Blackstone Ranger Hero Blackstone Ranger Book 3 Alicia Montgomery This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Copyright © 2020 Alicia Montgomery www.aliciamontgomeryauthor.com First Electronic publication September 2020 Edited by LaVerne Clark Cover by Jacqueline Sweet 091120 All rights reserved. About the Author Alicia Montgomery has always dreamed of becoming a romance novel writer. She started writing down her stories in now long-forgotten diaries and notebooks, never thinking that her dream would come true. After taking the well-worn path to a stable career, she is now plunging into the world of self-publishing. Also by Alicia Montgomery The True Mates Series Fated Mates Blood Moon Romancing the Alpha Witch’s Mate Taming the Beast Tempted by the Wolf The Lone Wolf Defenders Series Killian’s Secret Loving Quinn All for Connor The True Mates Standalone Novels Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads True Mates Generations A Twist of Fate Claiming the Alpha Alpha Ascending A Witch in Time Highland Wolf Daughter of the Dragon Shadow Wolf A Touch of Magic Heart of the Wolf The Blackstone Mountain Series The Blackstone Dragon Heir The Blackstone Bad Dragon The Blackstone Bear The Blackstone Wolf The Blackstone Lion The Blackstone She-Wolf The Blackstone She-Bear The Blackstone She-Dragon Blackstone Rangers Series Blackstone Ranger Chief Blackstone Ranger Charmer Blackstone Ranger Hero Blackstone Ranger Rogue Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Epilogue Please Review My Books Chapter One “C’mon, Rogers, don’t be such a pussy!” Daniel Rogers breathed a sigh and took a sip of his beer. “I think you guys are doing just fine without me,” he shouted over the loud din of the music pumping through the speakers. Anders Stevens rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You’re not going to join us? Not even one lousy dollar for those hardworking girls up there?” He lifted his head an inch, forcing himself to look at the three scantily-clad women on stage. One of them, wearing only sparkly nipple covers and a G-string, hung upside down from a pole. “They certainly are … talented.” “Yeah, very big talents,” Anders added with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Look, the groom-to-be and Russel”—he jerked a thumb at the back of the room to where their two other companions, Damon Cooper and Gabriel Russel, were huddled by the buffet table—“aren’t going to be participating in the festivities anytime soon, so why don’t you just come up here? There’s three of them and two of us, so I think we can make the equation work.” “Hey!” a feminine voice protested. “What am I? Chopped liver?” Anders turned to their third compatriot, J.D. McNamara, the only female in their group. Though technically this was Damon’s bachelor party, one of the groom’s conditions was they include one of his best friends since childhood, even if she was a girl. Currently, J.D. was waving dollar bills at the stripper on the pole. “I know you enjoy the show, McNamara, but I didn’t think you played for our team. Or are you thinking of taking me up on my offer?” he said with a glint in his eyes. J.D. rolled her eyes. “If Rogers doesn’t want to participate in the fun, you don’t have to rag on him. I mean, these poor, hardworking girls could probably use the tips. Do you know Destiny”—she nodded at the brunette on the left side—“is almost done with her nursing degree? If you could spare her those dollar bills in your pocket, Anders, she could maybe afford her textbooks next semester.” “Those ain’t dollar bills, sweetheart,” he said with an impish smile. Daniel sighed once again and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, taking out half the bills and handing them to J.D. “Here, for Destiny’s textbooks,” he said before getting up from his chair. “Giving up already?” Anders called. “Jeez, stop acting like those clingy girls you kick outta your bed, Stevens. I gotta go to the john, all right?” Turning toward the exit, he walked out of the private VIP area and into the main room of the Pink Palace Gentlemen’s Club. Of course, the outside was not much better than the private party rooms, if anything, they were worse. Though it was a “gentlemen’s club,” there was nothing very gentlemanly about the garish pink, red, and black decor, neon lights, or the various scantily-clad women onstage and the loud, jeering men who cheered them on. Daniel was no prude, but he just wasn’t raised this way. Though he got ribbed a lot because he was polite and nice to everyone—men and women—he didn’t pay any mind to the criticisms. A gentleman—a real one—treated everyone else better than they would treat themselves, at least that’s what Pops always said. Beau Rogers was old-fashioned in that way and taught his only son the same set of rules he’d followed his whole life. He wouldn’t normally have gone to this place, or even to Las Vegas, except that it was one of his good friend’s bachelor party. Pops also said that loyalty to one’s friends was important, so Daniel felt obliged to come to this weekend getaway, especially since Damon’s circle of friends was tiny. Actually, as far as he knew, it only consisted of the people who came to Vegas. The four men had gone through the Blackstone Rangers training program together and a kind of bond had forged between them. Daniel admired Damon, who had risen up to the position of chief. Though Daniel himself had been eyeing the promotion, he knew Damon deserved it—he was a natural leader, and everyone looked up to him. Besides, there was a lot of responsibility that came with being chief, and he didn’t envy the long hours, paperwork, and the bureaucracy that Damon had to deal with. Nope, he was fine being a ranger, as he had been the last five years. Joining the Blackstone Rangers seemed like the natural career for Daniel. For one thing, his inner grizzly bear loved the outdoors, and the job allowed him to spend
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