Page 11 of Nugget

He reset his alerts and added a few misdirection just in case the private dick had any common sense before stuffing his cell back in his front pocket. Stryker peeked back around the corner of the building he was hiding behind, but Gavin was gone.

“Son of a bitch!” he muttered. This wasn’t fair. Fucker had to head into his shop. Gavin was always working. Not that Stryker minded watching Gavin getting sweaty and dirty working on bikes, but Gavin had reset that network too. The man didn’t miss a thing when he was trying to prove a point.

Stryker knew what Gavin wanted. His face. It wasn’t like Stryker was embarrassed even. He was an attractive guy if he said so himself. And he did! His black hair was a little longer than how Stryker preferred it but Stryker hadn’t had time to find a place to get it cut. His light gray eyes had gotten him some attention in the past. He didn’t currently have any blemishes or pimples. He could show Gavin his face. Stryker just wanted to make Gavin work for it. He could have at least given Stryker a few more shows before making the demand. Plus, as soon as Gavin got what he wanted, he would grow bored with Stryker, just like everyone else.

As long as Stryker remained a mystery, Gavin would play with him.

That was all Stryker wanted. To have fun. And Gavin had been fun until he’d pulled this little stunt.

It wouldn’t be long until Stryker was back behind his computer and was the one running the game.

Pulling his hat lower on his face, Stryker headed down the street to get closer to Gavin’s garage. A little in-person stalking before Stryker retreated back to his safe space where he could watch from a distance. He needed to come up with a plan to fuck with Gavin.

* * * * *

Gavin

It would set a bad precedent if Gavin grinned or laughed at the messages coming in from Stryker. Leaving his network offline at the garage was really messing with the boy.

Fresh out of the shower Gavin wrapped a towel around his waist before walking into his bedroom. Gavin glanced at the closed laptop on his desk. Stryker had no idea that Gavin had done his own stalking. He knew exactly where the boy was hiding. The expensive RV didn’t fit in with the other campers inside the state park. Gavin had spotted the vehicle a few days ago and it was still there. A little favor from Mason gave Gavin a copy of the rental agreement for the space. Thirty-day permit. Was that how long Stryker was planning on staying around or would he renew it? Gavin had questions. Like where Stryker had gotten the RV in the first place.

Gavin hadn’t been able to get close enough to the RV to get a vin number but the license plates were fake.

That was totally Stryker’s M.O.

If the boy had stolen the RV, Gavin would make him return in. If he’d bought it, with funds that hadn’t been his, Gavin would again make the boy give it back.

Dressing in black pants, shirt, and his beat-up black boots, Gavin chose his clothing with one purpose in mind. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted. Gavin had a few tricks up his sleeve. The boy had no idea what or who was coming for him.

It was past midnight. From Gavin’s lurking, he hadn’t figured out when Stryker slept. The lights were always on in the RV. The boy had to sleep, right? Except Stryker always seemed to be online to message him.

Leaving his phone behind, Gavin slipped out of his cabin. He couldn’t have Stryker tracking him. Gavin was almost certain that Stryker would have either found a workaround to the network being down or something that Gavin hadn’t even thought of. Gavin wasn’t an expert in technology. Truthfully, a lot of the advancements irritated him.

Gavin was old-school. He enjoyed getting his hands dirty and putting in a hard day of work. He left things like accounting, scheduling, and advertising to the other members of his family. Gavin just wanted to work on bikes.

When he thought about it, he and Stryker couldn’t be more different from each other. Gavin was all about protecting his family and living his life in peace. He wasn’t a fan of changes or unexpected trouble. Stryker was pure chaos and actually enjoyed messing with people. Stealing money from the witch coven could have been the end of the boy. Stryker was lucky that the witches hadn’t gotten around to sacrificing him. The boy just shrugged and took the newly gained paranormal knowledge in stride. Who did that? A crazy person! But why did Gavin want some of Stryker’s madness in his life? Was he really that bored?

Okay, being surrounded by mated couples and throuples was enough to drive anyone a little nuts. Gavin had been at loose ends until Stryker had decided that he liked calling him Papi and texting him dirty messages. Levi had been right when they’d had lunch. Gavin was intrigued by Stryker. The boy hadn’t hidden the fact that he thought Gavin was hot. Gavin enjoyed not having to guess what Stryker was thinking. The boy was very happy to share every thought that popped up in the brilliant head of his. And Gavin had no doubts that Stryker was brilliant. Too smart for his own good.

He took a short cut from the trees that lined their property heading toward the state park. Gavin hadn’t shared his plan with the rest of the family. The boys would probably appreciate Gavin’s imagination, but Gavin wasn’t ready for the teasing quite yet.

Making the trek through the forest always reminded Gavin of the horrible events that had cost him his entire birth family. The secret passage that his father had built in that old rundown cabin had led Gavin away from danger, but he’d been so very alone. Gavin had sat in the middle of those woods for three days. Scared, crying, and hungry, but Gavin had stayed for three very long days. Until he realized that no one was coming for him. His family would have shown up by the end of the third day if they were still alive. Gavin had shaken as he curled up in a ball and wept. In the morning he’d started to walk. And walk. And walk.

He'd kept to himself. His father’s teachings of how to shift and hunt for food had kept him alive. His brother had shown him how to use every survival skill they’d picked up. His mom had shown him how to sew and repair things.

For years Gavin stayed in abandoned homes, old shifter towns that had nearly been burned to the ground, or in caves hidden away from humans. Gavin had thrived being on his own. A decade passed before he noticed. He picked up supplies where he could. He constantly talked to his brother and parents, hoping that they were watching him from heaven. That they would be proud of him and how he survived.

He'd been a loner longer than Gavin had been part of his birth family.

Even when he’d first met Axel and Nate, Gavin hadn’t expected much from them. They’d shared a meal or two,exchanged information and discussed rumors but Gavin was intent on going on his way. To return to wandering the world with only what he could carry.

The world around him had changed time and time again.

People forgot about paranormal creatures but that didn’t mean Gavin was safe. He’d witnessed wars, slavery, horrible things that happened to and were caused by humans. Humans that Gavin had sworn to forever stay away from.

Fate had other plans for Gavin.

He’d run into Axel over the next decade until Gavin began to trust the dragon shifter. Sometimes Nate would be with him and sometimes someone else. The paranormal beings seemed to seek Axel out. Gavin hadn’t understood it then. Not when Axel and he were younger. Axel might have always been an alpha, born that way, but it was harder to pick up when they’d been young men.

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