Page 257 of The Protective Gryphen

He explained.

“I was an idiot,” he stated. “I thought that Ian would need time to adjust, and after his rape, I didn’t want to rush him. Had I known that coming here, and staying at Ravensmire would change him, and give him his life back, I wouldn’t have offered to wait until he was ready. I’m three days past ready.”

“Ahhh.”

“Now, he’s planning, and I don’t have the heart to ruin that for him. I figure he’ll ask when Will Jackson is put in jail.”

“If my man was raped by an animal, I’d put him down,” he said.

Oh, Gryphen wanted to. If he could slip away and leave Ian alone, he’d find the man and execute him. Only, Elizabeth would have to lock him up, and he didn’t want that.

“Same, but unfortunately, if anything happens to him, it looks like we did it, and by we, I mean the Blackhawks. So we tread lightly. The military response and the civilian justice response, are two different things.”

Clearly.

Since he had the man there, he figured he’d give him the bad news.

“We were having breakfast and heard a crash. The ceiling in one of the rooms came down.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t wild sex?” he joked.

Gryphen snorted.

“That’s a broken bed, my friend. Not a ceiling. We bounce, but not that high.”

“I’ll alert the contractors. I’m glad no one was in there when it came down.”

He told him about the little box and the note.

“Just make sure it goes with the journal. I know Callen wants to solve the mystery. I spoke to him not that long ago. Apparently, his wife told him that the mystery better be solved, or he was going missing.”

Gryphen laughed.

“Well, that sounds like her. Elizabeth is pretty easy going, unless one of the men does something ridiculous. A castle with bodies tends to fit under that category in her world.”

Good to know.

When he looked at his watch, he noticed a jewelry store where Graham had been standing.

He thought about tonight, and how he and Ian were going to start their contract.

Maybe he should get him something to commemorate it. If he had his dog tags, that would be sufficient, but he didn’t have them.

“If I run into that jewelry store, can you sit here and watch for Ian?” he asked.

“Sure! I’m just wrapping up my duties here, and I’ll be heading home after I pick up a few things for Ravensmire.”

“I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Getting up, Gryphen headed toward the shop, and inside, he found so many things that had his attention.

Ian didn’t wear jewelry, other than a watch, so he needed to choose wisely.

The only ring he wanted to see him in was a wedding ring, so that was out.

When he looked at the necklaces, one stood out. He wanted to give Ian something to remind him when he looked in the mirror that he was his.

“Aye, can we be helping ya?” a man asked, heading his way.

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