Devil waited until Molly began climbing the brick steps into the stately church before he turned his attention to the other man.  Then, he smiled – that smile that he reserved for that moment right before he ripped the throat out of his competition.  “Well, Mr. Barlow, now we can have a little discussion.  You’re either very brave or very stupid.  Since I know what you did to my fiancée two years ago, I feel more comfortable believing the latter rather than the former.  After all, only a fool would have let Molly go.”

Turning, Sean followed Molly’s progress up the steps with an interested gaze.  “Molly did not look like that two years ago,” he murmured, licking his lips.  “She was cute as a button, but on the plump side, if you know what I mean.  Our Molly has become quite the vision.”

Tilting his head, Devil’s eyes narrowed.  “Believe me when I say that she’s not our Molly, Mr. Barlow.  She’s most definitely mine.  And I don’t share.  Ever.”

“Of course not,” Sean scoffed, shooting Devil a grin.  “But, if she wasn’t taken….”

“She’d still hate you,” Devil supplied evenly.  “See, I was around for the fallout of your little affair two years ago, Sean.  I’ve known my Molly since she was born.  The only reason you stayed around as long as you did was that she was at college and you were just some name I heard mentioned by Grant a few times in reference to his sister.  If I’d been around, you wouldn’t have lasted as long as you did, and Molly would never have gotten hurt.”

Sighing, Sean shook his head.  “What happened between Molly and me was a huge misunderstanding, Devil.”

“Mr. Delancy,” Devil corrected.  “My friends call me Devil.  You and I are never going to be friends, Mr. Barlow.  You became my enemy the day you took another woman into Molly’s bed and allowed her to find you there, betraying her.”  Seeing that he had the younger man’s full attention now, he shook his head.  “I don’t know what Molly saw in you at one point in time.  I don’t really care.  Fortunately, she sees you for what you are now, and that’s all that matters to me.  I don’t know what your angle was approaching her here today, but you’re not going to make that mistake again.”

“I’m not, am I?” Sean asked, lifting his chin defiantly.  “Shouldn’t it be up to Molly whether or not she wants to talk to me?”

Devil chuckled as he slid one hand into his pants’ pocket.  “You obviously don’t know Molly as well as you think you do.”

“Molly and I were together a long time; I probably know her better than you do,” Sean countered, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his grey eyes on Devil’s face.  “You may have more money than God, but that wouldn’t have impressed the Molly I knew much.  She won’t let your money and power influence her.  She and I have some things between us we need to resolve.”

“Is that so?” Devil drawled easily, his deep voice deceptively smooth and low. “Unfortunately for you, Molly is probably going to choose to resolve those issues with a well-aimed gun.  You see, I do know her.  She hates you.  Emphatically.  Seeing you makes her uncomfortable.  And unhappy. That makes me rather edgy because Molly’s happiness is of the utmost importance to me, and I have quite a few suspicions about you, Mr. Barlow.”

“Really?  Do tell,” Sean invited, his own jaw clenching as he stared back at Devil.

Biting back a smile, Devil wondered if the man was actively seeking to be crushed like an ant or if he was dumber than dirt.  Not that it truly mattered.  The end result would be the same.  “You really aren’t very smart, are you, kid?  Because of you, Molly doesn’t trust her instincts where men are concerned.  You see, with your callous actions two years ago, you’re directly responsible for the mistaken belief she’s developed that all men can be lying, cheating, self-serving bastards.  That irritates me since I’m still trying to overcome that particular obstacle with her.  Add that to the fact that I do believe you’re at the root of her self-confidence issues - what with your snide, tacky comments about her former weight - and I find myself having developed a very active dislike of you, Sean.”

“No offense, Mr. Delancy, but I think I can live with your dislike, active or otherwise,” Sean retorted cockily.

“Can you?” Devil questioned curiously, slowly moving in for the kill.  Evidently either his opponent for Molly’s affection had been hiding under a rock for the last several years and didn’t know what he was capable of or he was so arrogant that he thought he was a match for Devil.  Either way, he was about to learn a very hard lesson.

“I think I can handle another man not liking me… even a man as successful as you, Mr. Delancy.”  Sean smirked as he turned to walk away.

“You’re still at Fenton and Danvers, aren’t you, Sean?” Devil asked casually, dropping his hands into his slacks as the other man turned to face him again.

Sean frowned. “You know where I work?”

“I know everything about you, Sean,” Devil informed him pleasantly, enjoying the glare of the Georgia sunlight that suddenly seemed to blind the other man.  “I didn’t get to be where I am by being uninformed.  I make it a habit to know everything there is to know about my enemies.”

Hesitating, Sean held up his hand to cover his eyes.  “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here.  I’m not your enemy.  I’m just a guy that used to date Molly.”

“That’s where you’re very wrong.  You are my adversary.  You hurt Molly.  Deeply.  And that is an offense I take very seriously.  You see, you’re a rotten human being that betrayed her trust, violated her home, and damaged a truly beautiful woman.  I’ve left you alone for two years because you had the sense to stay the hell away from her.  You changed the game today, Mr. Barlow.  You tried to ambush my future wife on her own turf – at her church, of all places.  I don’t know what your motive was or what you thought you could accomplish, but this wasn’t a coincidence.  You planned this, and that was a very foolish mistake on your part.  I protect what’s mine, Sean.”

“Does Molly know that she’s just a possession to you?” Sean growled suddenly, his eyes now shining with jealous rage.

“Molly knows there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.  I don’t think you can say the same,” Devil replied evenly, taking a step closer to the other man.  “Here’s what’s going to happen, Sean.  You’re going to go inside the church and enjoy today’s services with Ms. Higgins.  Then, you’re going to leave, and you’re never going to come back.  Not here and not any other place that Molly frequents.”

“You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Sean bit out, his hands balling into fists at his sides. 

“I am,” Devil agreed easily, nodding his head as he offered the other man a predatory smile.  “Let me tell you why, Sean. In this city, I lead a very influential pack of wolves.  I don’t have a problem in the world ripping your metaphorical heart out of your chest. If you harass my future wife in any way from this point forward, I’m going to be forced to take action.  That means that I’ll start with a phone call to my good friend, Alan Danvers, and tell him all about the questionable character of his newest associate.  Really, screwing the managing partner’s wife isn’t a great way to make an impression on your boss, is it?”  Devil enjoyed the horrified expression that crossed the younger man’s face and he made a silent note to give the private investigator he had on staff a raise.   

Still grinning, Devil continued, “When I’m done filling in Alan on your extracurricular activities, I’m then going to make it a point to put out the word about what kind of man the sharp, young, up-and-coming attorney Sean Barlow really is.  I’m a powerful man, Sean, and I don’t bluff.  People who matter value my opinion.  It could become quite difficult to find a job as so much as a dishwasher in the city of Atlanta if you aren’t careful, which would be unfortunate.  The debt you’ve accumulated from those student loans and that pesky gambling addiction you’ve developed is staggering, after all.”

Sean gulped audibly, his eyes dilating as Devil paused.

“Are you alright, son?  You look a little ill.” Devil asked, feigning worry. 

“F-fine,” Sean returned hoarsely, shifting slightly as he ignored the gazes of the parishioners walking by them.

 “Hmmm, my mistake.”  Devil shrugged.  “So, tell me, Sean,” he continued conversationally.  “Are we understanding each other now?”

Pale now, Sean nodded wordlessly.

“I’m going to need verbal confirmation, Sean,” Devil ordered harshly, glaring at Molly’s one-time lover with pure hatred.

“I’ll stay away from Molly after today.  I won’t go anywhere near her,” Sean stated softly, his words barely loud enough to be heard.

“Good.  Then this will be the last conversation you and I have.  For the record, though, I appreciate what you did.  If you hadn’t thrown away the best thing to ever happen to you, she’d never have happened to me.  So, for that, I’ll give you this one pass.  Cross me again and I come for you, Sean,” Devil warned one last time as he stepped around the other man.  “If I were you, I’d stay out here and get some air.  You look like shit,” he said in parting before walking toward the church… and his future.