That was fine by me. If the old mountain man wanted to be a hermit, who was I to stop him, but I needed to know if he’d seen anything strange. I’d been tracking a small group of exotic animal smugglers and poachers across four states already, and all the evidence pointed to this little blip of a town in the mountains of Colorado. These poachers were the ruthless sort, leaving behind several bodies of federal agents and civilians who’d gotten in their way. After coordinating with multiple agencies, both foreign and domestic, I’d come to know exactly what I was dealing with.
André Tekin.
He was the ring leader of the group and had an INTERPOL rap sheet a mile long. His partner was still a mystery, but I’d managed to narrow down my list of suspects to no more than five. I was waiting to hear back on the whereabouts of several of them since they’d dropped off everyone’s radar.
As an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, I knew I wanted these guys behind bars before they did any more damage than they already had. It didn’t help that my ass was on the line. Higher ups don’t like it when criminals slip through your fingers more than once. Even without my career on the line, this case had gotten to me and driven me to a near obsession with the capture of Mr. Tekin. One of his last jobs had taken a prized gorilla from the zoo I’d frequented in my college years. The animals had always given me a sense of calm when my world was hectic and full of stress, which had been almost always.
My bosses were expecting me to fail again, and that was something I just couldn’t stomach. I’d been a shining star throughout college; it was a large part of why I’d been selected to join the FBI. Few attachments to the outside world, a solid work ethic, and a high level of intelligence…that’s me. What did all that get me? Stuck in the middle of freaking nowhere, going from door to door while I try to figure out whether or not anyone’s seen André or someone who didn’t belong in the area.
Fuck my life.
The driveway to the hermit’s cabin was a long one, private and winding back and forth up the steep incline. The engine of my ford whined as I shifted into a lower gear, and I kept on chugging.
As I neared the top of the climb, the trees suddenly parted to reveal a quaint cabin situated amongst the giant trunks of an old growth stand of trees. The lights inside were dim but on, and smoke billowed from the chimney. The wood was almost as dark as the surrounding forest though not quite. The planks were rough and hand hewn. In fact, the whole place looked like it was built by hand, without the clean edges of most conventional homes.
I shifted into park and stepped out of the truck. As soon as my foot touched the packed dirt of the driveway, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. It wasn’t the feeling of danger, despite the B-rated horror flick vibes the whole situation was giving off. The weight of my firearm on my hip was reassuring. I bet this guy was harmless even if he reeked of musty old man.
I stepped onto the front porch which was much sturdier than I’d thought from afar. The boards creaked under my weight. Stepping up to the door, I put on my public friendly face and knocked loudly. Without hearing movement inside, I lifted my hand to knock again. I jerked with shock as the door swung open quickly. My hand went to my holster, ready to draw if I needed to.
A mountain of man filled the doorway. Unlike the elderly mountain man I was expecting, this man couldn’t have been more than thirty. His piercing blue eyes narrowed into slits as he stared down at me. I cleared my instantly dry throat, remembering why I was there to begin with.
“Hello, sir. I’m Agent Mendoza. Are you Mr. Becker?” I asked.
The behemoth grunted affirmatively. His nostrils flared like he’d just realized he’d stepped in a heap of cow dung, and his eyes went wide. If he hadn’t been shooting daggers at me with his eyes, he’d almost have been cute. Really cute if you were into meatheads who spent all their time in the gym. His body filled the frame of the door, and I tried to look anywhere other than gawking at his impressive physique. My eyes landed on his striking baby blues. Maybe it was the alpha male quality he gave off, but regardless, I found myself drawn to him. The man crossed his arms over his chest, breaking the trance and forcing me back on task.
“I’m new to the area and looking into some suspicious big game kills. Have you noticed any new faces around town or any suspicious activity?”
It took him a moment to lose the irate expression and begin to seem only slightly less hostile.
The man’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Nope.”
Stepping back, he gave the door a shove and slammed it in my face. Letting out an irritated breath, I rolled my eyes.
“Great. Nice to meet you too, dickwad.”
What the hell was it with the people in Elk Springs? Were they all allergic to common decency and respect? Or did they just lack manners entirely?
I knocked again, not even expecting an answer, but I knew the man could hear me. Pulling my badge wallet from my pocket, I slid out a business card and wedged it into the frame. Turning, I glided off the porch and marched toward the truck, muttering curses about the whole damn town.
I jerked the door open and hopped into the seat. Angrily, I jammed the key into the ignition and threw it into reverse. Casting one last glance at the cabin, I caught a glimpse of the curtain moving back into place.
“Paranoid much?” I muttered to myself as I turned my big Ford pickup around.
Shifting into low gear, I made my way back down the trail to the road. The only silver lining was that there weren’t any more houses on the list to visit. So far, my experiences with these people told me that the residents of Elk Springs weren’t too keen on outsiders. I couldn’t count on their help.
Bumping along the roads back toward the Elk Springs Police Station, I couldn’t help thinking about the reclusive, Talon Becker.
Talon. An unusual name for an unusual man.
Asshole? Yes.
Delicious to look at? Also yes.
I tried not to think about the way his shirt pulled tightly across his broad chest, but I couldn’t help it. He was tall and muscular but not so much that he was grossly bulky. Talon reminded me a lot of a lumberjack, solid and sturdy. His eyes were sharp and piercing, but they didn’t make me feel like I was only an inch tall like my boss did. It was a carnal attraction that called to my baser needs.
Just as my thoughts turned to naughtier things, the local police station came into view. Fred’s car was parked diagonally across my space and the spot next to mine where he usually parked. Fred was the Sherriff’s deputy and a misogynistic asshole. I hadn’t been in town more than a couple days, but he’d somehow made it his mission to run me right back out of town.
He could have the damn spot. I didn’t give a shit. Two could play that game, and I had never claimed that I wasn’t petty as hell when someone tried to put me in my place. Maneuvering the truck so that there was no possible way for him to get out of the spots without me moving first, I shifted into park and climbed out.
I resisted my urge to leave a note on his window that read something along the lines of eat shit and die. My post in town was temporary, and I thanked my lucky stars that hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before I could get the hell out of that backwards po’ dunk town. However, in the meantime, I needed maps.
Topographical ones.
I needed to know the terrain like a local. Bagging these assholes depended on me succeeding where I had failed before. To be honest, this was my last chance. It would make or break my career. Hell, this particular group shouldn’t have taken me through four states over the previous four months. It had been close a few times, but each time, they disappeared when I made my move. It was unusual – like someone had tipped them off.
Those were suspicions I kept to myself, not knowing who I could and could not trust if that was indeed the case.
I marched through the doors, inhaling the stale fumes of an old office.
“Well, look who’s back with her tail stuck between her legs,” Fred crooned from
where he was reclined in his office chair.
His feet were kicked up on his desk like the lackadaisical attitude he had toward his job. It was men like him who gave the profession a bad name. Saying Fred was lazy was an understatement. I doubted he’d worked a solid day since getting his badge, a badge that had long since gone to his head and turned him into an entitled asshole. That was coming from an out-of-towner who barely knew the man beyond a fleeting introduction. I loathed to think of what the locals had to say about the man charged with keeping the town safe.
“I’ve got nothing stuck between these legs, just like you, Fred. So kindly, fuck off,” I said as I passed his desk to head for my makeshift work area in the far corner of the room.
I heard the squeaky wheels of the rolling chair as he scrambled to his feet and followed after me. Fred hiked his pants up, trying to stuff his oversized flab under his belt so it wasn’t as obvious how overweight he was. It left him huffing from the effort.
“You uppity bitch. Haven’t you figured out yet that I run this fucking town? You’re nobody. A federal reject who’s on her way out the door. If you knew what was good for you, you’d be kissing my boots and begging for me to take you on once the agency throws you away.”
He was hot on my heels, and venom dripped from his words. Fred was harboring serious mommy issues and more than a little rage.
“I think you forget that you aren’t in charge, bud. You’re a subordinate. Until that fancy little badge you like to wave around says Sherriff on it, you’re not shit but a bully with a chip on your shoulder. So excuse me while I do real police work instead of sitting on my ass and feeding into that cops and donuts, good ol’ boy stereotype.”
The vein by Fred’s receding hairline threatened to pop, and his face was growing redder by the second. I gave him my sweetest smile, my final fuck you, and turned on my heel.
I was a woman who liked to do her research, especially when dealing with someone like him. Running through financials was like a walk in the park, a very advantageous walk at that. If I absolutely had to, I’d be willing to bet the Sheriff would be very interested in knowing the amount of money Fred liked to spend on hookers or the bar tabs he has to regularly pay to support his habit. There was probably more, but I hadn’t dug too far. It was enough to keep him from being all bark and no bite.
“You better watch your back. You’re painting targets a mile wide.”
“You know, Fred…how’s the sobriety coming along? Met any nice girls at the Ruby Slipper Motel?” I asked, playing it cool like I already had him all figured out.
His eyes went round, and his maw popped open as if he was going to spew something nasty at me. The Sheriff’s office door creaked open, letting the Sheriff’s one sided phone call filter out. I stared Fred down, not backing down an inch.
“Just stay out of my way, and we won’t have an issue,” I said, turning back to my desk and mostly ignoring the man’s choked astonishment behind me.
“Fred! Why aren’t you out on patrol?” Sheriff Jergen hollered from his office doorway.
The man was in his fifties and close to retirement but still held the authority of someone younger with more stamina. He would’ve been a force to be reckoned with in his younger years if he wasn’t just about the kindest person in town.
Fred scrambled for an answer, however nothing more than garbled vowels poured from him.
“You should get on that, Fred. Wouldn’t want the nice citizens of Elk Springs to really wonder where their tax dollars are going,” he said, giving me a quick, sly wink.
My first night in Elk Springs, the Sheriff and his wife, Valerie, had invited me over for a welcome dinner. They’d been almost the only two people in the damn town who had been remotely nice to me. Aside from them, there’d been one local who made me feel somewhat welcome.
Justin Willard.
He was a heartbreaker if I ever saw one. He had been flirtatious, but I’d also come to the conclusion that’s just his personality. From what I had learned, he was best friends with that recluse, Talon Becker. How? I wasn’t sure. Becker was about as prickly as a porcupine.
It was hard to turn my brain off to the job at the end of the day. Most days, I’d just fall into bed and call it a night, but that night? I was on edge and craving something to take the edge off.
The sun dipped below the ridge of mountains in the distance, casting the valley town in darkness. Like most old-school towns, the businesses shut down by six, leaving the local watering hole as just about the only place to hang out after the sun went down. The Moose Jaw was the only bar in town, but there was no way I was walking in there with my badge and firearm. As if everyone didn’t already know I was a member of law enforcement, I wasn’t about to flaunt it. I needed to blend in as much as possible. I turned into the parking lot of the Pine View Motel and was pleased to see that I was the only tenant for the night. I’d had to put up with listening to a couple a few doors down in the throes of passion for most of the previous night. I mean, honestly, no one has that kind of stamina. My nether regions were sore just thinking of it.
I pulled the key out of my wallet and unlocked my room. My boots were being kicked off before I could even shut the door behind me. The room was dark and reeked of old cigarettes. I didn’t even want to think of what was hiding in the old carpet. At the foot of the bed, against the wall, was a mini-fridge which I’d stocked with water, produce, and the essentials to make a lunch. It didn’t offer a kitchen or anything so I had to keep it simple and stick with meals that didn’t need to be cooked. Luckily, the front office had a microwave that they let me use when needed. I grabbed a sandwich and tore into it. Sandwiches and frozen food were my normal, though not because I wasn’t capable of some basic skills. I just didn’t see the reason to put too much effort into cooking for just myself.
I hadn’t come from a stable home with a doting mother who taught me the extra touches to family recipes or the secret trick to the perfect roast. Nope, I’d bounced from foster home to foster home until I aged out of the system. Most everything I’d learned had come from the cooking channel or Youtube. Cleaning, I knew. I’d always had a hefty chore list to complete, but very few people had taken an interest in me growing up, and most folks had no interest in investing more than the bare minimum like food, shelter, clothes, and enrolling me in school.
The longer I sat in my motel room in the dark, the more my solitary life began to weigh on me. I was closer to thirty than I cared to admit and had nothing real to show for myself. I had a job and an apartment of my own waiting for me back in California, but what did any of it mean when I had no one to share it with. No friends, no family, no pets. Most days, I was okay with it, but today wasn’t one of those days.
Throwing the plastic wrap into the trash like it was a basketball, I turned my attention to my bag of clothes. I still hadn’t unpacked and didn’t see any reason to. Unpacking bags meant I was settling in, and I was certainly not settling in Elk Springs. I fished out my old UCLA t-shirt and a worn pair of jeans. There was no point in dressing up; it wasn’t like I was trying to impress anyone. Besides, I was off the clock and to hell with formality when I was just going to grab a beer.
I changed quickly and stuffed my feet into my worn Converse sneakers before slipping out the door. I was almost to my truck when I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore. I couldn’t really put a finger on what it was specifically, but I had the distinct feeling that I was being watched. Turning around, I scanned the parking lot. It was still empty. Even the front office seemed to be void of life.
Strange.
It had to just be my head playing tricks on me. Forgetting about it, I climbed into the truck and tore off down the road to The Moose Jaw.
Chapter 3
Talon
The woman’s scent lingered, invading all of my senses. I stood rooted to my spot by the window as I watched her drive away and out of sight. Something about her was different and called to the animal within. It was so overwhelming that I did
the only thing I could think of, and I ran.
Okay, slamming the door in her face wasn’t my finest moment, but what else was I supposed to do when I was about to Change involuntarily?
Mate.
The word repeated over and over in my head. It was like a mantra but deeper. It was a call from my soul as it cried out for its other half. In the blink of an eye, my world shifted on its axis. She was now the center of my universe, and I had nothing more than a last name and her face committed to memory.
Officer Mendoza.
Feisty and fierce. Both were qualities I admired in a woman. It was only suitable that my destined mate was tough as nails. The drawback was that she was human. Physically fragile. Exactly the wrong sort of woman for me. Humans didn’t survive shifters, and it would be unfair of me to ask her to. I didn’t know what to do. I certainly hadn’t been looking for a mate, but now seeing mine, things were different. She held the potential to give me a life I’d never considered a real possibility, and she could also reject me completely.
Deciding it was best to wait and see how events transpired, I turned my thoughts to the reason behind her visit. The woman hadn’t needed to tell me outright. It looked like Elk Springs had a poaching problem. Poaching problems were shifter problems. Too easily, one of us could be mistaken for a trophy animal. I was larger than the average eagle. Most shifters were on the larger side when their animal had their skin. It was far too dangerous. They had to go before they discovered more than just a trophy bear.
As much as I didn’t want to involve anyone who didn’t need to be, Justin needed to know what was going on. The man had guarded my secrets far longer than I liked to think about, and he had long since earned my trust and honesty.
I went searching for my phone. If I was truthful, I didn’t find much use for the damn thing outside of emergencies. My circle was virtually nonexistent, and that’s the way I liked it. The phone was nestled into a drawer in my kitchen, out of my way. Snatching it up, I scrolled through my contacts. It didn’t take long to find Justin’s name. After several rings, he finally answered.
Fly Me Home (Rescue Squad Shifters Book 1) Page 2
