Page 89 of Tinder Embrace
Eve, Gwen, and I exchanged worried glances. I’d really hoped that whoever was undermining us had given up.
“We’ve gotta put a stop to this.”
I hadn’t realized Zander had followed us until he spoke. I glanced up at Davis. He’d rested his hands on my shoulders, his light touch at odds with the scowl that marred his features.
“This shit isn’t funny.”
The pure rage in Davis’s tone caught me off guard. The closest I’d seen to anger from him was when I’d crash-landed in his yard, and that had never been directed at me. He dropped his hands from my shoulders, clenching them in fists at his sides. Davis’s chest heaved as he took big, gulping breaths.
“Easy there, big guy,” Zander murmured, watching Davis warily.
“Don’t tell me to take it easy, Zander. She could have beenhurt.” Davis’s voice cracked with anger. A vein popped in his forehead, beating a tattoo that matched his severe expression.
I ran a gentling hand along his corded forearm. It was rigid, every muscle taut. Locked in a silent battle of wills with Zander, he refused to look at me.
“Davis. Down here,” I commanded, running a finger down his whiskered jaw. “I’m all in favor of fighting for a good cause, but there’s no need to throw down on my account.”
Davis’s blue eyes drilled into mine, the angry haze slowly calming into something approaching rationality. “I don’t want you, or Jo, or hell,anyof you to get hurt,” he muttered. “None of this is worth it.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to claim no one would hurt us. Thus far, none of the pranks had been personal – they’d all been carried out at or before town events. However, everyone in the county knew where Gwen, Eve, and Jo lived because of their businesses, and, in a small town, my address wasn’t hard to figure out. I shivered, feeling exposed. Just because things hadn’t escalated beyond property damage didn’t mean that they wouldn’t. If someone got mad enough, desperate enough, who knew?
“I don’t want any of us at risk either,” Gwen said. “Maybe it’s time to resign.”
“No fucking way.” Zander’s growled response caught me off guard, and judging from Gwen’s expression, she felt the same.
Davis tensed behind me, and I leaned back into him.
“They shouldn’t get to win,” Zander insisted, focused wholly on Gwen.
“What, you think you’re the only man who can beat me?” Gwen asked lightly.
Zander gathered her close, setting his palms at her waist, as if only the two of them mattered. As if he had the right.
Gwen shocked me to my core when she didn’t pull away.
Maybe Davis was as entranced as I was by the drama playing out in front of us, because he wrapped his arms around me from behind, silent. After his earlier outburst, I expected him to jump all over Gwen’s offer to resign as mayor.
I wavered, zooming from thinking it was an excellent idea to wash our hands of the whole mess, to stubborn refusal to do anything less than what we’d set out to do: serve our community. It was unfortunate that someone seemed to have a problem with that, but it didn’t negate our goals.
“Gwennie, I’ve held my tongue until now, but I don’t want you hurt. If that means resigning, well, I’m in favor. If you won’t resign, maybe it’s time for a recall vote…”
I gasped.
What was he trying to pull? At first Zander made it sound like he didn’t want Gwen to quit, then he was all but threatening to run against her?
I fully expected Gwen to push Zander away, reject him as thoroughly as she’d dismiss the idea of quitting. She may have floated the idea first, but it was hard to imagine Gwen actually giving up. She was bull-headed enough for five mayors. We’d put months of blood, sweat, and tears into rebranding Campfire. I couldn’t believe she’d walk away from all of our hard work because Zander asked her to. Because he threatened her.
Gwen grinned up at Zander and arched a brow. “Follow the money?”
Solemnly, he nodded. “Yep.”
“I like it. Nemitz, there’s a brain behindall that brawn.”
“What just happened?” Eve asked, sounding as puzzled as I felt.
Gwen peered around Zander. “New plan,” she announced grandly.
“I’m so confused,” Eve muttered. “Do you know what’s going on?”
