Dancing Bearback (BBW Shifter Cowboy Western Romance) (Bear Ranchers Book 3)

by Becca Fanning

  Judge was lean, dark skinned shifter with a bald head. Still, he was huge. His eyes were cold and calculated. If any of these shifters were killers, then she sure he was guilty. Even the name scared her. Judge. She considered asking him how he got the nickname, but decided against it.

  “You must forgive Jace,” Judge said, turning around from the passenger seat. “He's not much of a talker.”

  “That's okay with me,” Emma said, shooting Jace a glare. “I wish he could keep his eyes to himself as well as he keeps his mouth shut.”

  The men up in the front seat burst into laughter. “Got something you want to tell us, Jace?”

  He spoke up. “Yeah. She's a cop. She hates shifters.”

  The laughter died. She rolled her shoulders, watching Derrick's eyes narrow in the rear-view mirror. Once again, silence descended on Emma. She didn't know what to say. The last thing she wanted to do was anger three shifters in an enclosed space. She remembered what the last one had done.

  “Is that true, Officer Miller. Or can I call you Emma?” Judge asked, all hints of friendship gone. His voice was icy. When she didn't answer, he repeated, “Is that true?”

  “I had a bad experience a couple months back with one,” was all she said.

  “So you hate all shifters, is that it?” Derrick asked.

  “No, that's not it.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Shifters aren't looked upon fondly in law enforcement. A lot of shifters are criminals.”

  Judge let out a loud laugh. “Indeed! A lot of humans are too! Do you believe everything you're told? Do you believe everything your corrupt coworkers say?”

  Emma put her head down, embarrassed. Judge was right, at least for the time being. They were risking their lives to protect her, Brock, and countless others, even if some of them were cops. And because she'd had a bad run in with one shifter, and had heard bad things from her superiors, she'd believed they were all bad. The realization hit her like a truck full of bricks. In seconds, she was sobbing, hands in her face.

  “I'm...sorry...” she managed between sobs. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Jace looking at her, concern on his face. For once, she realized she wanted him to say something. Say that everything was alright. That everyone makes mistakes.

  “Don't cry,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. Emma nuzzled into him, tears wet on his shirt. For the first time since all of this started, she felt safe. He whispered, “It's okay.” She found that she believed him.

  From the front seat, Emma heard Judge say, “Yeah, and to be fair, a lot of shifters are criminals. And we don't look to fondly on cops. But we're trying to change that.”

  Before she knew it, Emma was laughing through her tears while the others chuckled at Judge's admission. The tension in the vehicle was fading, though Emma still felt uneasy. Even though she knew she was in the wrong, she couldn't shake the feeling that this situation couldn't work out. Shifters and police officers were never meant to cooperate, no matter how good of people they actually were. She knew that no matter what she said, law enforcement frowned upon the shifters, and shifters likewise avoided dealing with the police.

  Slowly, she pulled away from Jace, finding she was reluctant to do so. As she did, she thought she sensed reluctance on his part, as well. Why would he be reluctant to let me go? She wondered. I'm a cop. He's a shifter. No matter what we're feeling, it can't work out.

  The SUV pulled into the hospital parking lot. As Derrick parked, Judge turned around and looked at Emma. “Hey. No hard feelings. Give me a quick run through of what we're up against here.”

  “I witnessed a murder a few weeks ago. Corrupt cops tried to cover it up. I exposed them and most of the cops in my precinct got involved in the cover up. Brock – Sergeant Franklin – was the only one who stood by my side. Last night, Officers Anderson and Forman attempted to set me up and kill me. Sergeant Franklin saved my life.”

  “From what Russell said, one of them is dead.”

  “That would be Forman. Sergeant Franklin shot him a few times.”

  “Okay, that's good. We know that Anderson is invested in making sure Sergeant Franklin dies. I don't like that you're here, Emma. He's gunning for you too, but we'll keep you safe. Let's go.”

  The four got out of the SUV. The weather was dark and cold. Emma shivered, walking next to Jace, behind the other two shifters.

  “Stay close and we'll get through this, no matter what happens,” Jace whispered.

  “That's the most I've ever heard you say,” she replied, smiling. To her surprise, Jace flashed her a quick smile before becoming all business. They walked in the front doors and Derrick and Emma headed up to the front desk, finding out where Brock was. The nurse was reluctant at first, until Emma had told her she was his partner.

  “He's been asking for you,” the nurse said, instantly cheering up. “Follow me.”

  Together, the five of them went down the hallway. Despite the brightness of the hospital, Emma couldn't help but feeling the weight of the building on her conscience. She'd never liked hospitals, and this visit was even worse than normal. She was constantly looking over her shoulder, looking for Anderson or any of the other officers.

  “Have there been many other officers visiting?” Emma asked, as casually as she could.

  “A few. One named Anderson, I think. He seemed really concerned about Mr. Franklin's health.”

  Emma felt the pit of her stomach drop and she watched as the hackles on the three men rose. Tension was in the air. The danger was electric. To the nurse's credit, she didn't seem to notice. They took an elevator up two floors before she lead them to the room, knocked, and was on her way.

  Inside, a female doctor was checking on Brock's vitals. She smiled when she saw Emma. “You must be Officer Miller. Emma. Besides his family, you're all he talks about. I'm Doctor Flynn.”

  Emma shook her hand and watched her eyes take in each man. Her eyes found their golden eyes and she stiffened slightly. Emma was sure she would have never noticed without her police training. She must not see many shifters in here…

  “How's he doing, Doc?” Judge asked.

  “Well, all things considered. He took four bullets, three in his chest and one in his neck. He lost a lot of blood and he's not out of the woods yet, but he's a fighter. I'm optimistic.”

  Emma watched the smile falter, concern flashing on Doctor Flynn's face for a split second. “What's wrong, Doctor Flynn?”

  She hesitated, but then asked, “Can I speak to you out in the hallway, Officer Miller? It has to do with what he's said about his attacker. It's sensitive police information.”

  Jace nodded at her. Emma was nervous, but she would only be out in the hallway. “Call me Emma, please.”

  “Emma,” the doctor said, once they were out in the hallway. “Look, I didn't want to say this in front of the other men, but Sergeant Franklin has been saying some interesting things. About his attackers, and how Officer Anderson is not to be allowed into his room. He was here about 15 minutes ago, but left to get food. He said he would be back soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep him out of the room. What's going on?”

  “It's complicated. But know that Anderson, and any other officers shouldn't be allowed to see him. He's in danger. Two of those men have been sent here to protect him. The third is to protect me.”

  “So it is true,” Flynn said, thinking. “I knew he was telling the truth, but I didn't want to believe what he was saying. We'll have him moved up to a higher security unit. I'm assuming his family won't be coming to see him?”

  “They're in protection, too. I'm sorry to get you involved in this,” Emma said, regretting that she was involving civilians in her problems.

  “It's fine. I became a doctor to help people. I can do that in more ways than one. I will make arrangements to get him moved. There's one more thing, Emma. Anderson told me to tell him if you showed up. He's looking for you.”

  “Thanks,�
� Emma said. Flynn left to arrange Brock's move to another unit. Emma went back inside the room, seeing the three men standing around Brock's bed.

  “What's the word?” Jace asked. Emma quickly explained what was going on. Within minutes, the doctor was back with a few nurses, ready to move Brock.

  As his bed was rolled away, Brock came to. His eyes fluttered open. “Emma,” he whispered, holding a hand out weakly.

  “Brock,” she said, grabbing his hand tightly. “It's going to be okay. We've got protection. I will not rest until we've taken everyone down and you're safe.”

  He smiled, then closed his eyes, lost to sleep again. Emma nodded at Doctor Flynn, and the bed was wheeled off. Derrick nodded at Emma and Jace, then followed the bed.

  “We'll keep him safe, don't worry,” Judge said, before he too moved out of the empty room. Emma and Jace stood in silence for a few moments.

  “Let's get you back to safety,” said Jace.

  “No,” Emma said. “I'm tired of running.”

  “Emma, please. Don't be stupid,” Jace said, grabbing her hand. She tried to pull away, but he held firm, turning her around and making her face him. “This is serious. It's dangerous. Let's go back to the HQ and let me keep you safe.”

  “That's all I am to you, huh? A job? A package to keep safe?” she asked as Jace shook his head. “My job is dangerous. I'm a cop. I'm supposed to arrest the bad guys. I will not stop now just because everyone else wants me to.”

  “Emma, you're more than that. You're strong. Brave. Maybe even a little stubborn. You don't have to throw it all away just to prove a point. You're more than just a job. Let me keep you safe.”

  “Yeah, Emma, let him keep you safe,” a voice said from the doorway. She looked over, seeing two cops standing in the doorway. One was Anderson and the other was Martin.

  “Anderson, you can stop while you're ahead. Let me take you in. We're still cops.”

  “Correction, Emma,” he said, a slimy grin on his face. “I'm still a cop. You've been discharged. Guess you didn't hear, huh?”

  “No,” she murmured. Things weren't supposed to go down like this.

  “No,” he mimicked in a whiny voice. “Yes. You've been charged with the murder of Officer Forman and the attempted murder of Sergeant Franklin. She's reaching for her weapon, Martin.”

  His hand moved to his holster. Emma had enough time to think, "He won't!" before he pulled his pistol out, aiming it right at her chest. Anderson pulled the trigger twice and she felt the bullets slamming into her. She stumbled back, struggling to breath, leaning against the window. Her chest tried to rise but it couldn't.

  Jace yelled in anger and then there were more gunshots. Jace yelled in pain for a few seconds before the yells became roars. Leaning against the wall, fumbling at her chest, she watched as Jace shifted in front of her. She'd only seen it once before and had been terrified at the time, but now, she welcomed it.

  People were screaming in the hallway as Anderson and Martin moved into the room. Jace lunged forward, his massive bear form taking up most of the room. Anderson ducked a swipe, shooting his pistol into Jace's side. Blood exploded across the floor.

  Emma looked down, ripping her shirt open, seeing the two bullets embedded in her bulletproof vest. Seeing that she wasn't harmed gave her a second wind. She rose to her knees, pulling her gun, and aimed at Anderson. She fired once, the bullet hitting him in his thigh. He screamed in pain, dropping to the ground and crawling out of the room.

  Martin, meanwhile, was moving towards Emma, his gun pointed at her. Jace had frozen, unsure of what to do. Martin could take her out in one shot.

  “Put the gun down, Miller,” he ordered. Emma complied, setting the gun on the ground and kicking it towards him. “Good, good. Tell your bear friend to step back.”

  Jace held his ground for a split second, then conceded, moving back towards the exit. Emma couldn't tell where Anderson had gone, but there was a good trail of blood leading out of the room. She'd got him good. That was almost enough.

  Martin was behind her, his gun pointed at her head. Still, he was trapped. Emma knew the only way out was taking out both her and Jace. She saw Jace slumping in pain. He'd taken a couple of bullets. She knew that she'd learned in training how much punishment a shifter could take in bear form, but she couldn't remember. Please, she thought. Don't be hurt badly.

  “I'm sorry it had to be this way,” Martin whispered in her ear. This was it. Before he could pull the trigger, she lifted a foot backwards, striking him between the legs. Martin screamed in pain, letting her go for a split second. Emma dove to the side, a split second before Jace crashed into Martin. Their combined force blew through the top of the wall, shattering the window, and they were flying out of the hospital.

  Emma ran to the edge, watching them fall towards the ground. She screamed when they hit, a sickening thud. Jace had landed on top of Martin. She watched his limp hand open, the gun falling onto the ground. Blood and shattered glass littered the ground all around them.

  She ran out of the room, following the blood trail down the hallway. Anderson was crawling towards the elevator. As he reached it, it opened and Judge stepped out. Emma reached the two of them, handcuffing Anderson and telling Judge what had happened. He stayed behind, making sure Anderson went nowhere.

  Next, she was running down the hallway, chest still hurting every time she took a breath. People got in her way, but she yelled, “Police! Please move!” Am I really, though? She wondered. If what Anderson had said was true, she wasn't a cop any longer. She realized she didn't care.

  Outside, two men lay on the ground. Jace had shifted back into his human form and rolled off of Martin. The officer was clearly dead, though whether from the fall, Jace's weight on top of him, or a combination, she couldn't be sure. Jace was covered in blood but didn't seem to be wounded. She knelt beside him, looking his body over – his naked body – checking him for more serious damage. He'd been clipped a few times and the one serious hole in his stomach was already closing. Her eyes found what was between his legs and gasped, averting her eyes while she blushed.

  “My eyes are up here, lady” he said, slowly sitting up, a pained grin on his face.

  “Payback?” Emma offered, and Jace laughed for a split second, before clutching his side and grimacing.

  “I thought you were dead!” Emma yelled, wrapping her arms around his large body. She felt him grab her, embracing her and she willed him never to let her go. As she had ran up and saw his body on the ground, she had feared the worse, and realized she couldn't ever forgive herself if something happened to him.

  “I'll be okay. We're tough. I was more worried about you. I saw you get shot,” Jace said. He grabbed her face in his hands, putting his forehead against hers. “I thought I'd lost you.”

  Emma felt his lips inches from her own. She longed to kiss him, to give in to her feelings. She peeled off her shirt, covering Jace's lower body.

  “I'm glad you wore that thing,” he said, knocking a hand twice against her bullet proof vest. “We need to get out of here before we draw more attention.”

  Reluctantly, Emma pulled away from Jace. She helped him limp back towards the SUV, explaining what had happened after he'd taken a tumble out of the window.

  “The others are staying behind at the hospital. I cuffed Anderson. He won't be going anywhere soon. We need to get you back to Russell.”

  “No. We've got to move fast. After what just happened at the hospital, the cops are going to be looking for us. We have to get to the bottom of this, and fast. If we don't, we might be the ones getting arrested. Here, you drive,” he said, tossing her the keys.