I push the door harder, trying to force him back off the step.
“Roger, go.”
He doesn’t budge.Not even an inch.Instead he plants his hand against the doorframe.
Blocking it.
Blocking me.
My breath stutters.Old fear claws its way up my spine.“Move,” I say, my voice thinner now.
“No.”
My vision tunnels slightly.I hate this.Hate the way my body wants to shut down.Hate the way my mind starts slipping.
Then—A sound cuts through everything.
Low.Powerful.A motorcycle.
Roger glances over his shoulder.“What the?—”
A single headlight floods the driveway.The engine cuts off.Before either of us can react, a man I’ve never seen before strides up the walkway.Fast.Focused.
And without a word, he grabs Roger by the back of his shirt and yanks him away from the door.
Roger stumbles.“Hey—what the hell?—”
The stranger doesn’t answer.He just shoves him off the porch like he weighs nothing.I gasp, stumbling back a step.Another engine roars into the driveway.My heart leaps into my throat.
No.
It can’t be—The second bike slides to a stop.Immediately, I recognize the tall frame.His stance is confident, and his focus is on me.
That’s when Tucker swings off the bike.
My chest tightens.He looks from me to Roger to the other man.
“What’s going on?”he asks the stranger.
“Guy was in her doorway,” the stranger says.
Tucker’s jaw hardens instantly.Roger scrambles to his feet, furious.
“You people need to mind your own damn business!”
Tucker steps forward.Slow.Controlled.“Pretty sure you lost that argument earlier today.”
Roger laughs harshly.“You don’t scare me.”
“Not trying to.”That calm voice again.Worse than shouting.
Roger swings.
He doesn’t even get close.
Tucker catches his arm, twists, and in one smooth motion, throws him.Roger hits the street hard.A grunt comes out of him.Everything goes still.My heart is racing so fast I can barely think.The other biker stands back, watching.
Tucker turns and walks toward me.
