Chapter 1263
“I need to talk to you guys about something p>
Barely had Tarquin finished his sentence before he felt danger in the air. He glanced up, heart skipping a beat.
Bernard had leapt down from the oak tree, eyes sharp and face set in a scowl. Tarquin, ever alert, dodged the old man’s sudden attack just in time.
But Bernard was relentless, moving with surprising speed for someone his age! Tarquin’s brows shot up in surprise as he danced backward, barely keeping up.
This little old guy’s not messing around, he thought, forcing himself to focus. But it was clear-he was struggling.
There’s always someone better out there, Tarquin realized. Sure, he was good at making money, but when it came to fighting, Bernard had him beat by a mile.
Among normal folks, Tarquin was pretty handy. Next to Bernard, though? He might as well be swinging at shadows.
He just couldn’t keep up.
After only a few moves, Bernard landed a solid blow.
Tarquin grunted in pain, biting back a curse. He could tell Bernard hadn’t used full strength, but still his shoulder felt like it was about to split in two.
If Bernard had really gone for it, Tarquin would be toast.
But Bernard wasn’t done. With a cold stare, he came at Tarquin again!
From the sidelines, Evan hollered,
“Bernard, you better stop! If you lay a finger on him, my mom’s gonna bawl her eyes out! That’s her precious baby boy now p>
Tarquin: p>
Bernard paused instantly, turning to Evan. “Isn’t Elysia’s precious baby boy supposed to be you kids p>
Evan puffed up his chest. “My dad’s part of the club now! He’s Mom’s new favorite, and if you hurt him, she’ll cry so much you’ll never hear the end of it. No one can calm her down-not even with her favorite apple pie p>
“And if Mom starts crying, you know Great-Granny will come after you! What if she jabs you with that crazy knitting needle of hers again and you end up stuck in bed for a week? Then what p>
Bernard’s mouth twitched. p>
Tarquin’s did too. p>
Why did it sound like he’d just been compared to Elysia’s pampered pet poodle?
Bernard finally composed himself, folded his arms behind his back, and gave Tarquin a squinty, appraising look.
“Elysia might be a bit clueless, but her taste in men’s not half bad p>
“You’re not as good-looking as me, but you’ll do p>
“You’re not exactly Bruce Lee, but you’re good enough to protect Elysia and the kids p>
“You look sturdy enough. Overall… not bad. I’ll give you a five out of ten p>
He stuck his chin in the air, acting like he was being generous.
That haughty look-exactly the same as when Evan used to size him up! Tarquin: p>
Before he could get a word in, Bernard turned to Evan,
“Evan, you’d better keep training. You’re no match for him right now! He could flatten you in ten moves, easy p>
“What happens if he ever bullies your
mom
Who’ll
you can’t defend her?
and up for Elysia if I’m no
Tarquin opened his mouth, about to protest that he’d never hurt Elysia, but Evan
beat him to it, chin tilting up.
“If I can’t beat him, I’ll just use my
Velbet
homemade explosives. He tries mess with Mom, I’ll blow him to
kingdom come-there won’t be enough left to sweep under the rug p>
Tarquin: Right. Good kid p>
Bernard burst out laughing, clapping his hands.
“Not bad! But remember, no matter how good your gadgets are, nothing real skill. You’d better keep
practicing!” Content belonto theet
“Don’t worry, Bernard, one day I’ll be able to flatten him with my bare fists p>
Tarquin: Yeah. That’s my boy, alright p>