everyone or not—but I have to think of Kimmy.
“Here.” The guy from the strongman game hands Kimmy a new toy.
“Thanks. Come on, Squirt. Let’s go.”
Kimmy pouts her lip, taking one last look at the guys giving me a hard time, and I turn us away.
“Hey, we’re talking to you.” One guy shoves me from behind and a few people gasp.
“What the hell is going on?” Warden stands next to me, and since the stranger’s theatrics are gaining the attention of others, the entire club comes to stand beside me.
“Warden, take Kimmy to the Ferris wheel,” I tell him, not wanting her to see this exchange.
“No, Quin. I want to stay with you. You said we would ride it together.”
I need to make an example of this guy and I can’t have her see.
“It’s fine,” I say to her and the members surrounding me. “Just someone who has a problem with my eye patch.”
Boomer stands in front of Kimmy and Scarlett wraps her arm around her shoulder. Prez looks the group of men up and down and clicks his tongue. “I think you’ve decided to fuck with the wrong guys. I suggest you keep going before you regret it.”
“Hey, there are kids around—” the guy working the game tries to defuse the situation.
“Shut up,” the stranger sneers.
He looks like your everyday punk trying to prove himself. He’s angry for no reason and wants to take it out on others.
“Okay,” Boomer begins. “No one speaks to locals like that. This is our territory. Our city. We’ve worked hard to gain the trust of the community again and we won’t have it be put at risk by guys like you. If you know what’s best, you and your pathetic group of who you like to call friends, will get out of our face.” Boomer takes a step forward and clicks his tongue. “You have no idea what the hell I can do with shitheads like you.”
“Why don’t you prove it?” The stranger flicks his finger on Boomer’s cut.
“Don’t tell your mom,” I whisper to Kimmy.
“I’m seven, not stupid,” she rolls her eyes. “Kick his ass, Quin!” she says out of the side of her mouth.
I open my mouth to scold her for cursing but realize now isn’t the time. I’ll do it later. “Prez, I got this. It’s fine. I don’t need anyone fighting my battles.” I place my hand on his shoulder and push him back.
“Aw, freak came to play. Can you even see me?” The guy waves his hand in front of me, and his friends laugh.
I laugh too. It’s the big, boisterous, slap-my-knee-because-it-isn’t-fucking-funny laugh. Everyone quiets around me and the men starting this fight slowly lose their smiles. I yank off my eye patch and grip the guy in front of me's shirt, tugging him to my chest.
“Is that what you wanted to see? Huh? You like that? You like seeing the freak? Why don’t you look into it? Look into the scarred, fucked-up flesh.” I push him through his friends, wrap my hand around his throat, and the good guy I have become disappears. I turn into the man that served my old Prez. “You aren’t so tough, are you? Now that you’re looking at a monster.” When I get to the end of the pier, I bend his back over the wooden rail, the waves crashing against the bottom and splashing against the rocks.