by BA Tortuga
He was going to explain to Connor that no one needed this fucking drama, especially not him. Especially not now.
No doubt Connor would stare at him until he apologized, but it was true nonetheless.
He cleared the room, loaded the truck, and checked out of the hotel. Time to go.
He refused to think about how good it had been to have a bobcat in the passenger seat.
Chapter Twenty
CONNOR LEFT his man form and his things behind on his way across Rocky Mountain National Park. The snow was too deep to walk through, so he went fuzzy and bounded southwest.
He was getting closer.
He had to be.
Everything in him told him he was on the right path, even if a tiny part of that self wanted Brock so badly it hurt. He needed to focus.
Wherever he was going, he needed to let the universe take him there. Brock was busy—he knew it, he could feel it, and he’d be more busy in a few days when the moon was full.
So he ran. He followed the winding path set out for him, and he changed directions many times. Snow was more his thing than that stupid freezing rain, at least.
He slept in the trees, curled in the hollows with the leaves underneath him, and he hunted as he could before he stumbled into a little group of log cabins.
Here.
Okay.
Here.
Hello.
Connor padded to the door of the first, sniffing hard. No. Hello, lost being! I am here, and my paws are cold, and I need to find you!
The door to the third cabin flew open, a young woman in a parka standing in the open space. “Who the hell is caterwauling out here?”
Oh. Oh there. Hello!
He bounced over, yowling softly, explaining how he’d been walking for miles.
She looked down at him, her eyebrows drawn down into a scowl. “You know this is supposed to be a private place. Only me. I made sure. Did my brothers send you?”
No. No, in fact, he was here all alone, and he was cold. He danced a little on icy paws.
At least she seemed to know that he could understand her. “You might as well come in, but I tell you what, Kitty, you try any weird stuff, and I will rip your head off and shit down your neck.”
That seemed fair. He waved his tail and bounced in, staying on the tile so he didn’t melt.
“Let me get some towels.” The lady took off her coat, her pregnant belly obvious.
Oh, baby! How fun and how fortuitous. He found a momma bear and a baby bear. Two for one. Though she was off on her seasons, huh? No wonder she was hiding. So, was she lost or just…. Hmm.
As soon as the towels dropped on him, he shifted, making sure to cover his dangly bits. “Hello, I’m Connor Ragbone. I was looking for you.”
Now one of her dark brows rose high. “Who sent you? Danny? Tom?”
“I met a Danny. He’s a bear too, but I came on my own. There’s a scary man looking for someone, and I want you to stay lost.” He dried his dreads out. “He smells bad.”
“Oh God.” The color drained from her face. “Oh fuck. Where is he?” She pulled a suitcase out from under the bed.
“Heading toward Estes, I think. We’ll go west.” He probably needed clothes. All he had was his phone and his wallet.
“Okay. Okay. I can’t—wait, we? Who are you?”
“Connor Ragbone. I find things. My mate—he’s a wolf—he rescues bears from poachers. Real bears. I mean, I know you’re real, but I mean only bears.”
“You’re giving me a headache.”
“I get that a lot these days.” Maybe he was broken. No one used to complain. Then again, Brock had been his first find in a long while who wasn’t running for their lives .
She chuckled. “Nah, my hormones are a mess. West where? I met him on spring break in California. He’d find me.”
“West, Nevada. I have friends there. A pack. A safe place.” Sam and Gus wouldn’t turn this lady away. No way.
“Promise?” Suddenly she looked very young. Spring break. Poor baby was a college student. Too young for a big bear like the bad man to take advantage of.
“Lady, you have my word. Do you have a car, or do I need to find us one? Also, maybe a pair of pants?”
She laughed out loud, sort of a braying sound. “I have a pair of sweats that will fit, I bet. They’re men’s. Cheaper. I also have a big sweatshirt, but no extra coat.”
“It’s not this cold anywhere else yet, hon. So no worries.” The need to move was pressing at him, rubbing the back of his neck until it felt raw.
“How about the car situation? I’m totally able to make a few calls and get a truck here.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Really? I have a Rabbit. It’s really old, and the heater doesn’t work.”
“Really. Really, you have a friend now, and we’re going to fix this.” He was where he was supposed to be; he felt it in the base of his spine.
She sniffed. “Why do I trust you? I do. My name is Eve. Evelyn.” She sat on the bed as if her legs had given out. “It was so stupid, and when I started to show, I panicked. An old friend of the family told me about this place, and I want to tell my brothers, but I’m afraid he’ll hurt them.”
“Them?” He sat cross-legged on the floor across from her, next to the fireplace.
“Danny and Tom and Freddie and Chris. The boys would try to hunt him down, and he’s not—he doesn’t play fair.” Tears spilled over.
“What’s the stinky one’s name, honey? I need to let my mate know. He’s hunting the guy because he’s rounding up bears and caging them.”
“He who?”
“Uh. Brock is hunting Mr. Stinky No-Name because Mr. Stinky is rounding up bears of the not-shifty kind because Mr. Stinky is looking for you. You being Eve. Better?”
“I think so? If Mr. Stinky is the guy I made this huge mistake with, then his name is Greg Arran.” She rubbed her belly. “He can’t find me and the twins, Connor.”
“I swear to you, I will take you somewhere safe.” He pulled the bag from around his neck. “I need to plug this phone in and call Brock, okay?”
“The wolf mate?” A faint smile appeared through the tears. “He’s a good guy, right? I’ll make some tea. Do you like tea?”
“I would love tea, and yes, me with a wolf. Cats and dogs, sleeping together.”
“Soon it will be raining frogs.” She stood and stretched. The little kitchenette yielded a teapot and bags, and she started filling a plate with cookies and little cakes and brownies. Someone had a sweet tooth.
He plugged in his phone and dialed Brock, desperate to hear his mate’s voice.
“Ragbone?” Brock barked. “Where the fuck are you?”
“I found her. I need you to come. She’s pregnant. Mr. Stinky’s name is Greg Arran.”
“What?” The familiar word made him grin. “Start at the beginning, babe.”
“I had to leave my clothes. I walked very far in the snow and found a cabin with an Eve. She’s having twins. She’s related to the good bears, but the baby daddy is the bad bear. I want to take her to the pack, but I don’t have a car.”
“Let me see if I have this right. The lost thing you were looking for is Danny and Tom’s sister. She’s somewhere near Rocky Mountain. She’s pregnant with the bear shifter’s babies.” Brock said it all very slowly.
“Yes, and Mr. Stinky Bear’s real name is Greg. I’ve never met a trustworthy Greg.”
“Huh. Where are you?” Brock was moving fast on foot. Connor knew his lover well.
“Granby. Northeast of town in rental cabins.” He closed his eyes, soaking in Brock’s voice. “Did you rescue the bears?”
“No, babe. I had to come down to Denver. I didn’t run across the mountain on foot. I’m about forty-five minutes from you now. I stopped for some supplies. Do you have anything but your bag?”
“All I have is ID and phone.”
“Got it. Gimme an hour, babe. I’ll be there.”
“Good. I’m sorry I was
loud, you know. I’ll learn to be better.”
“Hush, Ragbone. I am going to beat you to death for running off, but I will kiss you for finding what asshole Greg is looking for too.”
“She needs us. She’s frightened. She’s very pregnant.” Kisses. He could totally handle kisses.
At this point, he might take a beating.
“Don’t run off on me ever again, Ragbone. I will promise the same thing.”
Oh.
Okay.
“That’s fair. I miss you already.”
“Right? Did I say give me an hour? I’ll supply us in ten and hit the road.”
“Call when you get close. We’re going to visit for a few minutes, me and Eve.”
“Eve.”
“The pregnant bear.”
“Right. Love you, Ragbone. Be listening for me.”
“I totally am. Love.” He hung up, then looked up with a smile for Eve, who was all misty-eyed, holding tea and cookies. “Hey. Tea! You rock. He’s coming.”
“I hope you like cookies. I’m so glad you have a good guy.” Her chin wobbled. Wow, she’d been alone too long.
Connor went with his gut and bounded over to give her a hug. “I’m going to take you to my family—we’ll have Thanksgiving. There are dozens of little ones to play with.”
It must be so hard to be lonely. To be scared. Brock would call her brothers, he’d bet. Get them in on this.
First, though, he had to get her away from here so they could think.
“What if they send me away?”
“My pack?”
“My brothers.”
“Then I’ll bite them. Hard.” Gus and Sam would take her in a heartbeat. Mona would be over the moon to have twin bear cubs to grandma. “They seem like such good guys. Well, Danny does. I didn’t meet Tom.”
“They’ll be disappointed. He’s not a grizzly or a black bear. He’s different.”
“So?”
“That’s sort of a thing with them, Connor.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, but that’s stupid.” He kissed the top of her head before backing off to grab his tea. “Besides, you’re clearly not bringing Greg home to meet them. You’re having two amazing babies.”
“Two, right? I mean. God.” Evie sat with her tea and began munching cookies.
“Lizzie and Pete, two of my packmates? She had eight in her first litter. Eight.”
“Oh my God.”
“See? It could be—” Not worse. Worse was bad. “—way more challenging.”
She chuckled, handing him a lemon cookie. “I know. I’ve just been so scared. He’s in this weird business where he does awful things to animals. I didn’t know. He was so charming.”
“There’s a special place in hell for that shit, Miss Eve.”
“There is. I feel gross for having fallen for it.”
“Nope. We all do dumb shit. Let me tell you about the time I found a lost drug runner’s shipment….”
He started jabbering, his ears perked for the sound of a truck, for joy or danger, either one.
Chapter Twenty-One
BROCK BOUGHT shitty tourist sweats, socks, rubber boots, and a crapload of road food, as well as gummy vitamins for pregnant women. He also loaded up on survival blankets, a tent, and a couple more bags a cat or wolf could carry if need be.
Took him fifteen minutes.
He tossed it all in the back and hit the road. Luckily he was out of the Denver metro, nearly halfway to Granby. He grabbed his cell so he could call Danny on the way up. He’d do it on speaker because he needed to make time.
He didn’t understand that finding shit Connor did, but he knew when the shit was fixin’ to hit the fan, and he fucking knew something was coming down. Too many coincidences, right? What were the odds that the girl who went to school in Fort Collins was in Granby? Granby, where he was going to establish a base to check in on the poachers so no one would see him in Grand Lake.
He hit the Siri button. “Call Danny.”
The phone rang a couple of times, and then a gruff voice sounded. “’Lo?”
“Danny? Brock Herman. Do you have a sister named Eve?”
“I do. Why?” There was already a low growl that made him shiver from miles away.
“She’s in Granby in a cabin, man. I think we found what the big bear guy is looking for.” Poor Dan. This would be a shock.
“Is she hurt? Is she okay? She’s the baby. She’s supposed to be in Fort Collins, for fuck’s sake.”
“I think she’s fine, but I’ll let her tell you her story. I’m on my way to pick her up. She’s with Ragbone. My kitty.”
There was a moment of silence, then, “He said he’d find what I’d lost.”
“Yep. He said it was a she too.” Connor was dead-on. Crazy-making and wonderful and right, damn it. “You can’t make it over the top. They closed the road. We can meet somewhere in Denver if you want.”
Connor would want to take her to Sam, but Danny would want to see her.
“You call me when you pick her up. I want to talk to her. I’ll arrange to come get her wherever.”
“Well, I want her out of this area. I have to come back and release the bears.”
“Did you find them? Are they in the same area?”
“Not yet, no. I had to run back toward Denver, following a lead. It wasn’t a dead end, but it wasn’t our guys. I did release a mountain lion. I know they still have to be close to where they were. That’s a lot of cages to move, and they wanted to work Estes, not head west.”
His ass was heading to Granby. No question.
“Okay. I’ll head to Denver in case I have to jump off your way. My brother Chris is in Steamboat, so I’ll get him moving too.”
They were going to have a goddamn convergence.
He just hoped no one invited this fucking Greg guy to the party. They so did not need that.
“Tell me she’s not involved in the poaching, man.”
“No.” He sighed. “I should let her tell you, but waiting would make me nuts. She’s pregnant, man. The Greg guy is the dad, and he’s hunting her.”
“Pregnant? She’s not even fifty!”
He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. I bet she’s terrified if she’s hiding out.”
“I’m going to beat her. God. Girls.”
“I’ll holler when I rendezvous with them. Hang in there, man.”
“Thank you for your help, both of you.”
Yeah. Yeah, him and his mate. All his bitching about Connor being in the way, and it was his mate who was solving this mess.
Of course, Connor would tell him it was the finding that solved things. Brock thought maybe Ragbone wasn’t giving himself the credit he deserved. Even if it was a God-given talent, it was Ragbone who made sense of it and who made other people understand it. After a fashion.
At least he thought there was a chance he could get it. Eventually.
Brock grinned a little. Okay. Get Connor and the girl. Deliver the girl to her brother, which he hoped worked okay, or they’d be making another trip to Nevada. Then free the bears and get Fish and Wildlife to break up this fucking poacher ring for good. Darius would be tickled, and so would the bear shifters.
It was a plan. He wasn’t sure if it was a good plan, but it was a plan.
He checked the trip mileage. Thirty minutes or so. He hadn’t managed to be away from Connor for a whole day. It had to be fate.
His phone rang, Connor’s name popping up. He answered with a “Hey, babe.”
“Hey. Uh. You might hurry. A semitruck just pulled into the place, and it reeks of bear.”
“No shit? Jesus. Keep that girl out of sight. I’ll call Darius, and he can send backup from the local office.” Looked like the fight was coming to them.
“On it. I’ll text you the address.”
“Keep your head down. Protect Eve.” He knew that would be Connor’s priority, but he had to say it out loud. “Twenty minutes, babe. Hang tight.”
“Hanging.”
&nb
sp; Uh-huh. Right. “Do not set those bears free, Ragbone. They’re in unfamiliar territory.”
“I know!” Although he could hear that had been on the Connor Plan.
“I’ll make sure they’re not harmed. Otherwise I won’t give Darius the coordinates. Love you.” He had to call Darius. They needed help.
“Love you. Hurry.” The line went dead.
“Call Darius.” Today was a D-name day.
Shit. Just shit.
“Darius.”
“I’m heading to Granby. We have at least three she-bears who need releasing. The poachers are there with a semi. They’re moving on tomorrow.” He pushed it as fast as he could, wanting Connor to have a calming presence. His lover got… excited. Possibly a bit hyper in that crystal meth sort of way.
“You’re something else, Brock. Tell me where. I can have a team out in twenty.”
“Only if the bears are released. Not euthanized or sent to a wildlife refuge. They might have cubs. They’re all from the Grand Lake area.”
“Are you suggesting…?”
“Don’t go there, man. You know what I’m suggesting.”
“Damn it, Brock, I can’t make promises. They have to be tested for diseases and chipped.”
“Then my guy and me? We’ll steal the semi and drive them back up and release them. It’s an early winter. Any cubs would die without Mom. They may have already.” He wasn’t playing, dammit. “This is nonnegotiable, man. I’m giving you a chance to arrest these fuckers. I’ll just kill them.”
“Brock.” Now Darius sounded downright shocked. “Okay. I’ll swing it somehow. You have my word.”
“Then you have my word that I will try to wait for backup. If they come after me and mine, I can’t guarantee anything else.”
“That’s fair. Be safe. I mean it. Watch yourself.”
“I will.” These guys were bound to be frustrated, and that made them more dangerous. “Later.” He gave them the coordinates, and then hung up and took the last ten minutes at pretty unsafe speeds.
He found the entrance, slowed down, and made the turn casually. Ragbone?
