Ethan looked at Marcus, then at the bat in his hand. His expression tightened with embarrassment.
“Sir,” he began, “maybe you should just—”
“Don't,” Marcus said.
Ethan stopped.
Marcus's voice remained level.
“You don't need to threaten me. And you certainly don't need to use that bat.”
“I wasn't going to.”
“Then set it down.”
Victoria snapped, “Ethan, don't listen to him.”
The teenager hesitated.
Marcus kept his eyes on the young man.
“You're nineteen, right?”
Ethan frowned. “Yeah.”
“Old enough to understand that a baseball bat in a confrontation can turn a bad argument into a criminal case.”
Victoria's face reddened.
“Don't threaten my son.”
“I'm not threatening him. I'm telling him to keep himself out of trouble.”
“He's protecting his mother.”
“From what?”
She opened her mouth, then shut it.
Marcus continued.
“I've been sitting here the entire time. I haven't approached you, threatened you, or touched anyone. You accused me of trespassing because you didn't recognize me. Now your son is standing over me with a bat. I think it's fair to ask what danger you believe you're responding to.”
The older man in the windbreaker cleared his throat.
“Victoria, perhaps we should pause for a moment.”
She turned toward him.
“Frank, this is none of your business.”
Frank lifted both hands.
“I'm only saying that the man hasn't done anything.”
Victoria looked around at the gathering residents.
“Are you all going to stand there and let this happen?”
No one answered.
The woman holding her phone lowered it slightly, though the recording continued.
Marcus noticed the shift in the crowd. Some neighbors looked embarrassed. Others appeared uncertain. A few seemed to be waiting for someone else to decide what the situation meant.
He had seen that expression before.
It was the look of people who wanted to believe they were witnessing a misunderstanding but feared that speaking up might make them part of the dispute.
Marcus knew the temptation to remain silent.
He also knew that silence could be mistaken for agreement.
Victoria turned back toward him.
“You have two minutes to leave.”
Marcus checked his watch.
“That's generous.”
“Don't mock me.”
“I'm not.”
“Then stand up.”
He remained seated.
Victoria's hand trembled slightly as she pointed toward the exit.
“Get off this property before I call the police.”
Marcus nodded.
“Please do.”