Safe with Her Bears

by Madeline Hill

  Max’s face softened, surprised by Carter’s admission.

  “But the least we can do is find her and ensure that she’s safe,” Carter continued. “I don’t trust her around these criminals. I don’t even trust her around the police. If she runs into a trigger-happy rookie, he might panic and take her out. I could never live with myself if that happened.”

  “But Zariah said that—”

  “Zariah also said that Kenyon Ray would become Chief, yet he came dead last in the tournaments. Remember?”

  Max nodded solemnly.

  “Zariah’s predictions aren’t always accurate. Not enough to bet someone’s life on.”

  “But Carter, once we find her, we’re gonna have to turn her in,” Max said softly.

  Carter closed his eyes, letting the depressing reality of their situation sink in. He felt his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed hard. “I know. We’ll do whatever needs to be done. I just want to see her. Protect her. Experience one last moment with her.”

  “I don’t think she’ll be happy to see us,” Max said.

  “We’ll explain everything. I know she’ll be upset. But she knows, deep down inside, that she belongs with us. She’ll understand in time.”

  Carter and Max got into the pickup truck and drove over rough roads until they were in an even more secluded area, surrounded by trees in all directions. By now the sun was starting to rise over the mountains, casting their remote surroundings in a soft glow. Carter parked the truck and the two shifters got out. They pulled the man from the bed of the truck and brought him to the ground, his knees sinking into the dark clods of the earth.

  Carter ripped the duct tape off in one violent motion. The man spat, glaring up at the bears with rage in his beady eyes.

  “Listen to me, cat,” Carter ordered. “You’re gonna tell us everything you know.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  Carter swung a heavy fist through the air, crushing the man’s cheek and sending him tumbling backwards to the ground. Max gripped the man’s shoulder and pulled him back up to his knees, blood streaming out of his nose and down his chin. He spat again, his mouth full of blood and saliva.

  “Tell us everything,” Carter ordered again.

  “Y’all better watch out or I'm gonna shift and tear your eyeballs out with my claws,” the man grunted without even the slightest hint of fear in his voice.

  Carter grinned. “Oh, yeah? How come you haven’t yet? Think it has something to do with that injection I gave you?”

  “That’ll wear off eventually,” the man answered, unimpressed.

  “You’ll be dead before that happens,” Carter said casually, barreling the force of his weight into his fist as he landed another hard blow. There was a crack of bones breaking as his fist made contact with the man’s jaw.

  Max pulled him back up again, giving Carter a warning look.

  Carter grunted and shrugged, uncaring. “Tell us where Jules is.”

  “I don’t know,” the man answered, wincing as he shifted his broken jaw.

  “Tell us where she is!” Carter roared, his primal voice rustling the branches of the nearby trees. A bird took off from a branch above them, squawking in protest at the noise.

  The man spat out a tooth. “I don’t know nothin’.”

  “You clearly know something,” Max said, crossing his arms.

  “Who are you trying to protect?” Carter demanded. “I’m telling you now that you’re fucked every which way you look at it. You think those other cougars have your back? You think those criminals have your back?”

  The man shrugged. “Nah. I know they don’t.”

  “Those other cats at the bar watched me kidnap you. They know you’re with a grizzly shifter. A cop, no less. You’ll be branded a snitch for life, whether or not you actually tell us anything.”

  The man chuckled. He looked like a disturbing clown from a horror movie, his broken and bleeding face contorted into a toothless grin, blood smeared red around his mouth and nose. “You ain’t gotta tell me that. I know how it goes.”

  “Then spit it out,” Max said, tapping his foot impatiently.

  “But it’s just so much fun gettin’ you bears worked up!” The man squealed in delight.

  Predictably, Carter wound his arm back and dealt another devastating blow against the man’s face. He crumpled onto his back, groaning and writhing as blood poured out of his face.

  “You’re gonna kill him, Carter,” Max admonished as he pulled him back to his knees. “Then he won’t be any use to us.”

  “He’s no use to us now,” Carter growled.

  “All right, all right,” the cat conceded. His throat rattled as he spat. “What I heard is that Jules is staying up at Ansell’s cabin.”

  “Who’s Ansell?” Max questioned.

  “One of Nick’s higher-ups. Lives here in West Yellowstone. Cabin’s south of town off Park Edge road.”

  The man turned his head around, squinting his eyes, trying to determine his location. Finally he shrugged. “Don’t know where that is from here.”

  “Who told you she’s there?”

  “Roger. I think Roger heard it from Willem. Who knows where Willem heard it? Josef, maybe? Though Josef’s been hittin’ the liquor pretty hard lately—”

  “Shut up,” Carter gritted his teeth. “I don’t know who the hell any of those people are.”

  The man shrugged. “I’m just passing on what I heard.”

  Carter yanked him up to his feet and stared him hard in the eyes. “You’d better hope it’s true. Or you’re gonna be sleeping in a grave tonight.”

  Carter followed his warning with another swift blow to the head, the man crumpling into the dirt. He left the man there as he circled around to the driver’s side and nodded, beckoning Max to get in.

  Max followed, keeping wary, cautious eyes on his best friend.

  20

  Jules awoke and simply laid there, savoring the feeling of silky sheets against her skin. She didn’t know what time it was, but the delicate, subdued sunlight streaming through the large window hinted at early morning. The peaks of the mountains were covered in light wisps of fog. She stretched lazily, her muscles still feeling tender, but not nearly as sore. She was recovering, finally starting to feel like her old self.

  She wondered what she’d do today. Ansell had a large library filled with stacks of books. He also had an entertainment system with a large flat-screen. Perhaps she’d catch up on some Netflix shows. Read a good novel.

  It almost did seem like a vacation of sorts—minus the oppressive feeling of being imprisoned there, and the undercurrent of dread and worry that continually brewed in the back of her mind. But Ansell seemed highly intelligent— more than the usual grimy criminal she encountered. He was polished, clean, reserved. Certainly he was good at what he did. He knew how to cover his tracks. If anyone could keep her safe and undiscovered, she had faith that Ansell could do it.

  Jules lay in bed, gazing at the ceiling fan. Thoughts drifted lazily through her mind. She tried to keep them positive. Whenever her mind wandered to the police, or Carter and Max, she gently pushed them away to focus on something else. It worked, for the most part.

  But after a while she was bored. Feeling restless, she sat up and climbed out of bed, stretching again, before sliding her feet into a pair of soft furry slippers that Ansell had brought her. After her shower last night, she was shocked to discover that Ansell had provided her with nearly a full wardrobe of brand new clothes, all in her exact size. In a weird way she felt pampered, and it almost seemed as if Nick was the one doing the pampering, indirectly through Ansell.

  Her nose caught the scent of coffee beans roasting in the kitchen and her mouth watered. A hot cup of coffee in the cool early morning sounded perfect right about now.

  She was halfway down the hallway a few steps from the kitchen when the phone rang. She stopped and listened. She could hear Ansell shuffling across the tile floor. He answered on the secon
d ring.

  “Hello,” his voice echoed through the cabin.

  Silence for a few moments as the person on the other line spoke.

  “Yes. Uh-huh.” There was a heavy pause. “Oh.”

  He cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was hushed, but she could still make him out. “Yes, I understand.”

  He sighed, troubled. “Well, that’s unfortunate. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.”

  More silence. Jules warmed at Ansell’s statement. She knew he must be talking to Nick.

  “I take it there will be a reward for my efforts,” Ansell said. “Yes. Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll have it done by noon.”

  Have what done by noon? Jules wondered.

  “I won’t leave a trace,” he said. “It’ll look like an animal attack. Yes.”

  Ansell chuckled, and a shiver of fear ran down Jules’s spine.

  “As you wish,” Ansell said.

  Moments later the phone clicked. Sheer panic rolled through Jules’s body. She jerked herself around and as quickly and lightly as possible padded down the hallway back into her room, cringing with every step, hoping the floor wouldn’t creak under her. She pushed the door until it was almost closed, then flung her slippers off and hopped back into bed, pulling the covers up and clenching her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.

  Her heart pounded in her chest, each second passing agonizingly. At last came the moment: a gentle knock on the door.

  “Jules?” Ansell’s soft, almost feminine voice called out.

  Jules cleared her throat. “Y-yes?”

  The door creaked as he pushed it open a crack. “I’m sorry to have to wake you, but we can’t stay here any longer.”

  She pulled the cover from her head and knit her brows together, feigning surprise. “Oh? What happened?”

  “Nothing to worry about, I assure you,” Ansell said. “I just spoke to Nick. He told me to move you to another cabin, one a little more secluded.”

  “Why would he want to do that?” It was a struggle to keep her voice from shaking.

  Ansell shrugged. “If you ask me, I think he’s being a little paranoid. But he’s the boss for a reason. I know he has good instincts.”

  Ansell sounded perfectly convincing. If she hadn’t overheard his conversation, she would’ve bought it hook, line and sinker.

  “So if you don’t mind,” he continued, “get dressed and I’ll drive you there.”

  “Okay.”

  Jules followed his orders without question, a fake smile plastered on her face the whole time. She tried to control her nerves and remain calm even in the face of the blaring emergency sirens whirring in her head. Her instincts told her to scream and run away, to get as far away from this man as humanly possible. But doing that wouldn’t save her. She knew she had to be smart about it. Come up with a plan, wait for the right moment, and then execute it without hesitation. The problem was that she had no idea what that plan would be.

  Ansell’s muddy pickup truck seemed wholly uncharacteristic of his refined personality. She forced herself to climb into the passenger side, every muscle in her body resisting, her limbs wanting instead to break out into a run and escape into the woods. Ansell put the key in the ignition and the engine rumbled to life. The truck rattled over the gravel road as they turned a bend and started going downhill. Dread continued to grow in the pit of Jules’s stomach. She felt like a prisoner being led to her execution.

  “I’m afraid this next cabin won’t have as many amenities,” Ansell said sympathetically. “No internet or cable TV. It’s more off the grid, I guess you could say.”

  “Well, whatever’s necessary, I guess,” Jules said with a sigh.

  “But there’s plenty of books and magazines,” he said with a smile. “As long as you like to read, you won’t get bored.”

  Jules studied his face with curiosity. He was a good liar. His demeanor appeared so friendly and soft, she almost questioned what she’d overheard. Maybe she’d gotten it wrong? Maybe her anxiety and paranoia had led her to misinterpret his words. Ansell cast her a sidelong glance, raising a thin eyebrow in suspicion.

  “Everything okay, Jules?” he asked, and there was a cautious timbre in his voice that brought her back down to reality. No, she hadn’t misheard. He was taking her out here to kill her... on Nick’s orders.

  “Y-yeah,” she replied, voice shaking. “I’m just—I’m so worried. This is so stressful.”

  Ansell opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He seemed to be mulling over something, wrestling with indecision. Finally he spoke. “To be fair, Jules, you kind of brought it on yourself.”

  A lump formed in her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of it, her heart pounding in her chest.

  “You chose to run from that state trooper,” he said calmly. “I don’t know what you were thinking. You think that’s the first time a drug runner has been pulled over by the cops? It happens all the time.”

  Jules nodded. Her hands felt clammy. This was the first time Ansell had criticized her, but for some reason she felt like it wasn’t coming from him. He was simply relaying a message.

  “Part of your job is to remain cool and collected in every situation. Expect the unexpected and respond accordingly.”

  Ansell waved his hand as he spoke, emphasizing his words. “I know it’s easier said than done. But Nick is very disappointed that you failed him. You could’ve reacted in any number of ways. The best option would’ve been to do nothing. Smile, look pretty. Follow the cop’s orders. You don’t have a record, Jules. You’re a beautiful, young, wholesome-looking woman without tattoos or piercings. Nothing was going to happen to you.”

  “I know,” Jules replied, her voice shaking. “I was just so scared. I panicked and I made a mistake. I feel awful. I shouldn’t have—”

  “The problem is,” Ansell continued as if he didn’t care to listen to her. “The police department in Salt Lake has been building a case against Nick. They’re trying to get enough evidence to pin something on him. Before, they really didn’t have a leg to stand on. They didn’t even have enough to get a warrant. But now we fear they may be able to link the drug shipment in your trunk back to one of his labs. It doesn’t help that you texted him from your cell phone.”

  Jules felt like she might throw up. Was this true? Was Nick’s entire criminal enterprise about to go down in flames because of her mistakes?

  “I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I destroyed the cell phone and the SIM card! You think they can still track it?”

  Ansell shrugged. “We’re not sure. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. What’s done is done.”

  He glanced at her, lips curling into a crooked smile. “At least the text helped us find you.”

  Her stomach churned. She wished she’d never sent it.

  The truck made a sharp left turn off the gravel and onto a narrow, muddy logging road. The truck jerked and hobbled up and down over the uneven terrain. They were surrounded by thick, dark woods that seemed to expand endlessly in every direction.

  Jules bit her lip to keep herself from crying, but the tears spilled over anyway.

  “Now, now, Jules,” Ansell said softly, but there was a sinister tone to his voice. “No need to cry.”

  Jules wiped her eyes and glanced over at him, her eyes lowering to the gleam of silver sticking out of the band of his khaki pants. She sniffled and shook her head.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.

  Ansell’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Do what?”

  He glanced over at her, looking her up and down with a mixture of pity and contempt. “Don’t worry. Nick is a cold-hearted criminal, but for some reason he still has a soft spot in his heart for you. I don’t understand it, frankly.”

  Jules felt her spirits lift. She desperately wanted to cling on to the slimmest hope that this situation wouldn’t end in her untimely death. And deep down she couldn’t accept the possibility that Nick would e
ver want her dead. Despite his cruelty, his propensity for violence and murder, she always wanted to believe that she was exempt from all of it. After everything they had shared, he could never hurt her like this... could he?

  “You should never mix business with pleasure, I say,” Ansell remarked. “Personally, I would’ve never hired you. You clearly aren’t cut out for any of this.”

  “I know,” Jules admitted. “I never wanted to, anyway. Nick pressured me. I felt like I couldn’t say no to him.”

  “You can always say no,” Ansell said with a smirk. “As long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.”

  21

  Max knew exactly which cabin the cat shifter was talking about. It was a newer-model luxury vacation home that sat alone on the upper slope of a mountain. In recent years, these types of homes were becoming more and more popular. This one in particular probably cost well into the millions, especially given its secluded location. Max would’ve never guessed it had been purchased with drug money.

  The gravel road that led to the cabin was steep, winding tightly around the slopes, the forest thick and dark, blocking out most of the sunlight except in places where the road gave way to clearings that offered spectacular views of Yellowstone. It was a long drive, Carter stomping on the gas pedal, the truck jerking and hobbling over the noisy, dusty gravel. Max thought he could sense a familiar scent lingering in the air, but he wasn’t sure.

  At last they arrived. Max sprang out the passenger side before the truck had even come to a complete stop. His shoulder and ribs ached, but he had no time to bother with that. He’d endure the pain and do his best to ignore it. Right now his only concern was finding Jules.

  Carter used all his strength to kick the front door open at the knob. Rushing in with guns drawn, he and Max circled the perimeter of each room. It was a fancy home with vaulted ceilings, decorated part rustic, part modern. A bear rug and the two elk heads propped on the wall contrasted with the sleek modern furniture and the gleaming stainless-steel kitchen straight out of an interior design magazine.