“What about me?” I fluttered a hand near my throat.
He’d indicated the rival gang but had not given me much to go on otherwise.
Rafe looked me over in that head to toe sweep that I usually hated.
He nodded, and I swore I caught a feral gleam in his eyes before he whisked it away with a blink. “You can join us and write your articles. On one condition.”
“Anything.” It came out way too breathless for my liking, but who the hell cared?
I’d sworn to do my job by whatever means necessary.
Rafe guided me down the steps in front of him.
The instant his tall figure came into view of the bar, the music stopped.
Every head turned in our direction, but no one looked at me. Every eye locked onto Rafe.
What would it be like to have that kind of power over people?
They stared at him with affection, fear, and loyalty.
All I ever got from my coworkers were jeers and insinuations that I’d be better off working at the local donut shop where my body shape fit in.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight. I realize the Christmas party is a little early this year, but I have a special surprise.” He clasped my bare shoulders.
Heat zapped through me, an electric shock traveling all the way to my toes.
My mouth fell open in a partial gasp before I managed to control it.
“This is Noelle, a reporter for the local paper. She’s going to be interviewing some of you for a series of articles meant to help improve our standing with locals and law enforcement.” Every word hammered home the depth of my deception.
Wait, what did he mean a series of articles?
A hint of a smile teased his voice from that husky timbre to something as soft as velvet. “She is my Christmas gift, one meant to be shared.”
I shivered beneath the intensity of a dozen men swiveling their attention from Rafe to me.
Hunger shone in many of their faces.
Bryce bit his lower lip and winked at me.
Two men toward the back of the room snatched my attention.
Ash and Bishop stood near a set of pool tables.
Both wore matching shocked expressions that proved what Rafe just did was not normal.
“What do you mean?” I leaned into Rafe’s chest and hissed the words at him.
He nudged me forward with a thrust of his hips, walking me through the crowd toward Ash and Bishop.
Both men dropped their pool sticks onto the nearest table and moved to meet us halfway.
Rafe’s hand shifted from my shoulder to the back of my neck.
There was a possessiveness, a hint of needing control, in the way he steered me with his grip.
“Noelle, I’d like you to meet Ash and Bishop. You’ll be working closely with them for your articles. If you have any questions, I’d prefer you talk to them.” Rafe squeezed my neck.
