by Layla Nash
Plus, Castellano would see it as another thing to exploit. Imagine having a trick bear. She'd end up in a cage for real, trotted out to entertain his business partners. Or... Worse. It could be so much worse. So she had to stay human. Definitely human.
She could get out of this. She had to get away from Castellano and his guys. Then she could call Tate or Simon and figure out what to do next. But first she had to get free.
The car turned onto a paved road and she twisted, trying to figure out where they headed. Castellano ran a hand over his balding head and made a face. "This is the worst part of the country. Unbelievable. Not a decent restaurant anywhere."
"And terrible wifi," Zoe added, trying not to get her hopes up. "So far the only place with connectivity is that bar. The one in the town. That's it."
Castellano rubbed his jaw and watched her without expression. "Convenient, no?"
"Incredibly inconvenient." Zoe took a deep breath and steeled what remained of her courage. "If you want all your files back the way they were, as fast as possible, it's very inconvenient. But unless you want to wait until we're all back in Seattle or somewhere, that's the only option."
Joey grunted. He didn't look happy as Castellano directed the driver toward town, and the car accelerated. Zoe wiggled her fingers and wished the feeling would come back, otherwise she'd never be able to work fast enough to stay alive. She bought herself a little time, maybe, if they took her to Rosie's. And if Rosie were there, maybe she would call Simon.
She tried not to hope too much as the car pulled into the tiny, desolate town. Hard to believe she'd only been there two days. So much had changed since then. The town car pulled to a halt in front of the bar and the driver came around to open the door. Zoe held out her wrists. "I can't type like this."
Castellano gestured, and Joey leaned forward to slide a knife under the plastic ties. As Zoe leaned to get out of the car, Joey caught her arm and the knife prickled against her side. "Don't do anything stupid, kid."
She held her breath but tried for attitude as she raised her eyebrows. "Do I look stupid to you?"
"Don't answer that," Castellano said. He gestured and moved toward the door. "Let's go."
Zoe blinked as the sunlight blinded her but staggered out of the car. She looked around the empty street, wishing to see Simon or Ethan or Tate or anyone friendly. Instead, Joey and Castellano flanked her as they walked toward the bar. The gravel crunched under her feet. Inside the bar was as dim as she remembered, and a great deal emptier than the last time she'd been there. But Rosie still worked behind the bar, raising her eyebrows as they walked in.
She started to speak but something cut her off and her head tilted. She sniffed the air briefly, then pasted a mostly sincere smile on her face as she leaned on the bar. "Hey there, honey. What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to call in that favor." Zoe smiled but widened her eyes and hoped that Rosie would pick up on her distress. "Could we use your wifi for a second?"
"Sure, sug." Rosie gestured at one of the somewhat clean tables. "Set up shop wherever you need. Did Simon and the boys come as well?"
"No, they're back at the lodge." Zoe swallowed panic as she shuffled over to the table and eased into one of the chairs. Castellano sat next to her and handed her a laptop while Joey folded his arms over his chest near the door. No getting out that way. Rosie remained at the bar, cutting lemons, and watched with a jaundiced eye as Zoe opened the laptop and started typing.
The bartender set the knife aside and fussed with something under the bar. "You want anything for lunch, honey? I'm supposed to meet Sam next door, and —"
"We're fine," Castellano said, the muscle in his jaw jumping. Zoe had seen that look before. She prayed Rosie left it alone.
Rosie only arched an eyebrow and gave one of the most expressive sniffs Zoe had ever heard. The bartender said, "Suit yourself," and sashayed out the back door.
The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Castellano slid a crumpled piece of paper across the table. "This is the bank account number where I want all my money returned. And this is where you're going to drop all the files you stole."
Zoe held her breath and nodded, reaching for the laptop. "This might take a while. There was... a lot."
"I know," he said. His voice carried a hard edge, and Zoe's heart sank. Men like him didn't forgive much. Her fingers trembled as she touched the keys on the laptop, and she clicked slowly to work.
She tried not to think of Joey, standing by the door with his gun and complete lack of humanity, and focused instead on Simon. He loved her. He wanted her to stay. He would find her.
He had to find her. Fast.
17
Simon
Simon's phone rang when they were only halfway to the rally point; he tossed it to Ethan, who answered with a laconic, "Talk to me."
Simon gripped the steering wheel harder as Ethan put it on speaker and Rosie's voice crackled and broke through the poor reception. The bartender sounded like she moved fast, breath coming hard as she ran. "Your little cookie is in my bar with two of the rudest sons of bitches I've had the pleasure to see in recent days. One ugly one by the door, packing at least a pistol and maybe something else, and a slimy bastard sitting right next to her. She's doing something on a laptop."
Ethan glanced over at him but Simon couldn't think through the rage that turned his vision red. So Ethan cleared his throat. "Thanks, Rosie. Did she look injured at all? Anything wrong with any of them?"
"She just looked scared, hon. But bless her heart, she smiled when she asked to call in her favor. Are you boys close?"
"We will be," Simon ground out, feeling his teeth crack.
"I'll get some of the boys together," Rosie called into the phone, the signal breaking up. "We saw some other odd fellows running around the trees, we might need to get the sheriff involved in roundin' 'em up."
"Not the sheriff," Ethan said, then cursed as he looked at the phone. "We lost signal." He picked up his radio instead and called back to the rest of their guys, warning them about the additional shooters in the woods.
Simon stepped on the gas, pushing the truck until it nearly rattled apart around them and Ethan gripped the handle of the door to keep from hitting the ceiling every time they hit a pothole in the road. It felt like an eternity until the town came into view, and Simon eased off the gas. No reason to raise the alarm, in case Castellano posted look-outs to give him warning if the cavalry arrived. Ethan hid the rifles so they rode lower in the truck as they turned onto a side street parallel to the main street. The radio crackled as Finn said they were closing in on the south side of town and had run across Rosie and several of the other shifters in town, with half a dozen guys in paramilitary equipment detained.
As their truck rolled to the back of Rosie's bar, Simon saw Zoe. A bruiser held her in a near head-lock while a greasy-looking guy in an expensive suit carried a laptop and got into the driver's side of a dark sedan parked across the street. The bruiser shoved Zoe into the backseat and climbed in after her, and Simon's bear growled to see the terrified look on her face. She looked like she'd been crying.
He accelerated until the truck bumped the sedan, about to leap out and drag the suited bastard out through the window, but the sedan took off. It skidded on the loose gravel but got enough traction to head out of town, clouds of dust choking Simon as he struggled to stay with the speedy car. He snarled as the sedan slid into a sharp corner, a steep angle, and sailed over the edge of the embankment. Rolled twice and landed upright, the interior filled with deployed airbags and cursing.
Simon leapt out of the truck before it even stopped and raced to the vehicle. He heard Zoe swearing and crying, saw her climbing out of the dented window. Trying to climb out — the ugly bruiser tried to grab her ankle, and the suited man pulled a gun from inside the car.
Simon couldn't breathe. Could barely see. And then — the bear roared out, beyond his control, entirely in charge. And an enraged grizzly collided with the sedan
and crushed the door shut on the suited bastard. He roared and reared up on his back legs to get better leverage to crush his paws on the roof of the car, not caring at the tinny pop-pop of a pistol, and his claws ripped through the metal like tissue paper.
Ethan ran up behind him, still human, and retrieved the weapons before punching the henchman in the face. He got out of the way as Simon crushed the car around Castellano, as he created a cage to trap and maybe kill the bastard. Castellano screamed, high-pitched and desperate, as a grizzly bear landed in his lap.
Ethan went to help a wide-eyed Zoe limp from the other side of the car, easing her over to the truck so she could sit down, and the scent of her fear and a hint of relief brought Simon back to his senses. He shook off the rage and reasserted control of the bear, sliding back to human so he could reach through the window to grab the front of Castellano's shirt. He wrenched the pale man forward until their noses almost touched, and Simon's voice remained half-bear as he growled. "Listen to me, and remember every word I say. Zoe is off limits. If there is so much as a whisper of you getting near her, I will fucking end you. I will rip your face off and tear your heart from inside your chest. You got it?"
The mob boss's mouth worked soundlessly as he stared at Simon, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Simon shook him, didn't care about blood that splattered from a deep cut on Castellano's cheek or that Simon was stark naked after the shift. All he could hear was Zoe's panicked breathing, the almost-hyperventilation of her whispers to Ethan. Simon bellowed an inhuman, enraged sound. He bared his teeth, on the verge of going back to bear form. "You call every single one of your little friends and tell them she's protected. If anyone looks at her sideways, you will be the one paying the price. You better use every means at your disposal to keep your fuckheads away from her. Got it?"
Castellano gurgled in his throat and managed to stop screaming long enough to say, "Fine. Fine. I'll call it off. She'll be fine. It's all fine. Just — call a goddamn ambulance. I think my legs are broken."
"Fucking suffer," Simon said and threw him back against the seat. He snarled again at the bruiser in the backseat, despite the man being unconscious, and turned to face where Zoe sat next to the truck. He struggled for calm as he walked up to her and Ethan retreated, muttering something about keeping the mob boss alive long enough to send the message not to kill her.
Zoe shook and shivered, eyes still glued to the sedan and the two men trapped inside. She whispered, "Is he still mad?"
"No," he said, and Simon cleared his throat as his voice came out all rough and rocky. Maybe making bear noises while in human form wasn't a great idea for the vocal cords. He crouched in front of her and held her shoulders, desperate to comfort her. "You're safe, Zoe. He's not going to bother you anymore."
"Are you sure?" She blinked tears away as she looked up at him, and Simon's heart broke.
He took a deep breath and started checking her over for any damage from the car wreck. "I had a little talk with him. He knows to stay away from you."
Zoe took a shaky breath then flushed bright red and held her hands up in front of her. "You're naked."
Simon looked down at himself and sighed. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, holding her face in his hands. "You'll get used to it eventually." But he pulled a set of coveralls from the bed of the truck and slid into them before he helped her to her feet.
Zoe leaned against his chest, hiding her face against him, and said, "I did something bad."
"Nothing you did could be —"
"I told him I gave the money back." She looked up at him, guilt making her adorable until Simon wanted to kiss every inch of her face. "But I didn't. I just put it somewhere else."
Simon bit back a laugh, squeezing her tight against his chest until he could rub his chin on her head. "Do you really need all that money, Zoe?"
"I only kept a little," she said. She leaned against him, as if too tired to stand on her own, and her arms linked around his back. Simon wanted to carry her away to some place warm and safe. Zoe sighed and nuzzled against him. "I put most of it in the charity fund for the people who were hurt. But I saved a little. I've been thinking of buying some land."
"Land?" Simon looked up with a frown at the sound of approaching vehicles. He picked out Finn and Cooper and Noah, but a couple of other SUVs and farm trucks rolled through the grass as well. He breathed easier when he saw Rosie in the lead, her eyes narrowed in fury. The cougar had claws and didn't take kindly to outsiders threatening her friends. Simon rubbed Zoe's back and looked in the truck for something that would keep her warmer. "What are you talking about?"
"Land," she said, gesturing back at where the lodge waited, far beyond the town. "You said there was a bunch for sale and you wanted to build cabins. I thought we could —"
She trailed off, uncertain, and he took a breath to reassure her. It was the best idea he'd heard in a long time. But Zoe's expression froze and Simon's heart sank — something behind him scared her. Something he had zero chance of surviving, from the look on her face. He braced himself for the inevitable, and hoped he would at least save her before he died.
18
Zoe
As if almost being killed by Joey and then nearly dying in a car wreck — for the second time in as many days! — wasn't bad enough, just as she tried to tell Simon she wanted to stay with him, a freaking mountain lion jumped up from the bed of the truck and launched itself through the air at them.
A mountain lion.
She grabbed Simon and tried to wrench him out of the way, but succeeded only in hurting her back before the cat's paws collided with Simon's shoulders and threw them both to the ground. She squeaked as he knocked the air out of her, and Simon rolled, shouting at Ethan. Zoe gasped for air, waiting for the claws and teeth and blood.
Instead Tate stood up, totally naked but with two angry red weals on his chest, and scowled down at Simon. "You son of a bitch."
Zoe stared at him. Her thoughts didn't quite connect. She looked for the mountain lion, but there was only Tate. Simon lurched to his feet, standing over Zoe to prevent Tate from getting any closer. "What the hell, man? I thought you were dead."
"You never said you were a grizzly," Tate said, teeth bared.
Zoe looked between him and Simon, struggling to catch up. Dead?
Simon threw his arms out in exasperation. "Well, you never said you're a cat."
"A mountain lion, dick. Not a cat." Tate kept scowling as he shoved past Simon to help Zoe up, and she found herself once again faced with a naked man's business. Her brother's naked business.
She held her hands up to block everything from sight. "No, I'm cool. I'm cool. Find some pants, damn it."
"A precious little kitten," Simon said under his breath, throwing a pair of coveralls in Tate's face. "It explains a lot about you, man. All the bathing and tanning and sleeping."
Tate wasn't nearly as entertained as he shoved his legs into the coveralls and zipped them partially up. "You left me to bleed to death, asshole. You don't get to bitch at me about anything for at least six months."
"What the heck are you talking about?" Zoe looked between the two men as they squared off. She clutched handfuls of her hair, trying to think through the raging headache. It felt like she'd transported back in time a few hours and they were back at the lodge, both of them arguing over what to do with her. "What is going on? Why did you think Tate was dead?"
Simon shrugged, watching as a few of the other shifters helped Ethan extract Castellano and Joey from the car. "Some of Castellano's guys shot up the lodge. Tate was hit. I thought he was dead."
"So you left him?" Zoe's heart jumped to her throat. The red marks on Tate's chest were bullet holes.
"I had to find you," Simon said, like he was trying to be patient.
"That's it." Zoe stomped her foot and shoved him, knocking him back a step as Simon stared at her in surprise. "How could you leave him? What's wrong with you? I thought you were friends."
"We are." Simon bli
nked at he looked at her. "Zoe, he was —"
"He wasn't dead." She caught sight of Tate, smirking as he leaned against the truck, and turned her ire on him. "And you! You're my brother. Why the heck didn't you ever tell me you're a mountain lion?"
He straightened, a shadow of guilt crossing his expression, but he held out his hands to catch her. "Zoe, it was too dangerous for you to know. I didn't mean to keep it from you, but..."
Tears burned her eyes and Zoe held onto control with her fingernails. The bear inside her very much wanted to get loose so she could show those men how she felt about being left in the dark. She clenched her fists at her sides and fixed them with her fiercest look. "Don't you dare. I've had just about enough of the two of you. I need a break. I need to clear my head, and I don't want to see any more naked men."
She spun on her heel to march back to town, but ran into Rosie instead. The bartender caught her shoulders, took one look at her face, and said, "Honey, you look like you could use a drink. Come on with me and I'll get you settled." Rosie leaned around her to get an eyeful of Tate, then arched her eyebrow at him. "And you stick around, sugar. I've been looking for a hot little lion to warm my den at night. You'll do nicely."
Zoe hiccupped, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and let Rosie lead her back to the bar and inside. She was so relieved but so mad. After the terror of Castellano showing up, and Joey pointing the gun at her, and knowing that they were going to drive her somewhere they could hide her body... To have it all just end so abruptly knocked her off-balance. She was safe. The moment she saw Simon, she knew she was safe. But that didn't erase the terror of the last few hours, the uncertainty and fear. Zoe sank into a chair at one of the tables and rested her head on her arms. She wanted to cry but the tears seemed stuck in her throat.