It was Mason.

He wasn’t moving. An unnatural stillness had come over him. His hand fell from the nozzle, and he stopped everything for a second. It was a small pause as he took a breath. It lasted only a second. Then his hand reached over and he flipped up the handle so the gas stopped. The nozzle was left in his vehicle as he walked forward.

Then I saw them.

Brett and Budd Broudou. They had gotten out of their car and one yelled inside it, “Hurry up, Shannon. We’ve only got twenty minutes and you’re going to make us late.”

She climbed out from the back seat, straightening her skirt so her ass didn’t hang out. “Shut up, Brett. I’ll take my time if I want to.”

“No, you won’t,” Budd interjected. “Not unless you want to call for your own ride. You better piss here too. We’re not stopping.”

Her lips clamped shut, but if looks could kill.

Her older brother didn’t care. He gave her a look of death right back. “Bitch.”

“Screw you.” Jerking forward, she tried to hurry inside but stopped and slowed to a casual walk. Her shirt had ridden up, showing a good dose of skin, including the top of her butt crack. Muttering under her breath, she reached up and pulled it back down. As both her brothers started laughing, she turned towards them, but stopped when she caught sight of us.

Mason was in front of his vehicle, a human wall between them and me. I knew he had done it on purpose, but I was surprised when Jeff took two steps and positioned himself in the same manner. He was facing them squarely with me right behind him.

I scooted to see what was going on, but Jeff moved with me. When I went to the right, he went to the right. “Stop. He doesn’t want them to see you.”

I started to protest, but remembered how Heather had acted when they were at Manny’s. She’d been terrified. Heeding all of their warnings, I stayed put. If Budd recognized me from that night, he’d say something and that was still a conversation I needed to have with Mason.

Then Logan came out of the gas station. He had two coffees in hand with his head down, clueless of the Broudou brothers as he crossed the lot. There still hadn’t been a word spoken between the brothers and Mason. Yet.

It was coming.

A shiver went down my spine.

Slipping my hand inside my pocket, I made sure my phone was there and pulled it out. If they made one violent move, I was calling 911. I wasn’t going to risk them being hurt. Mason’s future had already been threatened by Analise. It wasn’t going to be threatened again.

Then it happened.

I gulped as I watched it in slow motion. Logan stepped forward, he frowned, and then lifted his head. His eyes found me first. He paused. His foot came down hard in mid-step and he glanced around. He saw Mason before he trailed his head where they were.

It was as if they’d been waiting for him to join.

Everything happened then, at the same time.

Shannon’s features scrunched together in an ugly snarl. Her hands found her heavier hips and her arms pinched the sides of her br**sts, making them rise from the motion. It was then when her brothers saw us too.

I jerked forward.

Mason shifted in front of his car, and Logan disappeared from my eyesight. I moved to see better, but Jeff moved with me, obscuring my view.

“Stop.” I tried to push him aside.

He remained facing them, but his hand went behind him to touch my arm. “Get in the car, Sam.”

“No.”

He hissed, “Get in the car! Now.”

“No.”

They weren’t going to do anything to them. They couldn’t. Terror started to rise up, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

They couldn’t hurt Mason or Logan.

Then a low baritone spoke up, “Kade.”

The other one added, “Shannon, go inside and get your coffee.”

“No!” she hissed. “I’m staying, Brett.”

“What are you doing here, Budd?” Mason asked. I closed my eyes, falling against Logan’s Escalade. He sounded in control, amused even, and a wave of relief went through me at the sound. That meant he was fully in control of the situation. “Quickie’s is in Fallen Crest territory. Not Roussou.”

“Sam,” Jeff twisted around, his cheeks flushed from insistence. “Get inside.”

“Who’s that over there?”

I held my breath, and Jeff froze.

That was Budd speaking.

“What are you talking about?” Logan tried to sound casual.

One of them, probably Budd, snorted. “You’re hiding someone. I heard you have a girlfriend, Mason. That true?”

“Is that her back there?” Brett added.

“You never answered my question.” Mason’s tone went cold as ice. “What are you doing here?”

A shrill, but cocky laugh came from them. “We don’t live far from your butt-buddy’s home. Remember? Quickie’s is on the way to Roussou.”

“That’s right.” Soft gravel was smashed down. Mason must’ve taken a step forward. His tone was full of quiet authority. “You have a farm a few miles away.”

Logan let loose with a swift curse. “Forget that. This is Fallen Crest. What are you doing coming to this gas station?”

“Fuck off, Kade.”

Mason spoke again, a lethal note in his voice, “This is our town. You’re not welcome here.”

“Last time you came around here, your cars exploded. Are you back for round two?”

I shook my head. That was enough; I had to see. I pushed forward, but Jeff caught me. His arms came around me, and he opened the door before lifting me inside.

“Jeff!”

“Stop.” The serious warning in his voice made me pause. I hadn’t heard that from him, not in a long time, and my eyes widened. There was a grave note in his usually jovial brown depths. They were as flat as the scowl that hadn’t lifted from his face. His hand went and caught his hair, grabbing chunks of it again. “Just stop, Sam. Stay here.”

I didn’t say a word as he shut the door and then started forward. His hands went into his pockets and his skinny shoulders hunched down. I knew it was his ‘I’m serious’ walk. It used to excite me during the first year we dated, but it wasn’t amusing anymore. My mouth went dry, and I sat back in the seat.

Jeff was serious. Jeff was never serious.