Going Full Throttle

Chapter 13

Isla glared up at Finn and wiped the water away from her face. "You little brat!" she seethed.

I saw Finn's lip wobble and then I saw red.

It was as though my vision blurred out all of my surroundings. The only thing I could focus on was Finn standing on the dock. His eyes widened in shock and fear at the vitriol that Isla threw towards him.

I rushed out onto the dock as quickly as my feet would carry me. One part of me wanted to wrap Finn up and carry him away without a second glance. The other part, the much more enticing part, wanted to scratch Isla's eyes out.

When I came within arms reach of Finn I stepped between him and Isla who sputtered on the edge of the dock, trying to pull herself up. I reached out to touch Finn's cheek and get him to look up at me.

"Finn? Are you okay?"

The tips of my fingers only just brushed his skin when he flinched back. He looked up at me and the tears that coated his round eyes stabbed at my heart. I could see the panic set in his slightly open mouth. The panic that he felt every time he was overwhelmed, and he knew the person he needed wasn't here.

Before I could do anything he turned and ran away. Twyla and Beau both tried to stop him from the beach but he rushed past them and ran towards the trees. I didn't chase him right away, knowing that there would be no point. I knew where he'd go and I knew he wanted to be alone.

I turned slowly as Isla's sputtering became louder. She had lifted herself up onto her knees on the dock. Neither Tyler nor I moved to help her as she stumbled to her feet. Her hair fell limply around her face that was smudged with black mascara. The matted, wet tendrils no longer reminded me of superiority or intimidation. She looked like a drowned rat. A rat that really needed to be squashed.

"What right do you think you have to talk to him like that? Let alone put your hands on him?" I spat.

Isla stood up limply. One heel had fallen off in the water and she was pathetically off balance. "He's always underfoot," she shrugged. She flicked her hair over her shoulder as though she needed to regain some semblance of confidence. "Poor T didn't sign up to be a nanny for the summer."

"Don't speak for me, Isla," Tyler growled from behind us.

Isla turned slightly, creating a triangle between the three of us. "Come on T, you don't see it but you're miserable here. You've completely changed! Where is the fun guy from back home? Where is the life-of-the-party stud who couldn't sit still for more than two minutes? Oh right," she rolled her eyes, "he's been squashed out of existence by some small-town hillbillies and a little brat."

I stepped forward before Tyler could respond. Even without one shoe, Isla stood several inches taller than me. I straightened my spine and lifted my chin as I moved into her space. "You seem to be a little confused," I said in a whisper. My face was only inches from hers as our eyes locked. I didn't blink as I willed the anger that burned behind my pupils to somehow incinerate her.

"If you talk like that about him again," I continued. "If you touch him again. If you so much as breathe in my kid's direction—I will rip those cheap hair extensions off your head and shove them down your throat."

My face was set in a rigid line as I tried to control my anger, but not once did I break eye contact. I needed her to know that I was serious. Isla's eyes grew wider before she whipped her head towards Tyler for help. I didn't bother to take my eyes off of her but by his silence, I assumed he wasn't offering her much.

Isla turned back to me and rearranged her face into a humored scowl. "Your kid? Is that why he calls you Aunty and runs away from you?"

My fist clenched at my side and twitched with an intense need to connect with her face. I'd never hit anyone before, never even considered doing it, but suddenly it seemed like a perfectly reasonable tactic for conflict resolution. In the back of my mind, a slightly more rational voice reminded me that I had to get to Finn.