Page 160 of Gunner

Grinning over my shoulder, I blew him a kiss and took pleasure in how red his cheeks got. Despite him being pissed off at me for not taking his plan seriously, he still looked pleased, and I knew the feeling. These days I had the most satisfying feeling deep in my gut, especially when I was around Ben.

“Ben, can it for a few, will you? We’re here to eat.”

As he’d suggested, we didn’t miss a moment to be out in public, and tonight I’d taken him out on a date. I hadn’t exactlycalled it a date. Felt like I was too old for that, but I’d asked him if he wanted to get something to eat, and he’d said yes.

I hadn’t even thought of it as a date, but then he’d riffled through his shit and come up with a nice-looking outfit, which had forced me to take a shower, splash some cologne on, and put on my nicest pair of jeans.

I glanced around the dingy pub and winced. Not exactly the most romantic date spot. Maybe I should have taken him someplace classier that had tablecloths.

We found a table in the center of the room. Being visible was important when someone was trying to frame you. I sat across from him and studied the thin menu.

“Maybe we should go elsewhere,” I said. The parents of one of our members owned the pub, and they never made me pay for my meals, but I usually left the amount as a tip for the waitress. No way could I let this be our first date.

“Why?” Ben glanced up from the menu. “The food looks delicious.”

“Are you sure? I may not be loaded, but I can afford to take you somewhere better for a date.”

“A date? Is that what this is?”

I frowned. “You know damn well it is.”

“Exactly, and still I’m here, right? Stop being so uptight. I’m starving.”

“That’s because you don’t eat enough.”

“You know the disciplinary committee had me in a meeting all damn afternoon.”

A waiter appeared with a tiny notepad. We both decided on juicy burgers and fries. Ben ordered beer, but when I asked for water, he switched to water too.

“You don’t have to swear off alcohol because I’m not drinking.”

“I know,” he said, like it didn’t even bear thinking about twice. Placing his arms on the table, he leaned forward. “Still no idea who might have been in your room?”

“Nope. No one saw anything.”

Or if they did, no one was talking. Everyone knew my room and office were off-limits. I couldn’t think of anyone brave enough to set me up like this and remain hanging around the club. Over the past couple of days, I’d been vigilant to see who went missing, but nobody had.

“I spoke to Darling, who informed me Thoms is still following up the case with you as the primary suspect.”

“It’d be easy to take him out.”

“If you do that now, it’ll be obvious who’s responsible. We don’t need to be under scrutiny any more than we already are.”

“When this is all over, what do you think you’ll do with your time?”

Ben shrugged. “Honestly, I have no clue. I’ve done police work for half of my life.”

“You can prospect for us.”

He pulled a face. “The club’s not really my thing. Truth is, if Mason hadn’t been my partner for such a long time, I would have quit the force.”

Ben watched me as if waiting for me to react in some way at the mention of our ex. “You can take your time to figure it out. I don’t mind keeping you barefoot and bred while I bring home the bacon.”

“Fuck you. I’m not gonna sponge off you. I’ve been a single man for a long time. I can afford time off before I need to find a new job. Who knows? Maybe I’ll start a business.”

But Ben didn’t strike me as a businessman. He thrived on the hunt, searching for predators.

“What about a private detective?”

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