by Lauren Wood
“I told you to find a witch to train her,” Micah said with a sigh.
“I’m trying, but Brent keeps turning down all the names I give him.”
“That’s because you keep choosing women with shady pasts.”
“Their witches. They all have a shady past,” Jackson grumbled. “Anyways, I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about this.”
Brent pinched the bridge of his nose. He loved his two best friends, but sometimes they were complicated. “I’ve already told you that there’s nothing new. It leads about half a mile and begins under a brush in the woods from one of the trails. It’s the public portion of the woods. There’s nothing about the tunnel to indicate who made it. We’ve put a camera up, and the only thing I can do is hope that someone is stupid enough to come back. Until then, we’re changing all the passcodes to the security entrances. By tomorrow, everyone will have new cards to enter certain buildings.”
Micah reached up and clapped the man on the back. “I know you’ll figure this out. You’re the best.”
“I deserve a raise,” Brent growled. “You’ve made it so that any Tom, Dick, and Jane can walk in here as long as they’re in love, you created a strangely powerful female shifter, and now Jackson was a witch for a wife.”
Micah shrugged. “You’re a billionaire. How can I pay you more? Besides, you’ll fall in love one day. And then you’ll understand.”
Brent rolled his eyes. Him? Fall in love? That would be the day. He ran his hand over his chin and frowned. He hadn’t shaved in days, and the hair was getting ridiculous.
“Keep it,” Jackson said, reading his mind. “The ladies love some good facial hair.”
“Bigger issues,” Brent muttered. “What did you tell the owner of the convenience store? I haven’t been fielding any questions on the tunnel, so everyone’s doing a good job keeping it secret.”
“Told him we were concerned about a sinkhole. We’re going to relocate his inventory to the other side of the territory,” Micah said smoothly. “I do not want this getting out until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Brent turned and led the men out of the store. “There’s not a whole lot we can do now except wait. I’ve got camera’s at both ends, so hopefully someone will come back soon.”
“I hate waiting,” Micah growled.
“You and me both,” Brent agreed. He shook their hands and watched as they slowly made their way back to the condos. It was surprising how much the two men had changed over the past month.
Micah used to be so stressed about being alpha, but with Stacey by his side, he was stronger. Bolder. Calmer. And Jackson used to be the biggest of playboys, but Natalie practically had him on an invisible leash. He doted on her.
Love.
It wasn’t that Brent never imagined being in love, but while Micah and Jackson were expected to take wives, Brent knew he would be married to the job. Micah and Jackson were groomed for their positions of alpha and second-in command. Brent just happened to be lucky enough to be their friends.
They convinced him to be their top chief in security. And Brent, having inherited his wealth and having nothing better to do, agreed. And for the first few months, it was fine. He kept an eye on the changing vampire community, and he canvassed the area, but this was a major breach in security. And it happened on his watch.
He’d been too relaxed.
He cast one more glance at the convenience store. Who was crazy enough to break into the bear shifter community? And why?
***
Tara Schmidt forced a smile and tried to ignore the two men ogling her cleavage. Her uniform was ridiculously tight, but that’s how Dave liked his waitresses. He wanted their curves popping out in all the right places. And Tara was as curvy as they came. It was one of the only reasons people kept coming back to the shitty bar because Dave couldn’t cook worth crap.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked sweetly.
The bald one eyed her lecherously and licked his lips. “I can think of a thing or two that I might want to get my hands on.”
“If it’s not on the menu, you’re not getting your hands on it,” she said as the smile dropped off her face. God, it was going to be one of those nights. She moved past the table, careful to keep out of the reach of the men, and made her way to the back. “Sandra, can you take table twelve? They’re getting on my last nerves.”
The petite blonde peered around the corner and frowned. “Fine, but it’ll cost you. You’re going to have to fill the ketchups tonight.”
“Done,” Tara said immediately. “Anything to get away from them.”
Sandra pulled her low cut top up in an effort to hide her cleavage and straightened her shoulders. She looked like she was about to do battle.
“You going to see Matthew tonight?” Gretchen asked.
Tara shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him. And things are kind of fizzling pretty quickly.” She’d started dating Matthew two weeks prior, but things weren’t going well. She normally never dated the bar guests, but there was something about him that was mesmerizing. Unfortunately, she’d only seen him twice since then, and she wasn’t very impressed with him. But every time she walked away, she ended up wanted to see him again. It was bizarre.
“Boring in bed?”
Tara shook her head. “We haven’t made it that far. And I don’t think we’re going too.” She reached up to grab two glasses from the top and filled them with water. As Dave yelled out orders from the back, she made a face. “I need a vacation.”
“Don’t we all. I’ll take those waters if you grab two Bud light packs from the back for table two.”
Tara nodded and handed over the waters. As Gretchen opened the swinging door, Tara made her way to the bar cooler to grab a case of beer. As she entered the chilled area, her phone vibrated. Frowning, she pulled it out of her pocket. It was a text from Matthew.
Doing anything when you get off work tonight?
She sighed. She didn’t have any plans, but she hated to keep dragging things out with him. They just weren’t compatible. Still, if she saw him tonight, she could break things off. It was classier than a text break-up or completely ghosting from the relationship.
Was a few dates considered a relationship anyways?
No plans she texted back.
Great. I’ve got a surprise for you.
She wrinkled her nose. She could just guess what kind of surprise he had at two o’clock in the morning. And she wasn’t interested. Maybe you could just meet me here?
Nope. I’ve got something you’re really going to want to see. Meet me in the Woodlands Park at campsite B.
The park? There was no way she was going to the park in the middle of the night. He must have been out of his mind. That doesn’t sound safe.
Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you. I think tonight might be the turning point for us ;)
A winky face? Matthew didn’t really seem like the type to text facial expressions. Still, she was intrigued. She agreed to meet with him and put her phone away. They were still busy out there, and she didn’t have time to argue with him anyways.
Briefly, she wondered what kind of surprise he would have for her. Maybe she’d underestimated him after all.
Four hours later, she was cold and pissed. She’d been waiting for nearly ten minutes for Matthew to show in the clearing, and so far, nothing. She walked around the perimeter of the campsite to see if she could get a glimpse of his surprise, but all she could see were trees and darkness. She pulled out her cellphone again.
This isn’t funny! I’m cold and kind of freaked out. Where are you?
“Tara?”
She perked up at the sound of Matthew’s voice. It was about time. “Matthew? Where the hell are you?”
“I’m back here. You have to see this!”
Tara turned around and tried to identify the direction of his voice. “Back where?”
“Follow the trail.”
After a moment of h
esitation, she found the trail on her left and followed it down a ways. “Matthew? I don’t think they allow hikers after dark.”
“Just keep going. Trust me. It’ll be worth it.”
“It better be,” she mumbled. She kept going, but after a few minutes, she didn’t hear anything. “Matthew?”
There was no answer. Her heart started to pound in her chest, and she suddenly thought about all the things that could happen to her in the dark. “Matthew? I’m scared.”
There was still no answer. Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out her cellphone and turned on the flashlight app. Shining it around, she could see nothing but trees and the twisting path. She had a bad feeling about this. “Matthew, I’m heading back to the campsite.”
No response.
Growling in irritation, she turned around and headed back to the clearing. There was no sign of the man, and he never texted her. Hoping that nothing bad happened to him, she hurried to her car.
She never noticed the blinking red light in the trees.
***
The next night, she relayed her story to Gretchen and Sandra. “And then he just stopped talking to me. Do you think it was a prank? Maybe I should call the police.”
Sandra leaned over to finish wiping the bar. “Did you hear a struggle or anything to indicate that something bad happened?”
Tara shook her head. “No. But I’ve tried texting and calling him. You’d think that if was a prank, he’d want to chance to gloat. At least then I could punch him. I just have a bad feeling about it.”
Gretchen shrugged. “The police can’t do anything until forty-eight hours. And you don’t even know if he’s missing.”
“Still, I should at least tell them that something strange happened,” Tara said defensively.
“Girl, it’s a pretty popular park. If something happened to him in Woodlands, at the very least, the bear shifter community would know.”
Tara nodded. She hadn’t considered that. “Right. I’m just overthinking it. Matthew is just an asshole.”
“Oh, come on.” Tara looked up to see Sandra tossing the towel on the bar. The source of her frustration was obvious. They were closing in five minutes and three men just walked into the bar.
“We’re closing,” Tara called out. She gave them a friendly smile. “Sorry, gentlemen.”
But damn, they were sexy. Tara almost volunteered to close the bar down if it meant that she could serve them. They were all tall and built, but the third one had jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. And he had that sexy shadow across his jawline that she ached to reach over and touch.
But none of them looked particularly friendly at the moment. “We’re here to speak to the owner,” the first said seriously.
“Dave,” Sandra called out. “There are three sexy men here to see you.” She winked at them and flounced into the back.
They barely looked at her. They all had their eyes on Tara, and she swallowed nervously. What the hell was going on here?
“What?” Dave muttered as he pushed through the door. He ignored Tara has he reached the men.
They spoke in a quiet voice, and one of the flashed an ID. Dave turned and frowned. “Gretchen. Sandra. Go home.”
Gretchen raised an eyebrow. “We’re not done.”
“Shut-up,” Sandra said as she grabbed her friend’s arm. “We’re going. Thanks Dave.” Tara heard her whisper to Sandra. “Why would you tell him that we’re not done? Do you not want to go home?”
Dave turned to Tara. “Serve them a drink.”
“What?” Tara frowned. It was close to midnight. “How did I end up with the short straw?” Dave ignored her and stomped into the back.
She sighed and turned to face the men. “You can have bottle beer because I’ve already cleaned the taps and drain,” she muttered.
“Why were you in Woodland Park last night?”
Tara froze. “Excuse me?” she asked slowly. How the hell had they known where she was?
“It’s a simple question.”
Tara put down her bar towel and stared. “Did Matthew put you up to this? Because I’ve got to say, I’m not really amused.”
“Who is Matthew?”
She rolled her eyes. “Very funny. Dave. I’m leaving. You can take care of these jokers on your own,” she called out. “You can tell Matthew this is the most immature thing that has ever happened to me.”
She stormed past them, and her heart sank when they followed her. “Hey,” she said as she whirled around at the door. “This isn’t funny.”
One of them produced an ID. She eyed it wearily. Brent Jenson. Security for the Woodland Pack. “Shit,” she muttered. “Something did happen to Matthew.”
“Come with us Ms. Schmidt. We have some questions for you.”
Chapter Two
The woman sat at the expansive table and looked around nervously. Brent eyed her from the window and frowned. “Tara Schmidt is twenty-five years old. She graduated college with a degree in English, but she’s been working at Dave’s Dive for four years now. She’s originally from Colorado, and as far as I know, she has no connections to the paranormal groups in either state,” he recited. He’d practically memorized her file.
“But she was wandering around the edge of the tunnel last night,” Micah murmured. Brent nodded.
It was clear from the footage that she was looking for something. She hesitated a few minutes before leaving.
“The park closes after sun down with the exception of campers. No one is allowed on the trails though. She went in alone, and she left alone. Furthermore, I found this caught in the brush. From the way it smells, it’s been there for several days. It matches the woman’s scent,” Brent said quietly as he produced the scarf. He thought it was odd that he didn’t see it there before. Clearly, he was off his game.
For reasons that he couldn’t fathom, he didn’t want the woman to be caught up in this. She was pretty. Tall, blonde, leggy, and curvy. It was clear that she was the main attraction at the bar, but Brent wasn’t one to fall for a pretty face. There was something else going on, and he just didn’t quite know what to make of it.
“Go in and talk with her. If her story doesn’t add up, hold her,” Micah ordered. He glanced at his watch. “Crap. It’s late. I’ve got to head back. Are you sure you don’t want to just wait until tomorrow?”
Brent nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll let you know how it goes in the morning.” Micah had someone to go home too. Brent didn’t.
Alone, Brent opened the door and entered the conference room. The woman stiffened in her seat. “You know, you’re not exactly the police. I don’t think you can hold me here,” she said suspiciously.
“You are correct,” he said easily. “But since you’re here, you’re going to find it rather difficult to leave. Security couldn’t be tighter right now. But you’re welcome to wander the grounds.”
Her sexy little mouth dropped open. “I’m a prisoner?” she squeaked.
“That depends,” he said. “Can you give me a good reason why you were in Woodlands Park last night?”
“Look, I don’t know if something happened to Matthew, but I never actually saw him. I went out to meet him, and then I heard him calling for me, but then he stopped, and I never heard him again. And I went home.”
Brent leaned back. “So you heard your friend calling for you, and when you didn’t hear him anymore, you left instead of looking for him?”
She swept her hands through her hair nervously. “Look, I know it sounds strange. But I haven’t been seeing Matthew for very long. He told me that he wanted to show me something in the park. Campsite B. So I went. And then I heard him saying I needed to see something from the trails. I went in a little ways, and then he stopped calling for me. I tried to tell him that I was freaked out, and I texted him. I figured he was just trying to scare me. I get the feeling that Matthew is a bit intense. I swear I was going to go to the police tonight when I still hadn’t heard from him.” She paused. “Is he dead?”
“Okay,” Tara said slowly. “So you’re just pissed that I was on the trails after hours? Is that a big thing?”
“Ms. Schmidt, what do you know about the bear shifter community?”
He watched her pale, and his eyes narrowed. What was she hiding? “Ms. Schmidt?” he prompted.
“Look, Mr. Jenson. I don’t know anything about your guys except that this is your territory. And that you own the park. I’m not trying to get in the middle of anything.”
He watched her. Her eyes darted around nervously, and her breathing grew shallow. “Ms. Schmidt, is there a reason that you’re so nervous?”
“Probably because you’re doing things intentionally to make me nervous,” she snapped. “Tell me what the hell this is about or let me go.”
Brent smiled. She was good. He had to hand it to her. “Look, right now, we’ve kept a tight lid on everything. But once the pack finds out that someone has trespassed on their lands, all hell is going to break loose, and I won’t be able to protect you. So you tell me why you did it.”
Confusion crossed her face. “I know the park was private property, but I thought it was open to the public. I paid for the ticket and everything.” She grabbed her purse and started digging for it. “It’s probably still in here.”
“I’m not talking about the park, and you know it. I’m talking about the tunnel from the park to the inside of my perimeter.”
“Tunnel? I don’t know anything about a tunnel,” she said as her eyes widened.
“You’re human,” Brent continued. “So it’s obvious that you’re working with someone. Give us the name, and I’ll go easy on you.”
She jumped from her seat and started to shake. “Oh my God. It’s happening all over again. Look, I swear, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Happening again?” Brent raised an eyebrow. There was nothing in her file about her being accused of anything. “What exactly do you think is happening again?” Christ, she was really shaking. He got up. “Ms. Schmidt?”