Daniel didn't think much of them.
Teenagers were teenagers.
He returned his attention to Sophie.
A few minutes later, however, he heard shouting.
He looked up.
The girl Sophie had been playing with was crying.
One of the teenagers had taken her backpack.
“Give it back!”
The teenager held it above his head.
“Come get it.”
Daniel stood.
He walked toward them.
“Hey.”
The teenager looked over.
“What?”
Daniel kept his voice calm.
“Give the bag back.”
The boy laughed.
“Who are you?”
“Someone telling you to give it back.”
The boy tossed the backpack to the ground.
“There.”
The little girl grabbed it.
Daniel looked at her.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Go find your parents.”
She ran.
Daniel turned toward the teenagers.
“There's no reason to bother kids.”
The tallest one stepped forward.
“Are you her dad?”
“No.”
“Then mind your business.”
Daniel nodded.
“Fine.”
He turned to leave.
He thought that was the end.
It wasn't.
“Hey, old man.”
Daniel stopped.
He looked back.
The teenager was smiling.
“You think you're tough?”
Daniel sighed.
“No.”
“Then why did you come over?”
“Because you were bothering a child.”
The boy took a few steps closer.
His friends followed.
Daniel immediately recognized the body language.
They weren't joking anymore.
They were testing him.
Looking for fear.
Looking for hesitation.
Daniel had spent enough years inside fighting gyms to recognize the signs.
The leader shifted his weight onto his back foot.
One friend moved slightly to Daniel's left.
Another drifted right.
They were unconsciously creating angles.
Not trained fighters.
But aggressive.
And reckless.
Daniel looked toward Sophie.
She was watching him.
“Daddy?”
Daniel raised one hand.
“Stay by the playground.”
The tallest boy laughed.
“You brought your kid here?”
Daniel said nothing.
The boy stepped closer.
“Maybe you should teach her not to stare.”
Daniel's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But it changed.
“Leave my daughter out of this.”
The boy smiled.
“There he is.”
His friends laughed.
Daniel realized they had decided this was entertainment.
He looked around.
People were nearby.
But nobody was moving.
Some watched.
Some looked away.
A man at the picnic table pulled out his phone.
Daniel wished he hadn't noticed.
The teenager stepped closer.
“You should apologize.”
“For what?”
“For talking to me like that.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
The boy shoved him.
It wasn't hard.
Daniel barely moved.
The teenager's smile disappeared.
He shoved him again.
This time harder.
Daniel took one step backward.
Not because he needed to.
Because he didn't want to escalate.
“I'm leaving.”
He turned.
The five teenagers followed.
One moved in front of him.
Another blocked the path behind him.
Daniel stopped.
His heart began beating faster.
Not from fear.
From memory.
There had been a time when this feeling meant competition.
A cage.
Bright lights.
Thousands of people screaming.
Now it meant something different.
Protecting Sophie.
He slowly raised his hands.
Not into a fighting stance.
Just enough to show he wasn't looking for trouble.
“Listen,” Daniel said. “You don't know me. I don't know you. Let's walk away.”
The teenager in front laughed.
“You scared?”
Daniel looked at him.
“No.”
“Then fight.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you're a kid.”
That insulted him more than anything else.
He swung.
Daniel moved his head barely an inch.
The punch passed beside his ear.
The teenager stumbled forward.
Daniel caught his wrist.
For half a second, his old instincts took over.