Damon had been disappointed when he gave his notice a few weeks ago. “I’ll miss seeing you around every day, man,” he had said. “But I understand.”
The schedule had been taking its toll on him, even though he moved Temperance in with him two weeks after Damon and Anna Victoria’s wedding. She had protested at first, but it was driving him crazy knowing she almost died that night. Of course, he didn’t have to worry about that bastard seeing as Krieger had taken care of him—something he still hadn’t thanked the bear shifter for.
Vicky and William were still in the picture, though he had filed restraining orders against father and daughter. They were also facing charges for solicitation to commit kidnapping, but it still didn’t settle him and his lion. They had a big row over it, but after they sat down and talked, Temperance relented. They packed up her trailer, and she—and Fred, of course—moved into his loft.
Still, their shifts didn’t jive. When he would come home after his usual day shift at ten at night, she could barely stay awake. He’d wake up early to bring her to work and stay with her until it was time for his shift, but she was so absorbed while she worked, they didn’t really spend much time together. So, he knew something had to change and since Temperance loved her job, he decided to quit. However, not wanting to leave Damon in a lurch, he agreed to stay on part-time for a couple of weeks, with the understanding that he could clock out as early as he wanted.
“Yo, Russel!” Anders came up to him and slapped him on the shoulder. “So that’s it huh? You’re leaving us?” He flashed him a mock hurt expression. “I guess someone has to count the gold coins in your vault, huh?”
“Yeah, whatever, Stevens.” Despite being an asshole, Gabriel would always be grateful to Anders for letting him swap shifts so he could spend more time with Temperance.
“Seriously though, what are you gonna do now? Go into the family business?”
He would rather have his balls strung up, which frankly wasn’t far off from what would happen if he did take a job at Lyon Industries. “I’ll get by,” he said. Actually, he already had a plan, but he would need to discuss it with Temperance first. “Say, what are you doing here anyway? Your shift doesn’t start until later.”
“I haven’t left, man. Not since I came in last night.” He nodded at the crowd of people waiting outside the HQ doors. “Not with all the added visitors we’ve been getting. Told the chief I needed a couple of hours to get away from this craziness.”
Right. “Damon’s about ready to have an aneurysm, but it’s good publicity. If you need a break, come down to Rosie’s with me. I’ll get you dinner.”
The tiger shifter’s face brightened. “Really? You never bought me dinner before. All right, you don’t have to ask me twice.”
They drove down to Main Street separately and were soon walking into the front door of Rosie’s. The place was packed, but it was summer and high tourist season, not to mention, the exciting events of two weeks ago had put Blackstone on the map, so the town was seeing double the usual amount of visitors. When Rosie saw them, however, she immediately waved at them and ushered them into an empty booth.
“I’ll let Temperance know you’re here,” she said as she filled their mugs with coffee. “So, I’ll get you a slice each of our specials? We have cherry lemon, dragonfruit, and something Temperance calls Bear-y Hero pie, which is basically blueberry, strawberries, and boysenberries.”
Anders groaned. “I thought I could get away from that hero shit—er, stuff,” he corrected himself when Rosie sent him a warning lift of her brow.
Gabriel laughed. “I’ll have one of each, but Anders will have the first two.”
“Coming right up,” Rosie said as she pivoted on her heel and walked away.
“So,” Anders began. “How are—”
“Excuse me,” the woman in the next booth turned her head to face them, “but are you guys rangers?” Her gaze dropped down to their khaki uniforms.
Anders’s face immediately perked up at the female attention. “This guy”—he jerked his thumb at Gabriel—“isn’t anymore, but I am.” He wiggled a brow at her. “What can I do for you, sweetheart?”
The woman slid out from the booth and pivoted toward them. Her long, caramel hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore high heels, tight ripped jeans, and a lacy sleeveless top that showed off the tattoos on her arm. “I was wondering, do you guys know where I can find Daniel Rogers?”
Anders groaned and slunk lower in the booth. “I’m so fucking tired of hearing that name.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Sorry about my friend, he’s a drama king. Can I ask why you need to know where he is?”
She folded her arms over her chest as her razor-sharp gaze cut into him. “You could.”
Seconds ticked by, and Gabriel, feeling impatient, shrugged. “He should be at HQ—that’s the Blackstone Rangers Headquarters. It’s on the road that leads up to the mountains, you can’t miss it.”
“Thank you.”
She dropped some bills on her table, and as she turned to walk away, Anders called after her. “Hey, baby, what do you need him for when I’m here? Those tats are a piece of art, you know.” He nodded at her arm. “And so are you. Maybe I can—”
“Nail me to the wall?” she scoffed. “Please. Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Pivoting on her heel, she sauntered off, hips swinging as she walked away from them.
“What do you think she wants with Rogers?” Gabriel asked.
“What else? Everyone wants a piece of Blackstone’s newest celebrity,” Anders groused. “She doesn’t look like a reporter, so maybe a groupie? Fuck me, if I had known saving the vice president’s life would have chicks crawling over each other to get to me, I’d
