《》Chapter 16

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Gaia smiled widely when Tessa entered the diner. Today was going to be another short day for her. It was five-thirty in the morning, and Drake had dropped her off at the door with a promise to be back fifteen minutes before noon to pick her up.

"What are you so happy about?" Tessa asked her boss as she made her way toward the breakroom where her apron hung on a peg behind the door.

"So, how did it go with Drake Morgan?" Gaia asked with a raised brow. Tessa was glad the diner was closed, because she wanted to ask questions about the Morgan family.

"Everything was fine," Tessa hedged. Gaia's emerald green eyes sparkled for a moment before she righted her features.

"He and his brothers are good men, Tessa," Gaia stated with a hearty nod. "Treat them kindly. They've been through a lot."

"Are you like them?" Tessa asked, tying the strings of her apron together at her back. "Like the Morgans?"

"Ah, no," Gaia shook her head, "I am not."

"So, you know?" Tessa pressed. Gaia was keeping something from her, and she wanted to know what it was. Her boss looked away for several seconds before righting her features to look into Tessa's eyes.

"We do not speak of that around here," Gaia scolded. "Tony is here, and we need to get the food prepped."

"Yes, ma'am." Tessa was about to say something about Tony not being in the building when she heard the cook's loud truck pull into the lot. Whatever Gaia knew, she didn't want it talked about in her diner.

The diner opened at six, and the early morning patrons came in to get their coffee and breakfast. Usually, it was the older generation. Retired men would come in and meet up once or twice a week for a meal. That morning, three large men with bright blue eyes entered when the doors opened. Gaia met them at the door, and they all headed to the same table in the back corner where Drake and Rex had sat the day before.

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"Who are those men?" Tessa asked Gaia as she rounded up cups and a carafe full of fresh coffee.

"Those are the Shaw pride's Guardians," Gaia whispered. "It seems they owed Drake a favor, and he called it in."

"A favor?" she frowned. "To watch over me?"

"That's my understanding." Gaia shrugged and balanced the tray on her palm. "Can you brew another pot of coffee?"

Tessa busied herself with making coffee and taking orders at the bar by the register. As soon as she served the men there, she made her way around to a new couple who had just sat down by the door.

Tessa wondered what Drake had done for them in the past that warranted sending three huge men into the diner to sit half the day and watch over her. Drake wanted to be at the diner, but with it being time to work in the fields, she wanted him to put his business first, regardless of how he spoke of the way shifters took care of their mates in all things.

The diner slowed down enough for Tessa to take another pot of coffee over to the men's table. As she approached, she noticed they were not only large, but extremely handsome. The one who sat on the left side of the table was the largest of the bunch, with curly, brown hair and a sneer on his face that could rival Drake's. The other two were not much smaller than the first. The one across from the largest man was blond, and his blue eyes stood out against his tanned skin. The other one was younger and dressed as if he was going to a play a round of golf. He wore slacks and a short-sleeved polo that tested the limits of the seams with his ginormous muscles.

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"Good morning." She smiled as she approached. "I understand that Drake asked you to be here?"

"Yes," the blond one said. "My name is Winter, and this is Noah and Savage."

Savage was the largest one, and his name fit him. The three men nodded in her direction but didn't reach out to shake her hand. She was about to offer hers when she remembered Drake talking about pain from another male's touch, and that was something she didn't want to experience.

"I'm sorry you were called away from whatever you were doing to come sit here for half of the day," Tessa apologized.

"Drake needed us," Savage began, swirling his finger around the air in front of him. "We honor our favors, and if Drake needs help, we know it's important."

"Thank you," she replied.

The men tucked into their food while she busied herself with cleaning off two tables by the door. It was quiet in the diner, and she was glad to have a bit of a reprieve. Without Drake around, she felt a little uneasy every time the door opened, but knowing the panthers were there made it a little easier.

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