Date Night

He hadn't been back in town for very long and already life was telling him that it wasn't going to be a relaxing time. In all honesty, it rarely was but this was certainly a little different. Jocelyn was never a bother, though, and he didn't like the idea of Jimmy Dunn trying to get handsy. There was likely more to the story because he was surprised Joss hadn't knocked the guy on his ass yet. He was quite aware that she was capable of holding her own.

Danny made it in less time than he had calculated, purposely pulling up to the gym abruptly, squealing wheels and all. He wanted Dunn to know he was there, to be perfectly clear that he was there for Jocelyn. Throwing the vehicle into park, he glanced over to notice the Hummer but it was difficult to tell if anyone was actually in it at the moment. Joss was on her way out not long after, and because he was always expecting the worse these days, Danny contemplated getting that gun from the glovebox.

No, bad idea. There was no reason to slide down into that territory already. Jimmy had a mouth, they could have words if need be. Or, worse case, the fucker will get his teeth knocked in. Danny could make a statement without staring down a barrel.

Attention drifted out the window and flashed her a smile. Now, he could simply unlock the car, tell her to get in and they could drive off, but Danny was instead opening the door to step out. "You alright?" he leaned in to ask her quietly. A hand pressed to her hip, if only to sell her little lie without having to go overboard, and began to lead her around the other side of the car.

The problem was, Danny knew guys like Dunn. Jocelyn wouldn't have made it to the other side of the car before the fucker showed up. And, sure enough, there he was- invading their space as if it was okay. It wasn't difficult to see what the man was trying to do, and in all honesty, he was already testing Danny's patience. That wasn't a good thing. It took everything within him not to retaliate from the "playful slap" on the back, and he had to grit his teeth.

Jimmy's blatant gaze over Joss had him instinctively stepping a little in front of her, giving the asshole someone else to check out. His jaw clenched, offering the other man the tiniest, fake smile he could muster while blues eyes studied him closely. Spine was ramrod straight, his shoulders squared, and he ignored every word coming out of Dunn's damn mouth, letting Jocelyn speak first. It was probably safer that way.

Still, Danny made sure to remain in his space if he wanted to keep trying to be ballsy. All he needed was for the man to strike first, give him a fucking reason. So, two could play that game, boy-o.

"That's the thing, Jimbo...I always show. And I always know what's goin' on. Best you step back now." A gesture with his chin for Dunn to step back, he even clicked his tongue against his teeth as if he were shooing an animal away. Jimmy wanted to push, then he was going to push back, and he might have literally gotten up in his face if Joss wasn't clinging to his arm.

This wasn't looking good. Danny didn't glance over, but knew the man in the Hummer was watching and he cursed himself for not carrying. Then again, if he had, he might've been tempted to send a bullet straight into Jimmy's face already. The man was pushing his luck, he was completely ignoring everything and was drawing on his last nerve. He was seconds away from using fists, and he knew it wasn't right. He shouldn't be in that "place" already, no matter how fucking annoying the guy was.

Maybe it was the disrespect that was sending him over the edge. Maybe it was the way the fucker was looking at her, acting like he could own her simply because of some deal her father made. Danny respected the hell out of Aguilar, but he was going to have a talk with him about this.

Still not letting his gaze move from Dunn, the muscles in his arms tensed like he was readying himself for a beat down. The damn balls on this guy!

As Jimmy found the hood of his car comfortable, Danny was ushering her back to that door to open it, silently begging her to get in but he didn't quite move to leave just yet. If that asshole didn't move, he would run him over. "And what might we be lyin' about, Jimmy?" He really didn't know why he asked.

Danny shouldn't have asked. He should have just ignored this man as much as possible, like a child bully on the playground. Something told him, though, that it all would have been worse if Jimmy didn't get the attention he somehow felt he deserved.

And then there was the pocket knife. His blue eyes flickered to it for but a moment but Danny did little else to acknowledge it. He wasn't outright dismissing it, but if Jimmy wanted to go up against a former Army Delta Force Soldier, he was more than welcome to. He hadn't forgotten his training for a second, and yes, he was going to be pretty conceited about it.

Actually, a sick part of him wanted Dunn to try.

More and more, Jimmy tried to goad him on, likely trying to get him to do anything, and although Danny wouldn't admit to it, he was very close and he honestly didn't know why. Normally, he had better control on his emotions than this. Maybe he just really hated this fucking guy that much.

The insults kept coming, and not just at him, but Jocelyn as well so Danny was on his very last bit of patience. His jaws were clenched tight, fingers instinctively curling into his palm to prepare himself. Mouth opened, ready to say something when Joss was speaking up first and silenced him immediately.

It was a good thing he glanced over at her before it was a little hard to hide the brief look of surprise that painted his face. The humor over it showed in the grin that spread, but it was easy to make it look smug when he regarded Jimmy again.

'I’ve got that corset you like waiting at home—and the cuffs. Vamanos!'

Whoa, Joss. Buy him dinner first. Still, he chuckled lowly and went with it as he turned back to her; his hand to her hip to usher her inside that car. He was quick to shut the door and she could lock it if Jimmy tried to do anything. Then, he flashed that cheeky smile at the asshole before rounding about to the driver's side. "Bye, Jimbo," he said, seeming a little too pleased before climbing into the car himself.

It wasn't long before he was starting to pull out of the gym's parking lot. "Well, as much as that corset sounds amazing-" he continued with the joke until the expression slowly began to leave his face. "You can't go home right now." Danny didn't trust Jimmy enough not to try something.

'Too far?'

Definitely not, is what he thinking. Instead, he shook his head and made a bit of an amused face, "Nah." Of course, the idea that the very same image was in Jimmy's head now made him a little uneasy, but he didn't mention it.

At her next question, he just shrugged. "Honestly, Joss, I don't know what that man will do. I didn't think it was this bad." If Dunn had been giving him the creeps, then that wasn't a very good sign. Was this all about money or did the man really have some deep, dark obsession with Jocelyn?

"He was gettin' up in my face. I wasn't expecting it to escalate like that." Danny wasn't trying to make her more nervous, but he was simply telling her the truth of it. He didn't like where this was going and where it could go. "Can you stay with your pops or something?" Though, would Jimmy be dumb enough to do this outside of Aguilar's home as well?

Too many ifs. He didn't like it. And here he thought it was no big deal at first.

Danny was still silently fuming about the old man, about to make a comment about having to pick up after him but he knew that would be rude and wrong. He just happened to be in town this time when she called- that didn't make him a hero, whether he helped her out this time or not. What happened the next time when Dunn tried to pull another damn stunt like this? Her father needed to know, he needed to realize the issue here.

Was he overreacting? Honestly, he didn't think so, and he knew what it was like to overreact. He'd lived it for too long. This was dangerous. Dunn was dangerous. And if he could help her, he was going to.

Jocelyn was saying his name, and he was waiting for her to start to argue with him but he was prepared to brush her off. "It's bad," he repeated with a nod. "He was ready to fight me."

She was already talking about food and he grinned in soft amusement. "No, I don't think you have."