He grabbed his keys, hurried out to his squad car, and jumped inside. He grabbed his cell phone and sent Heath a text, telling him to make sure her brother Corey kept an eye on Zoe for him. Hopefully he could keep track of his own sister for a few hours.
He could already feel Zoe’s mind working. He knew she was up to something. Dammit. Mates or not, they still weren’t working together. And their connection was allowing them to know every single nuance of their deception toward each other.
He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, turned the key, and pulled out of the driveway. He sped across town and hurried into the police station where he found the entire Bear Patrol waiting for him in his office.
They were already wearing their SWAT uniforms, ready to roll. Rollo had pulled his out of the car and was slipping on his vest when he stepped into his office and closed the door.
“Heath will be joining us in a few moments. I hope no one objects to including the cadet on our team.”
“No objections here,” Knox said.
“None for me either,” Damien said.
“I haven’t met this Heath kid,” Gauge said, crossing his arms and cocking his chin.
“If the commander vouches for him, don’t you think that you should accept him too?” Knox asked Gauge.
“I agreed to accept the cadet,” Gauge said begrudgingly. “Where is he anyway?”
“He’s taking my mate to her brother’s house at the Bright Institute,” Rollo said. “And that brings me to why we’re here today. Dimitri Ivanov, the head of a wing of the Russian mafia, is currently on Fate Mountain. He’s been impossible to nail down until now. I have reason to believe he was involved in the theft of Caitlin Somerset’s jewels.”
“And what did Zoe Bright have to do with all this?” Gauge said.
Damien gave Rollo a knowing look and Rollo sighed. “Zoe Bright was conscripted into Ivanov’s service. She was an unwilling participant in his criminal activities. She stole Somerset’s jewels in an attempt to pay off a debt. Not paying the debt would have meant her life. She acted in self-defense. But I believe that Ivanov currently has the jewels. His men shot up my cabin, and Zoe and I had to run off in animal form.”
“What were you doing at the cabin with Zoe?” Gauge asked.
“I was getting her to confess. Did I also mention I marked her?”
“She confessed and you marked her?” Gauge asked with a grin. “I think congratulations are in order.”
“Yes, we marked each other. And I intend to do everything in my power to protect her. We have to find Ivanov before he leaves town. Zoe believes he will be leaving via helicopter at any moment.”
“I’ll do a probability search for helicopter landing points close to the roads,” Damien said, opening up his laptop. “I’m using a version of Corey Bright’s random probability software, to track potential locations.”
“Why don’t we just go down to the airport?” Gauge asked.
“The airport is one of those locations,” Damien agreed. “And the most logical exit point. But also the most obvious.”
Just then Heath opened the door, somewhat breathless and wide-eyed. “What I miss?”
“We’re trying to determine a helicopter’s exit point,” Rollo said.
“I just saw a helicopter flying toward the bluff up the highway,” he said.
“The bluff is the probability generator’s estimate of the second best location,” Damien said.
“Let’s roll,” Rollo said to his men.
Chapter 15
Zoe dropped into the passenger seat of Heath’s police cruiser with an irritated sigh. She was not used to being sent away from the action. Zoe was a girl who was used to being the action. She growled through gritted teeth as Heath looked over at her.
“Buckle up,” he said with a cheerful grin.
“I should be helping Rollo right now,” she said, giving Heath a desperate look.
“Commander Morris wants me to take you to your brother’s house. I’m not about to mess up on my third day.”
“Fine, Heath. I’ll remember this,” she said, crossing her arms. Bears were all alike. So overprotective.
“Don’t be like that,” he said, pulling out onto the street.
“I’m not mad at you, Heath. You’re the new guy. I can’t ask you to compromise your job.”
“I’m dropping you off at Corey’s house. What you do after that is your business,” he said, turning onto the highway.
They drove up to the Institute above the lake and took the short driveway up to Corey’s mansion.
Corey might think he owned a modest house, considering his literal multibillion dollar bank account. But Corey Bright’s house was a marvel of architectural detail.
The whole front wall of the house was a massive two story window that looked down at the lake and forest. There was a massive covered porch around the front and side with multiple seating areas. And that was just the outside.
Zoe said goodbye to Heath and climbed out of the car. Walking up the front steps she took in the rows of freshly planted flower pots that lined the sunny side of the porch.
The colors settled her soul a bit, but this was still the last place she wanted to be.
Willow opened the door before Zoe could knock and was immediately asking her a million questions about why Rollo had told them to keep her at the house.
“It’s fine,” Zoe said, walking into Willow’s massive kitchen with wide black granite island.
“What are you wearing?” Willow asked, looking up and down at Zoe’s makeshift outfit.
“Long story,” Zoe grumbled.
Fashion was the last thing on her mind right now. Willow already had a pitcher of fresh lemonade out on the counter next to her laptop with a word processor open on the screen. Willow glanced at her current novel and shut the laptop, then smiled back at Zoe.
“That’s a steamy part,” Willow said, blushing as she poured the lemonade. “Speaking of steamy parts. I heard that you and Rollo are mated!”
“Who told you that?”
“Well, Rollo told Damien and Damien told Corey. And Corey told me.”
“People in this town, seriously. How does Damien even know Corey?”
“They’re part of the same tech circles online. Corey has been sharing a lot of proprietary information with Damien lately. He’s a bit of an apprentice. Like you and Angus. How is that going, anyway?”
“It was going great until Rollo kidnapped me.”
“He what?” Willow said, choking on her lemonade.
“I guess that part didn’t make it into the gossip circle of Fate Mountain.”
“What gossip?” Corey asked, walking into the kitchen.
He picked up his glass of lemonade and took a sip. Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. No matter how much her brother had done for her over the years, she always felt like a failure around him. She didn’t even want him to know about her and Rollo yet, especially under these conditions.
“Zoe said Rollo kidnapped her.”
“Does this have to do with the trouble you’re in?”
“Rollo thought he was protecting me.”
“Why are you in danger, Zoe? What did you do?”
Zoe walked away, taking her lemonade with her. It was fresh and sweet with a touch of mint from one of Willow’s planter boxes. But all she tasted was bitterness.
She walked out onto the patio, not wanting to stop at the top of the stairs. She gritted her teeth and kept walking down the length of the deck until she came to a porch swing where she sat down and started singing with her glass in her hand.
Corey followed her out there with Willow not far behind him. Willow looked worried. Corey just looked irritated.
“What?” Zoe said, looking up at her brother.
“Is this why you came to Fate Mountain?” Corey asked.
“No, Corey. I came to Fate Mountain because I missed you so much.”
“I’m so glad you came here, Zoe,” Willow sa
id, sitting on the padded rattan chair beside the swing, lemonade in hand. “It’s been wonderful getting to know you. Aren’t you glad she’s here, Corey?”
“Of course I am. I’m just concerned about her. And quite frankly, I’m concerned that she’s brought danger to our school.”
“Corey, that’s a terrible thing to say.”
“No, it’s fine,” Zoe said, putting down her glass on the rattan coffee table as she rose. “I’m used to it.”
She brushed passed her brother and started toward the stairs leading into the front yard.
“Where are you going?” Corey said behind her as Zoe trotted down the stairs.
“Back to my dorm,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
Corey always seemed to reduce her to an angry, rebellious child. She was so over this. Coming to Fate Mountain to be around her brother was the biggest mistake of her life. Now she was mated to Rollo and could never get away.
She was trapped.
But she didn’t intend to remain that way. She hurried down the walkway through the front lawn.
“Rollo wants you to stay here,” Corey said.
“Then he can come stop me,” Zoe said without turning.
She heard Corey growl and Willow placate him, but she didn’t stop to look back. She made her way down the driveway that looped around to the road that led up to the Institute.
She’d told Corey the truth. She was going to her dorm room. But she didn’t intend to stay there. She hurried through the front door of the dormitory section of the Institute and made her way to her room. She pressed the keypad to unlock the door and walked inside.
She sighed and sat down on her bed, pulling out a key that was taped under her nightstand. She then pulled a black case out from under her bed. She slipped the small key in the lock and opened the lid of the case.
Inside of the case, she found her 9mm glock and several clips of bullets. Pulling everything out, she tossed the clips in a backpack. She was still wearing the ridiculous t-shirt from Rollo’s closet and desperately needed to change.
She pulled on a pair of jeans, a tank top and a pair of hiking boots. When she was dressed, she slid her gun into the waistband of her jeans and hurried back out of the dormitory with the backpack slung over her shoulders.
Out in the parking lot, she found one of the Institute’s vans. She didn’t have keys for it, but she knew how to hotwire a car. That wasn’t even something Dima taught her. Zoe had known how to do that since eleventh grade.
She extended her claw and pressed it into the lock of the van’s door. After a little jiggling, it popped open.
She slicked open the dashboard, finding the wires she needed to twist together. Working quickly in order not to be seen as the early morning activity started on campus, Zoe started the car in a few seconds and pulled out of the parking lot with a smile on her lips.
She felt slightly guilty as she drove past her brother’s driveway. She was being as big a jerk as he was. Maybe more so. He was just worried about her and he expressed it in his oblivious Corey Bright way.
Zoe knew her brother well enough to know he had good intentions. But his good intentions didn’t always make her feel very good about herself.
She hurried out of the Institute’s road and onto the highway, determined to put an end to the shit she’d allowed to rule her life for so long.
She was done.
She was done taking Dima’s crap. Done being scared. She was done letting Corey hurt her feelings. And she was done letting Rollo tell her what to do. Never again. This was the last time. Dima was her problem, and she was going to end it.
As she drove down the highway, she saw a helicopter flying overhead. She hurried down the highway, east of town and up into the mountains, following the helicopter all the way. It started to descend in a pasture off the highway.
She turned off the highway, parking her van on the side of the road. She climbed out of the car and took the forest toward where the helicopter had landed. As she approached, her heightened shifter senses picked up the sound of voices and the low rumble of motors.
Peeking through the cover of the forest, she saw Dima and his men stepping out of a black SUV. Dima buttoned his Armani suit as he walked across the scrubby grass field, the helicopter blades whipping around his blonde hair.
Zoe took aim, using every bit of her heightened awareness to zero in on her target. Using both hands to steady her glock, she pulled the trigger and fired.
The bullet sliced through the air, impacting Dima in the shoulder. He fell to the ground, and his men jumped to attention, returning fire in a spray of bullets.
Zoe jumped behind a tree trunk, ducking out of the line of fire. Her heart pounded. She hadn’t killed him. The gunfire stopped and Zoe peeked around the tree to see the men approaching. She shot at them and ducked back behind the tree.
Another volley of bullets sprayed through the air, impacting the trunk and sending bark splintering all around.
Zoe gritted her teeth, wondering at the wisdom of her plan. She growled. She was not going to let these men have the last laugh.
She changed her clip and moved in to shoot at the approaching men. Just then, she saw a squadron of police cars rip through the field.
The Bear Patrol jumped out of the cars, parked in a perfect blockade. They opened fire on Dima’s gang. The men approaching Zoe ran back toward the helicopter as it started to elevate into the air.
Dima’s gang fired at the Bear Patrol and the Bear Patrol met their fire with their own. The helicopter inched into the air, and Zoe ran out from behind the tree. She opened fire on the helicopter, unwilling to let Dima get away.
Rollo saw her and ran out to grab her and pull her back behind the patrol car.
“What are you doing here?” he screamed over the sound of gunfire.
“Taking care of my own problems,” she shouted back.
Rollo lifted a scoped rifle, aimed, and shot. The bullet sliced through the air, impacting the helicopter’s propeller.
Zoe watched in amazed horror at what happened next.
Chapter 16
Rollo could not believe his eyes when Zoe emerged from the forest, shooting at Ivanov’s helicopter. There had just been two men over there, shooting at her. He didn’t know whether to be furious at her or to weep in relief that she hadn’t been shot.
“What are you doing here?” he shouted at her over the spray of gunfire and whipping whirl of the helicopter blades.
“Taking care of my own problems,” she shouted up at him.
He gritted his teeth. Zoe was a pistol and apparently knew how to use one. He hefted his rifle, resting it over the top of his patrol car. Looking through the scope, he shot the ascending helicopter’s propeller.
The helicopter swung wildly in the air, twisting violently down to the ground. It landed with such a force at impact that the engine tanks burst and exploded. A loud blast filled the air and the Bear Patrol recoiled behind the squad cars. Zoe screamed and Rollo grabbed her, protecting her with his body. Heat washed over his back as he held Zoe away from the blast.
“Oh my God,” Zoe gasped, pulling out of Rollo’s arms. “They’re all dead.” He heard the horror in her voice and the tightening in her heart.
“It isn’t your fault, Zoe,” he said, putting his arms around her. “They were bad men.”
“Holy shit!” Gauge howled.
“Commander, you shot that thing down.” Knox proclaimed, slapping Rollo on the back.
The guys were already moving out to inspect the crash. Damien sprayed the wreckage with a fire extinguisher, putting out the fire.
The bodies were all burnt to a crisp and littered among the twisted metal.
“We need to find the jewels,” Rollo said. “And return them to their rightful owner.”
The bears dug through the wreckage as backup crews showed up to deal with the bodies. Finally, Gauge pulled a metal box out of the crash. He brought it over to the squad car and hefted a crow b
ar. Rollo watched him as he forced open the box.
Inside, the velvet bag was slightly melted but not ruined. Gauge handed the bag to Rollo, and Rollo pulled it open.
The jewels were all there. He could now return them to Caitlin. But this case was far from closed.
Right then, an unmarked black SUV pulled into the field beside the squad cars and two suited men stepped out. Rollo knew immediately that these guys were feds.
“Commander Rollo Morris?” one of the man said. “Agent Black and Agent Wick, FBI.”
They flashed their badges and the Bear Patrol all looked up, taking notice of the newcomers.
“We’ll be taking over this investigation now,” Agent Black said. “You and your men can clear out.”
Agent Black showed Rollo the order by the feds to take over his case.
“We’ve recovered Caitlin Somerset’s jewels,” Rollo said, handing the bag to the agent.
“Good work, Commander Morris,” Agent Wick said. “We’ve been tailing this creep since he landed in the country. He gave us the slip in Arizona. But you brought them down and recovered the jewels.”
“It wasn’t just me. Zoe Bright has inside information about his gang.”
“Ms. Bright. We have questions for you about your involvement in this case. Don’t leave town,” Agent Black said, looking from Zoe to Rollo and back again.
“Let’s go Zoe,” he said, leading her to the squad car he’d driven to the scene.
She dropped into the passenger seat, noticeably exhausted.
“You need to rest,” he said, pulling out of the field and onto the road.
“First you kidnap me, then after you mate with me you start treating me like a baby,” she snapped.
Rollo could feel her emotions rolling inside his own heart. She was angry, scared, and frustrated. She felt like he didn’t see her. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. He tried to reach out to her and show her his total admiration. But she just stared out the passenger side window, not meeting his eyes or his heart.