Blackstone Ranger Charmer - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,23

lips turned up. “Why? Are you jealous?” Leaning over, she trailed her fingers up his arm. “You know it gets me hot when you are.”

Christ, nothing had changed in in five years. Vicky was still a raging lunatic. “Don’t start, Vicky.” Wrapping his fingers around her wrist, he pulled her claws off. “And stop contacting me. Newsflash: when someone blocks your number and social media accounts, they generally don’t want to hear from you.”

“But we were so good together,” she said with a pout, leaning forward to take up his personal space. A hand crept up his chest. “Surely, you don’t want that weak little human? Are you just waiting to get her in the sack?” She scoffed. “She’s a nobody. And those disgusting scars—”

“Shut the fuck up!” His lion, too, was seeing red at the insult to their mate. His hands gripped at her arms, trapping her against the bar with his body. “You’re not even worth a fraction of her.”

They stood there for a few seconds as he waited for her to push him away. Instead, she slinked her torso up against him. “I knew you still had it in you.” Her gaze flickered to something behind him, and she smirked. “Oh, Gabe, we were always so good together.”

He pushed off her and raked his fingers through his hair. “What the fuck are you—” He froze, then whirled back to Vicky. “How did you know about her scars?”

Vicky smoothed her perfectly-manicured hands down her dress but didn’t say anything.

A pit formed in his gut. “Where the hell is my table?” he barked as the hostess passed by them.

The young woman started, then hugged the menus she was carrying to her chest like a shield. “S-sir? I thought you changed your mind.” She cocked her head at the exit. “Your date … she left.”

A murderous feeling crept into him as he put together what could have happened. “Goddammit! You planned this,” he growled at Vicky.

Fear flashed in the lioness’s face for a brief second. “Gabe! Don’t you dare—”

Ignoring Vicky, he dashed out of the restaurant. “Temperance!” he called. There was a faint trace of her scent in the air, but there was no sign of her. However, the sound of a door closing and then a car driving away caught his attention, and he saw a car idling across the street. Goddammit! As the sedan pulled away, he thought to run after it, but he knew better. Besides, if Temperance had called for a ride, he already knew where she was going.

He sprinted to the car garage where he’d parked, then drove as fast as he legally could all the way to Temperance’s house. His lion mewled in distress, not liking the fact that their mate ran away from them.

“I know, buddy,” he said under his breath. “Fucking Vicky.”

She probably saw an opportunity when Temperance went to the bathroom and pounced on the chance to confront her, away from Gabriel. Lionesses could be ruthless like that. Plus, he could only imagine what she’d said to Temperance. But knowing his ex, it couldn’t have been good.

He practically leapt out of the Jeep as soon as he got to her house, not even bothering to turn the engine off. “Temperance!” he called, rapping on her door. “Temperance!”

She didn’t answer, but his keen senses could hear her moving around inside. His chest tightened, and his lion growled and snapped its jaws at the flimsy door. With his shifter strength and claws, he could tear that scrap of metal into shreds in seconds, but he would never do anything to frighten her.

“Go home, Gabriel,” came the faint voice from the other side.

“Please, Temperance,” he begged, desperation clawing at him as he braced his palms on the door frame. “We didn’t even finish our date. Why don’t I order us some food—”

“I’m not hungry. And I’m t-t-tired.” Her voice seemed louder now, so he could imagine her just on the other side of the door, centimeters away from him.

“What did she say, Temperance? What did Vicky tell you?”

“N-nothing.”

“I don’t believe you. Open this door or I’ll—”

“Don’t make me call the police,” she said. “Please.”

The hurt in her voice struck a chord in him. What a fucking mess. The moment Vicky walked into the restaurant; he should have insisted on leaving. That woman was hell-bent on destroying his life; she’d already tried five years ago.

Leaning his forehead on the door, he let out a long huff. He knew he could wait it out here all