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Forrest’s expression soured. “You’d be a fool to stick around now, Harley. It’s only going to get more dangerous.”

“What exactly doesthatmean?” I asked.

Rome mirrored my posture, arms crossed over his chest, and glared at Forrest. “Yeah,Sheriff. Is that a threat?”

“It’s a fact. You know Ace has multiple targets on his back.”

“Oh yeah?” Rome pressed. “What would you know about that?”

“Well–Well that’s—” Forrest stammered as his ears flushed red. “That’s police business.”

Yeah, I don’t think so.

“But,” Forrest continued, regaining his composure, “we’re still looking for the culprits of the drive-by shooting. They’re still out there, and we don’t know what they’re planning next. I don’t want you and your son to get involved with this, Harley.”

Don’t believe that, either.I scowled at him. “Well, that doesn’t matter, because it’s my decision.”

“You heard the lady,” Rome said. He stepped in right in front of Forrest, blocking me from his line of sight. “You’ve said your piece. Anything else I can help you with?”

Forrest met his gaze. “That’s all. Just doing my duty to serve and protect.” He took a step back and looked over at me again. “Stay safe out there, Harley.”

“Don’t need your help for that,” I called as he walked back to his cruiser.

“Who was that?” Mom asked as I walked back into the house.

“Forrest,” I said. “I’ve got to get back to Ace’s house, but there will still be some enforcers around keeping you safe, okay?”

“What did Forrest want?” Mom asked.

“He’s just trying to get under my skin.” I frowned. “Don’t talk to him. I’m going to get all this sorted out. Just… Just think about what I said, okay?”

“Mm.” Mom picked up her wine glass and swirled the liquid contemplatively. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

Rome followed me home, then returned to Mom’s place to keep an eye out, just in case Forrest went back to try to talk to her.

“Hey,” I said as I stepped inside the house. I ruffled Dylan’s hair as I walked past him where he was playing his VR game. “Where’s Steph?” I asked Cassidy.

She nodded toward the stairs, and I flashed her a smile as I went upstairs.

I found Steph in his office, frowning at a stack of papers spread over his desk. He looked handsome. He always did, even in his grease-stained garage clothes, but I especially liked the little furrow he got in his brow when he was scouring the body shop’s paperwork. When he looked up and saw me slip into the office, the concentration slid off his face and morphed into a smile. Gold flashed in his eyes.

God, I loved the way he looked at me.

“Hey,” Steph said. “How’s your mom doing?”

“Not great, but not nearly as bad as she’s been in the past.”

“Is that good?”

Was it? Mom had always had her ups and downs with her drinking, and I’d heard her proclaim she was going to sober up before. Something felt a little different this time, though. “Yeah,” I said with a small nod. “I think so. Also, we had another visitor show up.”

His eyes narrowed. “Who?”

As I told Steph about Forrest’s appearance, the gold burned deeper and brighter in his dark eyes. I could nearly feel his dragon’s rage building.

“What a sack of shit,” he growled. “Showing up at Liz’s house is…”

“Insane.”