"What do you think you're doing!"
One of Verna Golding's cousins gave Linden's mother a hard shove, nearly sending her flying. A dozen or so large men glared down at her menacingly. Terrified and frantic, she plopped onto the ground and started wailing, but no one paid her any attention.
Meanwhile, Preston Thorne was still trying to reason with her, but Verna Golding remained wooden, frozen in the same position. Perhaps because her strength was waning, Phoenix Golding's complexion had improved slightly, though Verna's hands were still clamped around her throat.
"Mom..."
Clayton Xavier's urgent voice drifted in from outside, and a moment later, he burst in. Everyone instinctively cleared a path, their hearts going out to him in pity.
"Mom, let's go home together."
