No yelling.
No threats.
That somehow made it worse.
Vaughn saw it too.
Because his confidence started slipping immediately.
Hersh crouched slowlyin front of him.
“You know,” he said quietly, “I’ve been trying real hard to behave tonight.”
The only sound was the rain hitting the roof.
Vaughn swallowed.
Good.
Fear looked better on him.
“But then you keep talking to her,” Hersh continued softly, “like she belongs to people who hurt her.”
Emotion climbed hard into my throat.
Because nobody had ever defended me like this.
Nobody.
Vaughn tried to recover some of his smugness.
“You have no idea who you’re fighting.”
Hersh smiled slightly.
Cold.
Terrifying.
“Neither do you.”
And for the first time since arriving?—
Eric Vaughn looked genuinely scared.
Tate finally stepped forward before the homicide actually happened.
“Alright,” the sheriff said firmly. “Everybody breathe.”
Trigger looked disappointed.
Wolf looked more disappointed.
Ava dragged one hand down her face tiredly.
“We need information,” she said. “Not a body.”
“Debatable,” Trigger muttered.
