“Fin!” he heard Reesee scream but he couldn’t even look at her. The other two had jumped him.

He was pressed double, weight on his back, Brandon’s fist connecting with his ribs.

He heaved up, throwing them off while jerking his elbow back and catching Jeff in the jaw as he shouted, “Get a teacher!”

“Fin!” Reesee cried again.

He planted his hands on Brandon’s shoulders, got close and lifted a knee, hard, catching Brandon in his crotch. Brandon’s hands went there and he dropped to his knees on a pained groan but Troy and Jeff were all over him.

“Teacher, Rees!” he roared, just caught sight of her turning on her foot and running right before he caught Jeff’s fist on his cheekbone.

Stars exploded in his eyes and everything that happened since the sixth of January when he saw his Dad dead in the snow exploded in his brain.

And that was when Finley Declan Holliday lost his mind and unleashed hell on Brandon Wannamaker, Jeff Schultz and Troy Piggott.

*

Mike stalked into the school and right up front by the windowed administration offices, he saw Dusty pacing the hall, her face set right at fury.

The instant she saw him, with long angry strides, her legs took her to meet him.

“Where are they?” he asked, not taking his eyes from her flashing ones and she stopped a foot in front of him.

“In there,” she jerked her head toward the offices. “I’m in the hall waiting for you and trying to list the reasons it would be bad to kill three teenaged kids and lay the smackdown on a stupid-ass principal.”

At her head jerk, Mike’s eyes went to the windows of the office. In the front seating area Fin and Reesee were sitting, thighs pressed close, heads bent and close together. Reesee was holding Fin’s hand. Fin’s hand, incidentally, that had split, bleeding knuckles. This corresponded with a shining, swelling already bruising mark on his upper left cheekbone.

Other than that, no signs of damage.

But just that pissed Mike off.

He’d gotten the call from the school about Reesee, that she and Fin had been involved in a fight and they wouldn’t release her to anyone but a parent and only after they’d had a chat with said parent. Then, not five minutes later, he got a call from Dusty. She was more in the know about the situation because she not only got the call from the school, she’d had the opportunity to talk to both Finley and Clarisse about what went down. Surprisingly, both kids were extremely forthcoming as well as detailed about what was said and done that led to the fight. Then again, maybe it wasn’t surprising. Fin was tight with his aunt and Reesee was forming a bond with Mike’s woman that, by the day, got stronger. They trusted her.

And Mike knew he should likely not condone a teenage kid using violence to deal with a situation but he could not say knowing some scumbag bullies talked smack about his daughter and one tried to touch her, he was not glad.

What he was furious about was Dusty’s second call informing him that the school had a zero tolerance policy for fighting and all involved, including, for some reason, Rees, were being suspended for three days.

Dusty was similarly furious but one look at her, Mike knew her anger was at a much higher level than his.

“The other three boys are in the principal’s office with their parents,” Dusty went on to explain.

Mike jerked up his chin and she fell into step beside him as he approached the glass door to the administrative offices.

He opened it, held it for her and ordered on a murmur, “Go in. Sit with Rees.” He felt her eyes on him but his gaze went to Fin. “Fin. Out here.”

Finley was already looking at him and he nodded. Mike put a hand to the small of Dusty’s back and gave her a gentle shove in. He still felt her eyes but she moved to Clarisse as Fin moved to Mike.

The kid cleared the door, Mike let it close then he walked several feet away, Fin following him. When they turned to face each other, Mike opened his mouth to speak but Fin got there before him.

“I know it, I get it, sir. It was not cool. But it was the second time he tried to touch her, they were talkin’ trash, she was tremblin’ and scared and I didn’t know what else to do. I just meant to get him off her and make a point then they jumped me. One of them clipped me in the face and I just…just…” he looked to his feet, “lost it and f**ked up.”

Mike stared at him. He did this for a while and he did it for a while in order to ease his fury.

Then, low, his voice a rumble, he stated, “No one.” Hearing his tone, Fin’s eyes came direct to his and Mike went on, “No one, no f**king one, touches my daughter unless she wants them to.”

Mike watched Fin’s eyes become alert and start blazing with the fire Mike figured was in his own.

“I’m sorry,” Mike whispered. “I’m sorry your father’s gone.” That fire started blazing bright in Fin’s gaze but Mike just kept talking. “I knew him but I can have no clue in this instance what he would say to you. What kind of man he’d try to guide you to be. The only thing I can tell you is the kind of man I am. And if anyone tried to touch someone I care about when they didn’t want it, I would do what I had to do to stop it. If they talked smack, wouldn’t shut up and I couldn’t get that person I cared about away, I would put a stop to that too. So as far as I’m concerned, Fin, you did not f**k up. Those boys didn’t touch my daughter. So the way I see it, as her man, you did your job.”

Mike watched that fire in Fin’s eyes burn as the boy swallowed then swallowed again. Shit was working in his head and not all of it was good and a lot of that was really f**king bad. But Fin held it together and nodded.

“Thanks, Mr. Haines,” he muttered.

“Dusty and I’ll talk to the principal,” Mike told him.

Fin jerked his chin up.

“I might not be able to get you out of suspension but Reesee sure as hell won’t be suspended,” Mike continued.

Fin’s eyes flared, his lips twitched and he jerked his chin up again.

“Your grandmother came and got Kirb. This is done, you take Rees home,” Mike ordered.

Another kind of light flared in Fin’s eyes then there was a different kind of lip twitch and Fin nodded.

Mike kept going. “You wanna do it, No’s always moanin’ that he’s Rees’s chauffer and Reesee is always studyin’ with you so, you want it, from here on out, you’re her ride home.”

“I want it,” Finley whispered instantly.