“I was picking berries,” she said.
Justin shoved his hand into the bucket and pulled out a massive handful. Lola frowned. What was with the men around here. Couldn’t they get their own berries?
She felt grateful and a little bit charmed by Cody’s effort. She really had wanted some berries since it was some of the only fresh food that she ever got to eat.
“I don’t want you leaving the compound for any reason. Even berries,” he said, taking another massive handful. If he kept this up, there wouldn’t be any left. “I don’t like the way the new guy looks at you. Has he tried to talk to you again?”
“No. I don’t talk to anyone but you or Chris.”
“Chris is a good man. One of the few men worthy of my sister.”
Lola cringed inwardly. Chris had been a childhood friend, but the years since elementary school hadn’t been kind to him. He was as thin and sickly as the rest of the crystal addicted men in the compound.
“I’ll remember that,” she muttered.
“Just watch yourself, Lola. You’re already on thin ice.”
“Sure thing, bro,” she said, giving him a mock salute.
He glared at her and left her tent.
She absentmindedly shoved her hand into the bucket of berries, grabbed a handful, and shoved it in her mouth. The sweet burst of berry flavor rolled over her tongue and she moaned at the sweetness.
There was so little sweetness in her life that the flavor of wild berries was enough to do her in. That thought alone made her want to cry. Just realizing that she had a life so deprived of joy that a handful of wild berries was the most she had to look forward to for an entire year.
She slumped in her chair and put her head in her hands. She couldn't do this anymore. The small act of kindness by the new guy, warmed her heart and melted away the pieces of herself she had kept frozen for so long.
Angrily she slammed her fist into the bucket, sending berries flying across the room.
Tears streamed down her face. She put her head in her hands, weeping silently into her palms. When she finally looked up again, she saw a plastic baggie covered in huckleberry juice. There was a folded piece of paper inside. What the hell was that? She stood from her folding chair and walked across the small tent to kneel and pick up the plastic bag.
She opened it and pulled out the folded paper. After she unfolded it, she saw what had been written.
"I am here to help you. Meet me at the same place tonight when the guards change shifts."
It had to be Cody. She felt so much for him that she could not explain. Maybe it was because she had been alone on this mountain for so long and no one spoke to her and no one showed her any kindness.
The slightest suggestion of kindness toward her was enough to make her feel there was some kind of attachment or connection between them when there probably wasn't.
Lola slid the note into her pocket and began picking up the berries. She felt stupid for having knocked the bucket over in a moment of weakness and anger. She had always prided herself on having some type of emotional control. That was something that was important in the family she belonged to. Justin and her stepdad were both crystal addicts and could act crazy at the drop of a hat. Lola was a lot like her mother, the port in the storm.
Just thinking of her mother filled her with anger and fear. They'd found her mom’s body in the forest, shot in the back of the head with an unmarked weapon.
Part of her knew that if she stayed in this place any longer, she would suffer the same fate. Fear was keeping her here, but she would have to draw on the courage she needed to escape. Maybe this Cody guy really was here to help her. Or maybe he was manipulating her and wanted to rape and murder her in the woods for fun.
Either way, she couldn't take it anymore. She was becoming unwilling to take any more of Justin's abuse. Maybe she’d gained her newfound courage from the kindness Cody had showed her. Or maybe it had been hiding inside her all along.
She intended to meet Cody in the woods tonight when the guards changed posts. She at least wanted to know what he had to say.
Waiting for the changing of the guards was like torture for Lola. She stayed in her tent all day and into the night, avoiding speaking with anyone. Part of her wondered if she should pack her things and prepare to leave tonight. She had no idea what Cody's plans actually were. Maybe he just wanted to have sex with her. She wouldn't put it past most men to use her vulnerability against her. She had already seen the worst of human nature and had a hard time trusting or believing in anyone.
When the time to meet Cody arrived, she gingerly snuck out of her tent, looked around to make sure no one had seen her, and snuck off into the forest. She skirted through an area close to camp, hidden from view of the guard towers, and scurried around to the place where she had met Cody earlier that day. All she could think about was the heat of their kiss and the longing of her own body when her lips had met his.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if all he wanted was sex. Lola was a lonely woman, and part of her wanted to sleep with Cody just to spite her stepbrother. More than that, she longed to feel that someone cared. She longed to let go and allow her feelings to take over in a flood of lust and passion.
Lola was twenty-two years old and had still never made love. If Cody wanted to have sex with her, maybe tonight was the night that she finally lost her virginity.
She didn't see him when she first entered the grove of Douglas fir where they had met before. She huddled down behind a tree trunk, waiting out of sight from the guard towers. She heard a twig snap in the distance and shot her gaze in the direction of the noise.
"It's okay," came a soft but confident voice.
"I'm here," she said, standing taller against the tree trunk in the darkness.
He met her behind the wide expanse of the old growth evergreen. They gazed at each other in the moonlight. Something in her snapped. It was like all of the feelings of desperation and anger, fear and loneliness came hurtling out from a cell buried deep within the ground. It all exploded from within her at once. She wrapped her arms around Cody's neck and pulled him toward her in a deep, passionate kiss.
He let out a soft groan and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His beard brushed softly against her cheek, and she was lost in the feeling of his masculinity wrapping her in its strength. She moaned and let go to the feeling. All she wanted was to be swept away in his strength and passion.
His tongue swept between her lips and she met it with her own. Moaning and pulling each other close as their tongues danced and they held each other tight.
She could feel the hot flood of desire pooling between her legs. Her hands slid down his back, gripping his ass.
His hands roved her body, pulling her closer to his growing hardness. Lola had never felt so much desire in her entire life. All she wanted was to strip off her clothes and lay down on the cool, pine needle covered ground and feel Cody's hot throbbing shaft penetrate her softness.
"I want this," she whispered in the night.
He growled in her ear and slipped his fingers inside the front of her jeans. They slid into her panties and his long finger pressed against her desire.
He kissed her deeply, and she moaned into his mouth as his finger rubbed tight little circles against her swollen nub.
The heat of her moisture gushed for Cody. She couldn't believe that all it took was a kiss and a touch and she would come undone like this. She threw back her head, gasping as she looked at the starry night sky.
As the orgasm grew within her and burst forth with the intensity of an exploding star, the points of light overhead spun and burst like a billion fireworks in the night sky. She groaned loudly, and Cody kissed her to absorb the sound. He slid his hand away and held her gently in his strong arms.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling as if she were protected for the very first time in her life. She stayed in that space, not wanting to speak and break the spell.
; All she wanted was to stay a little longer and believe that this man was here to save her. She wanted to believe that he wanted more than her body. That he really was here to help her and that the all-encompassing strength of his power would always be there to support her.
Could Cody really want to free her from this life? Could it all really be true? Lola would give anything just to believe she could have something else, anything else than the horror she lived every day.
"I'm sorry I got so carried away," he whispered into her ear. "But I need to take you away from here now.”
"I can't leave without my mother's cameo," she said, feeling stupid for not having packed her things.
He really did want to take her away from here. She was ready to go, but she couldn't leave the last vestiges of her mother's memory. No way.
Her mother was the one person who had always been there for her. She’d been the solid rock of the family before she'd been killed. Lola knew that her mother loved her. She wouldn't leave her cameo that had been handed down from her grandmother, and her mother before.
"I have to go back to my tent to get my mother's cameo. I'll meet you back here in a few minutes."
"I can’t let you go. I already alerted the Bear Patrol. We have to get away from here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you ever again, Lola." Cody said.
"I’ll be fine. You can’t be seen walking with me. You have to let me go by myself."
"I won't let you go," he demanded. “The Bear Patrol will be here any minute.”
"The Bear Patrol?" she asked.
He sighed heavily. "I am a bear shifter and my real name is Gauge Stockwell. I’m an undercover detective from the Fate Mountain Police Department. I'm here to take down your stepbrother and his gang."
“You’re ‘Redacted’, aren’t you!”
“Yes. You are my fated mate. I won’t let you out of my sight again.”
"I’ll be right back, Cody. I mean Gauge. I promise you. And if I’m not back. I want you to save yourself,” she said, letting go of his hand as she ran off into the night.
“Lola, no,” he whispered, grabbing for her hand.
But she slipped away, leaving him standing alone in the forest. As she ran through the darkness and skirted under the watchtowers, her heart beat violently in her chest with excitement. Her true love had come to save her from all of this mess.
She had trusted in her heart, and it had all been true. She ran into her tent to grab her mother's cameo and was immediately reminded of all the lies.
11
Gauge stood in the darkness, feeling completely dumbstruck. It was the second time today that he had felt more impotent than he had in his entire life. He wanted to run after her, but he didn’t. He knew that if he caught up with her it would only cause a commotion that neither of them could afford right now. He had to let her go and trust that she knew what she was doing.
Lola now knew that he was a bear shifter and her fated mate. She was just as connected to him as he was to her. Being mates meant trusting each other and trusting each other’s choices. Lola would not leave without her mother’s cameo, and Gauge had a tremendous amount of respect for his mate’s love of her mother.
The Bear Patrol was coming and he had to creative a diversion. His plan had been to take her and get away as quickly as possible. He hadn’t expected her to want to go back to her tent.
He crept silently through the forest, and came out behind the munitions tent. He slid through the tent flap and looked around. There was enough fire power in here to start a small war. If he took it out, the gang would only have the weapons on them.
He lit a match that he’d pulled out of his pocket, and lit a fire in the straw inside a pallet of bullets. The fire quickly grew, licking at the wooden boxes holding the weapons. Gauge ran out of the tent, the first blast booming behind him as he dove into the forest.
When he turned to look behind him, the tent exploded in a massive blast. Screams echoed throughout the camp.
The sound of helicopter blade sliced through the air in the distance, and Gauge knew exactly what it was. The Bear Patrol was here.
Gauge hurried through the darkness and skirted around the watchtowers until he came to the edge of the camp where the tents were.
He stood in the darkness, watching Lola’s tent flap. There was the glow of light from within and shadows moving inside. She wasn’t alone.
Gauge’s polar bear reared up within him, threatening to overtake the man and charge wildly through the camp to save his mate.
The helicopter moved in closer and was met with gunfire from the watchtowers. A smoke grenade fell into the center of the compound and filled the air with heavy smoke. Gauge gasped and growled, but his bear was unaffected. His shifter strength allowed him to breathe through the smoke and see through the haze. He charged into the tent, but it was too late. Lola was gone.
The gunfire shot through the hazy darkness as the Bear Patrol reppeled into the compound in full military gear. Gauge had on a bulletproof vest and his rifle, equipped like the rest of Lockheart’s gang. This was going to be a violent shoot out and a lot of people were going to die. There was no peaceful way to settle this thing, and he knew it. He had to get Lola out of danger.
He cursed himself repeatedly as he ran around the forest to where they had met before. She wasn’t there. He heard a woman’s scream in the distance and squinted his eyes into the hazy darkness of the compound. He could make out the figure of a woman being dragged into the cave mouth by a taller, stronger male figure.
It had to be Justin.
The anger and fury erupted from within Gauge. His bear barreled out from within. He shifted with a roar that shook the ground. He charged through the smoky compound, growling and snapping his jaws as the confused gang members tried to defend their compound.
Gauge galloped toward the cave mouth and found himself face to face with the rest of the Bear Patrol.
Chief Commander Rollo Morris, his alpha, looked at him with steely gray eyes and frowned.
“What the hell are you doing, Gauge?” Rollo demanded.
Gauge growled and drew up on his hind legs, pounding his polar bear chest. Justin had taken Lola into the cave and he had to give chase.
“Shift right now,” Rollo demanded.
The rest of the Bear Patrol were defending the cave mouth. He could see Damien taking pictures of the lab. The gang was shooting. Knox, Rollo, and Heath were all returning fire.
Gauge moved further into the cave and shifted into his human form. He was naked and vulnerable, but Knox threw some clothing at him.
“The state police are on the way,” Rollo said.
Gauge pulled on his clothes, taking in the situation. Damien had plenty of evidence already gathered to convict each and every one of Lockheart’s gang members. But Gauge had let Lola be taken by the ring leader.
“Justin Lockheart has escaped further into the cave,” Gauge said.
“We saw them right as we landed,” Rollo said, firing his AK-47 into the yard of the compound.
Shrieks and shouts of the gang members filled the air as the bullets riddled the cave. The Bear Patrol had set up a barricade using the lab tables and other equipment.
“I have to save my mate,” Gauge said.
“Your mate?” Rollo asked, between bursts of rifle fire.
“She was here all along,” Gauge tried to explain.
“We have to get this situation under control,” Rollo demanded as a bullet sped by Gauge’s face.
Gauge dropped to his knees and joined the rest of the team behind the barricade.
“I have to go after her.”
“Go,” Rollo said. “Get your mate.”
Rollo handed him a glock and Gauge shoved an extra clip in his pocket.
“Thank you, Commander,” Gauge said, before he crawled off through the cave. Damien was huddled in a corner, taking photographs of the scene.
“Take this flashlight,” Damien said, handing him a Maglite.
/> “Thank you for everything, Damien,” Gauge said, crawling further through the cave.
There was tons of crystal gas in the air, and he could feel himself becoming infused with the toxic fumes. But that only meant that Lola was getting a double dose of it. His shifter healing ability wouldn’t allow for the toxins to enter too deeply into his blood, but his mate would definitely be susceptible to it. This was going to end now.
As he came to the end of the laboratory area of the cave, he saw that it diverged into several different caves. The ventilation pipes from the laboratory blew off the toxins further into the cave, filling it with their fumes.
Gauge had to choose which trail to take. He sniffed the air, only smelling the toxic fumes of the laboratory. He couldn’t make out Lola’s scent.
He sniffed again, trying to pick up anything that would give him an indication of which direction she’d gone. They were running out of time, and no one could predict what a lunatic like Justin Lockheart would do to his sweet little mate.
Gauge picked up the subtle scent of her body. It was a scent he knew well from the kisses they had shared only minutes ago.
He squeezed his eyes closed, focusing on the scent. He had been so stupid to let her go. He would never forgive himself for this. But he had to respect her love for her mother. He had to admire her courage and her strength. But once he found her, he intended to never let her go again.
He followed the subtle scent of Lola’s skin, deep into the cave. The toxins were heavy in the air, and he felt them sinking into his blood. His heart raced faster and his muscles tensed. He had to find her soon or they would both be lost.
12
"How could you do this to me, Lola?" Justin screamed as he tugged Lola further into the narrowing cavern. Justin’s head lamp was the only light in the pitch black darkness.
Lola struggled against his grasp, but he was so much stronger. All she could do was follow him or he would drag her.
"It's over, Justin. The police are here, and they're going to arrest everyone.”