No hesitation.
No disgust.
No doubt.
Just a cold, steady stare fixed on the man across from him.
“You done?”
The man’s smile faltered slightly.
“I’m just making sure you know who you’re chasing.”
That did it.
Ace stepped forward once.
Only one step.
But the shift in the room was immediate.
Every Ranger in the tavern straightened.
Chairs scraped.
The man noticed too.
“Leave,” Ace said.
Quiet.
Final.
The guy hesitated, looked around the room one more time, then muttered something under his breath before heading for the door.
The tavern stayed silent even after it slammed shut behind him.
I couldn’t lift my head.
Could feel it already.
The staring.
The whispers waiting to happen later.
The shift.
Always the shift.
“Tessa.”
Ace’s voice softened behind me.
And God help me—
I flinched.
I actually flinched away from him.
