Having a history with the man was an understatement. He rolled his shoulders in an attempt to free himself of any tension. The scents from the cafe distracted him momentarily. Baked goods, espresso, all wafted through and managed to calm him down to a controllable level. His anger subsided, but it wasn't without regret. Zeb was back and in full force. He knew the scent like no other. The childhood flashbacks threatened to overrun his mind, but he distracted himself with the scents and sounds of the cafe. People milled around them and got in line to make their orders. Gabriel sat at a nearby table and watched Chance make his order, then nodded in response to his question about his history with Zeb. There was a sense of urgency, but he continued to suppress it and forced himself to make conversation with Chance.
After all, he had just grabbed the man and forced him to walk with him. Gabriel ignored any embarrassment he might have felt from that action, since he knew Zeb was on the prowl. The fact that Zeb was in his hometown again, was enough to make him see red. When they left the cafe, Gabriel walked in complete silence with Chance. It was more-than-likely an awkward moment for Chance, but he was going over what just happened. He trusted his gut intuition more than anything else, but he couldn't shake the uneasiness that Zeb put into his psyche. Gabriel walked with a fast pace and hunched his shoulders over. His hands shoved into his pockets, he realized the petty items that had been stolen.
It was all to get him to react, but the missing items still pissed him off. He grumbled under his breath and focused on the path ahead to his apartment. Gabriel opened the door for Chance and motioned for him to go ahead of him. He looked back behind his shoulders with a heightened awareness and followed him inside.
In his apartment, it was a simple design. Everything had a utilitarian feel to it and the aesthetics were basic as well. His apartment had the typical eggshell white walls, with commercial flooring and outdated appliances. There was nothing grand here, but he didn't bring Chance to his place to impress him.
Once inside, he knew they'd be safe from Zeb. He could at least fight him off, should he attempt to follow them, but he knew that Zeb wasn't that stupid. Everything was calculated by the man, so he knew he wouldn't be that foolish.
"I'm Gabriel." He said and listened to Chance's next question. He didn't want to discuss his past with someone he just met, but Chance was an exception. It was possible that Zeb could make him into a potential target, so he shrugged his shoulders at his next explanation:
"You could say that...he's responsible for the murder of my family." Gabriel said, then removed his hoodie. The t-shirt underneath, would be tugged with the removal of the hoodie, which would give Chance a quick view of his scars. Gabriel tossed the hoodie with disgust onto a nearby chair and motioned for Chance to make himself comfortable. Gabriel crinkled his nose at the scent of Chance. It was an obnoxious scent, only because he had to fight back a desire that threatened to ignite. He doubted the man was gay, so he treated him like any other acquaintance. He sat down on his couch and breathed a sigh of relief. The sighting of Zeb would need to be reported to his department and he knew that his boss wouldn't want him chasing after him, without a course of action.
However, Gabriel was known for not following the rules and handling his own issues. He didn't think the departement needed to get involved, or Chance, but it looked like fate had another idea about the matter. Chance would be an easy target, since Zeb knew he was with him. It didn't matter the relationship status, since Zeb knew how to get under his skin.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'd recommend staying the night. That asshole isn't someone you want to mess with." Gabriel was certain that Chance could handle his own, but there was no sense in jeopardizing something that could be prevented. "Make yourself at home. There's food and drink in the fridge, tv, and a bed to sleep on in the other room. I'll sleep on the couch tonight." He said, his mind still mulling over the events of that night.