My Cat Burglar

by Shelley Munro

  He wasn’t going to back off. That was as obvious as the nose in the middle of her face. “Okay,” she said. Fine. She’d pretend and gradually back away, putting space between them. Besides, her superiors had warned her to follow every rule and law in carrying out of her duties. Allowing Jonno to take part in the investigation could leave her open to chastisement and possibly the loss of the job she loved. Her mouth tightened. No, not possibly. Definitely. The head honchos had been angry after the incident, and Mike, the weasel, had made sure the blame fell on her.

  “We’re mates.”

  “Enough with the mates stuff.” As if she believed his stupid spiel. No such thing.

  His muscular shoulders lifted in a careless shrug as he pulled into the driveway of the house she shared with Charlie. Hopefully, she’d sneak in without Charlie realizing she’d stayed out all night.

  The front door flew open and Charlie stood in the doorway.

  His pale blue eyes widened in surprise. “Laura, hobnobbing with a criminal?”

  “He’s not a criminal. He has an alibi, which means we’re back at the start,” she said. Please don’t let him notice anything out of the ordinary. Please.

  “Someone rang for you. A guy. He refused to leave his name or number,” Charlie said.

  “Strange.” She turned to Jonno. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “Does this mean I don’t get a kiss goodbye?”

  Laura glanced over her shoulder at Charlie before jerking her head in the negative.

  Jonno scowled. “I’ll pick you up at quarter to seven.”

  “No! I’ll—”

  “Quarter to seven,” he repeated before taking off with a screech of tires, leaving Laura staring after him.

  “You slept with him. I thought you’d be more careful,” Charlie said, his blond hair was still wet from the shower.

  “My private life is none of your damn business,” Laura snapped.

  “You should tell that to the man who rang four times last night. He made it my business when he accused me of lying about you not being here.”

  Mike? He was the only one who knew her location. And she’d thought she’d seen the last of him…

  “Jonno asked me whether other areas were having the same problems with robberies. Have you considered there is a gang of thieves rather than the one person we’d assumed?”

  “Good point,” Charlie said, looking excited. “More than one thief. That’s a possibility. I’ve been so busy investigating the local complaints I haven’t considered alternatives yet. I’m heading over to the station now and will check with the nearby towns.”

  “Be there in ten minutes. Any other problems?”

  “None relating to business.” His words held questions, and Laura didn’t know him well enough to confide her problems. Best she kept quiet.

  “Good. I’ll see you soon.” She pushed the front door open and stepped inside. Heading straight for her bedroom, Laura held it together until she closed her door and sank onto her bed. Then she trembled in reaction to both the night and this morning’s events. And even worse, the moment Jonno had driven away and disappeared, she’d wanted him back at her side.

  Weird. Plain weird.

  Moisture filled her eyes, and she wiped it away with an impatient swipe of her hand.

  No matter what Jonno said, there was no such thing as mates. In books and movies, not in real life. In the first place, men were incapable of committing to one woman, and secondly, they lied whenever it suited them, fitting their words to the situation.

  But Jonno had told her—shown her his big secret after knowing her for mere hours. Laura frowned, trying to reconcile his revelations with her trepidation about moving into new relationship territory. No, she didn’t want a relationship. She wasn’t ready. She needed time to heal, then she’d consider another man. Baby steps.

  Laura hurried to grab a change of clothes. Although Jonno had suggested she have a shower at his place, she’d waited. The pipes in the old house clattered to life when she flipped on the shower control. As usual, it took a few minutes for the water to heat. She hadn’t jumped into the shower without testing the water after her first day of living in the police house. Charlie had thought her yelp of shock funny.

  Fifteen minutes later, five extra than she’d told Charlie, Laura strode into the police station.

  “Laura, you were right,” Charlie said, showing more enthusiasm than she’d seen from him the entire time she’d been in Middlemarch. “This seems like an organized operation. Thieves have hit most of the surrounding towns. They’re taking jewelry and money and seem to have inside knowledge.”

  “Great!” At last something to sink her teeth into and take her mind off her problems. “Let’s grab a map and mark the areas where the robberies have occurred. We can try to work out where they’ll hit next.”

  They worked together well, and once they’d finished, it became clear Middlemarch was one of the last towns on a large stealing spree. So far they’d had three burglaries, which was on the light side compared to the other townships.

  “There are two towns the thieves haven’t hit,” Charlie said. “We should warn them. It mightn’t make a difference, but, if the residents are aware and increase security, it won’t hurt.”

  “Why don’t you take care of that, and I’ll ring around the residents here.”

  “What are you going to tell them?”

  “I might tell them we’re doing free security checks for everyone. What do you think?”

  “It’s a pity Gerard Drummond and Henry Anderson are away on a job. I met them just after I arrived in Middlemarch. They have a security company and could have taken care of this for us.” Charlie studied the map before turning back to her. “I think the free security checks are a good idea, but the last thing we need is mass panic.”

  Laura stood. “Do you want anything for morning tea?”

  “Sure, I’ll have a steak and cheese pie and a chocolate chip muffin. Do you want money?”

  “You can buy next time.” Laura headed out of their office, pausing to answer the phone. “Middlemarch police station,” she said, her mind on the approach she’d use with the residents.

  “Laura.” The familiar voice brought her back to the present with a nasty jolt.

  “Mike. What do you want?” She didn’t want to deal with him now.

  “I’ve missed you, babe. Where were you last night?”

  “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  “Where were you last night, babe?”

  Laura counted to ten. “Because of you they transferred me to Middlemarch and placed a mark of censure on my record. I don’t want to talk to you. You’re married. Talk to your wife.”

  “Sweetheart, we can get past…” He started to refute her charges, trying to spread his charm.

  She hung up with him midsentence. “Bastard,” she muttered, sending a glare in Charlie’s direction since he was a handy male. “I’ll be back soon.”

  * * * * *

  Jonno drove straight to the Mitchell homestead, his gut roiling with anxiety. Never had a woman tied him up in knots like Laura. Last night had been wonderful, the best experience of his life. But this morning…this morning he’d slipped into a nightmare. She’d backed away, blown him off, as if this thing between them didn’t exist.

  Her coworker had mentioned a man ringing her during the night. He’d eavesdropped without guilt because she was his mate. His fingers curled around the steering wheel in a tight grip as he roared into the Mitchells’ driveway. He pulled up with a shriek of brakes, sucked in a deep breath before slapping his open palm on the steering wheel in a burst of temper.

  The small sting of pain made him realize something. They’d had one night together. She had to be scared and confused because fear filled him, and he’d known what to expect. Yeah, he’d try to cut her some slack and court her. That couldn’t hurt. With another deep breath, he exited his vehicle and strode to the front door, calmer now that he had a plan.


  Saber opened the door as he raised his hand to knock. His friends’ brother took one look at his face and stood aside to let him enter. “Everything okay?”

  Jonno hadn’t been going to say anything, his confusion about Laura rushing out in a single word. “No.”

  “You eaten yet?”

  “No, I haven’t had a chance.”

  “Emily said you spent part of the night in custody.”

  Jonno snorted. “That was the easy part.”

  Saber led the way into the kitchen, the scents of toast, coffee and bacon bringing back memories of his happy childhood.

  Emily turned to glance at him and smiled. “How was your night?”

  “Confusing.”

  “Oh?”

  Saber gestured at an empty seat and sat himself. “You might as well tell her. She’ll worm it out of you anyway.”

  “The new cop is my mate. Laura.” Both pleasure in the fact and anxiety about Laura’s reaction this morning combined to squeeze his heart in a tight grip. He swallowed and coughed. When he glanced at Saber, he saw the older feline smiling.

  “That’s great. Joe and Sly might take the same step and put me out of my misery.”

  “No sane woman would take on those two,” Emily said with a grin.

  “My worry exactly,” Saber said, his tone dry.

  Emily placed a mug of coffee in front of him, and Jonno reached for the milk jug. A plate of bacon, eggs and grilled tomatoes appeared in front of him. Saber placed a rack full of toast in the middle of the table.

  “Did you learn anything at the Miller house?” Saber asked.

  “Yeah, or at least I think I did. The Millers are human, right?”

  Saber nodded. “Why?”

  “I picked up the scent of two different shifters. The Millers might have friends who are shifters, but I’d have recognized the scents because I’ve met most of the locals since my arrival in Middlemarch. I didn’t. I need you to come and check it out with me. Besides, I’m not looking forward to facing Mr. Miller on my own.”

  “Just wait until you meet Mrs. Miller.” Emily smirked as she joined them at the table. “She’s the scary one.”

  Jonno sipped his coffee before applying himself to breakfast. He loved how Emily made him feel like part of the Mitchell family. “You know, Saber, if I hadn’t found my mate, I’d be after Emily.”

  Saber winked at Jonno. “She’s always misbehaving. Believe me, you’d give her back damn quick.”

  “Hello?” Emily clicked her fingers in front of her husband’s face. “I’m here. Right in front of you. I can hear everything.”

  Jonno chuckled, enjoying their byplay as he always did. He hoped to have that sort of relationship with his mate. His smile faded, replaced by concern. It didn’t appear too promising at the moment.

  “We’ll visit the Millers once we’ve finished breakfast,” Saber said. “Hopefully the scent tracks will give us a lead.”

  “I didn’t investigate because the police showed up and dragged me to the station. We can follow the scents, or if you recognize them, it will give us something to follow up.”

  “Good,” Emily said. “That’s settled. Now we can discuss Laura. What went wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” Jonno said, taking Emily’s questions with scarcely a blink. He’d guessed they wouldn’t be long in coming. “Last night seemed fine. This morning…” He trailed off with a shrug.

  Emily sniffed. “Feline males are always in a hurry. It’s not so bad if the woman you’re chasing is a feline. She’s more prepared than us ignorant humans who are a bit slower. We like to contemplate things, and then there’s the fact you’re feline. That’s something else again.”

  “She knows I’m a feline shifter,” Jonno said. “Once I knew she was my mate I decided it might be best to show her up front.”

  Saber shot him a sharp glance. “You’re taking a risk.”

  “I don’t think so,” Jonno said. “I don’t think anyone would believe her and besides, I’m not even sure she’d tell anyone since she’s one of the town cops.”

  Emily cut a slice of bacon. “I think you’re right. She’d be risking her career to go public with something like that. People would laugh. Remember the reactions to Tomasine’s newspaper article. Some of the locals still treat her as a pariah.”

  “How did Laura take it?” Saber asked.

  “She seemed okay. A bit nervous. She didn’t freak out or anything. It was fine, and she stayed the night at my place. This morning she backed away. She considers last night a one-time thing.”

  “You need to give her time,” Emily said.

  “Yeah, I’ve already worked out that.” A rueful smile shaped his lips. “It’s not gonna to be easy.”

  Saber grunted. “If you think I had an easy time with Emily, think again.”

  Emily sniffed before grabbing a piece of wholemeal toast and scraping butter across the surface with noisy swipes. “Feline men are bossy. They think they know best when they know nothing!”

  “Put in our place,” Jonno said with a smirk. “Okay, I’ll give her time, although my feline is pushing me hard. I wanted to mark her. I still want to.”

  “You will not mark that girl without her agreement,” Saber snapped.

  “No,” Jonno said. “Of course not. I explained the marking process to her.”

  “Good,” Saber said. “I know it can’t have been easy to restrain the feline urge to mark her. The urge to mark affects some felines worse than others. Emily and I are here to talk if you need us.”

  “You should talk to the twins too,” Emily suggested. “They’re giving Saber gray hair along with his worry.”

  Jonno laughed, the sort of laugh that ripped right to his belly. “Joe and Sly are my friends. If they get up to mischief, I’m usually right beside them.”

  “That’s what worries me,” Saber said, his voice wry. “The three of you encourage each other in your hijinks. It’s just as well they spend so much time in Dunedin.”

  Emily cocked her head in a quizzical manner, reminding him of a curious bird. “Are they going out with anyone serious? Could we have two more matings in the future?”

  Jonno thought about Maggie. Even he didn’t know what was up with the twins and Maggie. They always had women around the place. “You should ask them,” he said, deciding on tact rather than truth. “Great breakfast, Emily. Thank you.”

  “We’ll go to the Millers now,” Saber said. “Just as well we persuaded Mr. Miller to substitute the diamond necklace for a fake.”

  “Knowing him, he’ll still be angry because people broke into his house. Do we know if anything else is missing? And who tipped off the police?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask, and it’s a good question because the house doesn’t have an alarm,” Jonno said. “You suggested I stake out the place because most of the locals have heard of the Miller diamond necklace and it seemed the obvious choice. I’ll check with Laura when I see her again.”

  “We can discuss that with Laura at dinner tonight,” Emily said.

  “Ah, you might want to give her a ring and remind her,” Jonno said. “Because I got the feeling she might try to wriggle out of dinner, using work as an excuse.”

  “Saber or I will call her, using work as an excuse,” Emily assured him.

  Jonno grinned, marginally more confident. With Emily on the case, Laura didn’t stand a chance.

  Emily stood to remove their empty plates. “Courting her might help. A woman likes romance, a fact which most men forget these days.”

  “What? You mean flowers and romantic dates?” Jonno asked, willing to listen to anything. A twitchy sensation crawled over his skin making him desperate to move. His mind kept returning to Laura and the previous evening. His cock stirred, pushing against the denim of his jeans and his feline gave a silent snarl.

  “Every girl needs a little romance, even married ones,” she said with a meaningful glance at Saber.

  “Yes, Emily,” Saber sai
d, reaching to tug her onto his knee.

  Envy flashed through Jonno. They seemed so together, so happy. He knew from the twins their courtship had been fast with a few roadblocks on the way. It didn’t show now. His mind drifted to Emily’s suggestion. That he could do, because even though he didn’t have experience in romancing, he’d watched enough movies and listened to enough radio discussions to imagine the things he should try. “Thanks for breakfast, Emily. Saber, are you ready to head out to the Miller place?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll see you later at the café.” He brushed a kiss over her lips.

  Emily said, “I’ll ring Laura and make sure she can’t wriggle out of dinner tonight. I might see if Felix and Tomasine can come. Leo and Isabella as well.”

  “Great,” Jonno said. “I haven’t seen everyone since Leo and Isabella’s wedding celebrations.” He followed Saber from the house, glad he was taking action. Hopefully it would take his mind off Laura.

  They took his vehicle and arrived at the Miller place ten minutes later to find a police vehicle outside. Jonno’s heart jumped, jolting against his ribs before settling, and his feline pushed, a snarl bursting from him. He scented his mate and badly wanted to touch her. Now.

  “Easy,” Saber said.

  Jonno wanted to curse. Out of respect he refrained. Saber might not be very old by feline standards, yet everyone in Middlemarch respected the man. He climbed from the car and sucked in a deep breath. Laura. The sweet scent of soap and laundry powder and woman greeted him even before he could see her. He prowled away from his car, not waiting for Saber because his feline had taken firm control.

  When he turned a corner he found Laura deep in discussion with Miller.

  “Hello,” he said, straining for politeness when all he wanted was to touch.

  “You were meant to protect my property,” Miller growled. “They took money and jewelry. Susanna is hysterical because strangers touched her things. I have to buy her new lingerie,” he said in disgust.

  Jonno wanted to point out that new lingerie might help the man’s temper. He held his tongue. On the other hand, lingerie might come into his romantic equation with Laura. He visualized her in a corset with stockings and had to swallow.