“I’m fine, Super Bear.” Heather patted his cheek. Really, the guy was too nice for his own good. “Cyn’s just finishing up, I think.”
His gaze immediately went back to the window, a wicked grin on his face. “So I see. Time to go get my lady.” He glanced back at Heather. “Where are you headed?”
She bit back the urge to roll her eyes. “Frank’s.”
“Ah.” He looked up and down the street, then shrugged. “Be careful on the way home, all right? If anything happens to you the entire clan will be on my furry ass.”
She laughed. He was the one who’d first termed their family a clan, but it fit. “I will. Oh, family gathering Sunday.”
“Your Aunt Laura already ordered my attendance.” He chuckled. “Cyn and I will see you then.” He strode over to the front door of Cynful and waved, catching Cyn’s attention. “Later, Heather.”
“Bye.” She smiled as she heard Cyn greet her mate. Maybe she should just bite Barney and get it over with. Once bitten, he’d have no choice but to finish the mating. The heat generated by the bite would ensure it.
But…
Damn it.
Taking away his free will wasn’t something she wanted to do. He had to need her as desperately as she needed him. He got on her last nerve, argued with her, refused to explain things and was a general pain in her ass. He was bossy to the extreme, cautious, arrogant, gorgeous and everything she never thought she’d want in a mate.
Just thinking about him made her want to hit something. Preferably Barney’s stubborn head.
Walking to the diner took longer than she’d thought. She’d been so busy grumbling about Barney that she’d slowed down, but the smell of those delicious burgers sped her up once more. Her stomach grumbled as she opened the door.
Another scent hit her then like a freight train. Barney was in here somewhere.
She started moving around the diner, looking for him. The moment she spotted him she slid into the booth with him. “Hey.”
He looked up from the menu and winced. “What?”
Heather smiled despite the sting of his dismissive tone. “The bacon cheddar barbecue burger is my favorite.”
Barney shrugged and looked back at the menu. “Good for you.” She couldn’t see his face, but his fingers clenched around the edges of the menu, turning his knuckles white. Maybe this was as hard on him as it was on her.
They sat in silence until a waitress appeared to take their order. When she left, Heather tried once again to talk to her mate now that he couldn’t hide behind the menu any longer. “How’s the investigation going?”
“Peachy.” He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. His gaze was stony, encouraging her to drop it.
He stared at her with such indifference her heart started to pound in fear. “Barney. Please? Give me something, anything.”
For a moment his expression softened. His hands clenched, but then he put the on the table. His expression hardened again. “It can’t happen. Not yet.”
Not yet? What the hell did that mean? “I just—” She was interrupted as the waitress brought them their sodas. “Thank you.”
Barney grunted and opened up his straw, surprising her when he thrust it into her drink. “You look tired.” His tone was far less brusque. If anything, there was a hint of concern that made her heart race with hope.
“Long day at the shop, but I love it. There’s something new to see every day.” She loved what she was doing, so the long hours were worth it to her. “We had this one client come in who wanted a lobster tattooed on his ass. Full color, 3-D and everything.”
Barney choked on his drink. “A what?”
She shrugged. “Don’t ask me, but there was some kind of story behind it. Sometimes they tell us, sometimes they don’t. This guy just lay there and let Cyn and I work on him.”
Barney growled. “You touched his ass?”
She held up her hands. “They were covered in plastic gloves.”
He huffed and sat back. “I still don’t like it.”
She raised her brows. “Until you bite me, you don’t get a say.”
His blue eyes turned brown. “The fuck I don’t.”
The deep, rumbling tone made her shiver. “It’s my job, just like Hunting is yours.”
Barney stared at her, still looking aggravated.
“Cyn let me be the one to draw the lobster and the client almost cried over it.”
His smile was tight. “I still don’t like it.”
“Would it help if I told you he farted?”
“Nope.” His expression lightened. “Maybe.”
“Cyn made me shave his butt.”
Barney’s lips twitched.
“He had a pimple on one side that—”
He held up his hand, laughing. “Okay, that’s enough.” He shook his head. “TMI, baby.”
She shivered happily despite his grimace. “For a while there I thought you didn’t want us to be mates.”
He sighed. “That’s not it at all. There’s more going on right now than this thing between you and me. I have to focus on my duties first, and if I’m mated my attention will be split. Can you understand that?”
“Nope.” She leaned toward him. “Both Gabriel Anderson and Ryan have mates, and they’re both Hunters. Neither of them would think twice about doing their jobs.”
“But part of their attention will always be on their mates, wondering if they’re safe.” He put his finger over her lips when she tried to protest. “I’m not saying never, Heather. I’m saying later. Once I know no one is going to go after you for what I’m investigating. There are people who will kill you just for having the last name Barnwell. Others will discover you exist and…” He shuddered. “I can’t let anything happen to you. If we’re not mated—”
“They won’t smell me on you?”
He nodded soberly.
Shit. She hated that his reasoning made sense. “Damn it.”
“It’s the best way to keep your little Hobbit ass safe.”
Hobbit. That was his nickname for her. It sucked that she only came up to his armpit, but he could have come up with something cuter to call her than Frodo Baggins.
Still, she always got goosebumps when he called her that. It was his name for her, and she was becoming pretty fond of it. Not that she would ever tell him that.
“And if the Senate is after your family, then I have to keep them all safe, and not just because you’re cute. If they know I’m mated into the family, they could take not only you but any of them as hostages, and I’d do almost anything to get them back.”
Goddamn motherfucking shit humpers. How in hell was she supposed to argue with that? “This sucks rocks.”
“It does.” He put his hand over hers, twining their fingers together. “But not forever.”
She bit her lip, conflicted by his reasoning and her own desires. The mate dreams were driving her crazy, but she couldn’t find any words to use to argue with him. “Damn it.”
“I can’t push you away anymore.” He winced. “I can’t see that pain in your eyes. Not again.”
“You should have told me all of this before, jackass.” But she caressed his hand, hoping to take out some of the sting of her words. “I’m not stupid, you know. I can understand ‘Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!’”
That earned her a laugh. It might have been the flailing robot arm that did it. He was still holding her other arm hostage. “You’re cute. Like a Pomeranian, only louder.”
That did it. She glared at him. “One year.”
“Hmm?” He blinked, looking confused.
“That’s my time limit.” The burgers were placed in front of them, forcing their hands apart, but Heather’s focus was all on Barney. She shook her finger at him. “If you haven’t claimed me by then, I’ll track you down and give you
a bite to remember.” She picked up her burger and held it out. “Deal?”
He smiled as he clinked burgers with her, like the bun-wrapped meat was the finest crystal champagne flute. “Deal. I figure my Bear won’t hold out longer than that anyway.”
She blushed brightly. If his Bear was getting as pushy as her Fox, she might just be mated well before the deadline.
With a contentment she hadn’t felt in quite some time, she bit into her burger, happy just to be in her mate’s company.
Chapter Four
Barney was packing his overnight bag, but his mind was stuck on the conversation he’d had with Heather the day before. She’d actually understood why he needed to wait, acceded to his wishes and given him a time limit he could live with.
He was still reeling with surprise. He’d thought she was going to fight harder to mate him after seeing what Chloe and Jim, her cousin’s mate, had gone through. Chloe had waited four years for Jim to claim her, suffering through the mating dreams while struggling with a traumatic brain injury that left her with a serious speech impediment. And while part of him was pleased Heather had understood his need to wait, another part of him, the Bear part, had wanted to yank her over that table and mark her right over her barbecue bacon burger.
Barney zipped his overnight bag shut. Thinking about Heather wasn’t going to get him any closer to a solution. For that to happen, he had to head to Sedona, Arizona, the current seat of the shifter Senate and home of the Leo, Sebastian Lowe. Sedona was a perfect city for the Senate to make their home, with plenty of open spaces, parks and enough tourism that people visiting from other states wasn’t anything remarkable. Barney showing up with two idiots in tow shouldn’t be noticed by anyone other than a Senate employee.
If questioned, he planned on explaining that he was there for the Leo’s business and nothing else. It was the truth, so even a Coyote wouldn’t question him, since Coyotes could smell lies like Barney could cheese fries.
The knock on the door came just in time. He picked up his bag and headed for the door, opening it to see the mercenaries who’d been sent to take out Chloe Williams. Instead, they’d wound up bonding with her, becoming her strongest allies. They were just as dedicated to finding out why they’d been sent to bring her in as Barney was.
“Hey, y’all ready to head out?” Casey Lee, his blond hair tousled, his pose relaxed, was a Fox. Upon discovering Chloe’s existence and scenting “family” on her, he’d sworn to do his best to protect her. Barney still didn’t understand what that was all about, and all Casey Lee would say was that his momma would kick his ass if he did anything to harm Chloe.
Barney let it go. When a Southern man said his momma would kick his ass, he meant it. Casey Lee was no more a threat to Chloe than a ladybug was.
His partner, Derrick Hines, was a tank on legs, with thick biceps, wide shoulders and dark hair and eyes. His body language screamed predator, the Wolf easily the more threatening of the two. He’d decided to follow his partner’s lead where Chloe was concerned, making Chloe’s safety a priority. As scary as the man was, it was Casey Lee Barney was going to keep an eye on. The Fox was swift and silent, and since Foxes could hide their scent they often went unnoticed, making them deadly assassins.
Barney handed Derrick his suitcase. “Let’s go.”
“Did you let Darien know you’re coming?” Derrick slid into the driver’s seat of a quad-cab truck.
“Do I look stupid?” Barney took his seat in the back, allowing Casey Lee to ride shotgun. “I want to see his honest reaction.”
“If anyone catches wind of this they’ll let your cousin know for sure we’re in town.” Casey Lee rolled down his window and stuck his head out. “Man, it’s a nice day.”
Barney’s cousin, the Bear Senator, was Darien Shields’s boss. The orders that sent Casey Lee and Derrick to Halle, Pennsylvania, were supposedly from him, but Darien had told them that no such orders came through Carl’s office. Yet the orders bore Darien’s signature. It was just another part of the mystery that was driving him crazy. “Don’t worry about Carl. I’ll deal with him. Worry about Darien.”
“Has Francois found any hint of Vaughn Clark?” Derrick’s voice matched his looks. Deep and kind of grumbly, the man probably made kittens piss in fear when he spoke.
“Not yet, and that worries me.” Francois was another Hunter who’d been sent after Chloe and was now working with them. They’d forced him to acknowledge that the unique Hunter ability to detect rogues wasn’t activating around either Chloe or her mate, Jim Woods, making the Hunter’s orders suspect. He’d agreed to help them figure out what the fuck was going on, and had taken on the task of hunting down the Hunter liaison to the Senate. The Cheetah hadn’t found any sign of the missing man. Barney was beginning think Vaughn was dead. “We’ll need to inform the other Hunters soon.”
“They must know he’s missing by now.” Casey Lee pulled his head back in as Derrick began to speed down the road out of town. “Y’all are Hunters, after all.”
Barney shook his head. “I’m not Miss Cleo. I can detect rogues, but not whether or not Vaughn is dead or hiding in Cleveland.”
Casey Lee turned in his seat. He stared at Barney with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Why Cleveland?”
Barney rolled his eyes. “Turn back around, dumbass.”
Casey Lee did, still muttering. “I’d hide in Reno. Or Vegas.”
“I’d hide in New York,” Derrick added, turning onto the highway.
“You gonna go to Coney Island and join the circus sideshow?” Barney hid his smile. “You can bill yourself as ‘The Man Without a Brain’.”
“Nah.” Derrick tilted his head. “The burlesque show, on the other hand…”
Casey Lee laughed. “No way I want to see your hairy ass in a bikini, jiggling all over the place.”
“You should be so lucky.” Derrick pushed at Casey Lee’s arm when the other man started gagging. “Seriously, though. If Vaughn had to hide he’d go somewhere where he wouldn’t be noticed. Somewhere with either a shit-ton of shifters or none at all.”
“Vaughn’s also a Hunter. He’d know how to hide.” Barney rubbed his chin. “I’ll pass that along to Francois. The feelers he’s put out haven’t returned anything he can sink his teeth into.”
They rode in silence after that. Barney texted Francois, who texted him back with Heading to NYC now. Francois would probably check in with the New York Coyote Pack. Their Alpha, Nathan Consiglione, was a friend of the Poconos Pack Alpha, Richard Lowell. No doubt he’d give Francois the assistance he needed to find Vaughn.
“How’s Heather doing?”
Barney grimaced at Derrick’s question. “She’s fine.”
“She sure is,” Casey Lee drawled. “I wonder if all the women in that family are just as fine as your mate?”
Barney shrugged. “Dunno. Haven’t looked.”
That was a blatant lie, but the only women he knew were Chloe, Heather and the assorted aunts. Heather shared her bright red hair with her father, Raymond, and her Aunt Laura—Raymond’s sister and Chloe’s mother. But she got her petite frame and bright blue eyes from her mother, Stacey. Barney knew her older brother and sister, Keith and Tiffany, were still out west, working on moving the offices of Bunsun Exteriors to Halle from Oregon. He had no doubt they’d arrive in nanoseconds if they thought Heather was in any danger. The clan just seemed to work like that. “She has an older sister, but I’ve never seen her.”
“Almost there.” Derrick pulled off the highway, following the signs for the Departure section of Philadelphia International Airport. “Do you have anyone watching Heather? Chloe’s covered by Apollonia and Artemis, but Heather could be used against them.”
“I know. Ryan and Alex Bunsun are going to keep an eye on her.”
Casey Lee frowned. “Not real acquainted with Mr. Bunsun.”
Barney’s grin
was evil. “Alexander ‘Bunny’ Bunsun might seem like a teddy bear, but the man beat the shit out of seven men who harassed Heather when she was ten. Crippled one of them, in fact. Trust me when I tell you Heather’s safe with him.”
Casey Lee whistled low. “Dayum.”
“Why would seven men go after a ten-year-old?” Derrick was scowling as he parked the truck in the short-term lot.
Just remembering what he’d learned had him clawing at the seat in anger. “They tried to force her to shift.”
“At ten?” Casey Lee’s face twisted into a disgusted grimace. “That’s sick.”
Barney nodded, barely holding back his own growl. “When I found out about it, I tried to get Alex to tell me the names of the men. He wouldn’t. He said they were on the other side of the country and weren’t a threat to her anymore.”
“Do you agree?” Derrick pulled his overnight case out and handed it to Casey Lee before grabbing Barney’s.
“No.” Anyone who tried to use shifting to force a child into puberty wasn’t simply playing around. They were after something else. But unless Barney saw them for himself, there was no way to know if they were rogues or were telling the truth. “Without more information there’s nothing I can do.” Barney grabbed his bag. “Let’s focus on the Senate and what they’re up to.”
“For now,” Derrick grumbled.
Casey Lee nodded in agreement.
Shit. Barney was beginning to like these guys. “You read the info I gave you on Darien Shields?”
Casey Lee responded first. “Male Black Bear, twenty-nine years old, five foot ten and weighs a hundred and seventy-five pounds. Lives alone in Sedona, Arizona. Owns one cat and two goldfish.”
Barney blinked. “That’s a bit more than I told you.”
Casey Lee merely smiled. “I know.”
Barney shook his head and followed the two mercs into the airport. Working with them was going to be interesting. Casey Lee had access to information not even Barney could get ahold of easily. “Remember, when we get there, I do all the talking.”
Indirect Lines: Halle Shifters, Book 5 Page 3