“I didn’t have to go through it, but Pit did, and let me tell you, I thought he was going to die.” Bren quickly said, squeezing tightly against his mate as if seeing the struggles the man had gone through all over again.
Sighing, Gunner said, “Look, I don’t know why we haven’t gone through the heat yet, but I have no doubt we will. I agree with my dragon, there is no way we could feel this protective of someone unless they were our sentience. Youareour sentience and there is no way in fucking hell I’m going to allow you to run off and get killed!”
“You feel that strongly about this, Gunner?” Pit asked.
Gunner turned to his leader. “We think so, yes. Like I said, we haven’t gone into dragon heat, but not only do I feel an attraction to him like no one before, but my dragon and I feel a deep need to keep Gordy safe from even a stiff breeze. Just the thought that some fucker thought he could try and kill him makes me and my maharishi want to raise the bastard from the dead and kill him all over again. I then want to go and hunt down Gordy’s father and lay him side by side with his buddy out there.”
“You can’t kill my dad, Gunner.” Gordy yelped.
“I have an idea.” Bren said, before anyone else could say a word.
Pit looked at his mate and the love shining from those two had Gordy feeling as though he was invading a private moment. God, he wanted that. Looking at Gunner, Gordy realized that if what the man said was true, he just might have that chance. He might… no, he couldn’t think that way. Not only was he not on the same level as Gunner, being in Gordy’s life meant nothing but danger and possibly death.
“I think that we should send Gunner with Gordy to Jude’s mom’s old house in Texas. Clara wouldn’t mind, and there’s no way in heck Gordy’s dad would know about it. The place isn’t in any of our names, and it isn’t like his dad is going to know anything about Clara.” Bren said.
“That’s a good idea, love. I’ll make some calls. Gunner, get to the airport and by then I’ll have secured a private jet for you two to take you there. I’ll have Boomer and Eagle join you as well.” Pit stated.
Shaking his head, Gunner replied, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If too many of us head out and Gordy’s father is watching, he’s going to know something’s up. I think we should take a flight out in Baltimore. It won’t take long for us to get there and if it’s only us, he won’t notice anything’s amiss.”
“I don’t like it. You need someone to watch your back. Trust me on this, if what you say is true about Gordy being your sentience, you guys are going to be in no shape to focus on any threats. If not for the dragon heat, for the claiming itself.” Pit argued.
“We’ll go with them.” Cobra said, before Gunner could argue back. “Pit’s right. Trust me, right now you’re fine, but if that heat hits you, you’re not going to be in any shape to keep yourself safe, let alone your sentience.”
Pit added, “And I’ll see what Wiz has discovered, then I think a few of us will join you guys out there as well.”
Gunner was about to argue once again, but Pit held his hand up stopping him from continuing. “We won’t go by vehicle. If we can get our shit together, those of us with maharishi that fly will come to you… well, most of us. I want to keep at least one flyer at Drago along with the others. You’re going to need us if Gordy’s father somehow discovers where you are.”
With a sharp nod, Gunner said, “Fine, but if we’re going, we need to head out. Nolan might be keeping the cops busy right now, but it won’t last, and I want to be as far away from here as possible before Gordy’s dad learns he missed.”
“There’s a possibility he won’t know. I mean if the guy he hired is dead, it’s not like he’s going to talk.” Bren said anxiously.
Shaking his head, Gio said, “If Gordy’s dad is anything like mine, he’ll know. I think Gunner’s right. He needs to get Gordy out of town quickly.”
“I don’t know. Don’t you think home turf would be best? Think about it. We know Drago and the people living there. If Gordy’s dad were to come, we would know, just like we did when your sisters and brothers came in and tried to kill you. Hell, we were able to take them out as well as your dad because of home turf advantage.” Jude argued.
Gio shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. We got lucky because my brother came in and helped, otherwise we would have been toast.”
“He’s right Jude. If not for Kace we would have been toast.” Bren agreed.
“Oh, puh-lease. Our mates had Gio’s ass-hat family before Kace did anything.” Jude stated firmly.
Rolling his eyes, Gio said, “I don’t know what battle you’re talking about, but the one I was in, a few of us damn-near died.”
“Jude, Gordy needs to be safe. As long as his dad knows where he is, he won’t be. He has to go somewhere that his dad won’t find him. Your mom’s house is the best option. Cobra, Gio, Gunner and the maharishi will be the best at keeping him alive and well until the rest of us get there.” Bren stated firmly.
“Uh, my love, what do you mean the rest of us?” Pit asked.
Bren raised a brow. “Oh no. Don’t think you guys are going off without your mates. You know what we agreed on. We are a team and I will go, Pit, or I swear I will sleep in my office here in town while you get to sleep in Drago when you return.”
Gordy hated that everyone was talking and making arrangements for him without actually talking to him. And the fighting. It wasn’t right. They shouldn’t be fighting because of him.
Pulling on what little courage he had, Gordy spoke up, “I do think that I should have some say in this.”
Everyone stopped talking and looked at Gordy. Gio looked proud, but Gunner looked pissed. He knew he looked as if he was about to pass out. Dang, he hated being the focus of anyone’s attention, and right now he had Pit glaring his way as if for daring to argue. The thing was, Gordy had seen his father when he wanted something, and what he would do to obtain it. The picture of Maxine lying on the floor with blood pooled all around her body had Gordy drawing in a shaky breath, then saying, “I really don’t want anyone else getting hurt. He’s already killed one person to get to me, and won’t hesitate to do it again.”
Waving his arms around the empty bar and grill, Gordy said, “Look at what he’s done here. Anyone could have been shot, not just me. Yes, he was aiming for me, but what if a server had been at our table, or someone could have just been walking past our table. That man wouldn’t have cared, because my father ordered him to take me out, and now that this guy failed, my father won’t stop until he gets what he wants and what he wants is me… dead.”
“Well, he’s going to be highly disappointed because he isn’t getting you, and I’ll be damned if you will ever stop breathing. Not as long as I’m alive.”
Gordy’s eyes just about bulged out of his head when he realized it was Gunner’s maharishi snarling at him, and not one of the people standing in the room. Gordy hadn’t heard the dragon speak since Gunner had come back inside the restaurant before, and the maharishi’s voice was deep and almost guttural with a bit of a Gaelic twang to it.
Slowly the dragon peeled off of Gunner’s arm and grew until he was the same height as Gunner himself. Gordy knew he should be terrified of the beast, who reminded him of a giant black-wasp skeleton of sorts. However, Gordy didn’t feel fear, but more a curiosity as to who this dragon was. Like, Azul was sweet and wonderful, but he was also a bit crazy… a few pepperonis short of a pizza, was how Jude described him. Smoky was logical and protective, and rarely if ever joked around. Spirit was thoughtful and smart as if he could recite books word for word without thought. Taco, he was playful and always seemed happy, especially if anyone did a Taco Bell run. Who was this dragon? Did he even have a name? Gordy couldn’t remember one ever being mentioned.
Gordy was brought out of his thoughts when the maharishi looked deeply into Gordy’s eyes. Gordy noticed the caring and understanding in the deep red orbs, “I know you want to keep everyone safe, Gordy, and that is so very kind of you. The thing is, if anything were to happen to you, it would hurt Gunner and I greatly. I realize it’s a lot to ask for you to trust us, but Gunner and I are really good at what we do… so are the other agents. We have been protecting people and going after people like your father for centuries. We can help you. We can keep you safe and we can also keep ourselves safe. Please, Gordy, allow us to help you. It’s why you came to Drago to begin with, right?”
Gordy reluctantly nodded.
The dragon smiled. “Then let us do our job.”
Knowing when he was beaten, Gordy sighed, “Fine. I’ll go where you say and do as you say.”
