Bears in Blue Shifter Romance Box Set

by Mia Taylor

  “You’re right,” Luke said calmly, a sudden clarity in his eyes. Suddenly, he looked more like the old Luke and less like the flustered man who had returned after his errand.

  “I am?”

  A tentative smile formed on Luke’s lips and he turned his body toward her, a new determination on his face.

  “I am a good cop,” he said. “And good cops take care of one another.”

  “That’s what I hear,” Lily chuckled nervously, unsure of where he was going with the thought.

  “Come on,” he said urgently, pulling Lily to her feet. “We have to get you out of here and then I have some business to take care of.”

  “Are you going to move me again and then leave me?” she demanded. “I want to come with you.”

  He studied her face.

  “I can’t take you with me unless…”

  She waited.

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless you tell me everything you saw that day on the roof.”

  A shiver rushed down her spine and she bit on her lower lip.

  “I already told you—I don’t remember,” she muttered and Luke sighed.

  “Then I can’t bring you with me where I need to go.”

  Lily gnawed on the insides of her cheeks.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “What difference does it make what I saw?”

  It was a moment of truth between them.

  “If you saw what I know you saw, you did right to keep quiet about it,” Luke told her. “Others would want to keep you silent. I am not one of those people.”

  Lily gulped back the reservation in her throat and returned his gaze.

  “W-what are you?” she managed to squeak.

  “A bear shifter,” he answered without hesitation and the words were the strangest combination she’d ever heard in her ears.

  “What?”

  “I knew you saw us and the smartest thing you could have done was pretend you saw nothing. Not to say that you might not be confronted again, but for now, you’re relatively safe—from that.”

  “W-what would they do to me? And who? And how many of you are there?”

  “I’ll answer all your questions on the way out of here,” he vowed. “Are you ready to go?”

  She shook her head again.

  “I-I can’t keep running when I don’t know what I’m running from. If I’m not in danger because of what I know, what is the problem?”

  “You’re being used against me,” Luke said quietly. “I have no idea if he’ll make good on his threat or not but I’d rather not take that chance.”

  “Who? Who is threatening you?”

  Luke inhaled.

  “My father.”

  Lily’s eyes grew huge and she looked at him with empathy.

  “And I thought my mother was the only one who would sell out her own kids,” she muttered.

  Luke gave her a sardonic smile.

  “Ain’t family grand?”

  Lily slipped her hands into his and gently kissed him on the mouth. She fell back onto the flats of her feet.

  “Whatever happens,” she promised, “we’ll have each other’s backs, right?”

  He snorted.

  “You don’t have a choice in the matter,” he replied. “I’ve been watching out for you even before we met.”

  And she realized it was true. Somehow, fate had thrown them together.

  Now it was up to her and Luke to remain that way.

  In other words, don’t get yourself killed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Repairing the Split

  They moved from Luke’s apartment to a hotel near the Chicago Midway Airport where he paced around the room, making phone calls.

  His first was to Cortez, who seemed perplexed by what he was asking.

  “You need to get as many bears as you can trust together,” Luke insisted. “But you have to make sure they’re solid.”

  “I don’t understand,” Cortez growled. “They’re cops. Of course they can be trusted.”

  “I can’t explain this over the phone, Cortez, but we need to do this fast. If you’re not a hundred percent sure about their loyalty, don’t bring them. It’s important.”

  There was along pause as his partner seemed to gather his words.

  “Is this about your father?” Cortez asked quietly and Luke bristled.

  “In part,” he replied gruffly. “But it goes a lot deeper than this. Do you trust me, Cortez?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Then do this.”

  They disconnected their call and Luke looked at Lily warily.

  “I have no idea how this is going to turn out,” he confessed. “So much could go wrong and I’m not sure I even have the entire story.”

  “What is your plan?” Lily asked worriedly and he could read the anxiety on her face.

  “We need to take back the 22,” Luke said. “However we can.”

  “I-I still don’t understand what happened,” Lily sighed and Luke joined her on the edge of the bed where she sat.

  “I’m not sure I do either,” he replied softly. “But from what I understand, the 22 has been ensnared in a power struggle which the cops aren’t even aware of for the most part. Rand Simon, if my father is to be believed, is not a cop at all but a con artist who weaseled his way into the 22 and created a split.”

  “What is a split?”

  “Before Rand Simon took over, the mortals and bears worked together. It kept the bears from ever overstepping. Simon split the mortals from the bears and now we run the 22.”

  She stared at him and he could tell she was trying desperately to process what he was saying.

  “Most of us knew this was a bad thing. Some of the bears left. We all could sense trouble brewing even though nothing happened outwardly.”

  “And this Paul Stark, he’s trying to get inside the precinct himself?”

  “There are three powers at play here,” Luke explained. “Rand Simon apparently is unaware that his past is coming to bite him through Paul Stark. My father, who you now know is somewhat of a crime lord, got wind of this plan and made a scheme of his own to control the bears. It’s an unholy mess.”

  “What are you going to do, Luke? This sounds dangerous. Can’t we just walk away like the others did?”

  “To what end?” Luke sighed, wishing he could do exactly that. “Half the bears don’t know what’s going on and won’t until it’s too late. Paul Stark and his sleuth have been working behind the scenes to gather an alliance. I don’t know when or how, but sooner or later, they are going to step in and try to take over. The only thing I can think to do is warn the rest so we are prepared.”

  “And then what?”

  Luke chewed on the insides of his cheeks. That was the million-dollar question.

  Then what? A war? Dad said something about an uprising. I might already be too late.

  “Luke?”

  “I really don’t know,” Luke sighed. “I’ve never had to deal with anything like this. My hope is that when we get together, we’ll come up with a plan of our own.”

  Lily’s anxiety was almost palpable.

  “I don’t like this, Luke,” she muttered. “It could all backfire from every angle.”

  “I know that,” Luke replied. “But I can’t in good conscience let this happen.”

  Her hand slipped into his.

  “You’re a good man, Luke, but I’m worried this is over your head. You’re writing your exam in a couple days. You’re leaving this all behind you.”

  “Am I?” Luke demanded with some bitterness. “I have no job lined up at the DA.”

  “You’ll find something else,” she assured him. “The DA isn’t the only place where you can practice law. This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To get out of the CPD?”

  The question hung in the air and Luke found himself considering it. Last week, he would not have hesitated to agree, but now? Suddenly, everything had changed and he wasn’t sure what he w
anted.

  “I thought you said I was a good cop,” he half-teased her but Lily didn’t smile.

  “You’re an amazing cop,” she replied quietly. “But I don’t want it to be your downfall.”

  He cast her a wry smile.

  “It’s going to take more than a couple of rogue bears to keep me down,” he replied and he meant it. Nothing was going to knock him down.

  “A-are you invincible?” Lily asked, the query embarrassing her slightly.

  “Almost,” he laughed, stroking her cheek with his long fingers. “But nothing is invincible.”

  It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear but Luke couldn’t bring himself to lie to her.

  “But,” he continued, “it would be very hard for one of the bears to stop me without stopping himself.”

  “Are there female bears, too?” she breathed.

  “Of course,” he replied and suddenly, his back stiffened. “That’s it!”

  Lily blinked uncomprehendingly.

  “What’s it?”

  “Melissa Stark!”

  “Who?”

  Luke jumped from the bed and reached for his phone.

  “I need to find Melissa Stark.”

  “Who is… is she related to Paul Stark?”

  Luke nodded, his breaths escaping in shorter rasps of excitement as he scrolled through Google.

  “There might be an easier way to put a stop to this madness once and for all.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The café was not what Luke had expected from a former CPD detective and the daughter of a criminal bear.

  But if Luke was stunned by the transformation, Lily was smitten and she looked around the Elvis-themed establishment with amusement.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” she demanded, barely stifling a giggle.

  “Ressling?”

  August Silas appeared from behind the counter, his blue eyes widening as his gaze fell on Luke.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Luke strode forward, his jaw twitching as he read the deep suspicion in August’s eyes.

  “Sorry to bother you in your retirement,” Luke muttered. “But you need to come back to Chicago. You and Stark both.”

  August scoffed and shook his dark mane of hair.

  “Not happening. We left that train wreck behind the second Rand Simon started showing his true colors.” August’s eyes became slits of wariness. “You’re here because of Rand Simon, aren’t you?” he growled and Luke could see him immediately go on the offensive.

  “Yes, but not like you think,” Luke assured him quickly. “There’s an uprising about to occur, Silas, and we need to put a stop to it.”

  “No,” August insisted. “We left because of this crap. We’re not coming back.”

  “August? What’s going on?” Melissa appeared, wiping her hands on her apron, her head cocked to the side in confusion at the tension.

  “Nothing,” August growled. “Go in the back.”

  “Melissa,” Luke called out. “Your father is planning something which will be catastrophic for the bears.”

  Melissa’s eyes narrowed to match August’s and she looked at Lily.

  “Who are you?” she demanded. “Are you cops?”

  “I am,” Luke said quickly.

  “You’re also the son of Stephan Ressling,” August barked. “How do we know you’re not here for him?”

  When this is all said and done, Dad and I are going to have a very short parting conversation.

  “I’m here to stop him, too,” Luke sighed. “Melissa, I’m Luke Ressling and this is Lily Brenner.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” August said firmly. “Simon, Stark, Chicago, we’re done with all of it.”

  “And what about your boys in blue?” Lily asked quite unexpectedly.

  August’s jaw twitched. “You’re not a cop or a bear, are you?” he demanded. Instinctively, Luke stepped between them, shielding Lily from August’s suspicion.

  “She’s my mate,” Luke growled. “And she’s a pawn in this power play.”

  “What do you expect us to do?” Melissa asked and Luke exhaled with relief, realizing that she was softening to the possibility.

  “No!” August snapped. “It doesn’t matter. We’re not going back, Liss. We’re done with all that.”

  “Babe, if my father has been plotting something—” Melissa started to say but August cut her off.

  “It’s not your problem!”

  “It is! I knew he was going to do something like this. I knew it from the minute he resurfaced. My whole life, Mom tried to protect me from him, knowing that he was no good, and I let him back in. This is partially my fault.”

  “You don’t even know what this is!” August exploded, glaring not at his mate but at Luke. Luke didn’t balk. He had been expecting resistance from both of them. After all, they hadn’t left without considering their options carefully. Luke didn’t blame them for not going back.

  “My father is a part of this also,” Luke said, focusing his attention on Melissa. “He has threatened Lily and he’s got an informant in your father’s sleuth. Things are going to go very sideways, Melissa, and we need all the support we can get. You might be the only one who can talk your father down.”

  “Can you talk yours down?” August scoffed.

  “My father doesn’t care about me,” Luke told him dully. “I’m hoping that Paul’s need for revenge is less than his affections for his daughter.”

  “I wouldn’t hold my breath on that,” Melissa sighed but Luke could see her relenting. August glowered at Lily.

  “She’s a civilian. She shouldn’t even be here.”

  “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have her involved in this at all,” Luke assured him. “But we’re all intertwined in this mess.”

  Melissa and August exchanged a long look.

  “Please, Melissa.” It was Lily who pleaded. “I don’t understand any of this but I trust Luke. He has saved my life more than once. I have faith that he knows what he’s talking about.”

  Melissa’s eyes grew wide with recognition.

  “Now I remember you two! You were in the robbery!”

  “That’s basically where this started, yes,” Luke confirmed.

  “Melissa…” August growled but she held up a hand to silence him.

  “I can’t promise that my presence will do any good,” Melissa sighed. “But I will do my best.”

  “Melissa!”

  “You can stay here in Dubuque if you want, August, but if something happens to the bears and I could have done something to stop it, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “If you’re going, I’m going,” August muttered, catching Melissa’s gaze.

  The couple stared at one another for a long moment, as if they were silently communicating, and Luke gave Lily a hopeful look.

  “You have two days,” August relented. “If this isn’t resolved, we’re coming home.”

  “Two days is perfect,” Lily said before Luke could protest. She shot him a warning look and Luke realized what she was thinking. In two days, he was scheduled to write the bar. They were giving themselves a deadline.

  Luke only hoped he could honor it.

  In two days, I’ll either be writing an exam or in the aftermath of an uprising, the likes of which we’ve never known.

  “Two days,” Luke sighed begrudgingly. “Let’s get this mess over with once and for all.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The 22

  Who can we trust? Who has already taken sides with Stark?

  It was impossible to tell and Luke was having second thoughts as he stared around the bar, noting the men he had learned to trust over the years. But could any of them really be trusted?

  He thought of Lily, sitting back at the hotel, her nerves shot as she waited for word on what was to come.

  “What is this all about?” Malcolm Barnes demanded, looking nervous.

  He knows.

  “Why did you call
this meeting?”

  “I called you here because we’ve all been on edge since Rand Simon took over the 22,” Luke said without preamble. August scowled at his lack of finesse but Luke didn’t care. If they were on a timeline, he was going to get to the point.

  “We’re here to talk shit about our boss?” Rhett Lewis asked, sounding slightly amused, but no one else smiled.

  “It’s worse than that and you all know it.”

  “No offense, Ressling, but you really don’t have the rank or the clout to be doing this,” Mal growled.

  “Just hear him out,” Melissa barked and all eyes turned to her.

  “You’re not even a cop anymore!” Mal insisted. “What are you and Silas doing here?”

  “Okay, this is what I’m talking about,” Luke snapped. “We’re dividing before our own eyes and no one is paying any attention to what’s happening higher up.”

  “You’re being paranoid,” Cortez called out and Luke found his eyes narrowing on his partner.

  Who got to you?

  “Am I? When, in the history of the CPD, have we ever had a split?” Luke spat. “Rand Simon isn’t who he claims to be. He’s not even a cop.”

  The statement hung in the air as all eyes focused on him.

  “What are you talking about?” Rhett demanded. “Of course he is.”

  “He’s not. He’s a conman who pulled off the biggest play of his life—and we’ve all fallen into it unwittingly and unquestioningly.”

  There was a murmur of disagreement but Luke could see that his words were resonating with most in the room. They had all been suspicious of Simon from the moment he had taken over the 22.

  “Find me any history on Simon,” Luke continued. “One shred of documentation that he is who he claims to be.”

  “You can’t,” Melissa added. “Because he’s a skilled criminal.”

  “You would know about criminals!” Hansen yelled out. “Ressling’s father is constantly under surveillance.”

  “My father is the reason I’m here,” Luke snapped back. “He wants a hand in playing puppet master, too. Don’t you get it? We’re being sold out by conmen, criminals, and you guys are fighting me.”

  “What do you want us to do, Ressling?” Rhett demanded. “Someone cleared Simon to be in charge.”

  “No,” Luke countered. “No one did. No one questioned him because they assumed he was the lead bear. But he’s not. We’re bears, we have no leaders, not really. That’s why it was so easy for him to come in and do what he did.”