Page 46 of Gator's Gambit
23
GATOR
It’s a stunning, balmy evening in Riverton and a good day to be alive.
Standing in the square filled with benches and trees, a riot of flowering plants in beds scattered around perfume the air with their scent. The beautiful people are out and about, the women done up to the nines and the men dressed to compliment, looking comfortable in their dress pants and fancy shoes.
But for a bunch of sailors more at home in camo or jeans, it feels like we stick out like a sore thumb. Clubbing together, we spoilt the girls and went all out on a limousine to transport them from the spa to meet us. So here we are, all gussied up, just waiting for them to arrive.
The big black vehicle pulls up to the curb, and I’m impressed to see that they’re only ten minutes late. We’d prepared ourselves to have to wait at least thirty. The driver hops out to assist them from inside, one by one, all made up and looking gorgeous. But the sight of Fancy is what takes my breath away. She’s wearing a clingy contraption in a deep blue that hugs all her generous curves and emphasizes her glorious red curls.
In an instant, I’m hard – and hard-pressed not to tackle her to the backseat of the limo for a quick bout of hot sex. Shakingmyself out of the lust-haze, I make a beeline for my girl. When I’m close enough, I’m about knocked on my ass. She’s done something smoky and mysterious with her eyes, making them appear huge and luminous, like you could see your forever in them.
And in the middle of a garden oasis, surrounded by a family I’ve chosen, I realize that’s exactly what I want – a forever with Fancy. The talk I initiated the other day was all about the here and now, and how to make a long-distance thing work. But the stakes have just been raised, and right now isn’t going to be enough for me.
I want more. I want it all. The whole nine yards – the white wedding, picket fence, two and a half kids. And I want it with her. Only her. Always her.
“Hey Gator, you still with us, man?” I hear Lucky as if from afar. “Your lady sure is pretty in that blue dress,” he continues, and I’m about to dive tackle him when I notice the soft look in his eyes and follow his gaze to find it firmly on Agatha. “But mine is …” He gives me a chef’s kiss and a grin before going over to her and offering his arm.
I follow suit, stopping beside Fancy. “Hey gorgeous, you looking for some company tonight?”
Playing along, she studies me as if contemplating her options. A sultry smile tilts her lips, and she replies, “Well hello, handsome. I sure could use some good-looking company if you’re offering.”
I crook my elbow and offer her my arm. She wraps an elegant hand around my forearm, and we make our way slowly toward the restaurant. I adjust my stride to accommodate her short one, especially in those killer heels that make her legs look like they lead all the way to heaven.
As we pass by a grouping of benches, random people seated under the protection of tree branches, a prickling sensationspreads over the back of my neck. The feeling of being watched is strong, and it’s a gut instinct I’ve learned to listen to. Surreptitiously searching, I can’t spot anyone being obvious about it, but the feeling persists.
I suspect Fancy’s experiencing the same thing when a shiver wracks her frame. A weird look crosses her face, and she tightens her hand on my arm.
“Gator, hold up. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you and I completely forgot.”
I stop and allow the others to get a little ahead of us. “What’s up, Pooks?”
She takes a minute and then says, “Um, the other night when we were at Bear and Eloise, and I did the readings?”
“Yeah?”
“Something came up for Indigo. It was sinister and dark, but since I’d only just met her, I didn’t know how to tell her. I think something bad is going to happen to her or someone close to her. I just don’t know how to tell her without seeming like I’m a raving lunatic. Do you have any ideas?”
I contemplate Fancy’s words. While I’m not one hundred percent sure what they refer to, I do suspect they might have something to do with William Armatrout. He’s the only one I can think of that would threaten her future. But before I get a chance to say anything, Knight calls us.
“Let me give it some thought,” I say, to buy some time. She nods, an unhappy look on her face.
The hostess greets us at the door, and once we’ve seated the ladies, I go over to Dutch and whisper in his ear. “Something felt very off on the way in here. Take a quick walk with me? I just want to scout the square real quick and see if anything pops out at me.”
“Sure. Give me a sec.” He drops a kiss on Sage’s cheek, murmuring something to her. I see her nod, and he straightens,coming over to where I’m doing pretty much the same thing with Fancy.
“Everything okay?” She looks up at me with concern clear in her eyes.
“Yeah, all good. I’ll be right back.”
Outside, I do a quick recon of the area without making it too obvious, and still nothing jumps out at me. Trying to shrug off the feeling, I turn to Dutch. “My senses are pinging off the charts that something’s hinky, but I’m not seeing anything that seems out of the ordinary or out of place.”
“Weirdly enough, I’m getting it too – didn’t earlier – but I can’t spot anything either.” Doing one last pass, he continues. “Let’s head on back in before they start asking questions. Just stay alert.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Knight gives us a quizzical look when we take our seats but doesn’t say anything. I take out my phone and dash him a quick text, not wanting to say anything out loud. He frowns as he reads it, nods, but continues to hold his silence.
