Page 38 of Lahaina Noon

Gabe nodded vigorously.

“Fantastic, that will give us all time to get there and get everything set up. I’ll have some pizza delivered, there’s plenty of drinks in the café, so you guys will be all set. Marco, Siobhan,” he called to his staff, “Can you two run ahead and get things set up for our newest beta testing interns?” he smiled.

Marco grinned, “Fresh meat! Awesome!” and grabbed his jacket andhelmet from the bench by the front door. “C’mon Von-Von, I’ll give you a lift.”

Siobhan punched him in the arm. “I told you never to call me that,” she growled, “But I do like your bike.” She threw a wave over her shoulder, “See you there in a bit, Gabe!”

Bridget frowned as she watched Gabe track the slinky girl’s form out the door. “Gabe,” she called to him about to warn him off from the puppy crush he obviously had on her.

Liam walked in front of her and put his arm around Gabe’s shoulders. He winked at Bridget and said, “C’mon man, come help me with the dishes, and I’ll tell you why you’ll never get anywhere mooning after my sister,” as he steered the teen back into the kitchen.

Bridget watched Liam bend his head closer to Gabe and give him some man-to-man talk. She sighed with a little sadness in her eyes.

Vaughn put an arm around her shoulders and his chin on her head. “I’m sorry you’re sad,” he said quietly.

Jorrie rubbed her back.

“I’m not sad.” she sniffed. “Okay, maybe a little, but I’m more grateful. Gabe hasn’t had a solid male role model in his life since his father passed, and I’ve tried filling that void, but I can’t talk to him about girls and flirting. It’s so sweet of you and Liam to help with that. He absolutely adores Liam, you know. He adores you, too.” She looked up at Vaughn.

He smiled, “What about Jack? I know he’s been there for him.”

Jack sighed and gave an exaggerated sashay over. “Well, I gave him great advice about not mixing stripes and patterns, but when it comes to advice about the fairer sex, I’m afraid I much prefer a five o’clock shadow. Although I did teach him how to tackle and throw an uppercut.” Jack laughed. “I know what you mean, though. Gabe needssomeone to confide in about that stuff, and gay Uncle Jack wouldn’t be the first choice. I’m not hurt. I know my place.”

He joined the group in a hug, then backed up and clapped. “Now unless you have any hot gay dragons lurking around, I haven’t met yet, I’m going to run home and make sure my fiancé hasn’t abandoned me.” He winked, shook Vaughn’s hand and mimed a phone. “Call me once we are ready to plan Shadow Extinction. They messed with the wrong family.”

Chapter 22

Bridget sat on astool at the back of the large rec room at Cloud Warrior Gaming, listening to the noise of seven teenage boys plus a few men, who might as well have been teenagers. Gabe and his friends were battling Vaughn’s developers in the newest unreleased edition of Cloud Warrior. Gabe would be the king of his friends for a while with this coup. She hoped it didn’t go to his head.

“Pepperoni, madame?” a slice appeared in front of her, Vaughn smiling as he offered it.

She took the slice and gave a stiff head nod. “Thank you, kind sir.” she sniffed. They both grinned at their silliness and turned to watch the kids. “They are having an absolute blast,” she said, “You may not get them out of here.”

Vaughn nodded and replied thoughtfully, “That’s a good thing though. That means the game is doing what we intended and bringing people together, bringing them into the realm we’ve created. They are living inside of that world, working to defend it.”

Bridget tilted her head. “Hmm, hadn’t thought of it like that before. Still, I have to ask,” she looked at him, “Cloud Warriors, they’re dragons and dragon riders. A little on the nose don’t you think?”

He smirked, “Hiding in plain sight.”

She laughed, “So areallof your employees dragons, or wielders?

He shook his head, “No, not all, although a good number of my employees worldwide are, most of the staff are just really talented people with great imagination.” He nodded at Liam and Siobhan, “Obviously you know about them. You met Killian, Marco too. Jackson and Della over there are dragons. You haven’t met her yet, but Betsy in HR is a dragon, and Henry in accounting is a wielder. There’s a few more in the design department.”

Bridget thought about it a moment, then looked at Vaughn. “A dragon named Betsy?”

Vaughn invited Bridget back to his office to grab some papers he claimed he needed. She figured it was really to get a break from the noise. They quietly sat in some small chairs by the window, enjoying the sun shining and the warmth it gave in the cool air-conditioned space. You just had to have AC in Texas in the summer, non-negotiable. Even though it was still a few weeks away, the temperature outside was nearing cremation levels.

He watched her sitting quietly. He knew she must have more questions but hadn’t asked.

She must have sensed he was willing to talk though, because she sat up straighter and her expression turned serious. “I was wondering, can I ask you more about dragons?”

He waved a hand in a go-ahead signal, stretching his legs and basking more in the sun.

“The colors,” she started, “Do they signify anything? I know your scales seem to be black and gold. Liam’s were green. What other colors are there? Do they mean anything? Do you have any additional powers, senses, abilities? Can you fly in any form? Do you have live births or lay eggs?” she said the last with a blush on her face.

Vaughn roared in laughter. “Well, my dear blushing maiden, I will answer all of your questions, but let me start with the last. Neither. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m all male.” He leaned over the table and growled like he was stalking her. He blew a cloud of smoke and warmth across her neck and placed his mouth right next to her throat.

She swallowed carefully, suddenly reminded that he could quickly turn into a vicious beast if needed.

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