Fallen Crest Public(6)

“No, but he did last night.” Mason’s tone was cold. I knew it wasn’t because of me.
“Uh,” Jeff’s hand tightened on his hair, and he tried to give me a halfhearted grin. His other hand shoved down in his front jean pocket, and his shoulders hunched forward. “Maybe I should get going …”
“Did you call someone for a ride?”
Jeff’s eyes darted back to Mason.
Even though he was filling his vehicle with gas and his back was turned to us, I knew he was listening. He was waiting for Jeff to leave.
“Did you?”
“Not yet, but since you’re here …” His voice trailed off again. “Oh shit.”
Two car doors slammed shut, but it wasn’t the sound of them or the alarm that flitted over Jeff’s face that sent alarms off in me.
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 breasts, making them rise from the motion. It was then when her brothers saw us too.