“Perhaps.”
Serge scowled at me and repeated himself. “Perhaps. Let’s get some more information and see.”
I turned a hard look at him—a look that left no doubt that we, or I, was going to help her. No matter what. My bear was so close to the surface, restless, pacing, needing to know more about her, wanting to spend time with her and willing to do anything, up to and including brawling with Serge to please her. If that meant finding her missing brother, then that’s what we’d do.
“We email each other every two weeks, on the first and the fifteenth of every month, without fail. He’s never missed, not in seven years, until two weeks ago. I didn’t get anything from him. I waited until yesterday and checked for another email, but, again, nothing. It’s not like him.” She wrung her hands together in front of her and blinked back tears. “His place, here on the island…the front door was unlocked and slightly ajar when I arrived. His truck is still there, parked at the cottage, but inside, the place was ransacked. Trashed. Something is very wrong.”
It took everything in me to maintain my professionalism when what I really wanted to do was offer comfort, holding her in my arms, mold the whole world to whatever she desired. “We’ll go to his house and see if anything stands out to us. You can tell us more once we get there.”
Serge’s jaw dropped at my statement, but Grace nodded quickly and stepped back out of the office and on to the sidewalk. I followed closely behind her and only stopped when Serge grabbed the back of my shirt to pull me to a stop.
“What the hell’s gotten into you, making promises and barking orders?” He glared at me. “Did you forget that you’re not the Alpha of this team?”
I pulled myself up to my full height, a few inches taller than him, and glowered. For the first time since I’d been accepted into P.O.L.A.R.—the first time in my life—I was tempted to pull rank. A few words from me were all it would take to flip the seat of authority in my favor, and those words were right there on the tip of my tongue. But I held back.
I wasn’t that guy.
I wasn’t going to start being that guy just because my mate had walked into my life.
“Yeah, fine, whatever.”
6
Grace
I was insanely aware of the hulk of a man following me. He was, hands down, the sexiest man I’d ever seen. His black t-shirt strained over his broad, heavily muscled chest and shoulders. He was so hot, my nipples squeezed themselves into hard little points and were attempting to slice their way out of my shirt. My pulse hadn’t settled to a normal pace since I’d laid eyes on him. The reaction I was having to this man was almost…otherworldly.
Trying to appear casual, I glanced back at him and tugged my lower lip between my teeth. For as big as he was, he carried himself with an air of mystery that felt both dangerous and seductive at the same time. Giving him my back hadn’t been easy. I had all kinds of warning bells going off in my head. I knew how a gazelle felt in the vicinity of a lion.
I took another glance over my shoulder. Oh, sweet Jesus.
What the hell was wrong with me? Gray was missing. This was no time to go all googly-eyed over a hot local. Not until my brother was safe, anyway. I took a deep, calming breath—which didn’t calm a damn thing.
“I just need to get something from my van.” In truth, I needed a minute to compose myself before I did something stupid like rub myself up against him and behave like a sex-starved hussy in front of the men of P.O.L.A.R., but when I reached for the door handle of the van, it was missing. “What the…”
A throat cleared behind me. I turned and he held out his large hand displaying my broken handle and wearing a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”
Confused, I took the handle from him, careful not to make skin to skin contact. “No problem. No problem at all.” I swallowed, suddenly overproducing saliva for some reason, and stepped around him. “I-I’ll lead the way to Gray’s.”
“I’ll ride with you.”
I turned back to him and took a shocked step backwards when I found him too close. I blinked and looked up—way up. He looked like some sort of Nordic Viking god with his strong, chiseled jawline, blonde hair and striking violet eyes. Were they actually violet, or was it an illusion? He was intimidating in both size and stature, but it was the smoldering heat—the intensity of his gaze that really had me forgetting to breathe. I was quite sure the flames in those eyes had the potential to leave a path of scorched devastation.
In the interest of self-preservation, and dry panties, I shook my head no. I didn’t think for one second that I would walk away from this man without being burned to a crisp. Plus, Gray—missing I reminded myself. “Um, or you can just follow…”
He opened my passenger door and put one long leg in. “I’d rather ride with you.”
Okie-dokie then. There would be no arguing with the set of that jaw. Instead, I saved my breath and walked around to the driver’s side. I climbed in, tossing the broken door handle over my shoulder into the back.
I’d never felt like Freebird was too small before, but with the Viking beside me it felt tiny and almost cramped, or was that just because of how flustered I was? He was too big. Too strong. And too masculine. Holy hotness, Batman.
“I’m Konstantin.” He looked over at me as I maneuvered the van out of the parking spot. “Or Kon. Whatever you want to call me.”
Whatever I wanted to call him? I cast him a side glance. His biceps bulged and his forearms were corded with a dusting of light blonde hair and tight muscle that tapered to strong, male hands. Capable hands. Oh the fantasies those hands could fulfill. What I wanted to call him was my trampoline for the evening. Girl, get a grip! “Um, yeah, nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” His intense gaze didn’t stray from my face and I thought I could feel a light sheen of sweat breaking out over my brow. “I wish it were under different circumstances.”
At that moment, my grumpy cat emerged from the back and leapt up on Kon’s lap. The Viking grinned and stroked the cat’s head.
“Huh. That’s odd. Damocles doesn’t usually like strangers.” The cat made me look like a complete liar as he broke into a purr and rubbed himself against Kon before curling up on his lap. Right there on his lap. I’d never been so jealous of another creature in all my life.
“You travel a lot?”
“Well, my home does have wheels.” I made a conscious effort to keep my eyes off of him and on the road, though the temptation to ogle him was extreme. “Do you know my brother?”
“Not that I’m aware of. His name isn’t familiar.”
“Yeah, about that. There’s a distinct possibility that he may be using a different name. An alias.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Konstantin raise his brows questioningly.
“It’s a long story,” I mumbled. When the few seconds of silence stretched to a few minutes, I realized Kon was waiting for the long story.
“My dad was distrustful of our government. Gray and I learned to be evasive and somewhat paranoid. We grew up preparing for an apocalypse, Armageddon, or at the very least some sort of cataclysmic devastation. We were taught to expect everything from martial law to nuclear attacks to bioterrorism. And yes, I do know how ridiculous all that sounds.” And why was I babbling on like a fool?
“Family can be rough to deal with sometimes.”
I parked in front of Gray’s cottage and turned the van off. I wasn’t normally such a blabbermouth, especially with a stranger. I wasn’t sure what had come over me. There was something straightforward and sincere about Kon that inspired trust. And apparently I wasn’t the only who felt it. He seemed to have bewitched grumpy cat, too.
“What do you think happened to Gray?”
I blinked as tears welled in my eyes. Turning away as I got my emotions under control, I shrugged. “I don’t even know what to think. This has never happened before. I’m afraid to let my mind wander too far into the realm of possibilities. Worrying about what could’ve happ
ened won’t do me much good.”
Kon’s large hand rested on my shoulder and he squeezed lightly. “I promise you, I will find him.”
I stared into his gorgeous eyes that I now noticed were, strangely, actually violet, and inhaled sharply. I could feel his touch down to my toes and it shocked me silent. There was such a thick air of awareness between us—an unearthly connection—and I didn’t know what to make of it. He was a stranger and I was in the middle of a crisis. Yet…my girly parts were practically screaming for this man.
There were so many things wrong with that. Mainly, the fact that I was looking for Gray, not a hookup. But who knew, maybe after Gray was safe and before I moved on to the next location, Kon and I…oh, lordy, I needed to kick my raging libido in the ass.
A loud knock on the passenger window startled me, jerking my head out of its lust-filled haze. I looked up to see the other guy frowning angrily at Konstantin, but Kon didn’t seem to care.
I got out of the van mumbling. “I’ll show you guys in.”
“By the way, I’m Serge.” The other man introduced himself as we walked up the steps to the cottage entrance. Serge shook my hand, despite Kon making a growly noise behind us. “The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we’ll be out of your hair.”
I chanced a quick glance back at Kon, but he was looking around at the little slice of land around the cottage. His eyes seemed to take in everything, which I found comforting, a sign that he took the job seriously and that I’d chosen well.
I led the two men up to the door and pushed it open. “The lock’s been smashed, so the door won’t catch properly now. When I arrived earlier, I was careful not to touch anything, uh, except that chair.”
Serge moved around me, while Konstantin came up behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder. “You’re not going to be staying here, right?”
Licking my suddenly dry lips, I shook my head. “I have the van.”
“I wouldn’t suggest staying anywhere near the cottage, even parked outside. Whoever did this could come back.” Serge’s eyes landed on Kon’s hand where it had moved from my shoulder and now rested possessively on my lower back. “There’s a RV park on the beach.”
When I shivered, Kon stroked his hand up my back and cupped the back of my neck. “Nothing will happen to you, I’ll make sure of it.”
Feeling overwhelmed by whatever was happening between the Viking, me and his uber-possessiveness, I got a little freaked out and, making an excuse, ducked under his arm to go back outside for fresh air. “I need to grab something from my van.”
7
Konstantin
As soon as Grace stepped out of the small house, Serge turned to me with a scowl. “Care to explain what the fuck that was?”
I peeked out the door to make sure she’d gone downstairs before answering him. “She’s frightened. I was attempting to comfort and reassure her.”
“Bullshit. You were…” His scowl suddenly turned into a grin so wide I thought his face might crack. “Wait a minute, she’s yours, isn’t she? Ha! You’ve found your mate! Sonofabitch, it’s about goddamned time!”
Despite the fact that I knew to the very depths of my being that Grace was my mate, it was at that moment, faced with Serge’s direct question, that for the first time since I’d set eyes on her, I remembered my obligations. Due to the responsibilities I bore, the name I was born with, the title I carried, mate or not, she could never be mine. That realization couldn’t have left a deeper cut if it had hara-kiried me with a samurai blade. “No, she’s not my mine.”
He didn’t say anything, but with the incredibly skeptical look he gave me, he didn’t have to.
I balled up my fists and forced myself to look around. The house was trashed. Couch cushions ripped to shreds, furniture smashed and broken. Someone had searched the place thoroughly. I tipped my head back and inhaled deeply, searching for something, anything. All I was getting was freshly baked honey cake.
I looked at Serge. “What do you smell?”
He snorted sarcastically. “What do you smell?”
I growled. “Stop.”
He grunted. “I smell humans…and, interesting…wolf. The humans are male. A group. Here more recently than the wolf. I think your little non-mate might have some explaining to do about why this cottage that she claims belongs to her brother smells like a wolf shifter.”
“Anything more specific?”
“One of the male humans had a serious case of body odor.” He inhaled deeper and groaned. “One of them was wearing cologne that smells like charred ass.”
I moved around the house trying to pick up anything I could, but my mind was distracted by the sweet, honeyed scent of Grace, her quiet voice, her dark, flowing hair, her gentle curves.
The footsteps coming back upstairs were soft and stayed quiet for a few seconds at the door before entering the house. A shaky breath escaped her lips before she stepped inside. “I can forward all of the emails I’ve received from Gray. They don’t say much, but maybe I’ve missed something. I don’t know what he was doing or what he might have gotten mixed up in. We…we didn’t talk about stuff like that, not in an email that might be intercepted.
Serge swung around to face her. “Intercepted by who?”
“No one…er…it’s a long story. Not relevant. At any rate, I always suspected that he might be earning a living by slightly illegal means—off the books, under the table, whatever. I don’t know that for sure, though.”
She looked heartbroken, like she felt guilty for not knowing what her brother had been up to. I desperately wanted to comfort her. I had to fight hard to stop myself. To do so would only add fuel to Serge’s suspicion.
“We’ll do some searches and see what we can come up with.” Serge sighed. “This certainly looks like he got himself involved in something, but there’s still the possibility that it’s nothing. Maybe it’s merely a routine break-in and your brother is holed up at a girlfriend’s place completely unaware his cottage has been ransacked. He could still show up.”
“Of course, yes.” Grace lifted her quivering chin and planted her hands on her hips. “Just… Just find him. Please. Whatever the cost, I’ll pay. It doesn’t matter—”
I stepped forward. “I will cover all costs. And we will find him. That I promise, Grace.”
Serge rolled his eyes, but to his credit, he kept his mouth shut. He merely cast one last searching glance around the room. “I’ll get Roman to come in and fingerprint the place, just in case. We’ll get back to the station and start the search for your brother.”
Grace nodded. “What should I do?”
I felt my chest tighten at the despondent tone in her voice. She was brave but terrified. No way I’d allow her to feel as though she was going through this alone. “I’ll accompany you to the RV park and help you find a spot. Then, we can talk more about your brother and try to sort out what he might have been involved in.”
Serge barely refrained from another eye roll. “Alright. Help get Grace set up at the park and then come hightail it back to the office. Both of you. I texted Maxim and he’s conducting an online search of the deep web as we speak, so we should have something by then.” Serge kicked aside a few pieces of a broken coffee table with the toe of his boot, and grunted. “Whatever they were looking for here, I doubt they found it. If they had your brother, they wouldn’t still be searching like this.”
“How do you know they haven’t found him since…since looking here?”
“You said he hasn’t contacted you in a month. This place was searched less than a week ago. It’s possible that in the last week they might have caught up to him, but based on experience, I tend to think that they haven’t.”
“Because it’s unwise to give up hope?”
The way she said it was so unconvinced and forlorn that I couldn’t stop myself this time. I moved across to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders pulling her tight against me. Fuck what Serge thought. I gazed down into her eyes. “Because
your brother is a wolf shifter. The people after him are human.”
She gasped. “How did you know that about Gray?” Her eyes narrowed and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. “You aren’t…wait, are you guys wolf shifters, too?”
Serge threw his head back and barked a laugh. I glared at him for laughing at Grace. “We are shifters, but not wolves.”
Grace squeezed her eyes shut and then blew a breath out with a small laugh. “Of course not—P.O.L.A.R.! Duh. Don’t I feel like a big dummy? You’re polar bear shifters!”
Serge nodded. “And we have excellent tracking skills. Just let us do our jobs. We got this.” He lightly rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
I was able to bite back a possessive growl, but I glowered at the fucker as I brushed his damned hand off her. “I’m taking Grace to the RV park. We’ll meet you back at the office in a bit.”
Serge just shook his head and smirked. I knew what he was thinking, and while he wasn’t incorrect, what Serge didn’t know was that it didn’t matter whether or not Grace was my mate. My life wasn’t my own. I wasn’t free to claim a mate as the others had done. I already had a mate waiting for me back home, one I’d been promised to since before I could walk.
As early as I could remember, I’d known my destiny was plotted out for me. I needed to remember that and keep it at the forefront of my consciousness at all times—especially with Grace around.
As I settled next to her in her sprinter van amidst her deliciously enticing aroma that made my head swim, I reflected on how bitterly cruel fate could be.
8
Grace
Konstantin directed me to a small RV campsite right on the beach. The fee for parking there was steeper than I usually liked to pay, but before I could grab my wallet, he’d already settled up with the guy and was gesturing for me to pick the spot I wanted. I didn’t know what to make of that. I wasn’t sure whether to be to be flattered, grateful, or offended.
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