by T. Cobbin
She looked at him with a shrug. “It’s cold outside, and chocolate goes better with cold weather.” She smiled.
He narrowed his eyes at her. What was going on with her? Flo interrupted his musing by passing over two mugs of steaming hot java and a cup of chocolate brimming with tiny marshmallows on the top.
“Thanks, Flo.” Taking the cups, they went and sat at one of the small, round tables on the right side of the bakery. This place was the high point of the village. In the morning it would fill with villagers sitting down with each other, drinking their drinks and eating a sugary treat while discussing the local gossip. Feline shifters were very sociable creatures. But at the moment the bakery was quiet and peaceful.
The bell dinged over the door, and Terrie sauntered in. She had the biggest grin on her face. Harris knew that look. She was up to something. Keeping his mouth shut, he walked back to the counter and picked up the cakes he’d ordered.
“Hey, Flo, can I use your bathroom?” Melinda asked.
“Sure, honey, go ahead.”
Harris was just about to dig into his cake when Felix broke through his thoughts. “Alpha, we have two black SUVs heading toward the village from the west.”
“Okay. I’m at the bakery with Terrie and Melinda. Come join us. Alert all enforcers.”
“Will do.”
“We have company,” he said aloud, alerting the others. “Terrie, sit here and keep an eye on the window. Lens, stay behind the counter. Flo, go get Melinda and keep her in your apartment and away from the windows. Let me know it’s done.”
The old feline moved quickly to the stairs that went up to her flat above the bakery where she lived with her husband and son. He forced himself to remain seated at the table, while all the time his leopard crawled at his skin to be with his mate.
“She’s safe and away from the windows, Alpha.”
“Thank you, Flo. Stay with her please.”
Although his mate was safe and was within walking distance that knowledge didn’t help Harris relax. Of course, this might not have anything to do with her at all. It might just be someone passing through. He didn’t believe that though. The next thing he did was to make sure every single shifter knew that they had visitors and to be on alert.
Just as the SUVs pulled up outside the small row of village shops, Felix walked into the bakery. He nodded to Harris and sat down at the table with them. Harris knew all eyes were on the vehicles as they came to a stop. The two men in the first car didn’t move. The passenger in the second SUV got out and opened the back door. As he leaned down to open the door his coat fell open enough for Harris to see he was wearing a firearm.
“Armed,” Felix muttered.
Harris spotted the fancy leather shoes of the person who was sitting in the back seat as they hit the pavement. The perfectly pressed black trousers was the next thing he saw. When the man stood, Harris automatically recognized his face from the file Garrett had given him. Jacob Hardy.
With long, sure strides the man walked into the bakery with two bodyguards behind him. At a quick glance it was obvious that the man had money. There were two thick, gold chains around his neck and a Rolex on his wrist, as well as fingers full of gold rings. He was dressed in a tailored three-piece suit underneath an expensive, long black coat.
“Ahh, Mr. Rockwell, just the man I need to speak to,” Jacob drawled in greeting, looking toward Harris. “My name is Jacob Hardy, and I’ve come to your quaint little village in search of my niece. I was told she’d been seen here a couple of times over the last week.”
For a split second Harris wondered if there was a shifter who’d gone behind their backs and said something about Melinda being there. But he rejected that thought almost as soon as it entered his mind. Not one bloody shifter in this village would do something like that. He knew these people. Jacob Hardy was lying through his teeth.
Harris nodded to the pretentious piece of filth. It was taking all his restraint just to hold his leopard in check. His beast wanted to leap on the foul creature before him and rip his throat out so he never hurt another person again.
“What the fuck, man? Do you think someone said something?” his brother asked him, probably thinking the same as he did.
“No, but I bet you a pound to a penny we’ve missed something. Get the enforcers out there. Sniff, look, and examine every nook and cranny around here. But tell them to be careful. Chris mentioned scenting the men every now and again, but he wasn’t able to get a direct hit on where they had been.” Harris had a sinking feeling in his gut that somewhere out there Jacob had his men watching the village.
“Aye aye.” His brother answered the same way he always did.
Harris sat back in his chair, hoping to give a ‘nonchalant look’ when inside he was rolling in anger. How dare a man like this come to his village? He also wondered if there was any way he could make this crook disappear without suffering any consequences.
“Nice little village you have here. Out of the way, no prying eyes, very tight community.” Jacob nodded and looked over at Harris. “You are Mr. Rockwell correct? The village spokesperson?” The man seemed to have spent some time gathering information. Harris wondered how much more he knew.
“Yes, I am, and yes, we like it here. You mentioned a missing niece, two men came looking for a missing female about a week ago. Were they anything to do with you?”
“Yes, unfortunately they were.” Jacob let out a sigh and played with the black leather gloves he held in his hand. “They were the ones who misplaced her. But when they came by your village and asked about my niece they didn’t like the answer they received.” Jacob fisted the gloves in his hand and slapped them against his other palm. “That left my men with a problem—face me or find the girl. And I’m not the type of person who likes losing things, Mr. Rockwell. Lucky for them, they chose to stick around and stakeout your small community.”
Harris went on instant alert, and his brother beside him automatically stiffened too.
“Lucky as in how?” Harris asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Jacob looked Harris square in the eyes. Harris could see no deception in his eyes at all, which made him wonder what the bloody hell his men had seen.
“Not only have they seen my niece, but they have also seen another strange thing too.”
“Well, do you intend to tell me what they supposedly saw or not?” Harris asked, standing up, both him and his leopard getting annoyed.
Harris was a good foot taller than Jacob, leaving his leopard to give a happy chuff inside about the man having to look up at them. However, that was short lived when Jacob reached inside his jacket and pulled out a rolled up black-and-white photograph of a large, black panther.
There was no way anyone could doubt the size of the cat being it was pictured rubbing up against the legs of a young brunette female in the doorway of the village post office. Harris knew the cat in question was Toby Turner, the post office master, and the brunette was his mate Hannah. The pair of them were the only panthers in Stonesdale. He also knew that the picture had been taken without their knowledge. The couple had asked for sanctuary in the community a few years ago. They were hiding from their own problems and wouldn’t want to advertise where they were.
Chapter 21
“The men have a camera with a long lens on it. Search wide, they must still be out there.” Harris passed the photograph to his brother.
“The cats around here are rather big beasts.” Harris smiled at Jacob. “This picture is supposed to mean what may I ask?”
“Well, I know for a fact several times a year your village is inundated with tourists and hunters looking for the moors beast. They sure bring in the money, don’t they? I wonder what would happen if this picture was released. The papers would have a field day. The beast of the moors would be exposed as a farce. People would stop coming. There would also be a question as to how the panther is being looked after.” Jacob trailed off, leaving a pause in the air.
Harris didn’
t give a shit if the picture was given to the papers and the panther image revealed. If it were investigated, no one would find a panther anywhere in the village. He was just worried about his people. A lot of the villagers were running from others or wished to stay hidden even in their human form.
“Pictures like this can be photoshopped,” Felix said, throwing the photo. It spun across the table and landed on the floor at Jacob’s feet. “If that’s all you have to go on, then man, you have nothing.”
Jacob looked down at the picture at his feet and stepped over it to sit in a chair at the table next to them. “Then it’s a good thing I have several that were taken in succession.”
“We can’t let that picture go to the press. It will cause too much trouble for the couple. We need to find those men and get rid of Jacob.” Felix was getting frustrated, and if Harris wasn’t careful, he was going to blow the situation to hell.
“Felix, you need to calm down. Go see if you can find these men. If they are found, then we can call a halt to this. My mate’s life is in danger here, as well as some of the villagers. We can’t blow it.”
Felix stood and walked out of the café, growling as he went.
Harris picked up the picture and slid it onto the table in front of Jacob. “You seem to have done some homework on us, Mr. Hardy. If we had your niece, then why would we hand her over for this picture? People would come and find nothing, and as for their money, we don’t need it.”
Jacob looked up at him, and worry briefly flashed through his eyes. “As I said earlier, Mr. Rockwell, I am not a man who likes losing. How about I start picking your people off one by one? This time though with a gun and not a camera.”
Harris slammed his hands on top of the table in front of Jacob, the noise of cracking wood sounding through the small shop. The man didn’t even flinch whereas his bodyguards both put their hands inside their jackets where their guns were.
“Is that a threat?” Harris asked.
“No, that’s a promise.” Jacob sat back in his seat with a smarmy smile on his face. One Harris wanted to knock off.
“How about I call the copper in and you say that again?”
“Oh please do, police are easy to pay off.”
Harris sneered and growled in frustration. “Not all coppers are dirty. Why don’t you take your fancy car and your idiotic threats and promises and fuck off?”
Jacob reached inside his jacket again and pulled out another black-and-white photograph. He slid it on top of the one laying on the table. “As soon as I have my niece…” He tapped a finger on the picture. “I will leave.”
Harris looked down to see an image of his sister walking arm in arm with his mate. “Go upstairs, Terrie. Now!” Harris barked.
“I can see the resemblance now,” Jacob muttered, watching Terrie rise from her seat and walk through the bakery. “Sister, I guess?”
Harris’s vision turned red. He needed some good news right now.
“Anything?” he asked his brother.
“Aye, Alpha. Chris has wind of two men’s scent. They’re moving, and we’re following in pursuit. We also found a tin of hunter spray they must have been using, that’s why we couldn’t find them.”
“Get them. I want them found ASAP.”
The ding of the bell above the bakery door clanged. Harris sniffed the air and caught the scent of the oversized lion before twisting his head to see Garrett standing there minus his uniform.
“Morning, folks. I was told we had some visitors here,” Garrett said cheerfully.
“Aye, we do.” Harris snarled. “We have someone who says we’re hiding his woman. Plus, he intends to pick our people off one by one. Oh, and he has a rather shifty photograph of the so-called moors beast wrapped around our post office mistress.” Harris turned his stare back to Jacob. “He also says all coppers can be bought.”
“Oh really now?” asked Garrett, taking a seat opposite Jacob and looking him over. “We had a couple of gentlemen here last week asking about a missing young lady. Is this anything to do with that?” he asked the man.
Jacob stood abruptly, pulled a card from his pocket, let it drop to the table, and walked to the door. “I’m fed up with playing these games. I’ll be back in an hour. Make sure my niece is ready to leave, Mr. Rockwell. You may keep the photos. I have plenty more.” And with that he walked out of the shop and got in his car, his two bodyguards following him.
“Was it something I said?” Garrett smiled.
Harris watched the two SUVs start up and drive away. First, he needed to make sure his mate was okay, then he needed to release his leopard and find Jacob’s men. Within a minute of the cars disappearing, Flo, Terrie, and his mate came down from upstairs. Melinda rushed into his arms, hugging him for dear life.
* * * *
Melinda sighed in her mate’s arms. It had been a nightmare being upstairs and not knowing what was happening. Terrie came up and told her everything that had gone on, which had helped. When the cars had pulled away, Flo had told them it was safe to go down. She’d rushed downstairs and straight into Harris’s arms.
She noticed the photo on the table and gasped. “He knows I’m here.”
Harris pushed her an arm’s length away from him but never released her from his tight hold. Looking up at him, she saw sorrow in his eyes and immediately felt guilty for bringing all of this to his door. Terrie had told her Jacob had threatened to take out the villagers if he didn’t get his hands on her. Could she really let any of this community be killed when they’d all been so nice to her? She had also noticed the small, white card with Jacob’s number on it beside the photos. She could put a stop to this herself, couldn’t she? She had come to love this village and the people in it. Looking into her mate’s eyes, she vowed no one would get hurt because of her.
“I won’t let him take you, Chick. You’re mine.”
“What about the villagers though?”
A questioning look came over Harris’s face as if to ask her how she knew. She just shrugged and looked toward Terrie. Harris looked at his sister with a glare.
“Hey.” Melinda slapped him lightly on the chest with her hand. “Don’t you glare at your sister. At least she told me what was going on. Would you have?”
“No, you’re right. Sorry, Terrie. I want you both to go back to the house with Garrett. I need to find some troublemakers. Will you do that and wait for me?”
She nodded and leaned up to kiss him. She kissed him like it was her last time. She poured ever single ounce of passion and love inside of her into it. Finally stepping back from her man, she watched him leave the shop.
The village seemed empty as they walked back to the house. No one spoke, which only added to the silence. Melinda fingered the small, white card in her pocket, which she had picked up from the table, and she began making a plan in her head.
* * * *
Harris and a couple of enforcers followed the scent of fake fresh pine. It was a spray hunters sometimes used. Now that they knew what to look for they could distinguish it from the real stuff and the men combined. It was currently growing stronger, indicating they were coming closer to the men. Several of the shifters also discovered a few potholes around the area the men had masked and used as spying holes.
Harris was furious that they had been watched and hadn’t discovered these men before now. He was going to call a meeting with his enforcers after this. Things would have to change to make sure this didn’t happen again. They all had too much to lose.
“Alpha, I have sight of two men in camouflage clothing. Both are carrying shotguns.”
“Where are they, Chris?”
“A mile south of the north road.”
Harris relayed everything to his men. A few minutes later his brother mentally told him—amongst all the swear words—he had found a van heavily masked with trees hidden off the road.
“They won’t be going anywhere if I slash their tires.” His brother chuckled back a few minutes later.
“
They won’t be needing the van anyway, but no slashing, we will have to move it.”
In the distance he too caught sight of two men in kaki-colored clothes. Sending a message to each of his shifters, they surrounded the two men. Nope, they weren’t going to need the car now.
Chapter 22
The two men were talking quietly while walking amoung the mud, grim, and rocks of the moors. Both of them carried shotguns. They had no idea they were currently surrounded by a multitude of shifter cats.
“I wonder how the boss’s visit went.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll be glad to get out of here. I don’t know what it is, but that village is kinda creepy. I mean who the hell keeps a fucking great big cat in their house?”
“You just don’t like cats, that’s all.” The other man chuckled.
“Yeah, well...” The man on the left suddenly stopped as if alerted to something.
Harris crouched lower in the long grass.
“What did you stop for, man?” the other whispered.
“Didn’t you hear that growl? Sounded like a big fucking animal that’s hungry.”
The other man slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. “Yeah, you sure are creeped out. Come on, let’s get going before night sets in.”
“Shut up, you idiot. I’m serious, it could be that big fucking cat we saw.”
“Oh, come on. Joke’s over, let’s go.”
With a grunt and a sigh the men started walking again.
Harris gave the order to advance. He was sick to the back teeth of having filth on his land that didn’t belong there. Before the men could raise their guns each of the fifteen shifters made themselves known, circling the men. A low rumble filled the air as their growls combined. Harris shifted and stood butt naked in front of the two quivering men. They were so shocked they didn’t even raise their guns.
“Put your guns down slowly,” he ordered.
Following his instruction, they slowly bent, dropping their guns on the ground.
“Fucking hell, you keep more than one cat here?” one of the men asked.