Page 21 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
Chapter Six
Missoula, Montana
Saturday, December 4
(One week after the fire)
Panthera Building Supply occupied a sprawling warehouse on the industrial edge of Missoula. As Gabriel pulled into the parking lot, Kymberlie turned to him.
“What if they don’t have everything we need?”
“They do. I talked to the assistant manager yesterday, and he promised they have all the components in stock.” Kymberlie still looked skeptical, so Gabriel added,“And if they don’t, we’ll figure something else out. I swear to you we won’t leave Missoula until we have what we need to bring your fire suppression system up to code.”
“For a reasonable price,” Kymberlie said firmly.
“Of course.”
Inside the cavernous space, Gabriel spotted Allan Panthera and immediately identified him by scent. He was a broad-shouldered man in his early seventies with gray-streaked brown hair and the fluid grace all sabertooth shifters possessed.
“Gabriel, nice to meet ya!” Allan’s booming voice carried across the warehouse. He strode over, clasping Gabriel’s hand in a firm handshake.“Jerry told me you called us yesterday. Heard you’re the new fire marshal down in Lemhi County.”
“News travels fast,” Gabriel said, then introduced Kymberlie.
Allan nodded.“Hi there, Kymberlie. I hear you need a new sprinkler system for your club.” He clapped Gabriel on the shoulder.“Jerry mentioned Swanson Construction would be installing it. Always good to see a pride member looking out for their employer.”
Gabriel stiffened, sudden rage flowing hot through his veins.“That’s not—”
“No judgment here,” Allan lowered his voice conspiratorially.“We all know how it works. In small towns, everybody scratches everybody else’s back.” He winked at Kymberlie, who frowned at him.
“Yeah, I work for Tyler Swanson,” Gabriel said firmly.“But he’s a member of Kymberlie’s pack, and she’s the one who hired him to remediate her place. I’m simply helping her meet fire code requirements for her establishment.”
Allan’s smile faltered.“Uh, okay. My mistake.” He glanced around, then leaned closer.“Listen, Gabriel, while you’re here… some of the pride members have been asking questions about what really happened at Electric Blue.”
The words hit Gabriel like a physical blow. His pulse jumped, and he fought to keep his expression neutral. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kymberlie’s head tilt with curiosity.
Fuck.
“Electric Blue is old news,” Gabriel said curtly, his voice rougher than he intended.“We need to focus on this order. Kymberlie’s business needs to get up and running again ASAP.”
He unrolled the blueprints he’d brought for the new sprinkler system and thrust them at Allan.
Allan looked away as if embarrassed, then quickly surveyed the plans.“Yeah, we’ve got what you need. Let me show you the options we have in stock.”
As they followed Allan toward the fire suppression aisle, Gabriel felt Kymberlie’s questioning gaze. But she said nothing, and he was grateful for the reprieve.
The last thing he wanted to do right now was to explain the darkest chapter of his life to a woman he barely knew but whose opinion of him mattered more than he wanted to admit.
“What’s Electric Blue?” she finally asked when Allan disappeared into his office to check his inventory records for the required number of sprinkler heads.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Gabriel lied, focusing intently on the sprinkler system specs in his hand.“Right now, let’s focus on getting you what you need.”
Later, as they were loading his truck with bundles of steel sprinkler pipe, boxes of shiny brass fittings, and a heavy red control valve stamped“System Main,” Gabriel could see Kymberlie’s thoughtful expression. He knew it was just a matter of time before she asked him about Electric Blue again.
If only he could outrun his past as easily as he’d deflected her initial question.
∞∞∞
Two hours later, they were on the road home. Kymberlie stared out the passenger window, painfully aware of Gabriel’s profile in her peripheral vision. His jaw was set, his golden-amber eyes fixed on the road ahead.
