Brandon smashed into a meridian and lost his momentum. He was left behind as he corrected himself and charged back on the track, losing important seconds on the clock.
The hyena would not be outdone, and as they came around for the final lap, Brandon had already caught back up to Jessie. As he charged toward Jessie, he looked at him and drove in close. Jessie could see his eyes blazing red in his skull.
"I took him out, and I can take you out too," he yelled.
It was loud, but Jessie was sure what he’d heard. It was like the words reverberated inside his mind. He knew, right then, that Brandon had killed Chuck. That realization drove him forward, and even as Brandon was trying to smash him off the track, he pushed his throttle and sped forward, crossing the finish line as Brandon tried to interrupt his win instead of trying to win himself.
The crowd cheered and the riders closed in around him, congratulating him. The judges came out with a trophy and a garland of flowers that they put around his neck. Winning this race was a rush. He won plenty of meets on Fate Mountain, but not all of them. Each one was special, but today was the most special of all, because today was the day he would set his mate free.
Chapter 13
Jessie hitched his bike to his truck and climbed behind the wheel, not talking to anyone after the race. He needed to get down to the police station. He watched his family's faces as he drove away. They had all pestered him to find love and he had. This was what he did for love. They couldn't blame him for it now.
He drove down the road and turned onto the highway before making his way into the parking lot of the police station. He hopped out of his truck and made his way into the station, stopping at the desk in the front waiting room.
"Can I help you?" said the officer sitting there.
"I need to speak to Rollo Morris," he said, slamming his fist on the counter.
"Commander Morris is about to go out on an investigation."
"For the murder of Chuck Updike?" Jessie asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say," the officer said.
Just then, Rollo and the rest Bear Patrol walked through the front of the police station.
"Rollo, I need to talk to you," Jessie said.
"This isn’t the time, Jessie," Rollo said.
"I have information about Chuck Updike's murder," Jessie said. "I know it was Brandon Updike. He as much as admitted it at the racetrack today."
"We finally got the search warrant for the mansion. They asked us to leave after we found the murder weapon in Dana's room the last time. This time we intend to leave no stone unturned."
"It's about time," Jessie growled.
"I have to do things by the book, Jessie. It’s the only way I can keep this job. If I made exceptions for everyone's mate, this place would have no laws."
The rest of the Bear Patrol snickered as they passed Jessie. All of them wore their slick blue uniforms as he stood there, dirty and sweaty in his yellow racing gear. He growled, wishing he could go with them and bring down the Updikes once and for all.
"I heard his men talking. They think it was him too."
"We are on the case," Rollo said, cupping Jessie's shoulder with his hand. "Go celebrate with your family. If you're lucky, Dana will be out by morning."
Jessie's eyes went wide and then he grimaced. "She better be," he growled.
The Bear Patrol left the station and Jessie followed them outside. They got in their patrol cars and left. He stood beside his truck, not knowing what to do. He wouldn't put it past Rollo to arrest him if he went to the mansion right now. As much as he wanted to tag along, he was going to stay away and let the cops do their job. They’d better do it right this time.
On his way to the brewery to meet up with his family, he saw Brandon Updike riding away on his bike and into the forest. Jessie growled, knowing that Brandon was escaping justice. He parked in the brewery parking lot and rode his bike down the ramp, speeding after Brandon into the night. He wasn't going to let the hyena get away.
Jessie hurtled down the gravel road. He could spot the hyena shifter ahead, just before turning around a bend in the road. Jessie gave chase, speeding into the turn to catch up. He knew Brandon was at fault, both for Chuck's death, and for framing Dana. Brandon's words during the meet sank in his gut and everything became clear.
He wasn't holding back anymore. He intended to clear his mate's name if it was the last thing he ever did. Dana had spent years protecting a pack who didn't deserve protecting. Jessie was going to protect her now, like someone should have a long time ago.
Brandon charged up the hill and Jessie followed. On the other side of the rise, Brandon was nowhere to be seen. Jessie slowed, looking from left to right and back again. He sniffed the air, trying to make out Brandon's location by his scent. The smell of exhaust and pine filled his nostrils. He couldn't make out the distinct sharp scent of hyena shifter through the other smells.
He slowed to a crawl, finally making out the pungent smell of hyena. Before he could react, a thick branch cracked against the back of his head. He fell off his bike and it sped up the road and crashed into a ditch. Jessie scrambled to his feet, his palms bloodied and his head aching.
He faced Brandon Updike, gritting his teeth as he stared the hyena shifter in the eyes. Jessie had trained in hand-to-hand combat in the military. He knew he could take a coward like Brandon in two seconds flat in human or shifted form.
"Why don't you just turn yourself in, Brandon?" Jessie barked.
"Turn myself in for what?" he asked, playing dumb. "It's you that's following me."
"That's not a crime. Not like murdering your brother and then framing an innocent girl for it."
"I've no idea what you’re talking about."
"Don’t play dumb. You admitted it during the race. You took out your brother. But what I don't understand is how you got Dana's fingerprints on the murder weapon. It was clever of you to let Rollo into your home just long enough to search Dana's room before kicking him out. Now she's in jail for a crime you committed. You are going to pay for that. But first you’ll pay for biting her and keeping her hostage."
"Who's going to make me pay? You? The Kincaids have been a nuisance to the Updikes for generations. But you've never been more than a mosquito buzzing in our ears. You can easily be slapped and crushed to death before you ever get a chance to bite."
"You want to try me," Jessie asked, the light of his shifter shining through his eyes.
His grizzly teeth descended in his jaw and his claws grew from his fingertips. Brandon's own shifter shone from behind his eyes as the hyena began to tear through his skin. He shifted before Jessie, ripping from his clothes. He lunged at Jessie, snapping his salivating mouth. Jessie growled and burst into his grizzly form, coming down like a wall to meet Brandon's attack. The hyena smacked into Jessie's shoulder, its teeth barely able to break the skin. Jessie slapped him off with his massive paw, sending the much smaller animal rolling into the forest.
Jessie followed him slowly, grunting and sniffing the air. He stood over the hyena shifter and placed his paw on Brandon's chest, slowly increasing the pressure. The hyena snapped at him, trying to bite and thrashing to break free. Jessie pressed harder until he heard the subtle crack of bones.
Brandon shifted with a scream, naked and bloodied under Jessie's paw.
"Okay, okay," Brandon screamed. "I did it. I admit it. I killed my brother and framed Dana for it. Let me go!"
Jessie unfurled his shift into his human form and grabbed his cellphone from a compartment in his motorcycle.
"Say that again," he said, pressing a recording app on his phone.
"Say what?" Brandon said.
Jessie growled at him, showing him his teeth.
"Fine. I did it. I killed Chuck and framed Dana."
"Say your name," Jessie told him.
"This is Brandon Updike and I killed my brother."
Jessie pressed stop and then quickly sent the file to Rollo.
"That's all I
needed," Jessie said, turning his back and walking to his bike. He pulled the motorcycle out of the ditch and climbed on, giving one last look over his shoulder to Brandon who was still bloodied and lying in the ditch.
"This isn't over," Brandon said to Jessie's back as he rode away.
"Oh, yes, it is," Jessie said under his breath, feeling the wind blow over his naked body as he rode down the dirt trail.
Chapter 14
A month after Brandon Updike was arrested for the murder of his brother Chuck, Dana stood in the antechamber outside the atrium at Fate Mountain Lodge. She stared at herself in her wedding dress, unable to believe how beautiful she looked.
Jessie had asked Dana to marry him the day Rollo and the Bear Patrol arrested Brandon. As they were resting that night in his living room and chatting over a few glasses of wine and his homemade lasagna, he got down on one knee and popped the question. He’d even presented her with a big diamond ring.
She’d said yes, the minute she'd seen the box, and said it again when she saw the ring. It had been one of the most romantic moments of her life. With all the romantic moments Jessie gave her, it was one in a string of many. She hoped to have millions more in their lives together.
All the wives at Timber Bear Ranch had gathered around her in support, taking her shopping for her wedding dress. The ladies took Dana into the city and helped her play bridezilla. The guys had been just as nice. Leland had even offered to give her away.
Sylvia helped Dana straighten her veil down her back, and Daisy helped her apply one last coat of lip gloss. She stood back and looked in the mirror as Maria handed Dana the bouquet she grown in the Timber Bear Ranch greenhouses.
The white lilies were interspersed with sprigs of lilac and a cascade of ferns, baby’s breath, and orchids. Her dress was a classic princess cut with a fitted bodice in pale pink with white beading and a frothy tulle skirt that fell in wispy layers all around her. It was a fairytale and a dream come true all mixed up into one.
Two months ago, when she was still planning her getaway from the Updikes, she would never have believed her life could turn out to be so beautiful. She'd been on Mate.com for years without a single bite. Then on the very day she took her bravest step forward to save herself, she was doubly saved by Jessie Kincaid, her mate, her lover, and best friend.
Just thinking about Jessie made a tear form in the corner of her eye. Maria was quick to dab it away with a cloth handkerchief.
"Don't mess up Daisy's makeup," Maria said with a giggle.
"The fragrance of these flowers are making me swoon," Dana teased. "I think I'm going to step away into a crystal palace of my daydreams."
"Dana, you're a poet," Sylvia said.
"Maybe I'm more than just a French maid after all," Dana giggled.
"You’re anything and everything you want to be," Daisy said.
"I believe that, now that Jessie is in my life."
The women all gathered around her, wrapping their arms around her waist and shoulders. They all looked in the mirror at the beautiful bride at the center of the three lovely bridesmaids. The bridesmaids wore lavender silk dresses that accentuated their curves and brought out the color of their eyes. Everyone looked beautiful and happy, and Dana could feel the love and kinship radiating from each of them.
After her family died, all Dana had wanted was to find a family again. Now she had one.
"Are you ready?" Sylvia asked.
"I'm so ready," Dana said with a sigh.
They walked to the door of the antechamber and opened it. On the other side, Leland stood in a tuxedo and black cowboy hat, looking dapper and strong, like the alpha of the Kincaid clan should. He offered his arm to Dana and she took it with a smile.
"You look beautiful. My brother is a lucky man,” Leland said.
"Now they all have mates. Just like we wanted in the beginning," Sylvia said.
Maria handed the other bridesmaids their bouquets and everyone gathered in front of Leland and Dana. Cyrus walked with Daisy, and Buck walked with Maria. Jessie had invited Rollo to be a groomsman in his wedding. At first, Dana had thought it was a joke, but now she understood that it was his way of showing that there were no hard feelings for what happened. Sylvia took Rollo's arm and they were the first to walk down the aisle.
Cyrus and Daisy walked next, followed by Buck and Maria. The wedding march started and Leland led Dana down the aisle. When they walked into the atrium, the first thing she saw was Jessie standing on a rise in front of the minister, wearing a tuxedo, his blue eyes blazing. It sent a thrill through her body and a rush of anticipation into her belly.
As shifters, the moment they had claimed each other was the moment they had married. But they were also human and enjoyed these rituals because this was how they got to share their love with their family and friends.
Dana couldn't take her eyes off Jessie as she walked down the aisle. She sensed the warmth of the guests as she passed. Leland handed Dana off to Jessie and he helped her up the rise to stand with him in front of the minister. Sylvia took Dana's bouquet, and she and Jessie held onto each other's hands, gazing into each other's eyes.
The minister started the ceremony, but Dana could barely hear a word. All that she could see in the world was Jessie. He was all that mattered. All of this, the ceremony, the dress, the guests, it was all just an expression of how much she loved him.
When the minister prompted her to say her vows, she almost forgot what she had written down. She gasped and giggled and Jessie squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Jessie Kinkaid, you came into my life at exactly the best and worst moment. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I waited for you for so long, but in the end, you saved me more than once. I just hope that I can save you too. You are my family. My heart. My love. Together we’re capable of anything. We already know we can overcome all odds, our future together should be easy after this. But no matter how hard it ever gets, I know that every moment is worth it as long as I can spend it with you."
"Dana Myers, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. Like an angel sent from heaven. The minute I saw you standing on the side of the road, I knew it was over for me. I told my brothers a thousand times that I didn't want to mate. But that one moment was all it took for me to realize what a fool I'd been. You and I do know what we can overcome, and my hope is that I can protect you from the difficulties of life. Even now, I know you can take anything that life throws at you. But my job is to make your life as beautiful as you are. And I'll spend the rest of mine doing my best to make you smile."
Dana felt tears threatening to run down her cheeks again. Jessie’s words made her heart jump into her throat and she could barely breath through the overpowering emotions.
"Dana Myers, do you take Jessie Kincaid to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
"I do,” Dana managed to say in a clear strong voice.
"Jessie Kincaid, do you take Dana Myers to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"
"I definitely do," Jessie said, smiling wide.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister said.
Jessie swooped in and gathered her around the waist, pulling her against him as he pressed his lips to hers. Dana groaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his soft lips pressing hard against her. Heat rose in her core and in her cheeks, knowing that everyone was watching. She let him kiss her, long and hard on the stage in front of everyone. When he pulled away, she was breathless and hot from blushing. He took her hand and led her down the aisle. Above them the lodge’s resident parrots swooped over the party, squawking their words of love.
"True love," squawked the red one.
"Beautiful," squawked the blue one.
Dana beamed
love and happiness as Jessie led her around the corner into the dining room. It was already set up for a reception, with tables lined up and chairs all around. The rest of the guests filtered into the room behind the couple. The band stood onstage, playing Dana’s favorite song. Jessie scooped her into his arms and danced with her as the party circled around them.
"Let me be the first to present the new couple. Congratulations Jessie and Dana," Leland said into the microphone.
There was laughter and talking that intermixed with the music as Jessie and Dana danced in each other's arms. "How about some champagne, wife?" Jessie whispered, after several songs.
"That sounds perfect."
They went to the wedding table and sat down as the waiters brought out dinner. Jessie filled their champagne flutes, and Dana took a long sip of bubbly. The sensation matched her emotions perfectly. She wanted to laugh and cry and sing and dance all at the same time. Her heart was bursting with happiness and she could barely keep it in her chest. She emptied her glass, hoping the effervescence would help her keep feet on the ground.
Jessie's brothers stood at the ends of the wedding table, competing for who would give their speech first. It was Cyrus who won the staring contest as he lifted his pint glass of beer to the happy couple.
"Jessie, most people don't take you seriously. But that's never been me," Cyrus said as laughter filled the room. "I've always known what a loyal, heroic, and intelligent man you are. When I was playing hermit up on the mountain, you were the one who helped me out without judging my choices. I've always appreciated that more than you could possibly know. Now that I have my mate, Daisy, it does my heart so good to see you with your own mate. Everyone deserves happiness, but you deserve it more than most. Here's to a bright and happy future to you and your lady," Cyrus lifted his glass and everyone applauded.
Mechanic Bear (Bear Shifter Mystery Romance) (Timber Bear Ranch Book 4) Page 7
