“You haven’t been here, Dom. I know that’s not your fault. I’m not blaming you for anything.” Mostly. “But things are different now. We make the choices we do to protect those we love. You, of all people, should know this. The Kid might be a pain in my ass, and he might not think things through all the time—”

The little shit muttered something under his breath, but I ignored him.

“—but he is my brother and he belongs to me. I’ve raised him. I’ve cared for him. I’ve held him when the panic attacks became so fucking strong he couldn’t breathe. He’s stronger than anyone else I know, but he can still break, and if you’re the one to break him, then may god save you from me. You’re still a member of this family, and I love you, but if you hurt him, Dominic, I will end you.”

And I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was a badass. I was standing toe to toe with a cop the size of a goddamn yak and giving him a piece of my mind. I meant every word. He belonged to us, but I would spread parts of his body all across the county if he hurt the Kid in any way.

I was fierce. I was hard-core.

And then I said the stupidest thing I’d said in a very long time. “Do you need us to pick up Ben? It has to be close to the end of your shift.”

Dom shook his head. “He needs his routine, you know? Can you call Anna? He knows her. She’s on the emergency contact list, and it’ll be easier.”

And I agreed. Like it was nothing.

“You’re wrong, though.”

“About what?” I asked, ready to kick him in the motherfucking balls, not caring if I’d get arrested for assaulting a police officer.

“About Tyson belonging to you,” he said, eyes flashing. “You know as well as I do that from the first moment I laid eyes on him, he belonged to me too. Maybe even more than you. The moment he followed that ant outside, he was mine.”

Dominic Miller was a big guy, possibly even bigger than Otter. He was in his prime, healthy, and extraordinarily intimidating when he wanted to be.

He had also just pissed me the fuck off.

Which meant I started forward without thinking, aware that he could probably take me down with a single swing of his fist but needing to do something.

Thankfully, Otter liked my face shaped the way it was and pulled me back before I could move any farther, stepping out in front of me, blocking my path to Dominic. “Now might be a good time for you to leave.”

Damn right it is, I wanted to snarl over his shoulder. You better run before I attempt unsuccessfully to harm you physically.