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“I just can’t believe you’re taking her from me.” She wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Mika, how can you think that? I’d never take Chenoa from her mother. She’ll always be in your life. It’s just that our goal as parents should be to do whatever’s best for her so she doesn’t get pulled back into the arena. We’re working together here, not against each other.” He knew she was hurting, but it was natural for Chenoa to want to live with him and get to know him better.

Roy stepped from behind Mika. The stench of stale sweat rolled off him. “This is fucked. Chenoa’s used to our house. She needs her mother. Too much change is gonna set her back.”

Steel’s face flashed into a menacing sneer. “Stay the fuck outta this.”

“I think I have a say in this since I’ve been supporting your daughter for a while now.”

“What you think doesn’t mean shit. And you haven’t given a fucking penny to her.”

“I’ve supported her emotionally.”

“Why the fuck are you still talking?” Steel’s fists clenched and his muscles tightened.

Mika wiped her cheeks with both hands. “Come on, you two. Roy, take Buttons and I’ll meet you at home. Steel and I have some things we have to talk about.”

“I have a right to be here,” Roy protested.

“That’s where you’re fucking wrong.” Without warning, Steel’s balled fist collided with Roy’s jaw, knocking his head back like a willow caught in the wind.

He stumbled backward and brought his hand to his jaw. “What the fuck?” he yelled as he regained his balance. “I think you broke it, you goddamn asshole.” He lunged forward, and soon the two men were sweating, grunting, and punching.

Mika rushed over and grabbed Steel’s arm, but he yanked it away. “Fucking back away. Now!” His voice was raw and brutal. She did as he ordered, and soon several people came out of their houses to see what the ruckus was all about. From the corner of his eye, Steel saw a group gathering. With his steel-toed boot, he kicked Roy hard in the shin. Roy went down on his knees, crying out in pain. Steel pushed him to the ground with his foot and then sat on his chest, pummeling Roy as he held up his hands to ward off the blows.

“Steel, you’re going to kill him!” Mika screamed.

His unleashed anger propelled him to beat Roy harder, ignoring Mika and the growing crowd. All he wanted was to annihilate the piece of shit. All the building rage from the previous months came through him as all reason escaped and hatred rooted within him. “You fucking sonofabitch!” he raged.

Then a familiar voice yelling “Stop!” echoed in the distance, pushing through the fog of fury, and he paused and turned. He saw Breanna jumping out of a car and rushing toward him. He looked down at Roy’s face, which was beginning to swell, and shoved off him. He stood up and Mika ran over to her boyfriend, cradling his head and whispering something in his ear.

“What’s going on here?” a toned man with short brown hair asked.

“Stay the fuck outta this,” Steel growled as he wiped blood from his nose.

“Steel, this is Special Agent Raley. Special Agent Powers is behind him. They’re FBI agents,” Breanna said in tight voice.

Steel glanced at them, then turned his head and spat blood on the grass.

Raley and Powers went over to Roy and helped him up. “You fuckin’ asshole. You better stay the fuck away ’cause I’m coming for you.” Roy took the tissue from Mika and sopped up the blood on his lip.

Steel lunged for Roy. “Come for me now, you sonofabitch. I didn’t see your pussy ass beating mine.”

Powers pushed Steel back. “Will you calm the hell down? You wanna end up in the back of our car?”

Steel glowered. “You can’t do shit about this.” Just then, an SUV with the bronze words “Navajo Tribal Police” emblazoned on the sides pulled up. Raley and Powers threw warning looks at Roy and Steel, then walked over to talk to the officers.

Breanna took a bottle of water and a few tissues out of her tote. She opened the water, soaked the tissues with it, and wiped his face. That simple gesture touched his soul. He smiled at her and swept his fingers down her arm.

“Unbelievable. Figures you’re fuckin’ the social worker,” Roy said loudly as he shook his head.

Steel looked up and caught Mika’s piercing stare. “Tell your asshole to shut the fuck up or I’m gonna finish what I started,” he said through gritted teeth.

The two FBI men whipped around, their gazes on Breanna, who was turning various shades of red.

Contempt burned in his throat as he jumped forward and sank his fist into Roy’s stomach. “That’s for insulting my woman, motherfucker.”

Roy bowled over and groaned.