Bears in Blue Shifter Romance Box Set

by Mia Taylor

  “Detective… uh, sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.”

  “Silas. I was here when that underage girl got stabbed and again when you had those three overdoses in one night, remember?”

  August gave him a bright smile which didn’t mask the malice glimmering in the cop’s eye.

  Louis paled. “Yeah,” he muttered. “I remember, but you know none of those things were my fault, right? I mean—”

  “I need to take a look at those tapes. Are they in there?” August interjected as if he couldn’t hear Louis speaking.

  “The security footage? Yeah, but I gotta tell you, Detective, whoever did this isn’t a regular. I would have recognized him—”

  “Spare me the BS, Lou. I just want to see the tapes. I’ll pass along your cooperative nature to the ADA.”

  “The ADA? This is just an unfortunate event! There’s no reason to bring charges—”

  “An unfortunate event?” August lost the pretense of niceness, his head whipping around to glower at him. “A shooting, a stabbing and overdoses does not add up to a series of unfortunate events, Louis. It shows that there’s something going on beneath the surface here, something that says you pride money over the safety of your patrons. Someone, somewhere is going to do something about this.”

  Louis’ face was nearly opaque and he started to protest, but August wasn’t about to waste time listening to his words.

  In his gut, he knew that the district attorney didn’t care about some lowly club owner, no matter what kind of shady crap was happening. They weren’t kingpins, they weren’t anyone even on the radar. Whatever had happened that night wasn’t big enough to set up red flags anywhere. The shooting, according to the higher ups, would undoubtedly be regarded as just another two mugs trying to eliminate each other in a city rife with violence.

  But a little fear never hurt anyone, August reasoned, pushing his way into the office where a tech was already poring through the footage. And that’s where CPD comes in.

  “Got anything interesting, Raffi?” he asked and the slight man raised his head to look at August, a wide smile breaking out over his face.

  “Hey, Silas. I’m still looking but nothing yet.”

  Andrew Wayland seemed to shrink into the wall as August looked at him, but to the older brother’s credit, he didn’t offer any platitudes as Louis had.

  That’s right—Andrew was the smarter one. I remember now.

  “Let’s go back to the time of the shooting,” August sighed, sensing that he wasn’t going to find much if Raffi hadn’t.

  “We’ll bring this back to the lab and clean it up,” Raffi assured him.

  “I know, but since I’m here, let me earn my paycheck,” August insisted. “If they dragged me out of bed for this, I may as well get a movie out of it.”

  Raffi nodded and August watched as the tech moved forward to oblige his request.

  August scowled at Andrew Wayland, who seemed to be observing with too much interest.

  “Unless you have something to add, you can let us do our job,” August thundered. Andrew didn’t need to be told a second time and scurried out of the office, apparently grateful for the opportunity to escape.

  I hope he doesn’t go too far. I wouldn’t mind grilling him for an hour or so, just for shits and giggles.

  “See?” Raffi said, pointing at the screen, and August moved his eyes back toward the activity. “The image is blurry and even our vic isn’t clear, but you can see the blast of the gun and then everyone scrambling for safety.”

  But August wasn’t looking at the duelling duo. Something else had caught his attention.

  “Back it up to a minute before the shooting itself,” August said slowly, peering pensively at the screen.

  “There! There, now play it,” August said excitedly. The tape rolled slowly and August clapped his hands with almost childish delight.

  It’s like taking candy from a baby, he thought happily.

  “What?” Raffi demanded, looking at him in confusion. “What do you see?”

  August grinned and resisted the urge to ruffle his curly hair.

  “Back it up again,” he instructed and Raffi did as he was told. “Look at those two women by the bar.”

  Raffi’s eyes moved down to the left side of the screen and through his peripheral vision, August could see that the tan-skinned man saw what he had too.

  “The blonde in the red dress,” Raffi said, a note of excitement in his voice. “She saw the gun and dove on her friend a split second before the gun went off.”

  “Yes, she did, didn’t she?” August agreed, slightly impressed by the woman’s quick reaction. “And if she saw the gun, she saw the shooter. I’m going to see if she’s around here still.”

  “Nice work, Detective.”

  August smiled but he didn’t slow his gait as he made his way back out to where the witnesses remained. His eyes were on high alert for a blonde in a red dress and he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for what he’d discovered.

  Not bad for someone who needs coffee and hasn’t slept. But that’s why they pay me the big bucks, he thought, grunting. To be detective, not by playing TO to rookies, like I will be tomorrow morning.

  Chapter Three

  You Look Familiar

  Sleep did not come to Melissa that night and the longer she tried to close her eyes and forget about what had happened at the club, the less she was confident in her decision to leave.

  I should have stayed. It was my duty to stay, wasn’t it? So what if I was there. I didn’t do anything wrong… but then again, how would it look if I encountered someone who was going to be my superior in that dress and stilettos? They already won’t take me seriously as a blonde woman working in the police department… or do I just have a chip on my shoulder… I should have stayed…

  It was a vicious, annoying circle which she played over and over in her head but it was far too late to rectify what she’d done.

  Unless I go in tomorrow, sensibly dressed, and tell them that I saw the shooter… but then they’ll think I’d been out drinking the night before—oh my God! Melissa, you’re going to drive yourself over the edge.

  Cara showed up two hours after she got home.

  “Did anyone die?” Melissa demanded the second her roommate walked in the door. “Was anyone hurt?”

  If someone died and I could have found the shooter…

  Cara scowled and Melissa could plainly see her friend was annoyed that she had left the scene, but even with the perspective of time, Melissa wasn’t sure she’d done wrong.

  “They think it was a drug deal gone awry,” Cara told her begrudgingly. “Or at least, that’s what I think they think.”

  Guiltily, relief touched Melissa and she nodded, exhaling.

  Okay, so no innocent people were affected.

  “No one died, though?” she asked, gritting her teeth at the question.

  Cara shook her head. “He barely got hurt,” she replied. “You should have stayed. There were some hot cops.”

  Cara was trying to make light of the situation but Melissa knew she was still upset.

  “I’m sorry,” Melissa sighed. “I panicked. I couldn’t imagine explaining to another cop why I was in a place like that the day before I report for duty.”

  “I get it,” Cara replied and sighed. She looked at Melissa and offered her a smile.

  “I owe you a thank you, I guess,” she added and Melissa eyed her in confusion.

  “For what? For leaving?”

  “You saved my life!” Cara cried. “For what? Jesus. You’re already thinking like a cop. ‘Just doing my job, ma’am.’”

  Melissa snorted and embraced her friend tightly in a hug.

  “I didn’t save your life, so get that out of your head. That altercation had nothing to do with us but I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m not okay,” Cara growled, untangling herself from Melissa’s arms. “I’m not okay knowing you’re going to be going to work and deal
ing with shit like that every day!”

  “Care…”

  “I know you’re still going to do it but it doesn’t make me feel any better about it,” Cara snapped. “I’m going to bed.”

  Her roommate’s words had done little to help with her insomnia, but by dawn, Melissa had dismissed the events of the previous night with a regretful sigh.

  I did everything I could at the scene and the cops are on it. Detectives or whatever. It’s okay. It’s not a big deal.

  It was time to get ready for work and she couldn’t waste another minute thinking about Portia or the shooting.

  As Cara says—I better get used to it. I’m going to see a lot of them.

  It was just another thing she had considered on paper, so to speak, but the reality was suddenly slapping her in the face.

  Could it have been a sign, like Cara suggested?

  Melissa scoffed at herself.

  If it was a sign for anything, it was saying that I should go today. I handled myself like a pro, even if I did take off.

  She dressed with extra care that morning, using pins to fasten any stray strands of hair as stipulated by the police guidelines for dress and conduct. She wanted to make sure she was beyond reproach when she got in the patrol car that morning.

  I’ll never be written up for anything. I’m going to be the perfect cop, she told herself in a mantra she’d played in her mind over and over since the first day she’d started studying criminal justice in college.

  I’ll do the Chicago Police proud. And I’ll never run from anything ever again.

  She didn’t remind herself that she had already broken that vow the night before at Portia.

  But I wasn’t a police officer yet.

  Her uniform was impeccable, lacking only the firearm and badge she’d be issued when she arrived at the 22nd.

  “You’re going to be late if you keep gawking at yourself in the mirror. I mean, you’re hot, Liss, but you’re not red-dress, diving-on-top-of-me-in-stilettos hot, you know? Although, some people really do get off on that whole female cop, baton thing.”

  “Are you going to have sexual fantasies about me now?” Melissa snorted, turning to face Cara. To her surprise, the smaller woman was fully dressed.

  “What do you mean ‘now?’” Cara teased.

  “Last night you wanted to marry me, today you’re talking kink. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have a crush on me, Care.”

  “Thanks, but I like my meat on a stick, sister,” Cara countered and Melissa whooped at the term. She squinted at Cara curiously.

  “Why are you up and dressed so early?”

  “I’m taking you to work,” Cara replied softly. “You didn’t think I was going to let you go by yourself on your first day, did you?”

  Relief flooded through Melissa’s body and she jumped to scale the bed and hug Cara.

  “Thank you!” she breathed, placing a kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best.”

  “Get off me,” Cara laughed, pushing her away playfully. “Or I’m going to start thinking you like me.”

  “Sorry, sis,” Melissa laughed. “I belong to no one but Jason Momoa.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Oh. And maybe this guy… I might give up Jason Momoa for this guy…

  Melissa’s breath caught fully in her chest as her eyes rested on the burly, uniformed man who sat casually sipping a coffee at the back of the packed room. The cap of his hat was tipped just enough that she had to cock her head to look into his face, her heart thudding wildly.

  Is he doing that on purpose? Looking so hot, or is that just his usual pose?

  “Uh… Detective Silas?” she asked tentatively, approaching him. He looked at her with penetrating blue eyes that took her breath away, and for a foreign, irreplaceable minute, Melissa felt like he was looking into her soul.

  He said nothing and Melissa could feel her cheeks burning as he waited for her to speak again.

  “I-I’m Melissa. Melissa Stark. I, uh, I’m with you.”

  I’m with you? I’M WITH YOU? What are you, twelve?

  She tried to blame her idiotic babbling on the lack of sleep and stress but she knew it was much, much more than that.

  He continued to study her face, his eyes unblinking, and Melissa was certain she was crimson with embarrassment.

  “I’m supposed to be riding with you,” she rushed on. “I’m… it’s my first day.”

  He finally spoke and when he did, it didn’t alleviate her humiliation in the least.

  “I can tell,” he replied, rising from his seat. “Let’s go, Officer Stark.”

  He was out of the room before Melissa fully realized what was happening and she rushed to keep up with him, her heart hammering wildly.

  You’ve just got first-day jitters. It has nothing to do with the fact that this might be the most handsome man you’ve ever laid eyes on in your life and he thinks you’re an idiot already.

  Through the station they moved, Detective Silas a few steps ahead of her, and Melissa marveled at the way such a huge man could move with such grace. She found her eyes fixed on the curve of his perfectly sculpted ass unabashedly.

  They pushed their way into the early morning light of the parking lot and to Melissa’s shock, he spun abruptly and tossed a set of keys at her. She caught them reflexively and stared at them blankly.

  “W-what’s this?” she asked when he turned back toward a nearby patrol car. Silas didn’t respond and Melissa had no choice but to join him at the car as he waited… at the passenger side.

  “I’m driving?” she demanded, her face pale. “You want me to drive on my first day?”

  Oh dear God in Heaven, please tell me this is some kind of hazing. He wouldn’t do this to me… would he?

  “You expected a chauffeur on your first day?” he asked evenly and Melissa’s mouth gaped.

  “I-I have no idea what to do!” she protested and he snorted, folding his arms over his barrel chest to stare down at her again with his magnificent eyes. She could read no anger in his expression but there was exasperation.

  “How else are you going to learn, Officer?” he demanded. “You trained in school. You’ve done ride-alongs. You are going to have to get behind the wheel sometime, aren’t you?”

  Melissa knew he was speaking the truth but it didn’t stop her heart from dancing almost out of her chest. She tried to focus on the rhythmic quality of his voice.

  He sounds confident and he probably doesn’t want to die today. If he has faith in you, then you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth… even if you might kill us and others.

  “I-I guess,” she managed to say, and he nodded curtly.

  “Good. Why don’t you start by unlocking the doors?”

  She inhaled sharply and did as she was told, sliding into the cool leather of the squad car’s interior. It did nothing to drop the temperature of her body, which was already overheating.

  Oh my God. I haven’t slept. I’m a witness in an attempted murder and I’m going to crash this car on my first day as a cop. That’s it. My career is over. It hasn’t started and I’m done.

  “Officer Stark, look at me.”

  She turned her head and bit on her lower lip, trying to maintain a neutral expression on her face but failing miserably. A panicked lump formed in her throat and stupidly, she wondered if he could see it.

  “I need you to listen to my voice very carefully. Can you do that?”

  She nodded, fixing her gaze on his expressive irises.

  What I wouldn’t give to be inside his head right now. Or maybe I wouldn’t want to know what he’s thinking.

  “I had a very late night last night,” he started, the words surprising her, despite the mellifluousness of his voice. There was no indication of anger, even if his words were condescending. “I’m in no mood to babysit a little girl who wants to play police officer for a day. Do you think you can get it together, Officer Stark? Or do you need to go to your safe space first?”

  Heat sta
ined her face and Melissa’s jaw tightened in anger.

  “I’m not a little girl playing police officer!” she snapped back. “I have just as much a right to be here as anyone! Probably more than anyone! I graduated second in my class at the academy!”

  And that’s only because the instructor’s son was in my class. I would have been first!

  She didn’t bother to add that because she knew she was already coming off as a petulant brat and that was the last thing she wanted this hunk of gorgeous man to see her as.

  Too late for that.

  “Uh huh,” Silas replied, sounding bored. “And yet you’re sitting here pouting that you have to drive.”

  “I’m not pouting!” She jammed the keys in the ignition and started the car. The vehicle came to life, including the computer and radio. She cast her training officer a scathing look but he grinned happily at her.

  “Oh good,” he sighed happily. “You’ve got a backbone.”

  Her eyes narrowed.

  “You were testing me?” she demanded, unsure if she was pleased she’d passed or furious he was baiting her. The beam on his face froze and then faded and he leaned toward her with a seriousness which overtook the car.

  “This whole job is a test, Stark, except there’s no room for error. Every decision you make could be your last. Every step you take could affect someone else’s life. You don’t get the luxury of being unsure or worried. You remember your training, keep your wits about you and you go in with a hundred percent of your heart. You make a decision and you stand by it. There’s no time to be wishy-washy. There’s no time to be confused. You need to think on your feet. If you don’t think you can do that—”

  “I can!” Melissa told him firmly and she meant it. Her nervousness was fading with the words he spoke echoing through her ears.

  This is what you signed on for, she reminded herself, backing out of the spot without being prompted. This is what you want to do.

  “Make a left out of the parking lot. I’ll guide you through your patrol routes. It’ll be an easy day for the most part.”

  She nodded, pretending to focus out the windshield, but through her peripheral vision, she could see that Silas was staring at her face pensively. There was an amused smile on his face and she wondered what he thought about her.