Bear in Mind (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 23)

by Milly Taiden

Quinn kissed the back of her head. “Baby, after I’m out, lock the doors and be ready to drive when you see an opening. Got it?”

  “What? Hell no, I’m not leaving you. I’m trained in fighting. Private investigator, remember?”

  Quinn frowned and shook his head. “These are bears, Summer, not humans. They don’t go down easily.” He set her on the seat then scooted out.

  Fine, then. She’d stay in the truck for now, but she rolled down a window to listen. One of the men said to Jared, “Saw you drive through town with some passengers. Rather rude of you not to introduce them around town.”

  Citizens had stopped on the sidewalk to watch the event happening on the street. Summer was sure these were the men Gus worked with. The ones that Barry said were worse than Gus. Another memory came to her. Sitting in the jail, talking to the man arrested for Gerri’s break in—he said, These guys are killers...

  Jared, Quinn, and Anthony stood lined up across the traffic lane. The other guys postured by their SUV in the same way. If this had been the 1800s, this would be a textbook gun dual, western standoff where each drew a gun and shot at the other person. Thank god no one had guns in the group.

  No weapons, she thought, except they had razor-sharp claws, shark-like teeth, and enough strength to push over a car. Maybe guns would’ve been safer. Summer could nearly see tumbleweed rolling through the street.

  Jared replied, “Let us through and no one will get hurt.”

  Another of the guys looked to the biggest one of the group. “Would you listen to that, Alpha, he doesn’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  Was that Mayor Blackmon or was another alpha in control now? He looked similar to the person in the black and white photo, but she couldn’t tell how much older this man was. But he was the alpha. That couldn’t be good.

  The big man spoke. “I always worried about you, Jared. Always wondered if one day you would turn traitor to the browns. I see that I was right.”

  “I’m not a traitor to anyone, Alpha. I’m doing what is right. This hiding and keeping secrets has got to stop. Don’t you see how the town is dying? Before long, there will be nobody left for you to be alpha over. What then?”

  Summer agreed with him completely. Something had to be done.

  The alpha growled. “Don’t you worry about this town, cub. I know what I’m doing. This time next year there will be an abundance of cubs and mothers living here. It will be just like it was when we drove out the brown and human trash. We will once again live in bliss.”

  “How do you plan to pull that off?” Quinn asked. That was the same thing she wanted to know.

  “Worry about your own bears, Alpha. Both of you. The handful of pure-blood males coming here will make us stronger than you, so you better watch your back.” The alpha smile was pure evil.

  What did he mean by the handful of males? If they were to have an “abundance of cubs and mothers, “ they needed the same amount of fathers. How could anyone count five as an abundance? Then it occurred to her.

  The alpha didn’t say abundance of men or families. Just females and babies. Oh my god. The alpha intended for these men to impregnate the females in the town. Holy hell.

  Their alpha chuckled. “I thought we’d start with the pretty little lady there in your truck. She’d make a fine mama, don’t you think, Quinn? Not pureblood, but I’d overlook her flaws.”

  Anthony growled low and dangerous. “You disgust me, Blackmon. You don’t deserve to be alive, and I think I’m going to take care of that for the females of your den.”

  Anthony began to shift and all the others followed suit.

  Blackmon’s group raced toward those in front of the truck. Summer watched in silent terror as claws ripped through fur and flesh on both sides, teeth tearing chunks of skin. The fighting grew fierce, mothers rushing their children away from the sight, yet the crowd increased, filling the sidewalks.

  She had to do something. All of them would be dead if they didn’t stop. The picture in the museum came to mind. The old woman had called Blackmon the mayor. How similar was that to the alpha role? Could an alpha be un-elected by the people? She had no idea how all that worked, but if she didn’t get others to help stop them, she’d lose the only man she’d truly loved.

  She opened the driver’s door then stepped onto the seat and made her way to the top of the truck. God give her the strength to pull this off.

  “Hey, all you bears under Blackmon’s thumb, how does it feel to live in fear all day and night? Afraid that if you say the wrong thing, the ‘group’ there,” she tilted her head toward those fighting, “will give you a visit? I met Gus. He seems like a nice guy, right?” She got many glares from the crowd.

  “Would you like to know how the brown bears became so successful and prosperous? I know the secret. It’s called diversity. Only by bringing together different cultures, different ideas, different foods, do we expand and grow. Without diversity, you stagnate and die out, like you see your community doing right now.”

  She noted several folks nodding. Before she could say anymore, Jared shifted and jumped up on the SUV’s hood. She looked at the fight and saw one of the bears was down.

  “We know the answer!” Jared hollered. “It is those in power who stamp out change, preventing the new turnover we need. If we stand united against a tyrant, then we will overpower them. We can get rid of the old and put in someone we trust and share a belief system with.

  “Right now, the brown alphas and I are fighting for your future. Are you going to stand there and let someone else take control of you again?”

  Shouts of no came from those gathered.

  “Then we must stand up for ourselves, like the strong bears we are, and show those who don’t care about us that we don’t need them.”

  Several guys around Jared’s age rushed the fighters, shifting as they went. Others backed them up, yelling and making their voices known. Quinn and Anthony were pushed back and replaced by Blisstown citizens who wanted to make a difference in their own lives.

  Quinn shifted and leaned against the front of the truck’s hood. Summer climbed down the same way she got up and jumped to the ground next to the driver’s side door. She took a step toward Quinn and his tired face morphed into an expression of terror.

  Time slowed for her.

  She turned to see what Quinn was so afraid of and saw the man who had gotten out of the SUV behind the truck now stood behind her, his arm raised with deadly claws replacing his fingers ready to swipe across her body.

  In that moment, Summer realized she was going to die. Quinn was too far away to get to her in time, and she wasn’t fast enough as a human to dodge shifter speed and power.

  Her only thoughts were of Quinn and if she’d told him that she loved him. She hoped that someday he would find and reunite with his mother and brother. She couldn’t do anything more to help him.

  As the claws came toward her face, a dark mass sprang up from the bed of the truck and leaped over the side, slamming into the man going to kill her. Summer could only watch as both fell sideways, away from her. A gory scene of flesh and blood exploded in front of her eyes just before Quinn circled his arms around her, twisting her away from the sight.

  She stared at the crowd now packed in the street, taking down the men who desired only power and wealth. Jared was among them somewhere.

  Wanting to know what or who saved her life, she forced her way around Quinn to the bloody scene behind them. There, Barry, in his small animal form, tore at the huge man’s arm with the claws at the end. He was going to make sure that paw never hurt anyone again.

  Summer raised a brow, though. Seeing that little Barry had ripped out the bad guy’s throat, she thought the arm was a bit overkill. But she wasn’t about to tell Barry that. Right now, he was the largest bear ever in her eyes.

  Without him, she’d no longer be able to hold on to the bear who clasped her tightly in his arms and in his heart.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Summer held
on to her mate as the crowd began to disperse. She looked for Jared, but didn’t see him or his bear. Where was he?

  “Anthony, Quinn!” yelled the voice of the person she was looking for. Hurrying down the sidewalk, Jared had a woman by the arm, pulling her behind him. When they got closer, she recognized the woman as the gossipmonger at the historical museum. Why was Jared dragging her along?

  They stopped at the truck where she and Quinn stood. “Tell him now, Ingrid,” Jared growled at her.

  She cringed but shot him a death stare anyway. “Bess, your mother, is gone,” she said.

  Quinn stiffened around Summer. Anthony suddenly was beside them. “What do you mean gone? Where did she go?”

  The woman glared at Jared, seemingly unwilling to answer as her lips were smashed together creating another ugly line on her face.

  “Let me remind you,” Jared said, “there will be a day of reckoning for all those involved with my aunt’s disappearance. The more you help now, the more leniency you will receive.”

  “All I know is that Alpha Blackmon told Gus to leave town with her. He came by and put her in his SUV and drove off.”

  Summer nearly came undone. “Are you serious? What the hell does it matter now? Is he still trying to cover up the plot? This is such crap.” Her heart ached for her mate. She knew how important it was to him to finally meet his mother. “What about his brother?” she asked.

  The old woman shrugged. “He doesn’t live in town.”

  Right then, Summer assigned herself her next job. She would hunt down Gus and do whatever it took to find her mate’s mother and sibling.

  “I’m so sorry, cousin,” Jared said, keeping his arms clasped around Ingrid’s arm. “Anything else you need to confess before I deal with you?”

  “You’re not my alpha,” Ingrid spat. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

  A large circle of the town’s citizens that had participated in the fight were now gathered around Quinn, Summer, Anthony, Jared, and Ingrid.

  “What have you done, Ingrid?” an older gentleman asked.

  “What had to be done to protect the black bear bloodlines,” she sniffed, turning her nose at the people staring her down. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work as I had planned.”

  Summer racked her brain trying to figure out what the woman was talking about. Had she tried to get rid of Bess somehow? What could she have done that hadn’t worked out?

  “Holy shit,” Summer cried, taking a step toward Ingrid. “You set that fire!” She launched herself at the woman, but Quinn closed his arms around her waist.

  “Hold on, love. We can’t go around making accusations.”

  “The filthy human is right. I set fire to that house. And you should have all died in it.”

  “You’re deranged,” Quinn said to her. The muscle on his neck jumped as he clenched his teeth. Summer figured he had to be tamping down his bear.

  “Why would you want to kill Anthony and Quinn?” Summer asked, confused. Something wasn’t adding up.

  “I wasn’t trying to kill them, you idiot. I was trying to kill you. If you had died, then this one,” she pointed a crooked finger to Quinn, “would have been ragged with grief. He would have dropped this stupid crusade to find his family.”

  “You’re the one with the stupid plan, but I’m the idiot?” Summer scoffed.

  Quinn tightened his grasp on her. Maybe his bear would have been distracted by her death, but he would never give up on his mother and brother. Not after thirty years of longing for their return.

  “Had you stayed away after I sent you that note, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such measures to make my alpha’s will come true. But no,” Ingrid looked up and down in disgust. “The humans love to bed shifters, muddying the bloodline. It’s sickening.”

  “You’re a bigot,” Summer said through gritted teeth.

  “How are you going to deal with this?” Quinn asked Jared. “This woman is clearly insane. I don’t mind exacting pack justice.”

  “If it’s all right with you, I think we are going to want to have a council meeting. A new kind of rule has to start. If the old guard won’t bend, then we’ll find someone to challenge them for alpha.” Jared’s eyes flashed gold with a sign from his animal. “I’ll take care of Ingrid. You have my word, cousin. Your clan has been through enough because of the black bears. Let us bring the culprits to justice to make some amends.”

  Summer watched as Quinn and Anthony exchanged a look.

  “Fine,” Quinn said. “Just know, you’d make a good alpha. I’ll be checking in with you in a few days while you all figure out your next move.”

  “You let us know if you need any help,” Anthony added. There was a spark in the old man’s eyes that Summer hadn’t noticed before. She could see the alpha in him in that moment. Quinn was a lot like him. The perfect combination of stern and fair.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here. We have to find my mate,” Anthony said, turning on his heels.

  Ingrid struggled as Jared passed her to someone else who gripped her arm tightly, then he hurried toward the truck.

  Summer shook her head. What sort of clan was this, when it led seemingly intelligent people to do insane things? Summer shivered against Quinn.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, setting her on the truck seat.

  “It’s crazy. We could have died for their shitty plot to keep your family separated. I don’t understand their logic.”

  “That would be because you’re logical,” Quinn quipped back. “Though next time you’re on a job, please make sure you’re not walking into an insanely charged den of bears.”

  “I make no promises,” she responded with a shrug. “Now, let’s go find your mom.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  After delivering Quinn, his mate and father to their home, Jared gave instructions to track down the cabin where Gus was keeping Bess. It was a secluded little cottage where the alpha usually kept his mistress. So much for shifter fidelity, Quinn thought grimly.

  “I should go in alone,” his father said, “as to not overwhelm her.”

  “That’s a shit idea, Dad,” Quinn shook his head. “Gus is a big guy. You’re only coming back to yourself now. We’ll go together.” He turned to Summer. “And you, trouble, stay in the car.”

  “If I must,” she crossed her arms. “But I want it known that I can totally defend myself.”

  “Yes, but when I’m around, you don’t have to,” he shot back with a wink.

  “Well,” the old man sighed, “I suppose I’m not a young cub like you who can just barge in and save my woman.”

  “Let’s save her together, Dad,” Quinn said, getting out of the truck.

  The sound of the vehicle had alerted Gus of their arrival. The shifter walked out of the cabin, looking far too pleased.

  “Well, look at this. The brown bears have finally smartened up enough to find their own.”

  “We’re taking Bess with us,” Anthony said.

  Gus’s booming laugh echoed through the woods. “Fuck that. I have orders. And I don’t think an old bear and a weak alpha are going to get one up on me.”

  “Sure we will. Because your town is going to go through some serious changes. As we speak, the so-called black bear militia is being taken down by Jared and others who are sick of your shit.”

  Quinn couldn’t believe the words coming out of his father’s mouth. He was astounded by the strength his old man had.

  “Step out of my way, cub, before I do you serious harm.” Anthony took a step and his arms and face started to break out in thick brown fur.

  With a laugh, Gus also started his shift.

  “Hello?” a feeble voice asked from the cabin’s door.

  Distracted, Gus looked back. Bess stood unsteady on her feet, bathed by the light streaming out from the cabin. For a second, Quinn thought his mother looked like an angel.

  “Go to her,” he told his father before letting his shift overtake him.

  Q
uinn crashed into Gus and the two bears began to claw at each other. Quinn wasted no time going for the throat. This bear had not only kidnapped his mate and stuffed her into a trunk, but he had also taken his mother hostage.

  Quinn let the fury of thirty years takeover as he ripped through the bear’s neck with his claws. Gus stumbled back with a loud groan and scampered away into the woods. He watched him go, knowing that had been the coward’s way out. But Gus would get what was coming to him. Quinn was sure of that.

  He turned toward the cabin and watched as his father held out a hand to his mother. She was looking at him, her eyes blinking rapidly.

  “Bess, my beautiful mate, it’s me. Tell me you recognize me. Come back to me, my heart.”

  Quinn saw his mother’s eyes lighten with recognition.

  “Tony?” she whispered, her voice breaking on a sob. “It can’t be you,” she murmured.

  “It is,” he said, “it’s me.”

  Tentatively, his father took a few more steps forward and closed his arms around his mate.

  Something moved inside of Quinn. Things in his heart and soul clicked into place as he watched his parents embrace for the first time in his life. He shifted to two legs and stood there, his mind in upheaval at seeing the woman. His dad waved him over.

  He didn’t move, couldn’t move, for a second. His heart pounded in his ears. So many emotions crashed into him, he was a complete mess. His feet carried him to the cabin and in front of the small woman who looked much too old to be his mother. Her life hadn’t been easy either.

  She stared up at him. She reached out a shaky hand toward him, then snatched it back as if afraid to touch him. “Tony,” she said, holding on to his father, “is this—” her breath hitched with a sob in her throat.

  “Yes, love,” he replied, “this is your other son. He’s the alpha of the clan. You can be proud of him.”

  She reached out again, and this time, Quinn stepped forward and gathered her in her arms. Her smell was like coming home. He’d scented traces of her long ago in the house but didn’t know at the time it was her.