Then the shit blew up in his face.
On the last job, Tag gave into his thirst to catch and destroy prey and lost focus when Grizzle took control. That mistake cost his team the mission and he almost lost an eye. When he realized how out of control he had been, he walked away from the call of the hunt. Withdrawal had been a bitch. Grizzle fought him daily for six months over his decision to quit. That had been two years ago.
Now he would enter the arena again for his friend. Plus, he owed the man. They both knew it. When he first started in the business eight years ago, Ryan always watched his back. He told Ryan to call on him if he ever needed him. But that was before Amber betrayed him and before he locked down his grizzly.
When he first quit the hunt, he secured all of his weapons and refused to even look at them. At least that was the plan. He broke down within the first 24 hours and cleaned each gun, rifle, blade, hammer, everything. Closing his eyes, he recalled the smell of the cleaner and the metals; it fed his beast, kept the edge off. But that didn’t last long and he finally went cold turkey, refusing to open the safe.
Lips dry, he ran his tongue over them and opened the safe. A combination of metal and Hoppes, his favorite cleaner, sent a rush of euphoria through him. Filled with excitement and a healthy dose of apprehension, he stood with the door open and took several deep breaths.
Grizzle grunted as if waking from hibernation. “Hunt? Find prey?”
Not ready to deal with Grizzle’s excitement, Tag grunted. With slow, loving precision, his gaze landed and kissed his rifles, semi-automatics and other equipment that would cause law officials to clutch their chests in horror. The tips of his fingers stroked the butts and muzzles softly, going from one to the other until he stopped at his .45 caliber Glock. Lifting it from its holder, he stared at it for a moment then locked the safe again.
He held the pistol at eye-level with a firm appreciation for the solid feel of the metal in his hand and the way the overhead light kissed the barrel. Closing one eye, he stretched out his hand and pointed the gun toward the picture on the wall.
“Pow,” he said and opened his eyes. Smiling, he looked at both sides of the gun, grabbed his holster and placed them both in a case. “Ryan, Ryan, Ryan,” he murmured as he grabbed a bag from the closet and tossed a change of clothes and a few toiletries in case he had to stay overnight. “Last time I hunted, I got burned. This time will be different,” he said needing to hear the words said aloud.
“Grizzle hunt? Find prey? Grizzle fight?” This time the question came stronger and Tag couldn’t ignore him.
“Maybe, we hunt but not for prey. We find missing girl and take her home to our friend Ryan,” Tag explained slowly and then waited for a response. Sometimes dealing with his beast required the skill of a master negotiator. Grizzle’s personality matched his to a certain point and according to his father they wouldn’t merge until he mated, well they would both mate. Until then Tag and Grizzle cohabitated the same body playing an interesting tug of war for dominance.
“We help Ryan, friend.”
Tag’s lips quirked, pleased Grizzle remembered the time Ryan saved their ass in the jungle. Grizzle would work harder to repay that debt. “Yes, he is, we are going to help him.”
After making a quick call to his neighbor to watch his place for a few days, Tag was ready. His phone chirped. Looking at the cell, he smiled.
“Tiana, does Mom know you’re calling me?” he asked as a smile widened. As the only male in a set of triplets, he got a kick out of teasing his sisters all the time. Tiana’s sunny disposition made her the target of most of his childhood pranks; getting a rise out of her had been worth the risk of her wrath. Most times he was successful, although she was fast and had a mean left hook.
“Of course she does, I wanted you to know I’m coming to visit you next week, my ticket’s already purchased. I’m not asking, Tag, I’m telling you,” she said in a serious tone.
Hackles rising, Tag sat in his vehicle looking out the window and spoke through a tight jaw. “Who is he?”
“What?”
“Who are you running away from? Did someone mess with you? Touch you?” The thought of anyone hurting his sister caused his vision to darken and his incisors to lengthen. “Tell me what the fuck happened? Tell me now!”
Her laughter sounded like a combination of bells and a snare drum. “Tag, don’t forget as the oldest by a few minutes I kicked your scrawny ass when we were growing up, so rest easy brother of mine. I’m not running away from anyone. I wish someone would –”
“No, you don’t. A lot has changed from when we were kids Tiana. You’ll never grow as big as a Grizzle so stop talking like that,” he warned, calming as her words registered.
“True, but who says I have to mate with a Grizzle? Arrogant, wild, no filter, uncultured –”
“Stop, you made your point, we’re worthless to your Highness. So what’s going on?” It wasn’t that Tiana couldn’t visit; he just didn’t trust their mother to allow her to travel from Montana alone and suspected more.
“Ever just wanted to get away, see different things and experience different things?”
Tag started the car. “Yes, I can say I have.” He left home for University, didn’t return after graduation and ignored the fallout. Female bears capable of breeding were kept closer to home but Tiana knew all of this.
“If I get one more invitation to a cotillion or soiree, I swear I’ll scream. There has to be more to life than garden parties and shopping for clothes to wear to those dreary events. I want to see a live concert, or go to a club and dance with someone I don’t know.”
“Uh… well I don’t –” He thought of how he treated the female bears he met in clubs and the idea of his sister in one of those places made his blood chill. He couldn’t imagine Tiana skimpily dressed, her arousal heavy in the air begging for sex. He shook his head, to dispel the image. “That’s not what you want to do.”
“Fun, that’s why I’m coming to visit. I need to have some fun for once in my life,” she said ending on a high, drama-filled note.
“Are you sure Mom knows you’re talking to me?” No way would his mom agree to what she described as fun. Tag would bet his sisters were still virgins and if they weren’t - he didn’t want to know about it.
“I informed her of my intent to call you, yes.” She didn’t sound nearly as confident now.
“What’s going on, Tiana? Just tell me.” He turned onto the highway and headed south.
“Mom suggested Tiffani and I visit you. She’s… she’s dating and has plans to go on a cruise with her new friend later this month. She wants to make sure we’re… having fun.”
Tag snorted. His mom wanted him to babysit her precious girls, which killed the type of fun Tiana had in mind. Even though he was the youngest of the three, his mother always treated him as the oldest often making him responsible for his sisters.
Wait, did she say dating? He swallowed hard. Timotheus Brewer, his dad, had been dead 30 months and five days. His mom was a beautiful bear who lost her mate. If it weren’t for the cubs she had given birth to, she would have joined his father. The ability to bear cubs was the gold crown for women in his world. Barren bears had a rough time and were treated as second-class citizens. Those who couldn’t reproduce lived among humans in shame. It wasn’t fair but that’s the way his society celebrated life and the posterity of their race.
“That’s good. Who’s she dating? Someone we know?” he asked hoping he didn’t know the guy.
“Chester who owns the corner market.”
A burly, russet-haired Grizzle flowed across his mind. Chester had never mated, had no cubs and from everything he remembered, the man smelled good. “Let’s hope he makes Mom happy. She deserves it.”
“You took that better than we did, I mean I thought you’d be mad. What’s going on with you? Are you dating? Got a little black bear on the side handling your business?”
Tag laughed. Tiana was a breath of fresh clueless
ness. “No and stop watching cable TV, you’re getting the words all mixed and wrong. As far as Mom dating, I want her to be happy and if Chester does that, it’s all good.” He meant it and maybe she’d back off him if she was busy with her own life. Despite the threat from BMP to destroy his mom, Tag would do anything to keep her happy and ignorant of the truth of his dad’s death.
“Well, I’ll be sure and pass that along. Don’t forget I’ll be there in two weeks. I’ll text my flight information.”
“Is Tiffani coming?” That would surprise him. Unlike Tiana, Tiffani loved soirees, parties and hobnobbing with the upper crust. She expected to be treated like royalty and most of the dummies in her circles complied. The theory being if her mom bore cubs, she and Tiana would as well, which increased their standing in the community.
“Maybe, she hasn’t said. Besides, she’s dating Jeremy and it’s getting serious. Their scents changed. Don’t be surprised if you have to come home soon for a mating party.”
Tag whistled. “That serious?”
“Yeah. He’s been getting really clingy lately, you know how you guys do when you protect your turf. She can’t even go to the bathroom without him hanging around the door to make sure no one talks to her.”
“Uh, yours truly don’t do that stuff. Not even close. So back up with those generalizations.”
“Whatever. When you fall, it’s going to be a loud crash.”
Unable to envision ever behaving like the grizzles she spoke of he laughed. “I miss you brat, send me the information and I’ll dust the guest room.”
“Deal. See you soon. Love you.”
His heart clutched. “Same here.”
Chapter 5
Ryan clicked off and exhaled as his chest loosened. “Harvesting?” he murmured frowning. What the hell was Dragon, no Tag, up to these days? He knew his friend quit the business after that last job in South America when he almost lost an eye but harvesting? He shook his head and stuffed the phone into his back pocket. In the quiet part of Ryan’s mind, he believed someone snatched Camilla from the park. How, in broad daylight with all the people at the park, he couldn’t imagine. But with slavery and forced prostitution on the rise, he needed the best tracker in the country. He refused to think he would be too late or that she was permanently damaged. Closing his eyes he sent up another prayer for her safety.
No one had a nose like his friend. If there were clues in the park, Tag would find them. Thinking of Tag’s hesitation, Ryan hated to push and if this was anyone other than Camilla, he wouldn’t have. It was evident the man had issues on top of issues. There were things about Tag that never quite added up. Ryan never pressed or intruded and Tag never explained how he could find an almond in a pond. They got along just fine though without knowing details, especially after their last job together.
Back then, Tag led the team as tracker. As they neared their destination, he took off running faster than the wind, leaving Ryan behind with Cain. Gunfire erupted. By the time they caught up, Tag lay on the ground bleeding near a barbed, wire mesh between a few trees. Ryan received two bullets in his arm yet managed to drag Tag out of the line of fire until backup came. Ryan still wondered how they’d made it out alive. Those were the longest 15 minutes of his life.
That job had been poorly planned, lacked proper resources and worse, Cain didn’t make it back home. When they returned stateside, the owner of the company and their former squad leader went ballistic on Tag, blaming him for the failure of the mission and Cain’s death. Instead of explaining why he broke protocol by running off or arguing that Cain knew what he signed up for, Tag quit and walked out.
To this day, Ryan had no idea what actually happened. Tag shut down and refused to discuss it. The company refused to pay them the balance of their fees because of the number of casualties and their failure to retrieve the package, their main objective. That job left a stain on Ryan’s record and a bad taste in his mouth.
When he spoke to Tag last year, his friend had bought a home. Or maybe a ranch, Ryan wasn’t sure. Tag had turned away all of Ryan’s requests to visit with weak excuses. In the end, Ryan stopped asking and gave the man space.
“What’s going on?” Tyra, Camilla’s roommate asked, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
Ryan pulled out the high-back dining room chair to sit as he explained his plan. Tyra had been the one to call the police when she couldn’t find Camilla in the park and took the disappearance hard. The somber atmosphere in the condo fed his anxiety over his cousin’s situation. The bright pictures on the wall and festive-colored pillows did not reflect anyone’s tastes or feelings at the moment.
Listening to Tyra berate herself for not answering the phone didn’t help. He had been alternately calming her and pulling information regarding Camilla’s state of mind the last time they were together. It had been a challenge.
“My buddy Tag is coming; believe me that’s a good thing. He’s better than anyone the police have looking into this,” Ryan said, placing his arm around her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. Her short pixie hair complimented her light brown, and round face; it gave her a regal air. Although short, her perfectly-proportioned body in those purple short shorts, drew his eyes to her firm, round ass more than once.
Tyra snorted which made him smile; such a feisty little thing. “They aren’t doing anything, we’re on our own.” She paused then her brow rose. “Tag? That name sounds familiar.” She looked across the room at Jewel. “Where do I know that name, Tag?”
Jewel sniffed and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. She had been crying and cursing the fates over Camilla’s disappearance since he arrived. Her thick dark brown hair lay on her back in a long ponytail, which highlighted her face. Taller than Tyra, she reminded him of Angelina Jolie with that British accent.
“Camilla mentioned him, I believe,” Jewel said.
“Yeah that’s right, they know each other. I think she said something about him being really big and smart,” Tyra said in a thoughtful tone.
Ryan frowned. Camilla had asked him a few questions about Tag and he did everything he could to steer her in the opposite direction. Tag was a great guy friend to hang around for a few drinks but not someone to take home to your sisters. Damn, he thought she’d forgotten that visit a few years back. At least he had hoped she would meet enough men in college to date and get over her awkward shyness.
“She mentioned Tag? Are you sure?” He asked to be certain.
Jewel moved and sat at the small dining table with him and Tyra. “That’s an unusual name, I’m pretty sure we got it right. Why? He doesn’t remember her?”
“Yes, Tag remembers everything.” When Ryan introduced Camilla to his friend, for a moment he thought she’d wrap her arms around Tag if Aunt Marge hadn’t returned with their drinks. Ryan didn’t know what to think or say when Camilla ran out the room as if on fire. Perhaps Tag did something to live up to his name, “Dragon”. But if Tag were interested in Camilla he would have asked questions, no matter what Ryan thought. Tag was upfront about things and never mentioned anything about that night.
Ryan wasn’t sure what to think. Did Camilla have a crush on Tag? He hoped not. Ryan wouldn’t classify Tag as a player but he couldn’t recall the man ever talking about any woman in particular. Women stared at Tag and flirted from a distance; but few approached him. Maybe it was his don’t-bother-me aura or something but women looked but didn’t touch the man until he granted permission with a wave or nod.
“Taller than you, way over six feet, really big across here.” Tyra pointed to his chest. “Dark hair and eyes. He’s supposed to be a tough guy or something?” Tyra asked drawing his attention.
Ryan masked his surprise at Tyra’s description as he thought of his friend. Tag was a maverick who went his own way, did his own thing regardless of what others thought. He had a strong moral code and didn’t deal with fools or fakes. Ryan believed Tag had a built-in BS detector because of his accuracy when he called people out which pissed off
a lot of folks. Not that it mattered to Tag or Ryan. With legs the size of mini-tree trunks, long arms and fists that packed a lethal punch, Tag was the man Ryan wanted at his back in any confrontation.
“Or something,” he said with a crooked grin. When his buddy arrived, Tyra and Jewel could decide for themselves how tough Tag was. “When he gets here, be prepared to go through all the explanations one more time. We’ll go to the park again and see what we can find.”
“Okay,” Tyra said, her tone sad. “How could I sleep through the call? She needed me and I didn’t wake up. Why didn’t I wake up and go help?” Soft, shiny brown eyes stared into his asking for forgiveness.
He took her hand and patted the top. “You were asleep. Stop beating yourself over this, I need you to focus so we can find Camilla and bring her home.” Deliberately, he removed the pity from his voice and hardened his tone to snap her out of her funk. From the frown and tightening of her mouth, he was successful.
Tyra snatched her hand from between his and stood. “That’s a crappy thing to say, I am focused, Milla’s my girl.” She walked away at a fast clip and headed down the hall toward the bedrooms.
Ryan glanced at Jewel who smiled at him. “She must like you.”
Remembering the flash of anger in Tyra’s eyes just then, he frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“She didn’t curse you out and tell you to get the hell out of here. Tyra has a temper and goes off when she’s hot,” Jewel said.
“I guess I’m just lucky, huh?” He grinned and stood. “I’m going back to the park, maybe I missed something.”
“You missed an old-fashioned cussing but that’s a good thing,” Jewel laughed.
Bear with Me (Bear Mountain Patrol Series Book 1) Page 4