by Renee Jordan
I yanked open the door.
Thomas sat at one of the two desks, writing on a pad of yellow paper. Pictures were spread across it of a crime scene. A jewelry store. The glass cases were smashed, the felt displays disturbed. More glass covered the floor, along with dropped pieces of jewelry.
“The thief missed the bag, huh?” I asked, peering at one pic. “That's why there's a bunch of rings on the ground.”
“Yeah,” Thomas said, looking up at me. A smile crossed his lips. “What are you doing here, Penny?”
“Looking to take my man out to lunch,” I answered with a big grin. I sat down at a chair across his desk. “I need to make sure you got all the energy you need to fight crime.”
“Can't,” he groaned. “I ate already.” His eyes flicked to his trash can where a white paper bag lay crumpled.
“Fast food isn't food,” I objected.
He shrugged. “Busy day. This is the biggest robbery we've ever had in Olson. Someone cleared out Whitman and Sons Jewelry.”
“I can see that,” I said. “Any leads?”
“Not really,” he answered. “It's strange. The locks weren't destroyed but somehow picked. Though the forensics didn't see any scratches from the usual tools. And the alarm didn't go off. It was set, but nothing triggered. We checked the logs. I don't get how that was possible. There were motion sensors in there and each glass case was wired. When they were broken it should have triggered the alarm.”
My stomach twisted. “No...alarm? Like...” Magic. Lexie? But she was in jail. Right? “Did you spot anyone?”
“Had one eyewitness who thought he saw a blonde.”
“Like Madonna?”
“Madonna?” Thomas frowned and stared at me. “What is it, Penny?”
“Nothing,” I said, forcing a laugh. I squirmed in the chair, my stomach twisting. Was this Lexie's work? The smash job, the magic to stop the alarms and open the locked door. We had pulled dozens of jobs like this in LA. What famous person did she use? “No cameras inside?”
“There were, but they were disabled.” He shifted. “Maybe by magic.”
I froze at the word. “A witch?” I tried to ask offhandedly.
“Maybe. Oh, and we did pull a few prints,” he said. “Looks like a woman's or a man with small fingers. They're being run through the system. It'll take awhile to see if we get a match.”
“Really?” Did Lexie get careless? Or was this someone else? Was I jumping to conclusions?
My blood grew colder. I shivered. Was it Lexie that broke into my house and left the pictures? Is that why I saw Axel on the street? I struggled to control my breathing as Thomas stared at me. A bead of sweat burst to life on my forehead.
“What is it? You're pale.”
“Just...” I shuddered. “It's scary. Something like this happening in Olson. Moonrise isn't so far away. I thought these places were safe.”
“We always have our fair share of crime,” Thomas said. “The country isn't as peaceful and quiet as people like to think. It just rarely makes the national news.”
“Still.” I shuddered. “Well, I hope you catch them.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, still frowning at me, his nose breathing in my turmoil.
“I'll leave you to your work. I should have called.”
He smiled and stood. “No, no. It was nice seeing you. If it wasn't today, I would have leaped at your offer of lunch.” He came around the desk and hugged me. I pressed myself against him, my heart racing. “You don't have to be afraid. I won't let anything harm you.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes. What did Lexie want? If she had found me, why was she playing games?
“It's your day off, right?” he asked, his hands stroking my body.
“It is.”
“Well, why don't I pick you up after work and take you out to dinner.”
A smile crossed my lips. “Dinner, huh? And is that all you want to pick me up for?”
“It's a great place to start.”
Why did Lexie have to show up now?
~ ~ ~
I couldn't help driving past Whitman and Sons Jewelry after leaving the police station. I pulled across the street and stared at it, watching the owner and his workers sweeping up the mess, the older man clearly angry. I studied the jewelry store, imagining Lexie disguised as Madonna or maybe Jodie Foster. Or any other blonde. Was she working alone or had she found a new crew?
A new friend to replace me.
I pulled out my phone. Last time I heard, Lexie had been sentenced to twenty years in Nevada for attempted armed robbery, having illegal guns, and a few other charges. And I heard California wanted to extradite her to punish her for the Hollywood Bandit robberies we committed there. I googled her name while my eyes kept glancing across the road to the jewelry store.
I found a news article. Two years ago, she escaped from prison.
I frowned as I read the article. It was clear she used her magic to break out of jail. And, according to the news report, she had attempted to break out nine other times. I read through the story. There were many veiled references to her magic, guards talking about how she could disappear or how well she was at making disguises. They had her confined in solitary by the end.
Tears beaded my eyes as I pictured poor Lexie in a small cell all alone. She was such a vibrant girl. And I abandoned her. I ran when it went bad. I kept running until I ended up in Moonrise. And now she had found me. She was pissed.
She had every right to be pissed.
I leaned over the steering wheel of my car. I still didn't understand why I abandoned her. She was my best friend. We grew up together. But then the gun cracked and everything stopped for me. My mind fled and my body went with it.
I was such a terrible person. Miss Maggie was right to be afraid I would hurt Thomas.
What could I do about Lexie? Help her? She was thieving again. I couldn't go back to that. Maybe I could convince her to return the jewelry. I could help her start a new life in Moonrise. No one would care about her past. Miss Maggie would help her out. Just so long as Thomas didn't connect her to the robbery.
But he had her fingerprint.
My stomach twisted. There had to be a way to figure this out. A way to keep her from getting caught by Thomas. Maybe she didn't have to live here in Moonrise. There were other places I could help her hide out at. Other communities of shifters who respected privacy.
A sharp rap startled me. I jumped and looked out the window. One of the jewelry store workers stood before me, a young man with brown hair and a goatee. I wiped at my tears and rolled down my window.
“You okay, Miss?”
“Fine,” I told him, fighting the urge to sniffle. I dug into my purse to get a tissue. “Fine.”
“Okay,” he said, his tone unconvinced. “Haven't I seen you around?”
“Just in town visiting my boyfriend. I don't come to Olson that often.”
“Ah.” He licked his lips and shifted. “Well...” Then he frowned again, staring at my blonde hair. “Are you sure you haven't been around here before? I thought I've seen you.”
“Pretty sure,” I said. “I live in Moonrise.”
“Huh?” His eyebrows furrowed. “You sure you didn't come in? Last week, right? Looking for a necklace. No, no. It was a tiara. Like a princess.”
I wiped at my tears. “Must have been a different blonde.” I started up my engine. “Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine.”
“Okay.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Well, you sure you don't need any help?”
“Sure.” I put my truck into drive.
Did Lexie case the jewelry store wearing my appearance? Was the blonde seen by the eyewitness me?
A new emotion arose in me. Anger.
Chapter Ten
“How did I not know this existed?” I asked Thomas as we sat down in the Sakura Blossom Restaurant in Valley Pine, the town west of Moonrise on the highway. “It's so gorgeous.”
“It's a hidden gem,” he agr
eed as we sat down at our table.
The restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere, complete with rice paper walls surrounded by dark wood. The floors were bare hardwood, and the waitresses wore actual kimonos. Watercolor paintings of samurai, landscapes, geisha, and more dotted the walls, each accompanied by flowing Japanese calligraphy as beautiful as the images.
“Those are poems,” Thomas said as we picked up the menus. “On each picture. Haiku.”
“Wow,” I grinned. “I can't believe this is in the back mountains of Montana.”
“Everyone loves Japanese cuisine,” he grinned. “They have it all. Sushi, Kobe beef, shashimi, traditional ramen, even the appetizers are great. Takoyaki, tempura.”
“Takoyaki?”
“Deep-fried octopus shaped in little balls,” he grinned. “Popular snack over there.”
“Oh,” I said, giving him a smile. “Octopus?”
“It's good. You're an adventurous girl. Don't tell me eating octopus scares you.”
I swelled up. “It does not,” I laughed. It was good to laugh. I had been stressing over Lexie all afternoon, struggling to figure out what to do about her and how to keep Thomas, with his keen nose, from even finding out.
I settled on wearing too much perfume for the second problem. I had no ideas for the first.
“Fine, let's have octopus balls,” I said as I glanced through the menu. “And shark fin soup.”
He laughed with me, a deep rumble.
It turned out takoyaki was delicious, if on the chewy side. A hard, crunchy outer layer from the deep fry mixed with the almost rubbery inside, but the spices and crunchy vegetables made it come alive in my mouth.
Feeling girlish, I picked one up and arched my eyebrows. Thomas opened his mouth wide. I sank it on the second try. A couple at the next table stared at us, and I burst out with a peals of giggles as I waved at them.
They shook their heads and tried to have a more serious date.
So boring.
I tried my best not to talk about the jewelry robbery. I tried to think of anything else to talk about, but my curiosity had to know. It itched at me, gnawing at my caution. Even as I opened my mouth to ask my question, I knew it was a bad idea.
“So, any new leads on the robbery?”
“No, no,” he said as he dug into his pork ramen. It was a large bowl with a thick broth, swimming with vegetables, noodles, and large strips of pork. I didn't even recognize some of the vegetables in his mix. I ordered shark fin soup.
It was a savory treat.
“That's good. So no hit on the fingerprint?” My body tensed.
Thomas looked up at me, his eyebrows furrowing. “Still haven't heard back. It takes time. It's only a robbery, so the State Patrol doesn't think it's a priority.”
“Oh, okay,” I said.
He stirred up his noodles, studying me.
“What?” I asked. I had to distract him. “Is there something on my face?” I grabbed a napkin and dabbed around my lips.
“No, no. It's just...” He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Why did he have to have such keen senses? Why did I have to fall in love with a werebear cop?
“It's good,” I said, spooning up my soup. It was a rich broth, swimming with vegetables and the actual fins of sharks, which I hoped were more like soup bones and not something I had to eat.
“Yes, it is,” he said, taking a huge bite.
I was good for the rest of the dinner, keeping away from talking about the jewelry heist. I shouldn't be too interested in it. After all, I shouldn't know anything about it. I was merely a waitress from Moonrise enjoying herself on a date.
So I had to enjoy myself.
I laughed and giggled at his jokes. And then, as I worked to the bottom of my soup and feeling saucy, I kicked off my shoe and reached out with my foot and rubbed at his leg through his jeans. His grin grew and his blue eyes darkened. I arched an eyebrow at him as I slid up and down his leg.
“Did you want to stay for dessert?” I asked him as my foot went higher and higher.
His eyes fell on my cleavage. “I don't think what I want for dessert is on the menu.”
“Not here, anyway.”
“No.”
“Then hurry up and eat.” My foot moved higher, reaching his knee. I scotched down in my chair. “I don't know what they put in the shark fin soup, but it was stimulating.”
“Why do you think I let you order it?”
“Ooh, you wicked bear,” I laughed, my foot brushing along his inner thigh. The skin of my bare foot tingled as I stroked his jeans. The soles of my feet came alive, drinking in the rough fabric of the denim while feeling his strong muscles beneath. “Were you making sure I was horny?”
“A little spice to enhance the night.”
“Trust me, you don't need any spice.” I let out a purr. I slipped lower in my chair as my foot slid down his thigh. The sensations rushed up my feet, an electric tingle that surged into my pussy, triggering a molten flood of excitement.
His nostrils flared. “I can tell.”
My foot reached his crotch. I rubbed at his swelling cock. His eyes grew darker and darker until they were midnight, almost black. He snorted and growled as I rubbed at his dick, stroking him, teasing him. A wicked giggle burst from my lips.
“I don't need to spice your food,” I purred.
“No, you don't.” Then he turned and flagged a waitress. “Check, now.” His voice primal, throaty, the bear close to taking over.
“Yes, now,” I smiled, rubbing harder, loving how he throbbed beneath me. It was such a wicked game to play with him.
His fingers clenched on the tabletop's edge as we waited for our check. I kept rubbing at his crotch, pressing on his dick. I wondered if I could make him explode right here. I licked my lips, loving my game as I squirmed in my soaked panties.
When the bill came, he fumbled to pull out his wallet. He ripped out his card then practically shoved it and the bill into the poor girl's stomach. He never took his eyes off of me. I could smell his primal musk over the spice of my food.
I rubbed him harder.
His jaw clenched. He fought the pleasure. He didn't want to erupt yet. Part of me didn't want that, either. I wanted him to save all his passion for me. But the game was so much fun. I arched an eyebrow, my smile growing.
“You wicked witch,” he growled, sweat breaking out across his broad forehead.
“Uh-huh,” I nodded. “You should remember that. I am a wicked witch. And I know so many ways to excite you. Maybe I can put a little spell on you, really make your blood boil.”
He growled again and I laughed, my head lounging back. It was so much fun to tease him.
The waitress returned with the credit card and the slip. He signed, the pen rasping on the paper. He stood up, threw a ten dollar bill on the table, then walked around to me. He hauled me to my feet and kissed me hard. I stood, one shoe off, shuddering against him, lost to the passion of his kiss. I floated out of the restaurant.
I didn't even realize I forgot my shoe until we were halfway home. And as horny as I was, there was no way we were turning back.
~ ~ ~
“Let me slip into something comfortable,” I purred after we came into my house. “Just sit down on the couch. I have a treat for you.”
“More teasing?” he growled.
“Uh-huh.” I winked at him.
His eyes were on me as I swayed across my living room. I didn't have to look back to know he drank in my body's curves. I could feel it. A woman knew when her man watched her with excited eyes. My thighs pressed tight together, the friction burning through me. I flipped on the light in my bedroom.
I didn't close the door.
I stripped naked, tossing my clothes into the hamper. I stretched my back. My perfume filled my nose. I had put too much on, but I had to deal with his keen nose. I went to my closet and opened it, finding my favorite negligee, the fabric sheer, pink, and frilly. You were supposed to wear a bra beneath i
t.
Unless you were feeling naughty.
I pulled it on, the material sliding over my nipples. I sighed, loving the silken caress. I was so excited. I wanted to march out there, rip down his pants, and mount his magnificent cock. I would ride him so hard and leave him gasping and moaning.
But I wasn't done teasing him.
I needed panties. I headed to my dresser and opened the top drawer.
“Fuck,” I gasped, my excitement vanishing.
My panties were all there, along with my bras, but lying atop the fabric were sparkling jewels. Rings, necklaces, tennis bracelets, earrings. Gold, silver, and platinum. Diamonds, opals, pearls, garnets, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, aquamarine, and more. They all glittered at me, a fortune.
“Shit,” I gasped. “That bitch she...”
“Is something wrong,” Thomas called.
His footsteps thudded. My heart pounded. I slammed the drawer shut and turned around, pressing my body against it as Thomas barreled into the room. His keen hearing. I groaned as he swept into the room, my stomach twisting.
“Nothing,” I said lightly.
I trembled before him. I could feel the jewelry in the drawer, sitting upon my panties and bras. Their presence radiated through the drawer into my back. My stomach twisted. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I turned to face Thomas.
“Just...just...saw...a cockroach.” I swallowed, nodding my head.
“A cockroach? Here?”
I nodded my head. “Yeah, one of the nasty, brown ones. I don't know how he got here.”
My heart thudded in my chest. So loud. His ears had to hear it. I forced a smile on my face as I shifted my hips. I needed to get him out of my bedroom. What would he think if he found the stolen jewelry?
That I was guilty. I was a witch. A blonde woman was spotted at the jewelry store. That bitch.
“I've never heard of a cockroach here.” His eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared. He inhaled. “I don't smell one.”
“Oh, well, maybe it was an earwig or something.” I let out a forced laugh. “Or maybe just lint. I'm just jumping at nothing.”