Very slowly, she turned around.
Someone was watching her. She could feel it.
She could sense eyes on her. Unfriendly, hostile eyes.
She wanted to run back towards the tree house but her feet wouldn't move. Her legs felt stiff and heavy, like they had turned to blocks of cement.
A shadow fell in front of her and she jerked her head up.
“Hello, Prisha.”
She choked back a cry and stumbled back. “Terrence!” She shook her head in disbelief and dismay.
How did he find her?
She thought that she had left him behind for good when she left her small town. But it seemed he had followed her all the way to the city. He was still stalking her, haunting her.
Why wouldn't he just give up?
It was over between them. He should just let her go and move on.
“You don't look happy to see me, Prisha. It's been a long time. How have you been?” Terrence smiled, but there was a malicious glint in his gray eyes.
“I...”
“Oh, I know how you're been. I see everything you do. I know where you live, where you work, who you've been with.” Terrence turned and spat. “And you've been with another man! He's not even a man. He's an animal. You've been fucking an animal!”
Prisha shook her head and kept backing away. Terrence looked crazed, homicidal. Her heel knocked against a rock, and Prisha flicked her eyes down quickly. She could use the rock as a weapon. It was the only thing she could use to defend herself.
Terrence prowled sinuously towards her. He was tall, but not as broad and powerfully built as Caleb. She stared at his cruel, hard features and wondered how she had ever found him handsome. She supposed some women would still find him attractive. But the look in his eyes chilled her to the bone.
“W-what do you want, Terrence?” she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
He wrinkled his nose. “Don't worry. I don't want you. Not anymore. Not after you're spread your legs for a beast.” His fact twisted as he hissed through his teeth, “You reject me, to fuck a monster?”
“Caleb is not a monster.”
“He's a half man, half bear! A monstrous freak!”
Prisha kept her face straight as she slowly lowered her hand to the rock.
“I wanted to take you back,” Terrence went on. “Really, I did. But that was before you decided to become a bear's whore. Now, it disgusts me to touch you. But—I do have another use for you.”
His smile was cold and ugly. She could tell he was preparing to lunge towards her.
“Stay away from me,” she warned, snatching up the rock. “Don't come near me! Don't touch me!”
His laughter stopped abruptly.
“I won't touch you. Not in that way.”
His eyes glinted with greed, not lust.
“You are still worth something to me.” He smiled. “I know someone who's offering an indecent amount of money for you. As I said, I see everything you do, everything that's happened to you. There's a target on your back now.”
“How…?”
“I can scry your location.”
She gasped. “You...you know witchcraft?”
“A branch of it.” Terrence smirked. “I can even mask my presence and hide my tracks.”
Prisha felt sick to her stomach. So that was how he could watch her and stalk her without being noticed. She should have listened to some of the townsfolk when they tried to warn her that Terrence dabbled in the dark arts.
“You're a wanted woman, aren't you, Prisha? Prisha Singh, the good daughter and filial granddaughter, is wanted by the Mob. What would your family say, Prisha? Tsk!”
Prisha tried to kick him, but he slammed his fist into her stomach and she doubled over.
Terrence clucked his tongue and said coldly, “Don't fight me, Prisha. Think of your family. How you've shamed them! Your family will thank me, for getting rid of this smear on the family name.”
Prisha's fingers tightened around the rock.
With a snarl and a demented scream, she raised the rock high and rushed at him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Caleb bolted from his Range Rover even before Baxter could pull the car fully to a stop. Baxter had taken one look at him and immediately ousted him from the driver's seat. “You're in no state to drive. And I'm not going to be riding shotgun in a car that's about to wrap itself around a tree. I'll drive, Beta. Come on!”
Caleb ran towards the lake and turned in agitated circles. “She was here. Her scent, her footprints...”
Baxter came up to him and took a whiff of the air. “Another male was here with her.”
Caleb's eyes scanned the scene, then he backtracked towards the tree house. There were no signs that she had gone back to the tree house, but he had to be sure.
He climbed up the ladder and burst through the door, his eyes darting to every corner. The scent of their lovemaking still lingered in the air. Baxter followed him swiftly into the tree house, and the tracker immediately sniffed and tested the scents in the air.
“No other scent, Beta. Just yours. And your mate's,” Baxter said quietly, giving him a sidelong glance. Caleb nodded curtly. Baxter had the most acute sense of smell in the clan. He would be able to detect subtle scents and signs that the other bears missed. As such, he was the clan's lead tracker and investigator. Baxter's interrogation skills were one of a kind.
“Prisha must have left the cabin soon after I left. She left and never came back. If there's any evidence to be found, it would be near the lake,” Caleb growled.
Caleb raced back down the ladder and sprinted to the lake.
He sniffed the air, and rounded on Baxter when the tracker came up behind him. “The male who took her,” Caleb snarled. “His scent seems human but...something seems off. What is it? What do you make of it?”
“Human,” Baxter confirmed. “He's not a shifter.”
“What else?” Caleb prompted impatiently.
Baxter jogged towards the lake, breathing rapidly as he inhaled and tasted the air carefully. His eyes lingered on a spot at the edge of the lake for a moment before snapping back to focus.
Baxter turned back to Caleb and fired off the information quickly, urgently, “Male, human...with vampiric abilities.”
“Vampire!”
“He's not a vampire, Beta.”
“You just said...”
“I said he has vampiric abilities.”
Caleb put up a hand. “Just what are we dealing with here?”
“I...I'm not sure, Beta. Physically, this male is not strong. But...his mind.” Baxter's frown deepened and he shook his head. “There is power in his mind, unhealthy, twisted power. He left a psychic imprint.”
“So we're dealing with a psychic psycho,” Caleb intoned. “But I don't really care what he is. I'll hunt him to the ends of the earth, and when I find him, no amount of psychic mojo is going to help him.” After a pause, Caleb exploded, “And what the hell is a psychic imprint?”
Baxter gave him a level look and answered, “It's something a person leaves behind, like his scent or his footprint. It's an echo of a person's presence and actions, a mass of leftover energy. It can be used to trace and identify a person. Like a fingerprint.”
“Only this imprint is on your mind.”
“Yes.”
Caleb realized he was scowling as he scrubbed a hand down his face. He wasn't a tracker, but he never dismissed possibilities and openings, and he always pursued and investigated a lead, no matter how obscure and improbable. The Black Bears missions had a high success rate, due largely to their Beta's meticulous research and daring, unconventional plans.
Caleb mulled over the information Baxter had just given him but no clear plan presented itself. He could always think on his feet and he was always thinking out of the box, imagining all possible and impossible scenarios so as to stay one step ahead of the enemy.
But—he just
couldn't think straight right now. He was used to taking risks, but this was Prisha's life he was gambling with.
His phone beeped and he almost crushed the phone in his grip. He glanced at the screen. It was an incoming message from one of his team leaders.
“Paige and her team have the details of the assassination plot,” Caleb said tightly.
Baxter's eyes rounded. This was huge. This could change everything. The information was critical, and the implications were far-reaching.
He had to get back to the office, but he wanted, needed to find Prisha.
“I can stay here and see how far I can track your mate,” Baxter said quickly. “There's not a clear trail to follow, but you never know. I might be able to pick something out.”
Caleb forced out a ragged breath. Baxter was the best tracker they had. He had to let Baxter do his job. His job, as Beta, was to consider all the information available before deciding on the best course of action.
He would get Prisha back. He wanted to go get her now, but charging around blindly wasn't the way to go. In fact, that was the surest and fastest way to get her killed.
Caleb nodded and clapped Baxter on his broad shoulder. “Thanks. I...”
“No thanks required, Beta. I'm just doing my job.” Baxter quirked him a lopsided smile and shifted to a hulking black bear. Their senses were much sharper in animal form, and as a bear, Baxter would be able to travel much faster and farther.
Caleb watched the big black bear put his nose to the ground and head towards the lake. Baxter turned to give him a quick nod over his shoulder before veering off at a tangent and running towards the trees.
Caleb pushed his claws back under his skin painfully. His bear wanted to join Baxter in the hunt, but the man was aware of his duties and responsibilities as Beta. With Ethan away on his honeymoon, he was in charge of the operations of the Black Bears Group and the welfare and direction of the clan.
Paige and her team had returned with urgent, important news, news that could affect the entire city.
As Caleb ran back to his car, he had an unshakable feeling that his mate's fate was inextricably entwined with the Mayor's. He would have to steel his mind and come up with a fool-proof plan to save both Prisha and the Mayor. Everything hinged on the Black Bears at this point. He had to thwart Ray Shapez and save the city.
And Prisha.
Prisha!
Prisha was the key.
The jumbled, whirling pieces of the jigsaw floating in his brain suddenly clicked into place. Caleb staggered back as the epiphany struck him with the force of a physical blow.
Ray Shapez was no fool. He had a wide reach, and he knew the city like the back of his scheming, sinewy hand. Ray would definitely know about the Black Bears Group and their mindset and methods.
The Black Bears knew of his plans. Ray had to know that. And Ray would know that the Black Bears would try to stop him.
They were dancing around each other, playing a deadly game, waiting and watching for the other to make a fatal mistake.
The Black Bears could stop him and save the Mayor and the city.
So Ray Shapez had to make damn sure that the Black Bears couldn't and wouldn't foil his plans.
Prisha was the key. The key to Ray's success.
Caleb stomped on the accelerator, his mind working at close to light speed. Gravel and dirt spewed from his tires as his Ranger Rover lurched forward.
A city mired in fear and crime. That was what Ray wanted.
Caleb growled as his car hurtled down the highway at breakneck speed.
The Black Bears Group might be a commercial outfit, a profitable, lucrative security firm, but the Black Bears only accepted contracts from legitimate, trustworthy organizations. They worked with the police and quite a number of government authorities, as well as reputable private enterprises and individuals. They helped, not hurt, the populace. The Black Bears never accepted a job that targeted innocents.
The Black Bears Group took pride in protecting the city and its citizens. Caleb was proud of the work they did. They made the city a better, safer place.
The Black Bears wouldn't let the city down.
Not now, not ever and definitely not on his watch.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Prisha kept her head bent so that her hair fell across her face. She was awake, but nobody needed to know that. Keeping her body limp, she gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the buzz in her head.
She had first heard the buzz when she snatched up the rock by the lake and charged at Terrence. But her movements were too slow and clumsy. It felt as though the air had thickened to sludge around her, slowing her down and preventing her from reaching her target.
Terrence had grabbed her wrist effortlessly. Keeping his eyes on her, he muttered some strange, unintelligible incantation as he tightened his hold and forced her to drop the rock.
His words became an insistent, intolerable buzz, worming into her ears and mind. She had tried to focus, but her eyes misted over and all she saw was a red fog. The more frightened she grew, the denser the fog became.
The last thing she heard was Terrence's triumphant laughter. Then she felt her knees buckle and she had the sense that she was falling, falling down and down, spinning round and round.
When she could open her eyes again, she found herself sitting in a chair under a naked bulb, her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together.
It was unfortunate that the first thing she heard when she came to was Terrence's grating laughter, but the good thing was that it jolted her instantly awake and alert.
She was aware that she was in a musty, shadowy room. The floor and walls were just bare, cracked concrete and the place was lit by just two flickering bulbs.
One was swinging just above her head, and the other bulb was hanging over a plain plastic table.
Someone chuckled, and Prisha shuddered violently.
She would never forget that chuckle. Get rid of her. Make it quick.
She hoped no one saw her body jerk.
“Good of you to bring her to me, Terrence,” Ray Shapez said.
“I told you. I know where she is.” Terrence tapped his temple smugly. “You thought I was lying, didn't you?”
“No, I know you wouldn't lie to me. Nobody lies to me.” Ray smiled. His words were a thinly veiled threat. A warning which Terrence chose to ignore.
“I've delivered the girl. Now where's my money?” Terrence demanded.
“Your money is here,” Ray said slowly. “All ten million of it.”
“Open the bag.”
“My word is not good enough for you?” Ray Shapez chuckled. Prisha knew that chuckle too well. Ray wasn't amused.
“Just open the bag.”
Prisha lifted her head just a fraction to take in the scene. She saw one of Ray Shapez's bodyguards step forward and heft a big duffel bag onto the table. He unzipped the bag and thick wads of dollar bills spilled out. The black suit looked up and stared at Terrence with his glowing, mismatched eyes.
Prisha bit down her cry as her body began to shake uncontrollably.
That bodyguard. She recognized him.
Those eyes, she would never forget those eyes. She had stared into those deep, unfathomable eyes in the alley just before she was made to kneel with her hands behind her head.
She remembered his name.
Tom.
Her executioner. The man Caleb had shot but evidently failed to kill.
Prisha swallowed the hysterical scream bubbling up her throat. Her executioner had survived Caleb's bullet.
Tom inclined his head and threw a shrewd glance over his shoulder.
Prisha gasped as their gazes clashed.
She thought she read a warning in his sharp blue-and-green eyes, but before she could blink Tom had already turned away.
She ducked her head quickly and let her body slump lower.
Nobody had noticed that she was awak
e. Except Tom. She had expected him to raise the alarm, but to her surprise, he kept strangely, inexplicably silent. He just went about his business, as if he didn't notice her at all. And from the way he positioned his huge body, she would have thought that he was trying to shield her from the view of Ray and the other bodyguards.
But why would Tom help her?
Prisha grimaced.
He wouldn't.
Tom had failed to put a bullet through her head the first time. She was pretty sure he wouldn't fail a second time.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Forcing down her terror, Prisha slowly raised her eyes so she could continue watching the scene. No one was paying any attention to her. All eyes were on Terrence. That snake.
She never thought that Terrence would get himself involved with the Mob. But then again, Ray Shapez and Terrence did have much in common. They were both willing to murder, rape and plunder, betray their conscience and sell their souls.
But in this instance, Terrence was in way over his head. He had walked into a dragon's den, thinking to get his hands on some of that dirty, bloodstained gold. But Ray Shapez wasn't one to share his hoard.
Terrence nodded with satisfaction and hurriedly stuffed the money back into the bag. He grabbed the bag and stuck his hand out to Ray. “It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr Shapez,” he said with a thin, insincere smile.
“The pleasure's all mine,” Ray replied. Unlike Terrence, his smile was wide and genuine.
Terrence turned and began to walk towards the door. But before he could turn the knob, a shot rang out. A patch of red blossomed on Terrence's shirt and he jerked round.
“You...” He raised a finger to point at his killer.
Ray Shapez put away his smoking gun nonchalantly. He had his feet on the table and was leaning back in his chair.
“Why?” Terrence croaked as he slumped to the floor.
“I don't like double-crossers.” Ray said simply. “And psychic vampires
“I...am not...” Terrence wheezed.
“I know your type,” Ray sneered. “In fact, I've had a few leeches on my payroll, but I had to get rid of them. They were too...draining.” Ray chortled at his clever little pun.
Bear's Kiss (Bear Heat Book 2) Page 5
