by Mia Taylor
“That’s BS!”
“Who said that?” To Charlotte’s absolute amazement, Rand rose to join Kramer on the desk and peer down at the others.
“Well?” Rand demanded. “Who called BS?”
Charlotte found her voice and stepped forward, sensing the disquiet among her peers.
“I did,” she lied and Rand smirked.
“Why am I not surprised?” he sighed. “What’s bullshit, Pinkerton?”
“A split. It’s segregation. It calls more attention to us. That’s why we abolished them in the first place!”
She could hear the swell of the bears agreeing but Rhett pulled her back before she could continue her building diatribe.
“Yes,” Rand agreed. “That was why we abolished them, but things have changed now. The split is necessary.”
“Who is this guy?” Hernandez hissed at Charlotte. “Do you know him?”
“Not really,” she replied, her eyes fixed on Rand. He returned her stare unblinkingly.
“Is something wrong, Charlotte?” he demanded.
“I’m just wondering why you’re the one who’s talking to us about this.”
Rand’s smile widened and the leer filled her with a growing sense of dread. “Of course,” he laughed. “How rude of me not to have introduced myself.”
All eyes were on him and he shifted his face to look at the crowd but Charlotte got the distinct impression that he was still watching her.
“My name is Lieutenant Rand Simon,” he said, nodding.
“Lieutenant?” Charlotte repeated. “He was a detective a few weeks ago.”
“People get promoted when they bring down mobsters and corrupt cops, Pinkerton,” Rand called out to her and she felt her hands ball into fists.
He took all the credit for that. What a jackass.
“As I was saying,” Rand continued, casting Charlotte a reproving gaze, “I’m Lt. Simon and I’m the new sheriff in town.”
A din erupted after his statement and Rhett’s arm closed around Charlotte’s waist protectively as if he worried that there would be a mob attack.
“What does that mean?” Rhett yelled.
“It means, Lewis, that I’m in charge of the bears in blue going forward.”
He paused and grinned coldly at Rhett.
“And it also means I’m watching you.
Epilogue
They looked around the elegant property, trying not to show their excitement but it was almost impossible.
“So?” the owner asked, a note of impatience in his voice. “What do you think?”
It was clear to see what Charlotte thought of the house, not that Rhett could blame her in the least.
“Why are you selling it?” he asked in a low voice as Charlotte gaped out the kitchen window. “You’ve had it… well, forever.”
The man’s jaw locked slightly and he shook his head.
“There are a lot of changes happening,” he muttered. “I assume that’s why you’re buying out here, too.”
He looked furtively toward his wife, who seemed disheartened to have them in their house.
“I feel guilty even talking to you at this price,” Rhett said and the man’s mouth twitched.
“It’s like you’re trying to talk me out of selling it,” he muttered and Rhett threw up his hands.
“Of course not… it’s just…”
His blue eyes darted toward Charlotte again.
“If you’re leaving, I feel like maybe we should be, too.”
The owner shook his dark head of hair, his eyes burning into Rhett’s.
“Our circumstances have changed. I learned something about my wife’s father and let’s just say that it’s time to move on.”
“But you have your responsibilities here,” Rhett reminded him. He felt like an ass for being so intrusive, but in a way, he knew it was his right to ask all these pointed questions.
Ever since the bears had taken over the 22, things had gotten incredibly stressful around the district. It had only been a couple of months but the shift the split had caused was undeniable. While Rand could claim all he wanted that the split only applied to the police force, it was becoming clearer every day that there was a divide happening between the mortals and the bears, one which the mortals obviously had no idea of.
The move out of the city had been Charlotte’s suggestion, if only to remove them from the hectic nature of what was already a pressure cooker.
“The commute is going to kill you,” the owner continued. “But it might be worth it.”
“Are you leaving Illinois?”
The man scowled. “You are asking a lot of questions, Lewis,” he snapped. “Are you always this nosy?”
“He is,” Charlotte assured him, looping her arm into Rhett’s. “It’s the detective in him.”
The woman wandered toward them, her face crestfallen, but she managed a smile.
“You’ll love it here,” she promised. “It’s got everything you need, its own generator, fire pit, the docks. You’re leaving the boats, aren’t you, hon?”
The man nodded. “I can’t really bring them to the city.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re selling, though,” Rhett insisted, knowing he was grinding on the man’s nerves. “It’s not a money issue, I know that.”
The scowl deepened but before he could speak, his wife interceded.
“Just tell them the truth, August. They’re going to find out sooner or later.”
A frisson of alarm coursed through Rhett and he cast Charlotte a nervous look.
“There’s a war coming,” August told them and Charlotte tensed at Rhett’s side.
“A war?”
“It’s in its early stages. The split is indicative of what’s about to happen.”
Rhett stared at the sleuth leader with worried eyes. “How do you know?”
August smiled tightly, mirthlessly. “Because history always repeats itself, Lewis.”
“You’re stockpiling,” Rhett realized. “Selling off your assets for an easy escape.”
“I’m looking after my own,” he replied, gazing lovingly at his partner. “If that means taking her the hell away from here when shit hits the fan, so be it.”
Charlotte’s hand tightened around Rhett’s arm.
“I know it sounds fatalistic,” Melissa sighed. “But we’ve been tracking the patterns for months now.”
Rhett and Charlotte exchanged a long look.
“Why don’t you two talk it over,” Melissa suggested, a glimmer of hope in her eye. “We’ll leave you alone.”
She ushered August out of the sprawling kitchen.
“Sounds ominous,” Charlotte cracked but Rhett didn’t smile.
“Sounds about right,” he replied. “We knew something was coming when the split occurred.”
Charlotte chewed on her lower lip and stared into his eyes, trying to read his expression.
“What do you think we should do? Should we take off now? Start stockpiling like August and Melissa?”
Rhett eyed her and shook his dark blond head, reaching up to trace the lines of her cheek with his fingers.
“We don’t have that benefit. We’re not sleuth leaders. We need our jobs—at least for now. No, we’ll do what we intended, get out of the city and monitor what’s happening from afar.”
She tried to swallow her smile and nodded.
“You just want this house,” Rhett snickered. “I can see right through you.”
“And you don’t?” Charlotte snickered. “It’s gorgeous!”
“Does that sound like we’ve got a deal?”
August reappeared in the doorway and Rhett knew he had been listening in on their conversation.
“Yeah, I guess it does,” Rhett agreed and Charlotte giggled. Melissa looked at them, her face almost shattered.
“You know,” Charlotte said gently, sensing Melissa’s despair, “there’s plenty of room here. For visitors. On weekends?”
Melissa’s
face brightened.
“You would let us come stay?”
“It’s your house,” Charlotte told her softly. “No matter who’s living in it.”
Rhett watched as the women hugged and he felt a strange jolt of solidarity.
“They seem to be getting along,” August commented offhandedly but Rhett wondered if he wasn’t thinking the same thing.
Perhaps in this unorthodox business transaction, they had made more than a purchase and a sale.
Perhaps they had gained allies.
And with the tides changing, you can never have too many allies, can you?
Stolen Shift
Bears in Blue
Book 3
By: Mia Taylor
Prologue
Somewhere in the backsplash of the ocean lay a hazy sunset, alive with oranges, reds and golds. Brynn seemed transfixed by the colors, her lovely face alight with pleasure.
“Can you believe this place exists?” she murmured, settling back into the beach chair, her eyes still drawn toward the tropical beauty beyond.
“I can’t believe you exist in nature,” Malcolm replied, leaning over to brush a stray strand of blonde hair away from her shoulder. “It should be illegal to be as beautiful as you are.”
Brynn laughed but Mal saw the blush of pleasure illuminating her cheeks as she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her mouth.
“You and your flattery,” she giggled. “I never get tired of hearing it, though.”
The couple exchanged a warm look and Mal was overcome by a familiar rush of affection as he sank back against his chair, fingers still interlaced with his girlfriend’s.
How can I love her more every day? he mused to himself, not for the first time.
“We should be getting back to get dressed for dinner,” Mal suggested.
“Oh, one more minute, please?” Brynn begged. “We only have two more nights here and I want to enjoy the sunset one last time.”
Mal grinned.
“How can I refuse a request like that?” he smiled, resuming his position.
The combination of the sand and the few blended concoctions he’d drunk gave him a heady feeling, one which he couldn’t help but appreciate.
He’d never been on vacation before. His life had always been focused on work, his badge his only identity.
But that had been before Brynn had so abruptly and unexpectedly entered his life.
Now, he was doing many things that he’d never tried before.
Like hanging out in Belize, digging our toes in the sand.
Mal closed his eyes, absorbing the sound of the Caribbean Sea in his ears, the rhythmic whoosh of the waves bringing him to a lull which he hadn’t anticipated.
“Brynn,” he mumbled, feeling his huge shoulders sagging despite his best intentions. “I’m going to fall asleep here if we don’t move soon.”
“Would that be the worst thing in the world?” she asked and Mal snorted. He knew that they weren’t going anywhere until the sun had fully set.
“All right but if we miss Italian night, I’m blaming you.”
“I’ll accept said blame,” Brynn agreed, laughing. Again, they fell silent, Mal with his eyes still closed behind his sunglasses, Brynn glued to the view beyond.
Why do we have to go back at all? What’s waiting for us in Chicago but snow and wind? We could stay here and live on the beach. Look at how happy the locals are.
The thought alone made him sigh with regret. Of course it was only a fantasy but the longing in him was so strong, he thought he might be sick.
Maybe when we get back home, I can look into an investment property here. See what it takes to have a place where we can come on a whim, when things get too stressful back at home…
He knew he was getting ahead of himself, that his new gold shield was giving him more confidence than he had any right having. He hadn’t even started on the Narcotics Task Force and he was already spending the money he had coming in.
What is that phrase? Counting one’s chickens before they hatch?
Still, in his gut, he knew that he and Brynn were going to be together for a long while even if he hadn’t made it official.
If this place makes her happy, maybe I can bring her back here and propose—at our own little cottage, even.
“Mal…”
The alarm in Brynn’s voice caused him to open his eyes and when he turned his head, his heart jumped into his throat unexpectedly.
A gang of young men ambled toward them on the beach just as the sun disappeared fully over the horizon.
“Let’s go,” Mal said without hesitation. He could sense trouble coming their way and Brynn did not argue.
In seconds, they were on their feet, gathering their belongings, but they still weren’t fast enough and the group slowed as they approached.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” a man asked, stopping directly in front of Brynn. “You looked so beautiful sitting there. We had to come and say hello.”
“You’ve said it,” Mal snapped, feeling his incisors elongating underneath his gums. “Now, go away.”
The man didn’t even look at Mal, as if he were invisible, and stepped even closer to Brynn.
Mal leaped forward, snarling slightly but not wanting to risk his cover. He seized Brynn’s arm as she stood, her blue eyes wide and terrified.
“It’s okay, babe,” he muttered. “Let’s just go.”
“Are you going to let him boss you around, guapa? You know, if you came with us, you would be in charge.”
The other three men tittered and Mal’s back tensed terribly.
They are going to make me do something I’ll regret. I must contain myself.
Brynn didn’t know the truth about him yet, that he was a shifter and capable of much worse than a narcotics detective, and that was hardly the place for him to bring it up.
The gun appeared then and Brynn gasped.
“Come with us, sweetie,” another man cooed, reaching forward for Brynn’s other arm. “We’re much more fun than this cholo.”
“Don’t touch her!” Mal growled, pulling Brynn back. The gun rose to Mal’s eye level.
“Let’s not make this ugly,” the mestizo gunslinger purred. “She wants to come with us, don’t you, baby?”
Terror lit Brynn’s eyes and she stood, trembling in her white bikini, a sarong wrapped around her slender waist.
The armed man cocked the gun and Brynn screamed out.
“Yes! Yes, I want to go with them!”
“No,” Mal hissed flatly, putting himself between his lover and the mob. “Brynn, run.”
His tone was monotonous, and even Mal didn’t even recognize it himself, but as he began to morph from his mortal frame into that of the majestic black bear, he froze.
Dusk faded away into an evening blue and suddenly, the men were on all fours, creatures themselves.
Behind him, Brynn began to scream, watching the clash of wolves circle the single bear whom she had only known as her lover up to that point.
“Brynn…” he managed to growl again. “Run!”
In a mass of fur, four sets of fangs flew at him, attacking without mercy, and Mal took them on, fearlessly, tossing them aside until they were on their backs, one by one, whimpering.
Mal sat back and released a ferocious growl which echoed down the beach. He stood, panting, sweat pouring from his face, daring the wolves to come at him again.
One by one, they ambled to their feet, eyes gleaming as they prepared for round two, and when the gunman lurched first, Mal was ready.
Almost seamlessly, he swiped at him but the beast dodged his attack, sensing his move before Mal could complete it.
Like he was taunting the incensed bear, he began a dance, jumping forward and back on his paws, eyes gleaming, saliva pooling at the corners of his jowls.
“Come on, pandejo,” the mestizo jeered. “Come at me.”
Mal didn’t need to be told a second time and he lurched forward, but the othe
rs were waiting for him and the moment he moved, another Lycan was on his back.
Mal jerked upward to release the claws from his back but the wolf at the front leapt for his neck.
A flash of red sprayed before his eyes even before Mal realized that he had been hurt.
Furiously, he swiped at them, his massive paws making contact from all angles, but this time, when the wolves fell back, there were only three, not four.
It took Mal several seconds to understand what this meant and it wasn’t until he spun around, looking for Brynn, that he saw what had happened.
Three of the wolves had distracted him while the fourth had made off with his girlfriend.
“WHERE IS SHE?” he screamed, advancing on the pack, but they were already scrambling down the beach. No matter how fast he barreled after them, Mal couldn’t get them back into his line of sight, his breaths short and raspy by the time they fully disappeared from view with a flick of their tails.
There was nothing he could do but return to the resort and hope that Brynn had somehow managed to escape.
But even before he managed to sprint back, his heart pounding as he shifted back into his mortal form, he knew that Brynn wouldn’t be there.
Those men, whoever they were, had managed to make off with his lover before his eyes.
And there was nothing Malcolm could do about it.
Chapter One
A Lifetime Later
A hand slammed on the desk in front of Malcolm but he didn’t flinch, his eyes glued to the computer screen as if the Sarge weren’t standing in front of him with sparks shooting from his eyes.
“Problem, Sarge?”
“In my office, Barnes, now!”
Mal continued to scroll through the list of offenders on the PC.
“Did you hear me?” Lewis spat. “I’m waiting.”
Malcolm continued to ignore him and Rhett Lewis stood seething at the obvious slight.
“Mal,” Cory warned. “You’re pushing your luck.”
Malcolm glanced at his partner and scowled slightly.
“Whatever it is can wait!” he growled at both his Sergeant and Cory. “I’m following up a lead—”