Chapter 2: Don't You Lay a Finger on the Woman in the Car

Words : 2035 Updated : Nov 27th, 2025

Watching the motorcade roll past, Miller Cutmore rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't recognized a single face. He'd even arrived an hour early, but standing by the roadside, no one knew him. The cars drove right by. Megan Scurr looked at him with open scorn and snapped, "Weren't they supposed to pick you up? Why didn't a single car stop?" Blake Cutmore frowned. "Megan, Miller was only trying to tease you. Don't take it so seriously. Enough. Miller, get in. Let's head back." "You know my temper, Blake, and you know exactly the kind of man I can't stand." Megan shook her head and said to Blake, "If he wasn't the only family you have left, I wouldn't even look at him." "An ex-con, locked up for forcing himself on a woman." "Even while he was serving time, he still couldn't keep his filthy hands to himself. He even made a move on his own sister-in-law." "All talk and can't say a single honest thing, convinced he's always right and thinks he's hot stuff." "How is he any different from Kane Lyall? It's all I can do not to slap him-twice." Blake knit her brows. "Megan, you have him all wrong. What you know is secondhand gossip. Every time I try to tell you about him, you change the subject and refuse to listen. Forget it, we'll talk later. Let's go, before the Juggins family sees us." Megan snorted. "You're his aunt. Of course you're on his side, so I can't exactly trust your take." "But for your sake, I'll give him one chance to get in. Make him apologize to me and to the women he hurt, and I'll let him in and give him a ride into the city." "Tell him to keep his mouth shut in the car. I don't want to hear a single word of nonsense, or I'll dump him out here in the middle of nowhere." Blake, nettled, protested, "Megan, you're putting him in a bind." "Sit tight!" Megan suddenly barked, and, without waiting for Miller to get in, stomped on the gas. A Mercedes-Benz G-Class came at them head-on, straddling the line. It swerved left and blocked the Cayenne, cutting them off. Megan slammed the brakes. Screech! She glared at the G-Class and, through gritted teeth, said, "Kane Lyall." Three men jumped out of the G-Class. The one in front had dyed red hair and garish eyeshadow; his shirt was fastened with a single button, exposing his scrawny chest. Flanked by two bleached-blond punks, he planted himself in front of the Cayenne. "Megan, you promised to take my mom shopping. Why did you run?" Kane drawled. "If I hadn't found you, were you planning to skip the engagement lunch too?" When Megan sat in silence, he bared his teeth in a grin and held out his hand. One lackey pulled a hammer from his waistband and slapped it into his palm. Seeing that lunatic about to smash her window, Megan's face changed. She quickly rolled the window down and snapped, "Kane Lyall, what are you doing? Listen to me. I have zero interest in shopping with your mom. The engagement is something my dad agreed to and arranged with the Lyall family. It has nothing to do with me." Kane curled his lip. "I shouldn't have bothered asking. Dawson, Xiaoliang, get her out of the car." The two blond punks lunged for the door, trying to drag Megan out of the car. From the back seat, Blake shot up and shoved their hands away. "What do you think you're doing? Don't touch her, or I'll call the police!" Kane turned, glanced at Blake, and his eyes lit up. He laughed. "Well, well, if it isn't the great beauty, Ms. Cutmore." He shot Megan a look, then said to his lackeys with a gloating smile, "Lucky you two. Cairo Juggins has been pining after her for years and never got his hands on her. Today you two can have at her. Out here in the middle of nowhere, you can do whatever you want with her." The two punks lit up. The shorter one chuckled, "Then I'm going first. Xiaoliang, you can have her after." "Fine," Xiaoliang said readily. Dawson had just reached for the rear door when a hand clamped the back of his head. Before he could react-Bang!-his head smashed into the doorframe. Blood sprayed. His legs buckled and he crumpled to the ground. Everyone jerked in shock. Kane pointed at Miller and cursed, "Who the hell are you? You got a death wish? You know who I am? Heard of the Lyall family in Xavon? Heard of Ricardo Lyall? That's my big brother!" They'd noticed the man on the roadside when they pulled up, but no one had cared. Just some small-timer fresh out of prison. Who knew why Megan had come in person to pick him up. No one had expected the punk to be so reckless and lay hands on his men. In Kane's mind, guys like that, fresh out of lockup, ought to wilt at a show of street muscle. Miller said coolly, "I don't care who you are. Keep your hands off the woman in the car, and get lost." Seeing he wasn't showing him any respect, Kane sneered, "Fine. You have guts. Just you wait." He pulled out his phone and started dialing. Inside the car, Megan's face darkened. She said to Blake, "He's too violent. Then again, someone straight out of prison doesn't listen to reason. Blake, make him apologize to Kane Lyall. You know who Ricardo Lyall is. Not just you two-even the Scurr family can't afford to cross him." Blake was about to yell for Miller to get in when Xiaoliang yanked a knife from his waistband and lunged for Miller's chest. "You hurt my bro, I'll kill you!" "Watch out, Miller!" Blake screamed. In the next heartbeat, Miller grabbed the wrist holding the knife, slashed it down, and rammed the blade into Xiaoliang's thigh. Outside, Xiaoliang shrieked like a stuck pig. Megan swore, "Is he out of his mind? He just got out and he's already crossing the Lyalls? How's he supposed to survive in Xavon?" Kane ended the call, glared at Miller, and spat, "You're dead. My brother just went to the prison to pick up a big shot. He's on his way. If you've got guts, don't run." As he spoke, a long line of cars had already turned back from the prison and was heading their way. "They're here!" Kane yelled, amped. Blake went pale with fear and called to Miller, "Miller, run!" She would rather see her nephew make a run for it and leave Xavon for good than watch him, on the day of his return, offend a local boss and not survive the night. Megan let out a hard sigh and muttered under her breath, "I should never have come today. Fine. Because Blake once saved my life, get in. I'll get you out." Miller said evenly, "No need. It's fine." The motorcade pulled up and stopped. Men in black stepped out one after another and started toward them. Kane pointed at one of them and shouted, "Bro, this bastard hurt Dawson and Xiaoliang and stopped me from taking Megan, you-" Before he could finish, the man shot him a glare and snapped, "Shut up." Kane stiffened, glanced at the man beside his brother, and sucked in a breath. Brock Thubron, the big boss from Zerton. Judging by their positions, he wasn't even the highest-ranked one here. In the crowd was an elderly man with graying hair and a slight limp, supported by a tall woman in a black dress. He spotted the purple thumb ring on Miller's hand, and his expression shifted. In a hoarse voice he said, "Little brother. I'm your senior, Roberto Hoez from Kento." He turned, face set, and addressed the others. "This is my junior. Show your respect to Boss Miller." Behind him, forty or fifty men bowed deeply and shouted in unison, "Respect, Boss Miller!"

Chapter 2: Don't You Lay a Finger on the Woman in the Car

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