Zoe grew more frantic with every passing moment. Rollo had ruined everything. If he had just minded his own business, she could have taken the jewels to Dimitri and paid off her debt. She would finally be free and then she and Rollo could have had a fresh start together. Now he had jeopardized everything. Not only had he put their future relationship in danger, he had endangered her life.
Dimitri had contacted her, telling her that he wanted her to bring him the jewels tonight or else. She was supposed to meet him back at the lodge where she would give him the jewels, finally paying off her debt. But stupid Rollo had intercepted her right at the last moment.
“Please let me go, Rollo,” she pleaded. “I need those jewels.”
“Tell me what’s going on here, Zoe,” he insisted.
It would be so much easier if she could just tell him the truth. But she couldn’t. He already knew she was a jewel thief, and that was bad enough. But what would he think of her if he knew she had been involved with the Mafia for three years? Catching her and arresting her had effectively destroyed any hope for a relationship. Zoe knew that a police commander could never love a thief. Now she was fighting for her own life. If she didn’t get those jewels to Dimitri, she was dead. She knew that for a fact.
If she was in police custody or not, her life was in danger every moment she didn’t deliver those jewels. Ivanov did not look favorably upon employees who failed him. She had already well-versed in the vile things he did to people who didn’t come through for him.
She had the scar along her side from where he’d cut her the last time they’d made love. If you could call what he’d done to her “making love”. While he was doing it, he detailed what he had done to employees who had failed him. He cut her while he drove himself inside her.
After that, he never touched her again. He treated her like some kind of diseased garbage, and never missed an opportunity to remind her that she needed to pay him back. Every day she continued to owe him, racked up more debt. Then six months ago, he had given her the assignment to come to Fate Mountain and take Caitlin Somerset’s jewels.
She had seen it as a chance to be free, but she had never expected to fall in love with the town, and the people, or Rollo. But she had, and now that Rollo had arrested her, she knew she could never have any of it. If all she got out of this was her life, then that would have to be enough. Rollo had the jewels in his pocket. She had to find a way to get them back and get away from him.
She knew she would spend the rest of her life yearning for his touch, but she would have to travel to the other side of the world and never see him again. That’s what she had decided on by the time they pulled up in front of an extremely rustic cabin several hours later. They had spent the entire drive climbing up steep gravel roads, gaining elevation to where the summer air was cooler. She felt a chill on her face as Rollo pulled her out of the SUV.
“Where the hell are we?” she insisted.
“Somewhere no one can find you,” he said in a gravelly voice.
He pulled her toward the cabin door and unlocked it with an old key. Once inside, the musty smell told her the cabin was quite old. Rollo directed her to sit on an ancient loveseat from the nineteen eighties while he went to the fireplace mantel and lit a kerosene lantern. The light illuminating the cabin allowed Zoe to see the details of her prison.
It was a one-room cabin with a fireplace, a hand-hewn log table, and a rustic queen-size bed. The couch was under the front window, right next to the fireplace and across from the table. The bed was shoved against the wall and the other corner.
“I hope the accommodations are up to your standards,” he said, lighting a second kerosene lantern.
“I’ve seen worse,” she said.
One year, she had lived in a surf shack on the beach in Mexico. But being kidnapped by her cop mate and taken to a crappy cabin was actually far worse than not having indoor plumbing on the beach.
“I’m glad you approve,” he said, kneeling in front of the fireplace to arrange the logs and hearth.
Zoe fidgeted in her seat, her hands still bound behind her back. If she could just angle her hand the right way, she could use her claw to pick the lock. Rollo had a fire going several moments later, stood up, and walked toward her. He gazed down at her, his blue eyes radiant in the firelight. She could smell his desire, and she could see his arousal bulge in front of her as he looked down at her.
“You can’t hold me like this,” she said, her throat dry.
“Why not?” he taunted.
“You and I both know this is all kinds of illegal,” she said.
“By whose standards?” he asked, kneeling in front of her so that they were looking right into each other’s eyes.
“By the standards of the government you work for, jackass,” she taunted back.
“Oh, little kitty, how wrong you are. For one thing, you are obviously guilty of the crime I arrested you for. You yourself told me that you were in danger. I’m protecting you from whatever dangers are out there. Let’s call it a witness protection program.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. You haven’t even booked me. I’m not even in the system,” she growled.
“That’s exactly the way I wanted it. One more thing, kitty cat, I’ll do with you what I please. You are mine.”
“What makes you think I would want to mate with someone who would treat me like that?” she said, his words sending a hot thrill through her core.
The argument had ceased to be about the law and was now about the power dynamic between them. Hot lust rolled off both of them, and the scent of their pheromones filled the room. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. But she refused to give in to his demands.
No matter how much she wanted Rollo, and how much she was enjoying their little game, she knew she had to get away from here and away from him.
Dimitri Ivanov was waiting for the jewels. He would find her and Rollo. Dimitri would end them both. Human or not, Dimitri Ivanov was a badass motherfucker who had killed his fair share of shifters and humans alike. Zoe did not underestimate his reach or his potential for destruction.
“I’ve got the feeling that’s exactly the kind of mate you want,” he growled into her ear as he stood above her.
“You couldn’t be more wrong, Rollo,” she said.
“Then why can I smell the sweet scent of your cunt, calling out to me?” he said, his massive erection only a foot away from her face.
She bit her lip, he was right. She wanted him now more than anything she had ever wanted in her life. Resisting the urge to spread her legs and invite him on top of her, was killing her. Her jaguar was practically manic with lust. She could almost hear the sound of Rollo’s grizzly growling as well. It all collided in a cacophony of sound that would only drive her madder the longer she resisted it.
“Is this how you get off, Rollo? Arresting women and then holding them hostage until you get what you want? If that’s the case, then why don’t you just take it,” she dared him.
He leaned down to speak in her ear, his voice low and gravelly. “Because I want you to beg for it,” he said.
“We’ll both die waiting for the day I beg for you, Rollo Morris,” she spat back.
“We shall see, little kitty, we shall see.”
10
Zoe Bright was a tough nut to crack. After only twenty minutes of holding her in the cabin, Rollo already felt exhausted. He had to pace himself, she obviously wasn’t going to give up any information that easily. She was protecting something. Perhaps she was still under the misguided impression that the only way to ensure her safety and freedom was to deliver the jewels to Ivanov.
If he gave her the jewels, he would be an accomplice in the crime. If she somehow managed to take the jewels and slip away, he would never see her again. He couldn’t allow either to happen. Rollo loved his job and he loved the law. But he loved Zoe even more. The revelation that he was already in love with her hit him in the chest. He had to turn away from her and
stand beside the flickering fire in the hearth.
“What’s the matter?” Zoe asked from behind him. “Guilty conscience getting to you?”
Rollo let out a long breath and grabbed one of the rustic chairs from the dining set and pulled it across the floor to sit in front of Zoe on the couch. They sat only a foot and a half from each other, the energy and heat of their bodies mingling in the space between them.
“Why don’t you tell me about your connection to Dimitri Ivanov?” Rollo asked.
“What gives you the idea that I have any connection to whoever the fuck that is?” she spat.
Rollo pulled out his cell phone and brought up the photographs that Damien had sent him. He brought up one of Zoe and Dimitri kissing under the cypress trees of southern France. It sickened his bear, but he pressed his eyes together and brought his inner beast under control.
“Does this look at all familiar to you?” he asked her, showing her the image.
“Are you jealous?”
“The man in this picture is Dimitri Ivanov. How do you explain that?”
“Maybe I met him at a party once,” she mused.
“Well, how about this one from a year later?” he said showing her a second picture that showed the couple climbing into a limousine together in Paris.
“What is your point?”
“My point is that you seem to be awfully cozy with the head of a Russian mafia group,” Rollo said.
“I had no idea that Dima was involved in criminal activity. He was just fun to hang out with. He’s actually a really good dancer. You would be surprised.”
“Spare me,” Rollo growled.
“Am I sensing some envy? What’s wrong? Can’t you dance?” she asked.
“My dancing skill is irrelevant, Ms. Bright. I have all the physical evidence I need to connect you to the crime already,” he said, dangling the velvet bag of jewels in front of her.
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
Rollo pulled the jewels out of the bag, showing her each piece.
“These are exactly the items that were taken from Caitlin Somerset’s chest at her mansion. I found them on you.”
“I found them in the forest.”
“You found them? Is that why you took off running when you heard the siren. And is it why you told me that if you didn’t get them back you were dead?”
“I just wanted you to think that it was serious. I was scared of going to jail.”
“Cut the shit, Zoe. I know you’re connected to Ivanov. I know you stole the jewels for him. Just tell me the truth.”
She sighed and looked away, her mouth pressing into a hard line. How the hell was he going to get through to her? She had to understand that this was all for her own safety. He couldn’t let her go. And he couldn’t let Ivanov hurt her.
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
“There’s nothing you can do for me, Rollo,” she said in a low voice as she stared into his eyes.
“Damn you, woman. Why are you so stubborn?”
“I’m trying to protect you, Rollo. You and I both know how this ends.”
“Oh?” he asked, crossing his arms.
She was talking in circles. He was following her along the way just for the game of it but was already growing tired and wanted to end it.
“It ends with one or both of us dead,” she hissed.
“And why would that be?”
“If you don’t know already, I’m not going to tell you.”
“You’re obviously afraid that Ivanov is going to hurt you. You have reason to believe that, I’m sure. That’s why I brought you out here. You just have to accept my help.”
“You can’t free me from what I’ve done. No one can help me. If you care for me even one little bit, you will give me the jewels and let me go, now.”
“So I can become an accomplice in a crime and allow my one and only mate to run away from me forever?”
Her face fell. Now, they both knew her plan.
“This will never work, Rollo,” she said rattling her handcuffs behind her back. “I am a thief and you are a cop.”
“So you admit you’re a thief,” he said.
“I admit nothing.”
Rollo stood from his chair, not able to remember another time he felt more frustrated. He had already spelled it out for her. He knew everything from her connection to Ivanov to the fact that she had stolen the jewels.
Why was she still holding back? Maybe she didn’t trust him. Maybe she believed that Ivanov had a reach that was wider than his. Rollo wasn’t sure which hurt worse. If he played the sensitive card and gained her trust, she would see him as weak. She wouldn’t believe he couldn’t protect her. If he continued to play it hard, he’d never get her to trust him.
“I’m going to hunt something for dinner,” he said, pulling his clothes off as he stood in front of her.
Her mouth dropped as his T-shirt hit the floor. He stepped out of his shoes and yanked down his pants, boxer briefs and all. He stood proud and half hard in front of her, a slight smile on his face. He could smell her need, tight between her legs. He knew she yearned for him to bury himself in her warmth. She flicked her tongue across her lips, and her eyes darted over his body.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked in a husky voice.
“I’ve seen better,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
“Liar,” he growled. “We can already practically read each other’s minds by the scents we give off. You want me as much as I want you, little kitty. Now, sit tight while I get your ass something to eat.”
Rollo hurried off into the night, shifting in mid stride. He galloped through the clearing and into the wood, smelling the sharp scent of pine needles as they broke under his feet. He bolted through the forest, sniffing out the potential prey who lived there. He smelled the musky scent of a buck, not far down a damp ravine. It would be good meat for his mate, and they would both feast tonight and tomorrow on its flesh.
The water trickled down below him, he could smell it rising in the darkness as he approached. On quiet feet, he stepped into the ravine, blocking the buck on every side. The buck’s heartbeat thrummed in Rollo’s sensitive ears just as its head shot up in awareness of the bear’s presence.
He charged forward, growling and baring his teeth as he barreled toward the startled buck. The deer bolted on his hind legs and scurried toward the edge of the ravine, trying to climb up the steep slope to safety.
The bear swiped at the buck’s hind leg and slammed it down onto the muddy ravine floor. With a quick bite, Rollo snapped its neck, tasting its lifeblood lap over his tongue. Now he had food for his mate.
Rollo shifted into human form and slung the heavy animal over his broad shoulders, his shifter strength hefting the load. With his naked, taut body streaked in mud, Rollo climbed out of the ravine and carried his kill through the forest. It took him forty-five minutes to walk back to the cabin. When he deposited his load outside, he noticed the door was cracked open.
He growled and sniffed the air as he pushed inside. Zoe was gone. Dammit. He should have known she would break free. The cuffs were discarded on the cabin floor. He turned quickly outside and jumped into his bear form, tasting the air in an attempt to pick up her scent.
He could smell her faintly on the breeze, and followed the scent into the forest. He picked up speed as her scent grew stronger. Soon, he found himself in a grove of tall old-growth spruce trees. He inhaled the piney fragrance, trying to pinpoint her location. It was as if she was everywhere and nowhere. Rollo turned around, his massive brown grizzly body smashing over underbrush as he moved through the trees. He growled and reared up on his hind legs, letting out an intimidating roar.
His pussycat must have taken to the treetops, and he couldn’t climb all the way up the tree to get to her. He tried to locate exactly where she, sniffing from one trunk to the next. The forest towered overhead and the first rays of morning sunlight appeared in the dim dusky sky. He spotted movements a
bout twenty feet above him and reared against the solid trunk, trying to push her out. Even with his massive size and strength, it was no match for the sixteen-foot wide tree.
The sound of her high-pitched growl fell from above him as her claws dug into his back. The velvet bag of jewels fell at his side. He swiped at her, and she went tumbling down onto the forest floor. In a frantic attempt to escape, she twisted away, trying to run. Rollo charged at her and pinned her to the ground, pressing his teeth against the back of her neck in a holding bite.
With a feline scream, Zoe shifted. Her black and yellow patterned hide melted into golden tan skin, and a pile of long black hair flowed from her head. Rollo let go of her neck but carefully held her under him as he shifted. They were entangled in each other, flesh to flesh on the damp forest floor. The golden rays of the sunrise filtered through the forest canopy and illuminated the green dew covered leaves of the underbrush around them.
Zoe twisted under Rollo, trying to push him away. His superior strength allowed him to hold her still. She whimpered, begging to be released.
“You shouldn’t have tried to escape,” he whispered into the back of her neck.
“You’re holding me prisoner,” she spat back, her cheek pressed against the soft forest floor.
Rollo stood up, bringing Zoe with him. He held her wrist in his hand and looked down at her naked form. He hadn’t seen her this way before and couldn’t help the magnetic draw he felt begging to be at one with her body. He stiffened, his eyes absorbing every beautiful curve he had only seen hinted at under her clothes.
“Why don’t you tell me the truth, Zoe? I’m only trying to protect you. To protect us.”
“Rollo, we both know that this will never work.”
“What are you so afraid of, Zoe?” he asked her.
She only turned away and stopped speaking. Rollo was at his wits end. They needed to be on the same side. Maybe he should have taken her down to the station in the first place. But now it was too late for that.
He was standing with her naked in the forest, holding her against her will. He couldn’t take that back now. He had to see this thing through. He grabbed the jewels off the forest floor. If she could just trust him and tell him the truth, if she could just believe that he could protect her from Dimitri Ivanov, they could put an end to this game.
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