by CC Dragon
“He won’t let me work on the other case without breathing down my neck. I found a tangent that could be a separate case, or it could be connected.” I smiled. “It’s supported by the State Troopers and Anchorage PD, so really, Green can’t shoot it down without one of them picking it up, which will piss him off.”
“He’ll love you for all of this,” Mitch said.
“He’ll love me when he gets all the credit from the case that I brought him,” I said.
“Who’s the temp partner?” Mitch asked.
“Mason Hunt,” I said.
Mitch laughed so hard, he grabbed his stomach. “Ow. That stung.”
“Sorry, but Mason was a good agent. He had his own agenda, but he served the people,” I said.
Mitch nodded. “He didn’t take orders well. Law enforcement isn’t being a bounty hunter or going rogue. That’s what you two will end up being.”
“He’s qualified, he’ll help, and it’s just a consulting gig until you’re back. No resources pulled from other departments, and Mason won’t want to stay,” I said.
“How will you convince him to help?” Mitch said.
“I’m going to see him. I was hoping you’d call once I’m there and encourage him to see the big picture.” I smiled sweetly.
“Why me?” Mitch asked.
“Injured in the line of duty. Man-to-man crap you guys think women don’t know about. Keep an eye on my partner while I’m out of commission,” I said.
Mitch smirked. “You want me to play the help my female partner not get into trouble card?”
“No, not just cause I’m a woman. I miss you. I miss having a partner I can trust and work with. Green isn’t cutting it, and he’s on my back. Mason isn’t ideal, but he’s as good as I’m going to get. He’s smart and cares, on top of being qualified. Do you have a better suggestion?” I turned it around on him.
“I do not. Mason was a good man, just not cut out to be a career agent. He’s apt to go rogue, just like you. I think it’s not a great combo,” he said.
“It’s temporary. He’s a million times better than someone from another division, and I have to sit and listen to how they do things instead of doing it right and making progress on the case. You make it clear, you’re coming back and you want your partner when you’re ready for field work again. Even if you decide to retire and consult on security or something, that’s a future conversation. I just need Green off of my back and someone who’ll care about the case and watch my back.” I left out that Mason was magical and more in touch with some of the magical groups in remote Alaska than I was.
“Fine, you can text me his number when you get there and think it’s a good time for me to call and encourage him.” Mitch plugged in his phone. “I’m bored out of my mind, but I get tired so easy.”
“Your body needs to heal, and the PT helps but tires you out. Sorry, I’ll go before wifey comes in and tells Green on me for bugging you,” I said.
“She didn’t,” Mitch said.
I smiled. “It’s fine. Green took my side on the food and support. I’m not dragging you into this case. I did that already, and I’m trying not to feel guilty.”
“Stop. I like the mental stimulation. This place kills your brain cells,” he said.
“I know. We’re all on the job, and it’s all dangerous. But I’m going to keep working, and working without a partner isn’t the best way. I’m playing by the rules,” I teased.
“Which only makes me more suspicious, but it will get Green off your back a bit. Mason is a good guy. I can’t think of anyone who isn’t ancient and retired who could consult. It’s a good call. Go get your guy.” Mitch winked.
“Ugh. Men.” I walked out of the hospital room and spotted Mitch’s wife.
I turned and ducked into a closet. I didn’t want any more human drama. I had Mason’s information and a bush plane trip in the morning. The Native village was dry and remote. Luckily, Zel managed to find the info without tipping off Mason that I or anyone associated with the FBI was looking for him.
Of course, we could’ve used a bit of magic to find him, but that might’ve tipped him off. Maybe I was getting too good at playing human. If only my magic was strong enough to take on the really bad paras.
Mason...I had to get some rest and be on my toes with him. While it wasn’t romantic exactly, Mason and I had a bit of a history that I wanted to ignore. Maybe I wanted to bury the past and connect with more magical beings.
I just knew Mason was the only guy I could trust on this case. Those frozen bodies had some magical energy coming off of them, and I’d never felt anything like it before.
Chapter Eleven
After a long ride on a little bush plane to Bethel and an Uber ride to the Native village with a name I couldn’t really pronounce, I stood there with my bag. I was really tracking down Mason for help. I’d convinced everyone else he’d be on board, but my doubts were growing.
I’d dressed like anything but an FBI agent. Jeans, black boots, gray V-neck T-shirt and black jacket. My makeup was done, but my hair was down. I was already an outsider. I didn’t need to advertise I was law enforcement. My badge and gun were tucked where I could reach it, but no way would I flash it around. Trust of the government wasn’t huge in the villages, and no one could blame them.
I walked into what looked like a general store. An older Native man sat behind the counter. A local public TV station played on the set overhead. Hunting info and weather updates were the headlines.
“Morning. What brings you here?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Mason Hunt.” The tingle of a first date or job interview rushed over me. I was being scrutinized.
“Oh. Is something wrong? Are you hurt?” the old man sounded as calm as if I’d asked to buy gum.
“Not at all. We’re old friends. I haven’t been to Bethel in a while.” I smiled.
He studied me. “Friends from his old job? Where exactly?”
“Anchorage. That’s where we met, for work.” I nodded.
“Friends.” He chuckled. “Very pretty to be a friend.”
“Thanks. Do you know where I can find Mason?” I asked. Pretty wasn’t something I got called often.
“It’s not hard to find people here. If they want to be found. He never talks about a pretty friend. What’s your name?” he asked.
“Dot Foster. And you are?” I reached out for a hand shake.
He stood. “Pete. Dot isn’t a very pretty name. Dorothy?”
“That’s the longer version. It’s nice to meet you, Pete,” I said.
I’d met and worked with plenty of Natives. Some were very into modern culture and partying. Others were so calm, they tested your patience. Part of what I loved about Alaska was that we weren’t a slave to the rest of the world. Yet, when people were hurt or criminals were loose—that urge to act was hard to tame.
I needed to be trusted here, at least enough to be allowed to stay. Native villages had their own rules and could close ranks to make things very uncomfortable for me.
“You here for business at the prison?” Pete asked.
“No, just for Mason,” I replied.
Pete sighed. “Well, never thought of him as much of a heart breaker, but he’s a good-looking young man. Not married, if you were wondering.”
I smiled. “Just catching up with an old friend.”
“Sure. You came all the way out here for that.” Pete nodded. “For Mason.”
Green had given me crap about going out to Bethel to get Mason, but he wouldn’t take my phone call or Green’s. Assuming we could get his cell phone number... If I ever wanted to drop off the Earth, I’d go somewhere like here. Quiet and insulated.
“Can you point me in the right direction, please?” I asked.
He chuckled and waved his hand at the door. “You don’t have to hide your magic here. It’s different from ours, but better to put it out there than have people wonder and fear. You can find him.”
The door opened
with a gust of wind.
“I’m guessing you’ve already warned him I’m here,” I said.
“He’ll be warned by the time you find him. If he wants to be found. If you don’t see him, you’d best leave before nightfall.” Pete’s smile faded.
I let down the walls that kept my magic in and felt for Mason. I felt Pete’s magic as well. Native magic worked with nature, never against it. I felt the wind keeping the door open for Pete and me.
“Thank you,” I said.
I left the store and stepped out onto the dirt road. People traveled on ATVs and snow machines rather than by car in small villages. The Earth was easy to connect to without asphalt or cement between you. I crossed the street to a small volunteer post. The modest wooden building was painted blue and had an official seal for the Alaska State Troopers on it. The absolute last place I thought I’d find Mason was here, but I felt him.
Opening the door, I spotted Mason putting down his phone. Pete had warned him. But Mason wasn’t in uniform. I looked around, a few desks and some pictures on the wall of Natives with warrants.
“Friends?” Mason scoffed at me.
He stood nearly six feet with a swimmer build, his dark brown eyes took in the world with a reassuring ease, but he looked at me with suspicion.
“I need a friend now,” I admitted. “Mitch was shot in the line, and I have an ugly case. Please, hear me out.”
“No, go back to Anchorage, Dot,” Mason said.
“You think I’ll make it that easy? I traveled all this way and convinced people to let me do this...we’re going to talk this out,” I informed him.
He stood and came face-to-face with me. Well, face to upper torso or neck area—I was only five foot nine. He smelled as good as ever. I’d never deny he was attractive.
“Go home, Dot,” Mason said firmly.
“You’re not even going to ask how Mitch is?” I moved in another inch.
Mason’s eye twitched and he looked away. “He’s fine, or you wouldn’t be here.”
“He’s still in the hospital. His recovery will take time and then desk duty for a bit. I need a partner to get Green off my back for a case. It’s short term, and it’s awful,” I said.
“I have a job.” He pointed to his shirt.
“Village Police?” I bit my lower lip. The state troopers were stretched insanely thin and most villages had a council that appointed their own enforcement officers. A trooper would visit every so often, but it was up to the village police to call in a trooper if they needed backup.
“They respect me; they trust me. It’s important. People here don’t have a lot. It’s a constant battle of boredom and drinking, which I know is illegal, but that doesn’t stop it. Plus trying to make money or hunt enough to take care of the tribe.” Mason believed in what he said, but he was so much better than that. The boredom in his eye made me wonder why he’d refuse a chance for something greater.
“It’s not forever. One case. Green will pay you. I know that your job is important, but you can do so much more. You’re only thirty-one. You’re trained by the Federal government—which makes me shocked the Villagers totally trust you, but they do. You’re more than a volunteer beat cop busting people for having alcohol. You must be bored out of your mind.” I waved a quick spell to keep our conversation private.
“Don’t bother. Magic isn’t hidden here. It’s just not your kind of magic,” he said.
I nodded. “Sorry, look, I know we didn’t leave on the best terms. I want to put the past behind us. I’ve gotten stronger, better at keeping my magic contained in dangerous situations.”
“Mitch?” Mason asked.
“Exactly, I could’ve lost it and blown up all of those captors–one of them shot Mitch, but I didn’t lose control. Maybe I should’ve, because some of them are magical beings. I’ve got magic in this nasty big case that Green won’t let me work because I got the tip,” I explained.
“You want me to be your partner, but work a case you’re not allowed to?” Mason smirked. “You can’t change their system. Their rules are theirs. Not Native and not magical. We don’t belong there. You or me.”
“I know you believe that, but it’s more complicated than that. This case is different. It may or may not be related to the case that injured Mitch and Green won’t let me work. Either way, I need Green off my back. He said okay to you as a consultant and short-term partner for me. I need you to help me on this. Please,” I said.
“You dressed like this? Sneaky.” He knew exactly what I was doing.
“I’m not here as an agent. I’m not investigating anything here. Why upset anyone by flashing a badge? I’m asking an old friend to help me. Come back to Anchorage for a few months, at the most. It might just be a few weeks. We have our own task force with the State Troopers and the Anchorage PD. This could be child trafficking or kidnapping cases. The missing children reports have spiked oddly, and we’ve found two minors frozen to death. It’s not adding up.”
“Because it’s magic. You can’t police magic from a human agency. You spin your wheels, and it takes forever and the magical bad guys get away.” Mason shook his head.
“You’re right, but I want to protect humans and others from bad magical beings. There is no magical unit for that. Come and help me put a stop to something bad. Maybe you can convince me to join a magical community SWAT team instead.” I put my hand on his arm and felt a spark. Magic or attraction? I refused to indulge in the debate.
“You want to save the world or police the magical part somehow. You can’t. I can’t. You’ll get sick of the human rules, or you’ll screw up. Now there is no one to cover for you like I did.” He pulled his arm away but didn’t back off.
“I would’ve covered for you.” I looked around, but he seemed to be working alone. “Some people think we had a relationship or something. We can pretend that is what happened. Cover this intense whatever until we can bury that history.”
Mason pressed his lips together. There were always things he held back. The man felt like an island, and I could never get close to the shore—even before the incident. “You’re so confident that you’ll wear me down and drag me into your world again. You make it sound like a favor to me, something interesting, but I know better. You need me.”
“I do. I fully admit I need you. The magic sometimes means we can’t play by human rules, or it’s too dangerous to do that. I had a faceoff with a warlock who is sick and cruel but extremely powerful. I should’ve killed him, but I wasn’t sure I had the power. With you there, we might’ve destroyed him together. It’d be better, because no jail will hold him for any length of time. Mason, I picked you because you’re magical, and you have self-control. You can keep me in line, but I can talk to you about all of this. They’re kids,” I said.
“Not Native.” He shrugged. “I’d know.”
I held back a slap. “Oh, you’re only interested in your own tribe now? No outsiders? No whites? Where’s the line?” I couldn’t believe he was actually serious.
He looked at the ground. He wasn’t proud of his argument. That was his culture talking, not him. They’d been abused and marginalized, but people who lived in Alaska knew the value and tradition. I respected it. Mason couldn’t isolate himself to this extreme, not forever. Not now. He cracked his knuckles, an old nervous habit he couldn’t hide.
“You told me all of the Native tribes don’t get along. If it were another tribe, would you care then? Or just yours? What if it were Mitch’s kid? When did this happen to you?” The man I’d known cared for Natives and wanted their rights and traditions protected—he especially didn’t want them marginalized, but that was different than dismissing the lives of others completely. “No kid deserves to be left to freeze to death.”
Mason went back behind the counter, and I sensed that our privacy was gone. The mood flipped, and I let go of the anger despite the pit remaining in my stomach. We’d fight more later. We always did.
The door opened, and Pete had brought
a friend along.
“Oh, pretty friend,” the old woman with a braid down her back said.
“Hi, thank you.” I extended my hand.
She shook it. “I’m Margo. Mason’s mother will be so happy to have company. Mason’s friends from outside never come here.”
“I’m Dot. That’s very kind of her. Although, I’m not sure Mason wants me to stay,” I said.
“We can get you a cab,” Pete offered.
“Rude men. They don’t like their routines interrupted. Janice and Lily would love to talk to Dot,” Margo said.
“Mason’s mom and his sister?” I remembered Mason mentioning his little sister. That was a good reason to come home. She was a half-sister, but Mason was extremely protective. His father had died years ago, and his mother remarried. I couldn’t wait to meet the women he couldn’t say no to.
“Good memory,” Mason said.
“Smart girl.” Margo smiled.
“FBI special agent,” Mason added.
Pete and Margo shared a look.
“I’m not here for a case,” I said.
“Really? I thought you were trying to drag me into a case,” Mason said.
“But I’m not investigating anything or anyone here. My partner was hurt, and I need a temporary one for my case. Mason is more than qualified to be a consultant,” I said.
“How heroic of him to help,” Margo said.
I shrugged. “He doesn’t seem interested. I can certainly see why. The quiet life here is appealing, but it’s only a temporary job.”
“A woman asks for your help, you help.” Margo scowled at Mason.
Respect for their elders was another very good Native quality, but Mason wouldn’t fold over that alone.
“She’s hot tempered and reckless. That’s why they won’t let her work without a partner,” Mason explained.
“No one is allowed to work without a partner for an extended time. It’s FBI policy,” I refuted.
“Is she a threat?” Pete asked.
I looked Mason in the eye. “Am I?”
“She’s armed. I’m guessing she didn’t bring any liquor, which I could confiscate, but she’ll have at least two guns on her, and she likes knives.” Mason shrugged.