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“Yes, of course.” Rafe’s agreement was immediate. He’d get his brothers there if he had to drag them out of their homes by their ears, not that he thought for a second it would come to that. Marcus had shown an interest in this alliance. He would immediately come. Bel would come because Rafe asked. And Winter…well, Winter would be there out of curiosity.
“Philippe—” Jullien started, sounding as if he intended to argue.
“No, we can’t leave our home defenseless,” Philippe snapped and Jullien shut his mouth. He threw a mutinous look at Rafe but kept his thoughts to himself.
“I need to call my brothers. I’ll meet you near the park,” Rafe said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket while he started to hurry across the room. The park he and Philippe had seen the MacPherson clan members at just a few days earlier was more than twenty minutes away. Time was not on Ezra’s side, but they would hurry to save him.
Chapter Eighteen
Philippe’s heart raced in his chest as his old Ford sedan trudged along through the late evening traffic. The bulky monster growled and complained the entire way, leaving him wishing he were currently seated in Rafe’s sleek beast as it roared toward the park, eating up the miles as if they were nothing.
It was only when Philippe was already halfway to his destination that he realized they could have ridden together. Something in his brain had said Rafe might need to fetch his brothers or some such nonsense.
No, he hadn’t been thinking clearly when Jullien stormed into the room with his horrific news. All he knew was, one moment he had been wrapped in Rafe’s wonderful arms, basking in his words of love, and in the next moment, he was racing out into the cold night, praying he could reach Ezra in time.
The clan had already lost three members. He couldn’t stand to lose another.
Yes, he and Ezra had been butting heads for months now. He didn’t agree with Philippe’s decision to reach out to the Variks. He didn’t agree with Philippe’s suggestion that they add certain vampires to their clan. He definitely hated Philippe’s association with Rafe.
But none of that meant he deserved to die for his strong opinion.
Even though they didn’t always see eye to eye, Philippe knew he could depend on Ezra to protect his clanmates, to give his life for all of them. All Ezra’s opinions were about protecting their clan.
Philippe pulled the car into an empty spot along the sidewalk near the entrance to the park. He shut off the engine and immediately ripped open the glove compartment. In his panic, he’d run out of the house without a single weapon. Oh, he’d survived hand-to-hand combat in the past, but it had been an unexpected and desperate kill-or-be-killed moment he didn’t ever want to repeat.
Unfortunately, the glove compartment was empty except for a tire pressure gauge, a handful of napkins, and a coupon for a fast food restaurant. He slammed it shut and looked around on the floor before stretching to search the back seat. There had to be something he could use besides the fucking ice scraper.
Climbing out of the car, Philippe unlocked the trunk. A quick search of the random rubbish that had accumulated in the vehicle over the years had him finally wrapping his fingers around a tire iron. Not ideal but it would have to work for now.
After shutting the trunk, Philippe ran into the park. He moved as silently as possible. His steps were nothing more than the occasional soft scrape on the pavement. Nothing stirred. The wind didn’t stir, and the trees seemed to watch in morbid curiosity, waiting for the next big showdown.
It was only when he neared the opposite end of the park that he first sensed he wasn’t truly alone. There was another vampire close.
Philippe stopped near the entrance that dumped out onto a street with a mix of residences and businesses. He turned slowly, trying to peer deeper into the shadows to locate the other vampire, but he saw nothing. Was this the feeling Rafe had spoken of when they’d been at the nursing home? He hadn’t sensed anything then.
“Show yourself!” Philippe snarled. His fingers tightened around the tire iron until his knuckles ached. He lifted the iron into the air, ready to strike the second he caught the hint of movement. This creature was either the one hunting Ezra or had seen who was hunting him. Maybe even helped to hunt his other clan members.
“Rafe called me,” the shadows said.
Philippe flinched at the sound of the calm, unfamiliar voice. He narrowed his eyes, but he could see only darkness. But the mention of Rafe had him lowering the tire iron slightly.
As he stared, the shadows seemed to part and give way to a shorter man with long black hair and piercing eyes just like Rafe’s. A tiny smirk played on his lips, and he bowed his head to Philippe, placing his hand to his chest.
