Page 55 of Ruger's Rage

Could be something worse.

Time will tell.

Rookie starts to walk off, but I can’t let this go. "Prospect, Tildie is mine. If anythin’ happens to her on your watch, I’m holding you personally responsible."

I swear I put the fear of God into this kid.

I spend the next few hours coordinating security, reaching out to allies, doing everything I can to prepare for the shitshow that’s on my door.

By noon, my nerves are frayed and my patience is thinner than usual.

The need to see Tildie, to confirm she's safe, grows by the minute.

Rookie’s watching the bar and I’m sure everything is fine, but shit isn’t sitting well with me today.

I text her:

Everything okay at the bar?

The three dots appear immediately.

Fine. Quiet day.

Relief washes through me, followed by a stronger urge to see her.

Still coming by later?

A longer pause this time.

Yes. Is that still okay with everything going on?

I text her back immediately:

More than okay, darlin’. See you then.

I tuck my phone away, catching Bloodhound watching me from my office door.

I arch a brow. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugs. "Just never seen you like this over a woman before."

"She's not just any woman."

"I can see that." His tone holds no judgment, just observation. "She been filled in on what happened?"

"The basics. She knows someone's setting us up."

He nods, processing. "Smart move, keeping her in the loop. This shit's going to affect her too if she's with you."

"If?" The word comes out more aggressively than I intended.

A rare smile crosses his face. "When, then."

Before I can respond, my phone buzzes again—Maddox calling from Henderson.

"Tell me you found something," I answer.

"Better than something. Got security footage from the gas station across the street. Shows three guys in hoodies torching the place around 2 AM."

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