“What’s happened, ma?” Henry’s muscles tensed up again.
“Not over the phone. Just hurry.”
The line went dead.
What the hell?
“What was it about?” Maggie asked. There was something in the way she said it that rubbed Henry the wrong way.
He didn’t respond, just shook his head. If he engaged her or tried to explain, they’d have another argument. This wasn’t the time.
He picked up his coat and rushed out of the building, straight to the Alliance van outside.
He didn’t know how fast he drove, or what route he’d taken, but somehow, he reached the farm in record time. His mind had been racing the whole time. What could possibly have happened which she didn’t want to tell him during the call? Whatever it was, it had to be bad.
Henry drove up the drive straight towards the front door and slammed his break, causing the van to skid as it came to a halt. Then he ran.
Was she all right? Ever since his dad… His mother was the only family he had left.
He stopped dead in his tracks when his mom opened the front door. She looked just fine. But… she wasn’t alone.
Behind her stood two large, shadowy figures. Shit. Had Blacke found out what he had been up to and sent in two of his agents to come after his mother?
“What’s going on here?” Henry demanded.
“Henry, son. You need to come inside and listen.” His mother spoke calmly, which made Henry even more suspicious.
She averted her gaze and stepped aside. Only then did Henry recognize the two men. Matt Argyle and his brother, Jamie, who led the Edinburgh Alliance office.
“What are you two doing here?” Henry asked, uncertain whether they still posed a threat or not.
“I gave them the address,” another voice spoke up from further inside the house. Gail.
He’d been had.
“I told you that was it. I can’t get involved anymore-” Henry protested. He’d never expected her to fight dirty like this. To involve his own mother in a ruse to meet with him! Although he could now see her more clearly, he refused to look directly at her.
“You’re going to want to hear this,” his mom interrupted.
Henry shook his head. “No. I promised Maggie. I-”
“Oh, son. I know you’re just trying to do right by her. Gail explained what happened already. But what’s going on is more important than that.”
Henry pressed his lips together and tried to get his anger under control. He did not like surprises. And this…
“Jamie, perhaps you’d like to explain.”
“My mate, Alison. When I got back from work, she was nowhere to be found.”
Henry frowned. So? What did that have to do with him?
“She’s human,” Gail explained. “Blacke had her brought in.”
“Then your office must be involved. Someone must have tipped him off!” Henry speculated.
“No. My people are loyal to a fault.”
“Alison is Lee Campbell’s daughter,” Gail said.
Lee Campbell. Henry knew the name but wasn’t sure where from anymore.
“It was Jamie’s team that captured Campbell with Alison’s help. He’s been in the dungeon in Stirling for almost a month now,” Gail added.
“Your mate is the daughter of the highest ranking Sons member ever captured?” Henry blurted out. It had all come back to him now. No wonder the name had seemed significant somehow. He shook his head in disbelief. “Okay, well, that’s unfortunate, but what did you expect?”
“How dare you,” Jamie growled, his right hand going straight for Henry’s throat.
“Guys! This isn’t helpful,” Matt interrupted them, positioning himself in the center of the two angry bears, forcing them apart again.
“The point is, we have the Edinburgh office on our side,” Gail said. “The time is right to act. The dungeon is filling up fast, so Blacke’s men are transporting Alison to a secondary holding place tonight. With the help of these guys,” Gail nodded in Jamie and Matt’s direction. “We can take her back without Blacke knowing what - or who - hit him. If we make sure we outnumber them.”
“Your whole office is ready to oppose Blacke?” Henry asked. With bears being as secretive as they were, how could Jamie be so sure of their loyalties?
“They’ll follow me over Blacke, that’s for sure,” Jamie said.
“So you seem to have everything worked out. What do you need me for?” Henry asked.
“That’s very simple. We need you to do nothing,” Gail said.
What?!
If something goes wrong, and Blacke calls for your help to get Alison back, don’t come running to his aid. Don’t interfere until we have the chance to get away. Gail’s voice, no, Gail’s entire being had entered his mind.
Henry was stunned into silence by her presence within him. During their short time apart, their connection had become even stronger than on previous occasions. He could even catch glimpses of her memories.
He could see the moment when he’d made that phone call last week. How she’d collapsed onto a cold tile floor and cried.
Henry could feel her heartbreak like it was his own.
Or was it, in fact, his own?
Henry cleared his throat. “I need a moment,” he mumbled, and marched down the hall, into the kitchen, leaving the confused brothers and a fragile looking Gail behind.
He’d had this urge before, that deep, all consuming urge to protect Gail, to keep her safe and happy. And of course, he’d done the exact opposite. Henry sat down at the small table where they used to have breakfast when he was a child. This had been his safe place when he was younger.
“Son.” His mom shuffled into the kitchen and rested her frail looking hands on the backrest of the chair opposite Henry. “I know you’re just trying to do the right thing.”
Henry looked up at her. “Whatever I do, I hurt someone.”
“Listen to me.” She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. “I know you’ve made a commitment to Maggie. And now you’re just trying to stand by that.”
Henry nodded. That’s exactly what he was trying to do.
His mom got up and retrieved a sheet of paper that had been lying on the kitchen counter. She placed it on the table in front of Henry. “Perhaps it’s time to admit you’ve made a mistake.”
Henry’s heart sank as he started to read.
Surveillance Recommendation.
Target Name: Helen Weston
Surveillance Mode: Phone Tap.
His signature was there at the bottom, but he sure as hell hadn’t sanctioned this!
Chapter Twelve
Gail made sure to keep her distance as she observed the conversation between Henry and his mother. She’d wanted to warn him, but just hadn’t had the chance. For that, she was sorry.
She had to feel for Henry, whose mind was racing, running through the various possibilities of how that request had come into being. His thoughts kept circling back to the same conclusion: Maggie. She was the most likely culprit. And then he’d reject his conclusion and rethink.
This went on for a good ten minutes until Gail could no longer stand to watch him struggle within himself.
“It was her, you know,” Gail said softly.
“How can you be sure?” Henry turned around, his features tense, determined.
“This is just a print-out, but with the help of one of Jamie’s men in the Edinburgh office, we were able to hack into her computer and find the original document. It was right there on her work computer.”
“What if someone just used her computer?” Henry slumped back in his chair again with his back towards Gail.
“I know your history makes it harder to accept this, but deep down you already know the truth.”
How could she do this? Sanction surveillance against my own mother, her future mother-in-law? Henry’s thoughts raged.
Who knows what she was thinking? What’s more important is for you to deci
de how to proceed now, Gail responded.
He sighed and pushed the sheet away from him in disgust. Was she successful? Did anyone act on this crap?
We swept the house top to bottom. It’s clean. Looks like we intercepted it just in time, Gail replied.
“Very well.” Henry pushed his chair back and got up.
His eyes were colder than Gail had ever seen them before. There was nothing more dangerous than a bear who’d been forced into a corner.
He walked right past Gail and marched down the hallway towards where Matt and Jamie were waiting.
“What’s the plan?” Henry asked.
Jamie nodded at Matt, then partly turned to include Gail in the conversation.
She’d felt bad about springing this on Henry, but a life was at stake. Alison’s life. Blacke had picked her up so he’d have leverage over Campbell during future interrogations. He wouldn’t think twice about hurting her - or worse - to get what he wanted.
Now that tempers had calmed, it didn’t take long to come up with a plan.
Gail had marked the route on a map, and Henry recognized the road immediately. It ran straight through a dense forest. They didn’t want to harm the agents, so they’d lay a trap. If everything went well, they’d get what they wanted without having to resort to too much violence.
It was good having Henry back on their side. Gail couldn’t help but steal glances at him as he lay beside her in the bushes overlooking the road they’d just blocked off.
Jamie and Matt were hiding just opposite them. And behind the blockade waited two of Jamie’s team members; Aidan and Heidi. As he’d said, they didn’t think twice about following Jamie into battle against Blacke.
They hadn’t been waiting long when a black van approached, its lights bouncing off against the branches of the large tree they’d placed across the road. Breaks squealed as the vehicle came to a stop right in front of the obstacle. There was no way around; they’d made sure of that.
Beside Gail, Henry took a deep breath and put his eye to the scope of one of the rifles Jamie had provided for the job. It looked like a proper hunting rifle, but took tranquilizer darts instead of live rounds.
Across the road, an owl seemingly called out; the signal.
Henry pulled the trigger, and the agent nearer to him cursed and grabbed for his upper arm. At the same time, another, similar rifle went off, and its dart hit the other agent in the thigh. It took barely a second for the two men to sink to the ground.
They were on.
Gail pulled the balaclava down over her face and jumped across the shrubs they’d been hiding behind. Henry was right behind her.
First, they made sure the agent was knocked out, then they pulled the dart out of his arm and tied his hands with Alliance issue plastic ties they’d retrieved from his own tactical jacket. They would leave as little evidence behind as possible.
Jamie nodded at Gail as he located the keys to the van in the other agent’s pocket. He and Matt hurried to the back of the truck and unlocked the door. While the two other agents from Jamie’s office lifted one of the agents off the street and back into the van.
They were going to hide it in the forest once they were done. It was in everyone’s best interest if this ambush remained undiscovered for as long as possible.
Gail watched as everyone did their part. The New Alliance’s first act of rebellion.
A sense of pride filled her chest that almost made her forget the ache left behind by Henry’s rejection of her. Almost.
She looked at him as he methodically searched the pockets of the agent he’d disabled. They’d confiscate their weapons, communications equipment and anything else that would help the New Alliance.
Their goal was to create a non-violent resistance against Blacke’s Alliance, but once he got wind of what they were up to, things could very well escalate. They had to build up a stockpile of weapons. And plus, any gun taken away from these guys meant one gun less for Blacke to aim at their heads if the time came.
Meanwhile, Jamie emerged from the back of the truck, carrying the precious cargo they’d come here for. A red-haired woman, who seemed fast asleep despite all the activity that surrounded her.
“She’s been drugged,” Jamie whispered.
Gail nodded. “Take her to the farm; she’ll be safe there.”
The way Jamie looked at the woman in his arms made Gail’s knees weak. She’d had her own concerns about Alison’s family background, but what she observed now had taken all that away. They were mates. They were meant to be, and at least, Jamie knew it.
As he walked off into the dark forest, the others continued to sanitize the scene. The van was parked off the road and covered in fallen branches. They also dragged the tree back off the road. Then they packed up all their things and headed back to their individual vehicles.
Only Gail and Henry remained.
“Wow, that went well,” Gail remarked.
He forced a smile. It was obvious how much he was still struggling with everything.
“What are you going to do now?” Gail asked.
Henry shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t tell her that I know about the surveillance request, or she’ll turn us in.”
Gail wasn’t sure how to respond. She wasn’t even sure how to act around Henry anymore.
This was too much. His earlier decision to abandon their work together had crushed her. He hadn’t done it to hurt her, of course, but that didn’t change things. It was difficult, being so close to each other while both their emotions ran so high.
Gail took a moment to breathe in the icy air and scanned the dark forest that surrounded them. Was that a noise? A rustle? Perhaps an animal out foraging…
No, there was something else out there, something dangerous. Gail could sense it clearly.
“I knew it. I knew he had come out here to see you!” It was Maggie. She was on Gail before the latter had time to react.
Gail’s instincts kicked in, and she transformed instantly, but Gail was no match for the much stronger female brown bear.
“Maggie, relax!” Henry called out from the other side of the road. He was with them in less than a seconds.
But Maggie was far from calm. Her paws were on Gail’s throat, ready to rip her open if necessary.
Gail tried to struggle free, but it was hopeless. She was stuck. She’s going to kill me.
No. I won’t let her. Henry stared at Gail for a moment, his eyes emitting a reassuring glow. The doubt he’d shown earlier, the conflicted emotions, all of that was gone now.
As desperate as her situation was, Gail trusted him. He’d intervene.
“You promised you’d stop this. Liar!” Maggie hissed at Henry.
“I had. I had given up everything I believed in for you. For us,” Henry said.
Maggie snarled. “Bullshit! You couldn’t wait to run off again. With her.”
Gail closed her eyes and focused on calm, deep breaths. Maggie’s claw dug dangerously into her throat, near the jugular. One wrong move and she’d be done for.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Good thing I had the sense to put a tracker on your phone, or I would have never known for sure!”
“This is between you and me, she has nothing to do with this,” Henry growled.
Maggie didn’t respond.
“All I’ve ever wanted was to make a difference. Why can’t you see that? Why does everything have to turn into a fight with you?” Henry paced around the car as he spoke.
Gail felt Maggie’s grip on her tighten.
“I won’t accept that. I can’t.”
“Then deal with me. Leave her alone,” Henry straightened himself and started to transform. Fur, claws, teeth all seemed to erupt at once. And his muscles… He stood at least eight feet tall, towering over Maggie and Gail.
Gail had seen plenty of metamorphoses before, including brown bears. But Henry… He was something else.
Maggie flinched at the sight of him, giving Gai
l the chance to slip out from underneath her grasp. She was free, but her heart was out for blood.
This was the woman who had stood between her and Henry. If she killed her now, she’d just be defending herself. And that problem would be solved forever.
Gail let out a vicious roar and pounced, this time, it was her having Maggie by the throat. She’d rip her to shreds. It would be so easy!
“Stop!” Henry shouted, giving Gail pause. Don’t do it. This is my problem to take care of.
Gail grudgingly retreated, leaving Maggie lying on her back in the dirt.
Now, it was Henry’s turn to attack. He restrained her but took care not to do much damage.
Get the gun. Henry stared at Gail.
He had changed. His eyes were no longer cold and impersonal but full of fire. His bear had recognized her at last. Now that this charade with Maggie was well and truly over, he could see the truth she had known from the first time they’d met.
Gail shifted back into her human self and reached for the rifle that had ended up on the ground between them in all the confusion.
Do it.
Gail didn’t need to be told twice and shot a tranquilizer dart right into Maggie’s shoulder.
Henry turned away from his former mate as her body went limp, and slowly her limbs and body became smooth and hairless again, and what had once been a fierce brown bear had turned into a woman again.
“What do we do with her?” Gail asked.
Henry stared down at Maggie’s limp body with disdain. If he’d loved her at some point, Gail could no longer see any evidence of it. Ever the gentleman, he draped some of his torn clothes over her and picked her up.
“We’ll work it out later. For now, she goes into the van.”
Together, they returned to Henry’s van which was parked on an overgrown track just off the road. He got a blanket out of the back and used it to wrap Maggie in, before placing her on top of one of the benches inside. Then he slammed the door shut and got into the front. Gail followed.
They both sat back and gazed out the window at the forest stretching out of them. All seemed peaceful again outside, as though nothing had happened.
Scottish Werebear: A Painful Dilemma: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 5) Page 8