The diner suddenly went dead quiet.
Joshua groaned on the floor, blood trailing from his split lip. Callum stepped back, hands up, face pale. The only sound was the heavy thud of Liam’s boots as he stepped between them, towering over everyone like a storm about to break.
Joshua struggled to sit up, his face twisted in anger. He growled, wanting to hop back up to his feet and attack, but Liam shot him a look.
"Enough," he said, voice low but packed with more force than a shout. He looked at Callum, then at Joshua, eyes gleaming with restraint. “Stand down. Now.”
Joshua scrambled to his feet with a snarl, blood on his teeth. “He started it!”
Callum bristled. “He burned her, Liam. He dumped a tray of food on Hazel’s arm.”
Liam’s attention snapped to me then. His grip on my hand slightly tightened as he looked at the injury in alarm. The burn on my arm had already begun to fade, but it was still a little flushed and sore.
