Her cell phone rang, making her jump. She sprinted across the kitchen into the living room where it sat on her couch. Emma’s picture covered the screen, and Stella deflated. She didn’t know why she jumped every time the phone rang. It wasn’t like Rick would just call her and tell her exactly where he was.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Emma asked.
“Nothing. What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Nothing. I hate to ask, but I need a favor.”
“Sure, honey, whatever you need.” Stella really didn’t know if she could focus on anything besides finding Rick, but she probably needed to try. Obsessing over the problem wasn’t helping in the least.
“Well, with Rick gone, the guys are trying to manage the casino, but they all have their own companies to run. The managers there are doing great, but we’re trying to keep somebody there at all times in case any information on Rick comes up. Would you care to cover the casino today?”
“Sure, honey. I can do that. Should I go over now?” Stella asked. Maybe being at the casino was what she needed. Being around Rick’s things, in his world, would help spark something to help her find him.
“Yeah, just whenever. I’ll tell the manager you’re coming. If there’s anything he needs Austin or the others to handle, he’ll let you know. Just make note of everything going on, and one of the guys will check in with you when they can. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. Any time, honey,” Stella said.
The women said their goodbyes and hung up. Stella raced upstairs to change her clothes. Once she felt she was presentable enough to represent Rick at the casino, she drove over. He owned several casinos, but his office was at the Treasure Island Casino, which was on a makeshift boat on the Mississippi River.
When she arrived, security took her to the manager, Dave.
“Hello, Stella, thanks for coming down today. Hopefully it’ll be a smooth-running day, but it’s always nice to have someone at least stand in for Rick. Do you know when he’ll be back this time?” Dave asked.
“No, I’m not sure,” she said nervously. She just assumed the manager knew what had happened with Rick. Dave’s questions seemed like they just thought he was away on a vacation or something.
“Well, anyways, follow me. I’ll show you to his office. There are a few invoices on his desk that need his approval. Other than that, I think you should be good,” he said, leading her down to Rick’s office.
Dave unlocked the door and opened it for her. She waited until he walked off before she stepped inside. Stella shut the door behind her and took a deep breath. It smelled like Rick had just walked out of the room, his scent was so strong. Stella stumbled a bit as she made her way to his desk. Her head started to hurt, but she fought through the pain. Then she ran her fingers across his desk. The smooth surface sent shivers down her back. It felt like she was touching him. Then she sat in his chair and closed her eyes. She imagined him sitting in that chair and touching the desk in front of her.
Stella started to shake. Her body was convulsing and she was afraid she was going to be sick. Grandma had said she needed to seek Rick out in her mind. She had also warned her that another woman’s presence would try to fight against it. Maybe this was that other woman trying to block her from fully reaching through to Rick. Was the other woman Rick’s mate? If she was, why wasn’t she by his side? Stella felt a stab of jealousy and anger at the thought of another woman being Rick’s mate. She slammed her fist on his desk.
Stella realized she was wasting time being angry. She focused her energy back on Rick. The way he smelled, his deep blue eyes, his calloused hands. Stella’s breathing started to become labored, and it was as if she could feel Rick standing beside her.
“Rick, where are you?” she whispered.
“While I breathe, I hope,” Rick’s echoed voice sounded in her ear.
Stella jumped up and looked around the room. She knew she had heard him, she had felt him. She ran from his office and out into the casino, frantically searching. It was a lost cause; she could already feel his absence. Tears threatened to fall, and she realized several of the casino workers were watching her. She retreated to his office. The tingle she had felt before was gone.
“While I breathe, I hope,” she repeated to herself.
A knock on the door pulled her from her concentration. It was Dave.
“Hey, here’s a few more invoices we need Rick’s approval on. I don’t know if you’re authorized to give it or not, but we really need to make some of these purchases today,” he said helplessly.
“Yes, I can approve them for you. Give me some time to look them over.”
“Great. Thank you,” he said, handing her another handful of papers.
Rick’s business was his life. She knew he wouldn’t want things to be left to fall through the cracks, so she set about handling the invoices. Having never ran a company, she wasn’t sure where to start, but she figured there should be old invoices or something in his office to help her figure it out.
Stella spent the rest of the day learning all she could about the casinos and approving Rick’s invoices. True to his form, she had found copies of all the past year’s invoices he approved in a file cabinet in his office. They were always for approximately the same amount, and the same vendor. It seemed weird that he continued to approve them, but she was sure he had his reasons.
By the time she looked up at the clock, it was closing in on eight o’clock. Her phone had several missed calls and texts from Emma. She decided she’d better call her back.
“Hey, Mom. How did your day go at the casino?”
“It went great. I was able to handle everything so you can tell the guys they’re off the hook. I can continue to help out over here if it would take a load off of the guys.”
“Really? That would be great! I’ll tell Jasper.”
“Have they got any updates on Rick?” she asked hesitantly.
“No. We’re all just sick about it,” Emma said, her voice cracking through the phone.
“I know, baby, just hang in there. We’ll find him.”
“I hope you’re right, Mom,” Emma said.
Stella started to tell Emma what had happened to her in Rick’s office, and then decided against it. Nobody believed her the other night when she told them he was gone based on her feelings alone. They definitely wouldn’t believe she had been able to somehow communicate with him. Maybe if she lied and told them she was his mate they would, but that wouldn’t be fair to Rick. If he had left to be with his mate maybe he just wanted to be left alone.
She immediately felt sick at the thought of Rick with another woman. Whatever connection they had, Stella felt a claim on him. She didn’t plan on giving up that claim to just anybody, not until she found Rick and heard it from his own mouth.
Then she pulled out her phone and googled, “While I breathe, I hope.” Nothing popped up that was worth anything to Stella. Frustration continued to build. Every time she thought she was close, she always ended up hitting a brick wall.
Chapter Five
Rick
When Rick snapped out of his daze he was more confused than ever. The dream had seemed so real. He reached out as if he could touch her. Once his eyes adjusted, a sense of disappointment washed over him. It was as if his home wasn’t the right home. Where he was, and who he was, wasn’t real at all. He didn’t know who she was, but she made him homesick for a life he didn’t even know existed. Then there was the scent. He was positive he had smelled the same scent from the beach.
The ambiance of his dream soon lifted and he was left feeling lonely. Rick decided to forego trying to fall back asleep and made his way to his coffee maker. The late hours at the bar had his sleep schedule off. What was a normal waking hour to most was the middle of the night to him. A quick glance at his phone told him it was almost eleven. They would be opening the bar soon for the lunch crowd.
His apartment wasn’t fancy, but it had everything he needed. Being a studio came in handy
because he rarely misplaced anything. It also gave him room to shift into his bear form right there in his living room. When he couldn’t find time to go roam in his bear form, he would at least shift and drift to sleep there in his home. He thought about doing just that now, but decided against it. The migraines always seemed to strike when he was in his bear form.
He paced his apartment for a while. He felt haunted. For the first time in over twenty years, his thoughts turned to Rachel. The woman he thought was his mate. She had been a trickster. A chameleon filled with voodoo that had led him down a wicked path. He wasn’t sure now how he had managed to get himself away from her. As his thoughts turned to the life he felt he was forgetting, another migraine attacked him.
Rick tried to shake it off before it could take hold. He changed his thoughts to the bar, and decided to go down and help open. He was amazed that his redirection had helped ward off the pending migraine. The migraines felt like a sign, a bad omen of something to come. Rick could feel it in the change of his bear, and the weird dreams. He just hoped he would be strong enough to handle the evil when it decided to show itself.
“Rick, you want to go down to see the new fight club that just started?” Steve asked after they finished closing for the night.
“What’s an old fart like me going to do at a fight club?” Rick scoffed.
“You still got a lot of fight left in you. Just come check it out with me.”
“Fine. Let me go change my clothes.”
Rick ran up to his apartment and quickly changed. His skin was prickling already at the thought of being around shifters fighting. He was giddy with anticipation, and a bit worried. Being so close to going feral, he just hoped the fights wouldn’t set him off. Steve was waiting for him at his truck when he descended his apartment stairs.
The fight club was just a short ride down the strip. A bar much bigger than Rick’s housed the entire thing in an underground basement.
“Clever idea,” Rick commented as they rode the elevator down.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or in this case, where there’s money to be made, there’s a way,” Steve laughed.
As they stepped off the elevator, the roar of the already growing crowds consumed Rick. They circled several fights until he landed on one that was two bears. He stood in silence watching them crash against each other over and over again. His bear was itching for a fight, but Rick tried to keep the urge suppressed. Steve came up next to him and slapped him on the back, causing Rick to jump defensively. “See, I told you. You still have some fight in there!” Steve yelled over the roar of the crowds. “I’m going in down here in about an hour against a jaguar,” Steve called again, throwing his head to one of the pits on the far side.
“Be careful with jaguars, they tend to hug the outside of the pit and attack from the side,” Rick blurted out.
Steve eyed him carefully. “Good to know. You do a lot of underground fighting?” Steve asked.
“No. I don’t remember. It just… I’m not sure, but just watch it, okay?”
Steve shrugged and jogged off. Rick felt a migraine building up. His bear was pushing forward, wanting to fight. The pit judge from the pit in front of him blew the whistle. Then he made an announcement that a fighter had backed down. They needed a fill-in. Without even thinking, Rick raised his hand and stepped forward. The judge gave him a nod and pointed to the bench.
Rick walked over and disrobed slowly. His mind was all over the place, but his bear’s mind was on the fight. Rick shifted and just prayed he wouldn’t go feral at the first smell of blood. He looked across the pit and a giant wolf was pacing back and forth. Wolves were tenacious when they fought. Their instinct was to fight as a pack, unlike a bear, which is used to fighting alone. Rick wouldn’t underestimate the wolf, though.
The pit judge blew his whistle and he and the wolf paced around each other. The wolf snarled and snapped his teeth. Rick did nothing but watch. One good thing that came with age was patience. The wolf lunged but Rick swatted his opponent away with ease. The wolf landed with a thump, but quickly regained his feet. Rick circled him, and waited. There was no pride in attacking a shifter while he was down. The wolf shook himself off and then immediately launched another attack. Rick let him get within reach, and then clasped the wolf in between his giant paws and squeezed.
The wolf cried out. Rick should have stopped but it felt good to feel the shifter cry out in pain under his own touch. The pit judge took a step into the ring, and Rick dropped the wolf. The wolf scooted itself back but soon righted himself once again. Rick went on the offensive this time. He went at the wolf and swiped his giant paw out to connect with the wolf’s throat. The wolf ducked, though, sending Rick falling forward a bit. Then the wolf lunged up and went for Rick’s throat. Rick rolled to his back, averting the blow.
The wolf climbed on top of Rick, teeth bared, ready to go for the finishing blow. Rick swatted the wolf with his paw and sent the wolf flying out of the pit and up against a wall. The pit judge blew his whistle but Rick didn’t care. His bear wanted the win. He wanted to deliver the fight-ending blow. The wolf had just regained his feet when Rick stood on his hind legs and let out a roar that shook the floor.
Then he lifted the wolf up and sunk his teeth just a bit too hard into the wolf’s throat. The wolf whimpered and squirmed, which called to Rick’s bear to bite harder. The pit judge was blowing the whistle, and silence had descended in the room. Rick pulled his bear back into check and released the wolf, stumbling back.
“Get out of here, asshole! Learn the rules and get your shit under control before you ever come back here again!” the pit judge yelled.
Rick shifted and hurried to grab his clothes. He didn’t even bother searching for Steve as he ran to the elevator. Once he was inside, he sunk to the ground and buried his head in his hands. Rick knew he had been seconds away from crushing that young wolf shifter’s throat. The worst part was that his bear was pissed that Rick had stopped him. The pit judge had told him to get his shit together before coming back. Rick knew he would never be back.
Chapter Six
Stella
Stella continued to go to Rick’s office. Austin had popped in on her second day to make sure she was handling everything okay. Instead of being offended, Stella was thankful for Austin’s check-in. Not that she was making big changes or decisions, but running a company was definitely not something she was familiar with.
Austin didn’t question her eagerness to help where Rick was concerned, which comforted her as well. Everyone else seemed hung up on whether or not she was Rick’s mate. Austin just accepted her help, and moved on. Probably, being alpha, a mate, and a father, he didn’t have much time to waste worrying about her motives if she offered to take something off of his plate.
What she had really wanted to ask, she hadn’t. Stella desperately wanted to go into Rick’s home. If she had felt a connection to him being in his office, she figured his home would probably be even better. Maybe she would even be able to figure out where he was. It seemed impossible, but Stella wasn’t going to give up hope.
Her phone buzzed on the desk next to her. It was an unknown caller so she sent it to voicemail. Dave had dropped off bids for one of Rick’s remodeling ventures, and she was reading through them as if she knew what she was doing.
“Fake it till you make it,” she said to herself with a giggle.
Her phone buzzed again; an unknown caller a second time. Stella hesitated but decided to answer it. The chances of Rick calling were slim to none, but she’d hate herself for not answering on the possibility.
“Hello?” she said questioningly.
“Do you know where the sun meets the water?” a woman’s voice whispered over the phone.
At first Stella thought it was possibly a prank phone call. She decided to play along for the sake of the girl or girls on the other side.
“No, I do not.”
“That’s where he is. I thought you would be a better opponent th
an this. Sitting at his desk pushing papers. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.”
Stella’s blood ran cold. Slowly she stood up, as she clutched the phone to her ear. Anger pumped through her body at warp speed, and she wanted nothing more than to get her hands on the woman on the other side of the phone.
“Who are you?” she finally managed to say.
“Really? You’re just going to ask me who I am, and expect me to tell you? Have you ever watched a mystery, or read a suspense novel? This is where you ask me what I want.”
The woman then went silent. Stella realized she was waiting for her to ask the question. The last thing Stella wanted to do was play this woman’s stupid game. If the woman did know where Rick was, though, Stella had to not only play it, she needed to beat it.
“What do you want?” she spat into the phone.
“We’ve got history, you and I. You may not realize it right now, but you will. You thought you were going to get one over on me, having the old woman send Rick off. That almost cost you your life!” The woman got noticeably angrier as she spoke. Stella remained silent and waited for her to finish.
“Anyways, I digress. You’ll find him, I’m sure you will. When you do, I’ll be there.”
“Why? What do you want from him?” Stella yelled.
“It’s really not so much about him anymore. It’s what I don’t want you to have. Until we meet again.” With that, the phone line went dead.
Stella wanted to launch her phone across the room. The conversation hadn’t given her any more information than she had had before. All it did was piss her off and confuse her more than ever. She looked around the office and decided it was time to go to Rick’s house. Mate or not, she needed to get in that house.
Saving the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 4) Page 2
