With a groan, Lori slipped out of her work shoes and into something a whole lot more comfortable and a lot less pink. The diner was slammed and she was due for a break. A nice long one since she worked through her earlier scheduled break time—and boy was she starving. That was her life lately. Outside of handing over the intel from Frank to Elias, Lori only worked, worked, worked. It'd been a few days since she'd last done anything but work. So boring. She'd been hoping for more, anything more. Clearly things were happening elsewhere! Why didn't she get to be involved too?

Lori headed toward the back door to her escape at the same time as Gage. She smirked as her hand brushed his when they both reached for the door handle. "Done?"

"Yeah, taking a breather before I do my prep and cleaning for the overnight crew." He held the door open for her, waving for her to go through first. She was so ready to be out of there, she didn't fight him on the matter.

"Lucky you," she said. "I'm covering for half of Steve's shift. He had a 'thing', again. He seems to have those a lot." She rolled her eyes. "I felt nice anyway. Got three more hours once I get back. Nothing too rough. Going to get some dinner."

He gasped. "And you're not eating my food? How could you!"

"I'm craving cuisine you can't make for me here," she said with a fake sympathetic smile. "It's nothing personal. There are only so many burgers and fried foods I can handle in a week. When I'm at home, I go wild and have...cereal." She whispered the last word.

Gage clutched his chest. "Can't believe you're cheating on me with cereal. That one always steals everyone from right under my nose. I confess sometimes we get together. I have a soft spot for CinnaSquiggys. You should know, however, that I can make anything."

"Anything?" she challenged.

"Anything."

She gazed up at him, trying her best to not falter under the stare of his deep brown eyes. "When you feel inspired to make it, I'll taste it. Don't go out of your way to do it just for me, though."

"If you tell the staff at Fire Breathers you know me, they'll let you get take out. Normally, they only do in house dining, but I'm kind of special." He winked. "Best Inero food in the world."

"Better than yours?" she teased.

"I'll let you have a pass with them."

"Don't know how I feel about having an open relationship."

He swallowed, his gaze never leaving her. "I don't know how I feel about...uh, it's getting late. I gotta..."

"Right, go clean." Lori tried to not show her disappointment. Just when the flirting was starting to take off.

Gage paused to lean in the doorframe. "See you tomorrow?"

"I'm not working."

"Oh." His shoulders slumped, and she hoped he was disappointed too.

She shrugged, determined to remain cool. "I'll come by if you're going to miss me."

"I will, I mean, um, don't feel like you have to. Enjoy the day. Be free!"

"All I have planned is laundry," she said blandly. "Trust me, I'd rather see you."

"If you miss me, then. Come on by." He gave her a soft smile, and she couldn't quite tell if that meant he wanted her to visit or if he was just being nice. Gage was good at being nice to a lot of people. It came so naturally to him. How could she tell if he was serious or not.

Lori waved and started toward Fire Breathers. The restaurant was a lot closer than the one she'd initially picked out. If she spent any more time lingering, talking to him, she knew she'd end up pushing him too far and scaring him away. He's not my usual type of guy. How am I supposed to get him to make a move? I'd do it myself, but I don't think he's interested in that either. It has to happen on his terms.

There was also a part of his story she was missing. She knew he had been married. What happened to his wife, however, wasn't information she'd been privy to. Once she understood his past, she'd be able to pull him toward her and to the future. Gage was dangerous because she could end up liking him a lot—but he had a kid. That was a big thing.

Having him as a boyfriend was more for her own selfish desires than anything else. They didn't have to date for her to do her mission. She was his friend, and she was officially within his social circle which connected her to Finn. At the end of the day, Finn was the one she had to get talking—to spill all of the secrets of his employer's office. Gage might know a few of them, but doubtful.

And when I'm done and it's time to leave, I'll end up breaking his heart and possibly mine. They're both nice guys. I don't want to actually hurt either one. When did she get so soft? None of her other targets were worthy of her attachment. Why those two?

Then again, in the past, Frank had always been close enough for her to still feel his presence. Being hours apart made her forget she was even on a mission sometimes. Guilt filled her as she realized how badly she'd forgotten the whole point of her traveling to Terran City. I can't lose sight of my goals. The dragons need to regain power before the humans destroy them all.

In Terran City, forgetting was so easy to do. Frank told her dragons were a dying species, yet they were everywhere she went, so unlike the suburbs and rural areas. For the first time since meeting him, she doubted his cause. What did he actually want to achieve? And how did she orchestrate a deep enough moment to get that information without falling back under his spell?