He cut the engine, lowered the kickstand, and swung off.
I wrenched the helmet off and placed it on the hook Ash had pointed out at our last stop. “What’s going on?”
“Stay behind me.” Ash nudged me behind him. His shoulders stiffened, the intensity of his body turning electric.
Bishop stood halfway between me and Rafe.
He took a hesitant step forward, paused, then moved again, not stopping until he stood shoulder to shoulder with Rafe.
“What kind of game do you think you’re playing?” A tall man in a heavy overcoat stepped forward.
The sight of them reminded me of those paranormal stories about vampires and werewolves.
All these people needed were torches and pitchforks to be the perfect mob.
Rafe met the man face to face.
I couldn’t see his expression from where I stood, but I felt his anger halfway across the parking lot.
The man pointed at Rafe. “Don’t deny it. We all know you cut the town’s power. Just look.”
He stabbed a finger toward the clubhouse. “No one else has power except you.”
“That’s a solar lamp.” Bishop snorted a dark laugh that imploded across the crowd.
“The sun’s going down. It’s supposed to be below freezing tonight, and you’ve left all of us without power.” The man took another step. “Fix it.”
Bishop cut him off with a slash of his hand through the air. “That’s close enough.”
A snarl curled the man’s lip upward.
He spat on the gravel between them.
“You didn’t do this.” I clasped Ash’s arm with both hands and tried to step around him.
Rafe shifted just enough to reveal his profile. His eyes slid to me and narrowed. “That’s enough.”
The crowd in front of him jolted like they’d been electrocuted.
I knew how they felt.
The command in his mere presence overwhelmed me.
“But you were gone,” I whispered to Ash, afraid Rafe would hear and yet needing to convince the crowd they were innocent.
We’d been on the road all day.
There was no way they’d done this.
Rafe crossed his arms and widened his stance.
It was a bold power move, and when Bishop did the same, the entire group took notice.
Ash shushed me with a look that demanded I keep my thoughts to myself.
Why?
None of it made sense.
