by Mia Taylor
“How can you be so sure?”
The question was loaded.
“Because I know that type.”
A heaviness hung between them and Luke willed her to ask about the shifting but she remained silent.
She’s still not sure she can trust me. I can’t force her.
“I need to go out for a bit,” he explained and panic colored her face.
“Now?”
“I won’t be long but I need to follow up on this lead about the mastermind.”
“Can I come with you?”
“It’s better if you stay put for now. I’ll bring back dinner. What’s your pleasure?”
She shrugged, a shadow falling over her face.
“Surprise me.”
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “But you can’t tell anyone where you are. I’d recommend turning off your phone.”
A strange expression crossed over Lily’s face.
“That won’t be a problem,” she assured him. “There’s no one I want to talk to anyway.”
He didn’t miss the note of wistfulness in her voice and a deep sympathy touched him as he examined her beautiful face.
She hasn’t had an easy life. No wonder she’s putting so much faith in me.
Luke wasn’t sure if that was positive or not.
Impulsively, he leaned forward to kiss her.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said. “Netflix is set up and the Wi-Fi password is on the fridge.”
“Wait!” she cried before he could turn. “I—what’s your cell number… just in case I need you?”
He smiled and jotted it down on a piece of paper, leaving it on the coffee table.
“Use the landline,” he said and she nodded.
Begrudgingly, he spun to leave, the desire to remain at her side overwhelming.
No, he thought firmly. I need to see Dad and hear what he has to say.
~ ~ ~
Tracking Stephan down was harder than he had expected. It had been a long while since Luke had gone looking for his father, but after two hours, he finally found the criminal king pin in the back room of one of his restaurants.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Stephan chortled. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Tell me more about this criminal enterprise,” Luke said without preamble. Stephan waved his goons away with a flick of a bejeweled hand, leaving father and son alone.
“Why the change of heart?” he asked, only a mild interest on his face. Luke could tell that his dad had expected him to come knocking about this.
Why does he know me so well?
“Does it matter?” Luke retorted. “Just tell me what you know.”
“I thought I had taught you better manners than this,” Stephan sniffed, pretending to be hurt by Luke’s brusque behavior. “I blame your mother for your mouth.”
“You blame anyone but yourself for things that go wrong,” Luke replied, undaunted. “Tell me what you know and how you think it pertains to the 22.”
“Well, you better sit,” Stephan chuckled. “It’s a long story and your legs will probably get tired from standing.”
Luke grimaced but he didn’t argue, sinking into a chair facing his father from across the desk.
“Well?”
“You want a drink?” Stephan asked, rising as his son sat. He ambled toward a folding table in the corner and reached for a half-filled bottle of scotch.
“No. I want you to stop stalling.”
“Fine.”
Stephan poured himself a drink without speaking and moved back to reclaim his seat.
“Many years ago, in Colorado,” Stephan began, “there was a sleuth that ran a petty crime ring. They did little heists, credit unions, pawn shops, things like that.”
“Are you saying this is the same sleuth?” Luke demanded. Stephan scowled.
“Do you want to hear this story or don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then stop interrupting.”
Luke’s jaw twitched in annoyance but he managed to keep his mouth shut.
“They ran for years, from what I remember, but suddenly, their sleuth leader up and ran off, leaving the bears without any guidance.”
“He abandoned his sleuth?”
“He did much worse than that, kid. You see, this bear, the leader, was ruthless and cunning. He created this sleuth by hand, finding the lost, the forgotten and the vindictive young bears who were the… black sheep of their families. They went with him willingly because they never felt like they belonged and he groomed them to do his bidding. This rogue sleuth adored him like a father and when he left them, well, they all felt like abandoned children.”
None of this was something that Luke had heard before and despite his inherent desire not to trust his father, he found himself intrigued by the tale.
“Slowly, the sleuth regrouped, under a bear named Paul Stark and his mate, Stella Lapierre, but while they continued with their business, I suspect they were always plotting their revenge on the leader who left them.”
“That’s a great story, Dad, but what does that have to do with anything here?”
“Luke, what did I just say about interrupting?” Stephan growled. “I’m getting there.”
Luke stifled his impatience and waited for his father to get to the point.
“Recently, I learned that Paul and Stella have come to Chicago. Their activities are undercutting my own affairs. Truthfully, it’s an annoyance.”
“Poor Dad. Someone is stealing your thefts before you can,” Luke muttered sarcastically. “What a shame.”
Stephan smiled cruelly.
“If you’re not careful, son, I won’t tell anymore.”
“I’m on the edge of my seat.”
Stephan’s eyes narrowed.
“Paul and Stella are here for a reason, Luke. They didn’t just uproot themselves because they wanted a change of pace. They’re here for their revenge.”
“They found their leader.”
“Yes, they did and what a surprise when they learned who he had become.”
Luke’s brow raised expectantly but Stephan paused for effect.
“He had become a powerful, almost untouchable leader within Chicago,” Stephan explained. “Taking him down would mean making a lot of enemies.”
“Are you saying that Paul and Stella are the ones who masterminded the bank robbery?”
“I am.”
“If you know where to find them, Dad, why don’t you just do what you do with all your other competition? What’s with all this unnecessary drama?”
“Ah, if only it was that simple. I made a deal with my informant that I wouldn’t hurt them.”
“Your informant?” Luke echoed. “One of their sleuth members?”
“Better. Stella Lapierre’s brother—Bailey. He is getting very impatient waiting for Paul to make his move and decided to take matters into his own hands. He was the one who set up this robbery which you happened to get tangled up inside. Paul and Stella knew nothing about it. Bailey was going to take that money to undertake his own revenge on their former leader, stupid kid. Needless to say, they aren’t happy with him. He’s set their plans back a bit now that their members are trapped inside the police station. Unlucky for them, lucky for me.”
Luke’s head was swimming from all the information.
“Okay, seriously, Dad, what does all this have to do with me? Just because I was part of the robbery—”
“You haven’t asked the most important question,” Stephan sighed. “I thought you were cleverer.”
Luke scowled.
“What question would that be?”
“Tsk tsk,” Stephan sighed. “I guess I really will have to spell this out for you.”
Luke glowered.
“By all means, then do it.”
“You haven’t asked who the leader of their sleuth was, this criminal cult leader who manipulated a group of young bears to do whatever he wanted before unceremoniously dumping them.”
>
A prickle of apprehension shot through Luke, possibly brought about by the smugness on his father’s face.
“Who is it?” Luke heard himself ask dully, almost as if he were afraid of the answer.
Stephan’s grin broadened.
“Rand Simon.”
Luke’s immediate reaction was to laugh but the noise died on his lips as quickly as it had come.
Suddenly, all the pieces fit together, the untimely entrance of Rand Simon, the deep unrest after the split had occurred, separating the bears from the mortals for the first time in history.
He’s manipulating the bear cops without us ever seeing it.
Dread consumed Luke and he gaped at his father.
“Oh gods…”
Stephan nodded.
“Paul and Stella learned what he was doing and they decided to counter his plan with one of their own. Inside the 22 right now, there are at least two groups working against each other. Tensions are brewing and things are about to boil over.”
Luke inhaled sharply, realizing why his father was telling him all this. Instantly, he began to shake his head.
“No,” he said flatly. “I’m not helping you put your hand in the ring. Whatever it is you’re doing, I want no part of it.”
Stephan snorted loudly.
“Did you not hear a word I spoke? Your bears in blue are all part of a corrupt conspiracy. You’re being played by your superiors and you don’t even know it.”
Luke lumbered to his feet, his temper flaring.
“You’re despicable using this to your advantage,” Luke hissed. “Why would you even tell me about this when you know I’m on my way out?”
Stephan shrugged.
“Maybe I thought you’d be interested in knowing what you’re leaving behind,” he chuckled, the noise curdling Luke’s blood.
“What do you expect me to do?” Luke growled. Stephan’s grin widened.
“I expect you to accept that your dad is about to be your new boss.”
Luke shook his head, gnashing his teeth in fury.
“No,” he spat. “I don’t care what you do. I never have and I’m not accepting anything.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Stephan replied. “You don’t care because you’re leaving, right?”
Confusion overwhelmed Luke, knowing that his father was baiting him somehow but he had no idea how.
“Stay away from me, Dad,” Luke choked, spinning to leave. “I’m done with you.”
“Hey, you came to me,” Stephan reminded him. “I assumed it was because you were worried about the girl.”
Luke froze in his tracks.
“What girl?”
“Oh, son,” Stephan sighed. “When will you ever learn that I am a much better chess player than you?”
Slowly, Luke pivoted back to stare at his father, a deadpan look on his face.
“Just stay out of the way, Luke, and Lily will be fine,” Stephan explained. “In days, you’ll be done with the precinct anyway, won’t you?”
Without warning, Luke cleared the desk, knocking his father out of his chair and pinning him to the ground.
“You stay the hell away from Lily,” he hissed, his snout dripping with wet over his father’s bemused expression. “Or I’ll kill you myself.”
“Temper, temper,” Stephan taunted, his own face morphing into a mask of fur. “I hope your woman doesn’t know about your dark side. That would be bad for everyone.”
It took everything in his power not to sink his elongated teeth into Stephan’s neck, but Luke managed to disentangle himself from his father and shift back into his mortal form.
“Nice seeing you, Luke,” Stephan called. “Say hi to Lily for me. I look forward to meeting her.”
Luke rushed from the room, knowing that if he remained for one more minute, he would murder Stephan with his bare hands.
Chapter Ten
The Shift
When Luke returned from his errand, it was clear he was distracted.
“I guess you forgot to bring dinner?” she joked but guilt veiled his eyes.
“You can’t stay here, Lily,” he told her in a low voice. “We need to find you somewhere else to go.”
It was not the response she had been expecting.
“I-I thought you said it was safe here.”
“I was wrong,” he said flatly. “Get your stuff. We’re getting you out of here.”
She stared at him dubiously, the doubt resurfacing in a tsunami.
“No,” she replied, surprising herself. “Not until you tell me what’s going on!”
He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing.
“There’s no time,” he insisted. “Please, Lily, you have to—”
“Trust you? That’s all I’ve been doing, blindly and without answers. How many more times am I going to have to move?” she demanded. “I don’t even know you and I’m running around following you like a puppy.”
Hurt touched his face.
“We may not have known one another very long but I think you know me… and I know you.”
Their eyes locked and Lily wished she wasn’t feeling so confused by all that was happening.
A week ago, I was a normal, boring woman. Suddenly, I’m on the run from something I don’t understand with a man I don’t even know is human.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Luke growled. “What’s changed in the last two hours?”
“You have,” she replied without preamble. “You… you don’t look the same as when you left.”
It was hard to tell what it was specifically, but there was an unmistakable hardness that wasn’t there before.
“I’m the same,” Luke insisted, his voice a low growl. “I’m just a lot more concerned.”
His cell rang then and he tried to ignore it, but once it started, it didn’t stop.
“What the hell?” he sputtered, snatching the phone from his pocket. “Ressling.”
Lily watched as his face went from stony to disbelieving as he listened. In two strides, he had crossed the living room and flipped on the television, surfing channels until he found a new station.
“I’m watching now,” he said into the phone and Lily eyed him, perplexed but slowly turned her attention to the reporter.
“…exclusive interview with businessman, Stephan Ressling, where he has spoken out about his relationship with his son, Luke.”
Stephan Ressling. Isn’t that the crime boss?
Apprehension spiked through Lily’s body as she realized what she was hearing.
“That son of a bitch!” Luke choked. “Cortez, I have to call you back.”
He disconnected the call and stared at the television in shock.
“I can’t believe he’d do that!”
“Stephan Ressling is your father?” Lily breathed, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. Did that mean that Luke was a corrupt cop?
“He is doing this to discredit me!” Luke sputtered as if he hadn’t heard her question.
“Discredit you?” Lily asked tentatively, eyeing him through her peripheral vision. “About what?”
Luke’s cell rang again and he grabbed for it off the couch where he’d thrown it.
“God damnit!” he cursed before answering it. “Luke Ressling.”
Lily half-listened, none of what was happening making the slightest bit of sense to her, but there was nothing she could do but sit back and watch it unfold.
“Yes, Mr. Conner, I saw it,” Luke muttered, his face paling beneath the fresh scruff of his face. “No, sir, it’s…”
Luke inhaled sharply.
“Yes, Stephan Ressling is my father but that doesn’t change anything! I’m still—no, sir, I know I didn’t disclose it on my application but it’s not… yes, I realize that he’s been arrested and charged but it has no bearing on me, Mr. Conner. I am still the same person you interviewed… yes… yes, I understand… thank you, sir.”
He whipped the phone against the ground so hard, it shat
tered into a thousand pieces, causing Lily to jump.
“The DA is recanting the job offer,” he breathed and a combination of worry and compassion filled her soul. “They claim that I lied through omission and that’s not reflective of what they want in their offices.”
“You can fight that, can’t you?”
“I can’t fight them refusing to hire me.”
He sank down onto the sofa and Lily stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
“He’s ruining my reputation so I don’t sell him out,” Luke realized and Lily still had no idea what he was talking about.
She said as much.
“Sell him out with business deals?”
Luke looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing.
“No!” he grunted. “I have never been a part of my father’s criminal activities. The minute I was old enough to figure out about his ring, I up and left home. I never took another penny from him. He tried to draw me back in dozens of times, offering me perks if I used my job to get him and his associates off, but I never did—not once.”
He ground his teeth.
“It’s a damn good thing because he’d be using that against me right now instead of just making me guilty by association.”
“You’re not your father, Luke, not any more than I am my mother.”
She approached him and sat at his side, gently placing a hand on his arm comfortingly.
“Tell that to the DA,” Luke muttered miserably. “He just ruined everything I’ve been working toward.”
“Maybe it’s a blessing,” Lily offered optimistically. She knew how disappointed he was but she was doing her best to lift the darkness hanging over his head.
“A blessing?” he scoffed. “How’s that?”
“Maybe you were never meant to be a lawyer.”
He gaped at her.
“I-I’ve been in law school for six years, part-time. You’re damned right I’m meant to be a lawyer!”
“I’m just saying that maybe it’s not your calling,” Lily rushed on, hoping she wasn’t making matters worse by speaking her thoughts aloud. “You are such an amazing cop. You help people. You helped me through the scariest moment of my life, Luke. It’s a talent that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
He stared at her and for a moment, Lily though he might explode, but to her surprise, his eyes brightened.