"Cindy, what happened to the cub's mother? Why does he seem to be afraid of you?"
Oh, no, his bear said.
What? Tell me.
Cindy says his mother was murdered. She says the cub needs to be loved, but he's afraid.
Murdered? No wonder Martin was so frightened. Thomas shivered as chills ran up his spine. He held Martin even closer.
"Thank you, Cindy. I'll take care of him."
She says you're welcome, Thomas's bear told him. She says to take good care of the cub. He's a very important bear, and will do many important things in his life. She says he will save many people, starting with you.
How does she know that?
But before his bear could answer, Thomas's cell phone rang. It was Rachel. She told him about her studio being broken into.
"Call the police!" he said to her, trying to stay calm so that he didn't frighten Martin. "We're on our way."
As Thomas ran from the bear courtyard, Cindy released an anguished growl.
9
Rachel was in tears when Thomas arrived.
Her studio had been trashed! Months of work, down the drain. Who would do this to her? And why?
When she'd heard a crash from inside the house, Rachel had grabbed a shovel and rushed in. Thinking, This is stupid. This is dumb. I'm going to get killed. But an instinct took over and she couldn't help herself. She felt like a superhero, strong and awesome, as she strode down the hall towards her kitchen. The hallway was normal, nothing was out of place.
Then she remembered that Thomas had told her to call the police. The police! She ran back to her phone—which she had left outside when she grabbed the shovel— and dialed 911.
"Do not go in the house," the dispatcher told her.
She stayed on the phone until the police were on their way. Then she crept back to her studio. She was alone; whoever had done this was gone.
The studio windows were wide open, and wind and rain blew into the room. She closed the windows and locked them. She heard a crash out in the garden and picked up the shovel, ready to brain whoever walked in.
It was Thomas!
She ran into his arms. As he embraced her, Rachel leaned on his chest and felt safe. He held her tightly, still holding Martin's carrier.
Sirens wailed from the street as the police arrived.
Officer Julia showed up to investigate and make a report. "Your locks were jimmied," Julia said, showing her the door knob.
As they walked through the house and Rachel checked to see if anything else was damaged—it wasn't, thank god—Rachel asked Julia if she'd found out anything about the abandoned warehouse.
"It's being rented by a trading company. That's all I know," Julia said.
"Trading? Maybe exotic animal trading?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know. But I can find out. Right now, we're more concerned about a series of fires that have been set near the water district."
"What kind of fires? Kids goofing around?"
"No, they're more like controlled burns. Someone is burning the wild vegetation in the neighborhood. Small wooded plots between houses. Basically anything that isn't a planting made by man is getting burned down."
"Weird. How does that make sense?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. It's starting to look too empty and manicured around here. This is Seattle, not some strip mall town."
Once everything had been put back in order, Rachel saw that she'd only lost her most recent drawings, not her entire inventory of art, and much of it was at the printers. It was terrible, just not as terrible as it had first seemed.
She would have to redo some of her bear drawings, but she loved drawing bears. Her editor would understand the delay.
"So how is the little guy doing, anyway?" Julia asked, tickling Martin's toes. "It's okay to touch him now, right?"
"It's fine," Thomas said.
"He's doing better. He sure eats a lot." Rachel smiled.
"He's gotten a lot bigger, yeah. I was just going to say that."
"He doesn't seem acclimated to other bears. He doesn't seem to know that he is one," Thomas told them.
Julia bent over to look at him closely. "He's so cute. Oh, my god. I want to get a puppy, but maybe I should get a bear cub instead. Do you want to come home with me, little fella?"
Martin cooed at her. "He's such a flirt," Thomas said.
Julia stood up and looked around the studio. "You all set for now?" she asked, rubbing her palms on her pant legs.
"I guess so."
"Okay," Julia said as she left. "Let me know if you need anything else. Have a safe night."
"Rachel, you're coming back to the Sanctuary tonight, right?" Thomas said. He put Martin in her arms, and as she cuddled the cub, Thomas ran his hands up and down her arms and down her back.
"I don't want to leave my place unprotected. In case they return."
"You're brave. And I understand that desire, but believe me, you don't want to use your body as a shield for your property. It's not worth it. I'll station a guard from our neighborhood here tonight."
"Thank you."
Rachel was becoming attached to Thomas, relying on him emotionally the same way Martin was relying on her. She didn't want to stop. It felt right.
"Thank you," she said again.
"This has been quite a day. Let's get everyone back to the Sanctuary."
10
The next morning, Thomas made breakfast, a delicious feast of Eggs Benedict, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and coffee.
Rachel tucked into it like a champ. She seemed to have completely recovered from the previous night's shock.
"Tell me more about the bear whispering thing," she said between bites. "When did you first notice you could do it?"
Tell her about me, his bear urged.
Be quiet, Thomas told his bear.
"I told you my dad was a bear whisperer for the national parks system, right? He traveled around the country, helping design parks that bears would thrive in. Sometimes I would go with him, but mostly I stayed with my mom and extended family. She started building the real estate empire. Well, it's not an empire, I guess. It's just a bunch of buildings that we own and manage in Seattle. My mom is amazing. My dad got all the credit, but she just quietly did what needed to be done."
"She lives next door to you now?"
"She does indeed. Seventy-years-old and going strong. My dad died ten years ago."
"She sounds amazing. They both do."
I'm amazing, his bear said. Tell her.
Thomas ignored the beast.
"I've been lucky." He nodded. "Your parents split when you were a kid? That must have been hard on you."
"No, I mean, yes. I missed my dad. We didn't see him much afterwards."
"Did he move away?"
"No. He…he got a new family. He lives in Seattle still. But honestly, I was more upset when my dog died than when my dad left."
Thomas didn't care about the circumstances: a father never abandons his daughter. Poor Rachel. He longed to comfort her, to pull her into his arms. Her delicate hand rested on the table. He patted it and then left his hand barely touching hers. "And your dog died? Recently?"
She shook her head. "I was eighteen."
"I've never had a pet dog. Not once."
You've got me, his bear said.
Is that a joke? Thomas asked his bear. Since when do you make jokes?
But it's more like you're my pet.
"You should get one! Dogs are great."
"I'll think about it." A bear shifter with a pet dog. Why not?
They were enjoying getting to know each other so much that when there was a knock on the door, they had to remember that they were still at the Sanctuary. They looked at each other and laughed.
"Why is that funny?" Thomas asked.
"I don't know."
Rachel opened the door and her jaw dropped. It was Kirk and Shaun Randall. She shut the door to a crack and said, "What are you doing
here?"
Kirk pushed at the door, and said, "This man read about the cub on Facebook and messaged me. He's gonna make a donation to help support its care." He turned to Shaun. "Feeding our bears is an unending task. We're grateful for your help."
"I just want to take a peek at the little fellow before getting out my checkbook," Shaun said, smirking at Rachel.
"Where's Lea?" Rachel said. Thomas joined her at the door.
"We're not letting anyone touch the bear cub," Kirk continued, "but you can look, right, guys? He's in isolation essentially, except for feedings."
In the morning light, burn scars were plainly visible beneath the menacing snake tattoos covering Shaun Randall's arms. It looked as though he had been very badly wounded once. Pain was still visible in his eyes, even though the scars had healed; it was almost as if a fire was still raging in his soul.
"Where's Lea?" Rachel said again, crossing her arms and blocking the door.
"She's out of town. She's gonna be so happy to have this money come in," Kirk said, trying to edge his body past Thomas and Rachel.
"This man was here yesterday. He tried to buy Martin," Rachel said, propping her fists on her hips, her voice raising. "Fifty thousand dollars. Wasn't that the sum?"
"Who's Martin?" Kirk glared at Rachel.
"Baby Boy Cub, who else?"
"The cub is named Martin? Since when?"
"Martin freaked out when he saw this man. There's no way I'm letting him near him again."
"Well, actually, it isn't up to you, Rachel. We're grateful you're pet sitting, but Lea left me in charge of the Sanctuary while she's gone. And I say Mr. Randall here is gonna take a peek at the cub. Now. Where is it?"
"It?"
"An animal is an it. Consult your grammar guide if you don't believe me."
Rachel sucked in a breath, and Thomas could see that she was working hard not to betray her anger. He, on the other hand, had no problem with being strong.
"The cub is asleep," Thomas said in his booming voice. "Why don't you come back this afternoon, Mr. Randall. Unless you're too busy at the DA's office."
Shaun gasped and took one big step back. "I'll drop off a check at the front office," Shaun said to Kirk as he walked quickly away. Kirk scurried after him.
Bull's-eye, Thomas's bear said.
Rex had texted Thomas that a Shaun Randall worked in the DAs office last year but was thought to have perished in a fire—after trying to expose shifter communities.
Thomas had no doubt that Randall was mixed up in Martin's traumatic past. But what the hell was he up to? And what had he done with Martin's mother?
"That was weird." Rachel looked out the window and watched Shaun get into his orange Subaru. "What did you mean about the DA's office?"
"Shaun Randall is a bad person. I'll explain in the car. Come on, let's go get him."
11
Rachel scooped up Martin, and they ran out to Thomas's SUV.
She started to put Martin in the back, but he cried and clung to her.
"He doesn't want to go in the car seat," Thomas pointed out.
"Martin's an animal, so technically he doesn't need to be in a car seat. He can sit on my lap like my dog used to do when I was a kid."
"Legally, right. He's not required to be in a car seat," Thomas agreed.
"It just feels wrong, though, doesn't it? He feels more like a baby to me than an animal." She kissed Martin on the top of his head. "It's okay, sweetheart, you can go in the car seat and I'll sit with you in the back."
She hovered over Martin while strapping him in the car seat, then sat next to him, holding his paw while Thomas started the car. She cupped a hand around Martin's chest until he fell asleep.
As they drove to the warehouse, Thomas told Rachel what he'd found out from his cousin about Shaun Randall. He had worked in the DA's office last year until he betrayed his boss by recording private conversations and threatening to release them to the public. He was thought to have died in an apartment fire. And he did not treat animals well. Not at all.
Rachel kept a comforting hand on Martin. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him.
They arrived at the warehouse just in time to see the orange car pull into the lot. They ducked down in their seats.
"We beat him here?" Rachel said.
"He must have stopped somewhere on the way."
The Subaru door opened and Shaun Randall jumped out. He grabbed a plain large box from the backseat and carried it inside the warehouse.
Rachel slipped through the seats to be in the front with Thomas. "We've got to go in there," she said. "What was that box?"
"I couldn't tell. Let's wait until he leaves."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Should I call Julia?"
"And say what? There's a guy we don't like? We followed him?" Thomas scoffed.
"So we watch and wait."
"We watch and wait. And when he leaves, we go in." Apparently, Thomas wasn't a watch and wait kind of man.
"I guess," Rachel said. She sighed.
The windows were steaming up, so Thomas rolled them down a crack. "Tell me about your dog," he said. "What was her name?"
"Buffy…She was a toy poodle I got when I was eleven. She went everywhere with me. She even hid in my backpack and came to school a few times until we got caught. God, I loved her."
"What happened to her?"
"When I finished high school and went away to art school, I left her with my mom because pets weren't allowed in the dorms. Buffy got hit by a car in front of my mom's house." Rachel choked up. It still made her cry, to think of Buffy. "They didn't even stop. The person driving. Buffy died alone. My mom found her in the gutter."
"Oh, Rachel." Thomas pulled Rachel to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so, so sorry."
Rachel felt the same pang in her chest every time she thought about Buffy. It broke her heart to lose her beloved dog like that, to know that Buffy must have felt that she'd been abandoned. "I wish I had just brought her with me to art school somehow. Lived in an apartment instead of a dorm."
Rachel broke down and cried. She hadn't even realized she still needed to cry about Buffy. Didn't know that it was still so painful. Something about Martin had stirred this up for her.
"I'm sure Buffy knew how much you loved her. I'm sure she loved you."
"Why are you sure?" She sniffed.
"It would be impossible for anyone to know you and not love you, Rachel."
"It would be?" What was he saying? Did Thomas love her?
"Rachel…" Thomas leaned down and brought his lips an inch away from hers. He paused, waiting for her. She moved that last inch to his lips, and finally kissed him, feeling his warmth spread throughout her body. She reached up and lace her fingers in his thick hair.
Wow.
When she opened her eyes, he pulled back and smiled at her. "I thought it would be magical to kiss you, and it is."
"Thomas…" she began. "I want to tell you…" She hoped he didn't still think she wanted him to be someone else. She didn't want Dr. Rex or a doctor or anyone else.
She only wanted Thomas.
"Hold on. Look." Thomas lifted his jaw toward the windshield. When Rachel turned, she saw Shaun get into his car in an anxious, jerky movement. He drove off.
"Now what?" Rachel said.
"Let's go in."
12
Rays of gray sunlight streamed in through the dirty warehouse windows, illuminating a big room filled with workbenches.
Huge books were spread over all the tables, with passages underlined in black ink and highlighted with yellow marker.
"Look at these receipts," Thomas said, picking up a pile of invoices. "Parrots, bobcats, a leopard. He's selling exotic animals."
"God, do you think he was about to sell Martin?"
"Maybe." Thomas still carried Martin's seat. The cub slept peacefully, sucking on his blanket.
"Hey, look at this." Rachel yanked on the door to a room in the back, but didn't budge it
. She looked through a window but couldn't see much. "I can't get this open."
Thomas set down Martin's carrier on a low table. He tugged on the door, eventually wrenching it off the hinges. He set it to the side of the doorway. They walked into the smaller room.
"Oh, my god."
The room was in shambles, but it held rows of empty cages, large and small. Two windowpanes were shattered. Bags of kibble were piled on a pallet, some of them ripped. Broken glass and bits of food were scattered across the floor. Thomas examined one of the fractured windows. It had scraps of bear fur stuck on the shards—the same color and texture as Martin's.
Then he noticed the blood, drops of it dotted the floor.
"Did Martin escape from this room?" Rachel said. "Thank god he was found."
Thomas saw a large freezer and got a bad feeling.
Open it, his bear said.
He walked over to the freezer and tried to lift the lid, but it was locked. He grabbed the padlock and ripped it off the hinge.
Thomas lifted the lid. Inside was an adult bear carcass.
Frozen solid.
Rachel cried out, "Oh, no! Is that Martin's mother?"
Cindy had said Martin's mother was murdered. "We need to get out of here. We need to get Martin out of here before he wakes up."
"Where is he?" Rachel looked around frantically.
"He's on the table, it's okay."
But when they ran back into the main room, Martin was gone.
13
"WHERE'S MARTIN?"
They rushed out of the warehouse just in time to see Shaun tossing Martin's carrier into his car. The cub was squealing. Rachel sprinted toward them. He was too far away. "MARTIN!" she screamed.
"Rachel!" Thomas yelled. "Come back!"
She spun around.
Shaun revved up the engine of the Subaru, and then he was driving straight for them.
The world dropped around her as if she were in the small end of a giant telescope.
I'm a bear shifter, she heard Thomas say, but his lips didn't move. She heard him in her mind. Don't be scared.
Shifters in Seattle: Box Set Books 1 - 5 Page 33