“You’re a wellspring of interesting skills.” He ran his finger down her cheek. “I’d be interested in seeing what you come up with. I’ll do the usual, you do your magic, and we’ll compare notes.”

He believed her, wanted her help, valued her skills. The sense of pride that washed through her was headier than any alcoholic drink. “Okay. I’ll get that started right now.”

“Maybe in a minute.” He caught her around the waist and firm lips took hers, softened, and teased.

When he eventually released her, she had to cling to him to keep from falling. Whew. Heat swept in waves over her skin.

But…public place. Behave.

She gave him a severe look. “You shouldn’t kiss people in your station. Bad chief.” With an effort, she managed to walk in a straight line out the door.

And heard him chuckle behind her.

Standing at his window, Gabe watched Audrey cross the street. Her gorgeous hair swung back and forth, the sun turning it to a bright gold. Rather than the baggy clothes she’d worn when she first arrived, she now wore tight jeans that showcased a world-class ass.

So fucking pretty. He loved how she hadn’t thought twice about offering her assistance. People might scare her, but her need to help won out every time.

He sure wasn’t going to turn her down. The woman was brilliant.

Settling behind his desk, he frowned at the stacks of paperwork, then at the door. Anytime he wasn’t in the station, his office was locked. Still, he’d thought a time or two that the piles weren’t in the same order he’d left them.

Gabe scowled. He’d blown off the feeling, putting it down to being paranoid, to lingering PTSD.

Guess not.

As Mako had always said—just because a man was paranoid, didn’t mean he had no enemies out to get him.

Was this anti-tourist whispering campaign new, or had Baumer been busy for a while?

He had a new thought. Had Baumer spurred Knox and Chevy to their destructive rampage?

The two had been caught because Gabe put up security cameras. Baumer had been ticked off he hadn’t been informed prior to the cameras going in.

Leaning back in his chair, Gabe stared out the window. Considering Rescue’s politics and Parrish’s animosity, Gabe needed to be careful about tossing Baumer out on his ass.

In the meantime, although the vandalism had stopped, female tourists, especially, were getting harassed. None of it was getting caught on camera. Because the instigators apparently knew exactly where the cameras were located.

Well, he could fix that.

Chapter Twenty-Three

A weather front had rolled through during the night and turned Tuesday into a cold, wet mess. Gabe had found it damn difficult to roll out of bed that morning, especially a bed with Audrey in it.