Flyers Fuzzbutts and Fisticuffs

by Jools Louise

  Lex stepped in and began an examination. “I’ll call our forensics team,” he said gruffly. “This has the hallmarks of a murder, but the broken bones appear to have occurred postmortem. He may have committed suicide, Pace. It’s too early to say.”

  “We’ll go with you to tell Mystery,” Louis said gruffly. “He’ll need his friends with him when this breaks.”

  “We can’t leave Irina or Mika alone,” Cullen said gently. “Why don’t I take them to my apartment?”

  “No!” Pace said. “It’s too dangerous, given that Flashpoint appear to want them so urgently. Cody will drive you out to the ranch,” he said to the mother and son. “They’re better able to protect you. Joe McKellar will put you both up at the main house for safety.”

  Irina nodded gratefully. “I’d like that.”

  “A real ranch?” Mika asked, a tinge of excitement in his voice. “With real horses and cowboys?”

  Cullen smiled at the youngster. “Yep. Archie is a horse wrangler and takes care of the herd over there. He’ll show you everything you need to know.”

  “Cool,” Mika smiled, his voice muffled. “Is that man dead?” he asked quietly, sounding sad. “Did the bad men who are hunting us hurt him?”

  Cullen knelt, keeping Mika’s back to the grim scene. “We don’t know, sweetie. The sheriff here has to investigate.”

  “Will he get the bad guys who are trying to hurt us?”

  “He sure will. Sheriff Pace is pretty good at his job. Ryder and John are, too. Nobody here wants you or your mother to be hurt.”

  “I hope he shoots them,” Mika said fiercely. “They aren’t very nice. That man from England was worse, though. He was pretty mean to Mummy. Said nasty things to her. He hit her the last time we saw him. He was as bad as Daddy.”

  “Who hit her?” Cullen asked carefully, seeing the tears in Mika’s eyes.

  “Mr. D’Arcy. When he thought I wasn’t looking. He and another man called Sir Aaron used to visit. Now Nikolai is after us. He said Mummy stole some money. She didn’t. My ‘heritance was the only thing we were going to take. It didn’t belong to him. My grandfather left it for me. But it was gone.”

  Cullen met Mika’s gaze, reading the truth there. “I guess they misjudged you, didn’t they? You’re pretty smart. Which means they’re pretty stupid, as well as being mean.”

  Mika giggled and nodded. “Yeah. Stupid.”

  Cullen smiled and hugged the boy. “I’m glad you’re here, kid,” he said, kissing Mika’s cheek.

  “I’m glad I’m here, too, Cullen,” Mika giggled, then turned solemn again. “Will that man be okay? It’s pretty cold out here.”

  “I’ll take good care of him,” Lex said gently, rising to his feet. “You’re right, it is cold. Why don’t you go and sit in Cody’s truck? I’ll turn the heater on for you. Then you can head out to the ranch once he’s checked the house. A nice warm bed, and then you can go see the horses in the morning.”

  Mika yawned suddenly. “Is there something to eat there?” he said. “We forgot to eat again.”

  Irina looked distraught. “We were going to get hot chocolate, weren’t we? But after the bad men came, we had to go. I’m sorry, darling.”

  “It’s okay, Mummy. I know you were scared they’d get us again. Like in New York.”

  Cullen shot her a sharp glance, seeing the terror on her face. “Yes, just like in New York,” she replied shakily.

  “That’s why you had to leave everything?”

  “Yes,” she replied, her hand trembling as she brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “They found us at the hotel we checked into, once we reached America. As though they already knew we were going to be there. We thought we’d covered our tracks pretty well, especially after you got us those false documents to travel with. Petrovsky has so many connections, though. He’s smart, too. He will have been looking out for us coming this way.”

  “Do you have anything on you that you had in London?” Pace asked. “A phone or something?”

  “Something they could track you with,” Cullen clarified.

  Irina paled even more, looking faint. She handed him her tote bag and purse. “These were what we left the hotel with. Everything else is in New York.”

  “What about clothing? Shoes? A belt?” Cullen asked, thinking about where tracking devices could be hidden.

  “The house is clear,” Cody said, exiting the house. “It doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with. Whoever’s done this knows the town, though. They’ve been watching the players.”

  “Or it could be coincidence. It could be a suicide and someone used poor Humdrum’s death as an opportunity to turn some screws,” Pace said, shrugging. “Humdrum was pretty cut up about what happened with Crash. I heard from Jay and Mason that he felt super guilty that he didn’t stop what happened to Mystery, Chill, and Bone. We won’t know until we collect evidence. I called the station. They’re all on alert. Nobody saw anything, but we’ll take a look at CCTV footage.”

  The forensic team showed up and began the task of collecting evidence.

  “Skull finished his shift an hour ago, and he passed here on his way to see David, who’s working late at the school. He said there was definitely nothing here then. He would have noticed,” Pace informed them. “So that definitely suggests he was moved here after death. Pretty sick message.”

  “I’ll take these guys to the ranch,” Cody said, looking grim. “Joe’s already aware of the situation, so he’s got Rafe, Sky, and Aidan on the alert.” He looked at Mika and smiled gently. “Come on, little guy, you look bushed.”

  With a grateful hug, Irina departed with her son, leaving a poignant silence behind.

  “Let’s go break the news,” Cullen said softly, moving to stand between Louis and Doyle.

  Nodding, they walked together, back toward town, neither looking forward to the next few minutes.

  Chapter Five

  Cullen opened the door to his apartment and led the way inside, followed by his two big bears, who had been somber since they’d imparted the dreadful news.

  “Thanks for letting us stay, Cullen,” Louis said, his dark eyes glimmering with grief. “We didn’t think we’d be able to face staying at the house tonight, under the circumstances.” He shrugged his shoulders. “This wasn’t exactly how we expected the night to turn out.” His voice broke as he ducked his head.

  Cullen let out a low cry of distress and hugged the big man tightly. “You can stay for as long as you like. You lost a friend tonight. That’s a tough deal.”

  Doyle closed the door to the apartment, and glanced around at the open-plan space. The place was light and airy, with the walls painted in neutral colors and hardwood flooring throughout. The kitchen was modern, with marble-effect surfaces, the cabinets made of light pine with mint-green doors, the appliances showing evidence they weren’t just for show. Apparently Cullen could cook, if the state-of-the-art cooker and array of well-used gadgets were to be believed. In the living room, dashes of color were provided by brightly hued rugs. The sofa and two large armchairs were upholstered in vivid purple, the cushions cream, purple, and red. On the walls were a series of landscapes depicting the Grand Tetons in all their glory, plus some photos that showed native wildlife and others that looked to be family portraits. There was also a big-ass surround-sound home-cinema system, almost as big as the one in the bears’ home.

  “This is awesome,” Doyle said, smiling slightly, despite his sadness.

  “Thanks,” Cullen said shyly.

  He was starting to feel a little nervous at having the two huge bear shifters in the apartment, mixed with the hum of awareness that sparked between them. Even with all that had occurred that evening, the attraction was still fierce. He was mortified that he’d been so blind to it before now. He supposed it was a testament to how distracted he’d been since Ghost had arrived back in town. His former lover’s demise had sent Cullen into a head-spin. He was still recovering. The man had been someone he had believed t
o be one thing, and turned out to be the complete opposite. It meant that he wasn’t trusting his instincts around people. Except that his instincts had actually been spot-on about Ghost. He’d chosen to let his yearning to have what his parents had cloud his judgment. Talk about rose-tinted glasses. Bleurgh!

  Louis cupped Cullen’s hip with his big hand, nuzzling into Cullen’s neck, his bearded jaw scratchy, his lips warm and soft. Cullen gasped aloud when Louis planted a kiss in the crook of his shoulder, and turned his head to the side, begging for more. Instantly Louis accepted the invitation and took Cullen’s mouth with a hunger that had Cullen’s dick singing and his bloodstream fizzing with excitement.

  Doyle let loose a low growl and moved in behind Cullen, kneading the smaller man’s ass firmly as he nibbled at the side of Cullen’s neck. Cullen released Louis’s mouth and found Doyle ready and waiting, locking lips greedily.

  Parting, the three looked at one another, panting hard, the sexual tension ripe. “We can’t do this tonight, can we?” Cullen said, licking his lips and tasting his lovers’ flavors, thinking he might soon become addicted to them. They were delicious. “It’s too soon after what happened to Humdrum. It seems…disrespectful.”

  “Now that we’ve tasted you, it won’t ever be enough,” Louis growled huskily. “But you’re right. We just lost a friend, and it’s definitely disrespectful to take the next step tonight.”

  Cullen read the utter sadness in the shifter’s eyes, mirrored by Doyle, and kissed them both gently. “Come on, then,” he urged, tugging them with him toward the bedroom. “Why don’t you both shower and get into bed? It’s been an exhausting day.”

  He showed them the bathroom and the bedroom, wondering if the bed would be big enough for them all. He had no intention of spending the night alone and wanted the comfort of a warm body to ward off the chill of evil that was invading his thoughts once again. After Ghost had been killed, he had been naïve to think that would be the end of things. Flashpoint, Fortress, Stronghold. They were the same entity, really. Wanting the same ending—the death of all things shifter. Failing that, they were happy causing misery wherever they went. Cullen frowned as he headed back to deadlock the front door, thinking about Petrovsky and D’Arcy. What was their connection? He knew some of it, since his skill as a hacker had turned up some juicy intel, but he felt there was more. Much more.

  It was interesting that only a few days after Dorothy and Arthur had arrived from England, fleeing D’Arcy, suddenly Irina and Mika had turned up, also on the run. And D’Arcy was involved in both cases. Along with the equally disturbing Nikolai Petrovsky. It needed investigating, and they needed to be shut down.

  He yawned, double-checked that he’d locked the front door, and made sure the windows were all secured, too. Even though he was on the third floor, he wouldn’t put it past someone to try to break in, especially after what had just happened to Humdrum. He made his way to the bedroom, seeing Louis and Doyle already comfortably ensconced in the big bed, which seemed to have shrunk in size. The bear shifters looked cute cuddling together.

  “There’s room for one more,” Louis said, smiling slightly, although his eyes remained sad.

  Cullen kept his gaze on the duo as he stripped, noting the desire they couldn’t hide. The stench of arousal was almost tangible, and judging by the hard-ons Louis and Doyle were sporting, they were raring to go.

  Crawling onto the bed, Cullen viewed their thick, meaty treats greedily. He stroked a hand along Louis’s thick, hairy thigh, and his other gripped Doyle’s firm cock. Both men growled throatily, moving under his touch as though he’d just tasered them. He smiled seductively, enjoying the power he had over his two huge bears.

  “Baby, you’re playing with fire,” Doyle said huskily, groaning when Cullen pumped his fist along his thick length.

  “I know,” Cullen retorted. “I just wanted a taste. Stress relief to help you sleep,” he murmured with a quick grin, then dipped his head, taking the moist tip of Louis’s dick into his mouth, rolling the pre-cum around on his tongue, savoring the salty flavor. He delved into the slit at the top, then ran the flat of his tongue around the corona, before sucking hard. Louis jerked helplessly, a low groan fleeing his throat as he grabbed Cullen’s head, holding him in place as he began shallow-fucking Cullen’s mouth.

  Cullen heard slurping noises and glanced up Louis’s big body, watching in awe as the lovers began to kiss hungrily. The sight was mesmerizing, seeing the love and affection between the two as Cullen pleasured them both. He swapped dicks, keeping his gaze on their gorgeous faces, and soon had both of them writhing beneath him. He felt them getting even more excited, heard their sultry moans, and popped down for an intensive genital exam, mouthing their balls, perineum, taking a sample along their moist crease. He probed delicately, sampling the mother lode for a moment, then licked a path back up, taking it in turns to suck each succulent cock.

  “Fuck, you look sexy sucking our dicks,” Doyle said approvingly. Sucking harder, Cullen heard the shifter snarl out a curse, before he was treated to about a gallon of delicious cum. Humming with pleasure, he swallowed it all, then went in for a second load, using Louis’s cock as a lollipop until the man gave a guttural groan and spurted, as well.

  Cullen licked his lips, then crawled up between the two sated bears, cuddling against them. He didn’t need the quilt, as the men were like furnaces, generating a lot of heat. He smiled, hearing their breathing gradually slow, then they slept. Closing his eyes, glad that he’d managed to distract them from the horror of the day, he followed them into slumber.

  * * * *

  “Cullen, why didn’t you tell me about Irina and her son?” Ryder said, the second the fox shifter answered the door.

  Yawning, groaning, Cullen struggled to focus, moving aside as his former boss barreled into his apartment, looking furious.

  “Can’t this wait until morning?” Cullen asked, raking a hand through his hair sleepily.

  “It is morning,” Ryder retorted impatiently. “Three o’fuckingclock in the morning. I’ve been trying to figure out what the fuck is going on in our town. We have Dorothy and Arthur, escaping England. A murderer calling himself Shadow. And a rogue operative who thinks it’s cool to keep vital intel from me. Not to mention the appearance of an ex-Spetsnaz officer in Sage, who’s currently fleeing a man who has a reputation for brutality and revenge.” He shot Cullen a hard look. “I did some checking. Irina is not just some ex-wife of a Russian oligarch. She’s a former Russian agent.”

  Cullen shuffled to the coffee machine, shaking his head to clear it. He and Ryder had butted heads for a while now, and Cullen needed caffeine before he engaged in another round of arguments. He knew exactly what Irina had been. It didn’t mean she was any less in peril.

  “Coffee?” he asked politely, filling the pot, then flipping the switch to set it off. Soon, the enticing perfume of coffee grounds permeated the air, and Cullen began to feel as though he could take on his ex-Commander.

  He turned to face Ryder, saw the man’s angry expression, and sighed before grabbing two mugs from the cupboard.

  “Ryder, I don’t answer to you,” he said tiredly, knuckling sleep from his eyes. “You seem to think I still work for you. Newsflash? I don’t.”

  “You knew about Dorothy and Arthur,” Ryder said, scowling as he leaned against the counter. “You told me their story. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about Irina?”

  “Because,” Cullen replied, mimicking Ryder’s expression, “they were none of your fucking business. Irina asked me for help, months ago, when you were acting like a prize fuckwit. She’s been crucial in providing valuable intel over there, and has helped protect hundreds of shifters from the regime. Stronghold are new players, only a few years old, but they’re all ex-KGB or have military expertise. There’s also the old-school club, men and women who remember the good old days of Mother Russia. When men were men, and women were women, and nobody strayed from that tradition. Petrovsky is an ambitious, dan
gerous, and well-connected man. Extremely wealthy. Extremely territorial. And he thinks she has something that belongs to him.” He met Ryder’s gaze with laser-sharp focus.

  “She needed to get out of the country, as her and Mika’s lives were in danger. It was the least I could do to help get her transportation. She’s a fellow agent, and has been a crucial ally when others failed. I would have asked your opinion, but you behaved like a fucking moron and disregarded any ideas I had on previous occasions. I decided to deal with it myself.” His glare sharpened even more. “I do have some brain cells that still work. And I don’t need your fucking attitude at three in the fucking morning.”

  He locked stares with Ryder, not backing down. The fucker better watch himself, or Cullen was just in the mood to shoot him in the ass. He’d just been disturbed from a very pleasant dream involving a double dose of cream with his morning coffee, and two sexy bear shifters.

  “Need help, C?” Louis asked, entering the kitchen. He looked at Ryder with dislike. “Ryder, what the hell are you yelling about?”

  “A friend of yours had just been murdered by someone who is allegedly linked to one of our new residents,” Ryder shot back. “And Cullen knows more than he’s telling.”

  “Ryder, I respect you, but you’re being an overbearing ass,” Louis retorted, glaring. “I heard what Cullen just said, and from what I’ve seen of Irina and her son, she’s in danger and running on empty. What’s wrong with giving them a little slack to settle down and feel safe for a few hours? Couldn’t this shit wait until later? You haven’t exactly been sharing stuff yourself.”

  “No, it can’t wait,” Ryder said, gritting his teeth, ignoring the dig about sharing intel. “I just heard about what happened to Humdrum. If this is linked to Irina’s appearance in town, which I have the disturbing sense that it does, I need to know everything about what’s going on, Cullen.” He raked his fingers through his short brown hair, rubbing his temples wearily. “We’ve had enough deaths. I didn’t need to see this next one.”