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“Sure thing, ask for Eamon,” I said. “The EA is huge, and one department doesn’t know what the other is doing most of the time.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, man. Sounds like every organization.”
After a quick call, he sent the videos over to an email address Eamon provided. I hadn’t always enjoyed working with the EA, but I was very glad to have this resource at my disposal now.
Then we were off to our appointment at city hall. As my contact drafted up the marriage license for us, we stopped for a snack at the café next door. Lillian sipped her Argentinian coffee and nibbled delicately on an alfajor as I booked a private appointment at the jeweler’s.
“We’ll have the store to ourselves for an hour when we’re making our ring selections,” I explained.
“Oh, that’s…” She put her cookie down and looked around the café carefully. We were in a secluded corner. “I have to ask. What are you? You’re not a regular security guard. Not with your home and your cars and the ability to tell a store to close for an hour so you can shop on your own. And you don’t seem one bit fazed that you’re essentially taking something that The White Claws want.”
Well, I’d always known I couldn’t hide my identity forever.
“My brothers and I co-own Redrock Protective Services.” I waited for her reaction, watching her eyes carefully.
“Redrock. That sounds so familiar…”
“We covered Desmon’s wedding.”
She gasped. “That Redrock!” She covered her mouth and looked around the place again. Then she lowered her voice. “You’re a gargoyle.”
“I am indeed,” I agreed, amused.
“Can I see? I mean, not now, duh, but later. I’ve never actually seen a gargoyle before that wasn’t just a stone one on a building.” She pressed her lips together. “Sorry, I hope that’s not rude to ask.”
“Not at all.”
“Oh man, I’m so relieved.”
“Why?”
“Well, I didn’t know who you were, and”—she rubbed her neck—“with your nonchalant reaction to The White Claws, and the fact that you kept your glamour up all day and everything, I thought the worst. I was pretty sure you were…well, not an axe murderer, but I hadn’t ruled out other things, like maybe when you said security, you meant security for the Mafia or something.”
I chuckled. She was so cute when she was flustered. “No, nothing like that.”
“Gunnar Redrock…” She made a face. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you thebad boyRedrock brother?” She made air quotes around the words. “Wasn’t there some woman who claimed you got her pregnant and then dumped her?”
Fuck. Not this shit again. It’d happened shortly after Desmon’s wedding, when the Redrock name was all over the tabloids.
I grumbled. “I didn’t ‘dump her’, because we were never a thing. It was a one-night-stand, nothing more. I have a contraceptive spell, and the timing is wrong, anyway. The kid’s not mine. The rightful father’s a bear shifter; he’s currently trying to get full custody.”
“Oh. I guess that part of the story never made the news. No wonder you were trying to hide who you were. It must suck to deal with all that.”
I grunted. “It sure does.” But I hadn’t hidden my identity from Lillian because of that; I’d wanted Lillian to get to know me and like me for me, and not for my money.
“Well,” she smiled, “you’ve already made a good impression on me by chasing off those guys last night. I’m just happy I didn’t escape the Triads only to get involved with the Mafia. I still feel kinda bad that I dragged you into all of this.”
“Trust me, I’ve dealt with people who are just as bad as—”
The door to the café opened, and several women walked in, gossiping loudly. I couldn’t miss Lillian’s sudden change in demeanor, like she was trying to disappear into the background.
“Let’s continue this conversation in my car. We’ll have more privacy.”
She polished off her alfajor, getting a bit of the powdered sugar on her nose and lips. It was adorable.
“You’ve got a little…” I reached over and wiped it off her nose, then licked the sugar off my finger.
She watched me, her eyes riveted to my mouth. Gripping her chin, I bent my head and kissed the powder off her lips. The sugar was sweet, but she was sweeter. Unable to stop myself, I kissed her harder, forcing her lips apart.
