Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  Jack winced. “The one down on Ninth. They were on foot but the seller said he recognized one of them.”

  Ace nodded. “You make good on their loss?’

  Jack nodded. “Of course.”

  Of course he had. If their protection failed they paid what was lost. It was how they kept goodwill. Ace asked, “The seller happy with that?”

  Jack stroked his fiery beard with two fingers. “I added an extra fifteen percent to the costs and didn’t take our cut so yeah.”

  Perfect. It was a hefty shot in their wallets but they needed the street sellers as much as the street sellers needed them. Ace nodded, “Good deal then. Tell the seller to lie low for a week. Keep things quiet while we work it out.”

  “Already on it boss.”

  Ace chuckled. “Of course you are.”

  Of course Jack was. Jack was good at what he did but what made him invaluable was that he didn’t have an Alpha bone in his entire large body. Jack was happy to be second and the idea of leading the crew was not one he was fond of. In fact, he had demurred when the choice came down to him and Ace and Ace knew that when it came to loyalty Jack was the one who would ride or die all the way to the end of the road with him.

  Ace leaned against a door frame. “We got to do something with Walker and fast.”

  Jack nodded, “A few of the guys are calling for blood here Ace, just thought you would want to know.”

  Ace nodded. “Sure, can you blame them? We need a lesson for that asshole. I have a plan to keep him in check but the boys need to let off some steam now and we need to do something to let our sellers now we won’t take this shit. Get me the guys, now.”

  Jack nodded and headed off toward the stairs. Ace closed the front door and stood in the foyer. There were two apartments downstairs, and most of the single guys in the crew drifted between them. On the higher floors were larger apartments and there were a few families up there as well as his own apartment, a large two-bedroom thing with massive windows that looked over the streets and that had a private entrance to the rooftop, where he often spent many hours.

  He started up the stairs and to his place. The sound of footsteps on the stairs came to his ears as he unlocked the door and stepped into his living room. He had never done anything with the place after he had inherited it. It was the apartment the crew leader had always had and it was filled with the flotsam and jetsam of lives lived before he had moved in. The furniture was old and sagging and the floors needed a good refinishing. It was tidy though. Jack’s old lady kept it pin neat for Ace.

  He steppe din, leaving that door opened and stood waiting as the guys filed in.

  There were over three dozen in his crew, all handpicked hard cases with a real love for riding and for doing what they did. Callahan was the one who handled the drug side of the crew’s business and he kept it as far from Ace as possible, even as he let Ace in on his every move.

  It was Bert that ran the street sellers and the guns. There were others and they all had jobs. The crew had their fingers in everything from developer bribes to protection and gambling rackets.

  Not all of them lived there in the sprawling clubhouse. Some preferred to keep their wives and kids as far away from their crew as possible so it was a mere dozen guys that gathered there just then.

  Ace surveyed them all then said, “Bert, talk to me.”

  Bert shifted lightly on his feet. He was a former Golden Gloves champ and it showed. His eyes met Ace’s squarely. “They came on foot and basically tossed the stands. They took cash and goods, but we all know what they were really doing was trying to throw a scare into our sellers. And they were looking for info on the caches too.”

  Ace nodded. “I bet. Anyone talk?”

  Bert snorted. “They all swear they didn’t.’

  That meant they hadn’t, or at least they said that they had not but scared people were liable to talk. Ace asked, “You get everything moved?

  Bert nodded, “As soon as we got the call last night we were on the move. Everything’s been taken over to the house in Ditmas Park. We found one guy, walking through Prospect Park. We worked him over pretty good but he’s not a crew guy, just a brand-new prospect who didn’t count on getting his head busted.”

  Ace’s eyes narrowed. “Where is he?”

  “In the hospital.” Bert grinned. “He’ll live but I hear he’s also running right back home to Nyack when he gets out.”

  “Good deal.”

  Ace knew the guy was not just going to run home, he was likely never to return. They got a lot of Upstaters in, guys who wanted to get in on the action in the city and as soon as they got a taste of it they were out. Since most of them knew that there was no safe place for them to go after they got out, not in the city anyway, they generally did vanish back to whatever burg they had come from originally.

  Callahan spoke. “I got my ears to the ground and things don’t sound so good boss. Walker’s putting out word that he’s doing a takeover. It seems old Pete may actually be coming off that connection.”

  Ace’s jaw clenched. “Uh huh. Says who?”

  Callahan sighed. “Pete’s connection is family, that’s why Walker can’t just kick the info out of him. If he touches a strand of Pete’s greasy ass hair the connection will hit back and the bad news is, a connection with that kind of cash and dope, well they have the firepower to hit back hard enough to slap the crew to earth, if you catch my drift.”

  Ace already knew all of that. “I do but what’s with this shit Walker is spreading?”

  Callahan sighed. “That sister of his? That’s Pete’s price.’

  “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get paid.”

  The words dropped into the room. Callahan blinked. “What are we talking here Ace?’

  Ace gave him a wicked grin. “Kidnapping.’

  Bert whistled. “You’re going to bring Walker right down on our heads and possibly Pete’s connection too.”

  Ace said, “I don’t think Pete’s connection gives a shit about whether or not Pete gets that girl. What I do think is they won’t like Pete being promised something and then Walker not making good on the deal.’

  Bert asked, “How you going to…”

  Ace cut in. “If Walker doesn’t know where she is, and Pete has no idea we’re the ones who took her who’s to say that Walker didn’t get the connection and double cross Pete?”

  Bert frowned. “That would be out of character for Walker he gives zero shits about any of his sisters, and especially that one.”

  Ace said, “I know that and you know that too. You know who doesn’t know that? Pete’s connection. Besides I’m betting that Pete loses his mind after the girl gets ghost on him and runs to his connection to holler about Walker not giving him what he was supposed to hand over.”

  “Cut his legs off from the jump,” Jack said, “That makes sense.”

  “Even if they know it is us it won’t matter,” Ace added, “Think about it. She’s Walker’s bargaining chip. If we can get her and hide her for enough time to set Pete against Walker we might be able to reel Pete in ourselves.”

  Jack chortled. “You’re saying we take her and use her as a chip?” Offer her if he gives us the connection?”

  Ace nodded. “That is exactly what I am saying. I don’t care about the dope side of this. You know how I feel about that. What I do care about is making sure that Walker does not get a connection that will give him the funds that could see us all having to pull stakes just to survive his having that cash and power.”

  The guys all nodded. This was their borough and no way were they fleeing it and o way would they let Walker rip the ground out from under their wheels.

  Jack said, “We’ll back you.”

  “Ride or die,” Bert added.

  “All in,” Callahan said.

  The others all added their agreements. Then Jack asked, “the question is, ow do we get her?’

  “Leave that to me. I already have a plan.” Ace chuckled. “And the b
est part is, I am going to kidnap her without actually kidnapping her. She’s going to be happy to climb aboard my bike.”

  Chapter 4

  Julia didn’t go home. She was nervous and scared. The sight of Ace walking through the doors of the store had made her feel even more anxious than usual. Not only that she knew that Pete was there and she also knew that his demands for her to be his old lady were ongoing, and that Walker would give her to him any minute now.

  The only reason Walker had not yet just picked her up and hurled her into a room she could not get out of and a room that was not only a cell but that contained Pete as well was because he knew she had some friends in some high places. Or thought she did. That modeling work of hers had put her in touch with some very rich people and so she had used that to build a shield around herself that kept Walker from knowing, for sure, whether she would be able to get him and Pete locked up for what would amount to rape, pure and simple.

  Her modeling career was fading though and she was scared. Terrified in fact. Walker was getting more antsy buy the day. Pete was willing to wait but for how long was Walker willing to wait for her to decide to bend to his order to be Pete’s old lady? Given what was at stake she was betting it would not be much longer.

  Taking the job in Brooklyn had been anxiety inducing in the first place. She knew that if Walker found out she was over there he would beat her. It would not have been the first time though he was always careful not leave marks. He would accuse her of being a traitor and tell her that she thought she was too good for Queens.

  It was not that. She loved Queens. It was him that she was too good for, him and that terrible life that held promise of nothing but jail and death and the slow and horrible leaching away of all her dreams and plans and the life she could see in the distance waiting for her.

  Fashion design. That was what she wanted.

  She took the train to Manhattan instead of going to Queens She had exactly sixty-one dollars and nowhere to go. The hostels would not let her stay since she had a NY ID and she knew that all the hotels were out of her reach but she went anyway because she had no idea of what else to do.

  The train was crowded and slow. The L was always that way though so she stood pressed among the throngs of humanity, trying to think of a plan. She had to get out of there and fast but the depressing truth was that without some form of protection she was stuck always worrying that at any minute Walker would drag her back, screaming and kicking if necessary. The cops either could not or would not help her. There were too many of them that were in Walker’s pockets and the ones who were in Pete’s connections pockets were just as useless to her.

  So what could she do to stay out of Pete’s bed and to get away from Walker?

  The train lurched to a halt. She got off and started walking. The avenues were packed and crowded with people. The crowds made her feel slightly safer. No way would Walker just snatch her off the street in full view of everyone but even that was not a given. There were too many alleys and the crew in Manhattan had their own grudge against Walker. So far she had managed to avoid them, and to get back and forth to school and her occasional modeling gig without getting harmed but how long could she keep that up?

  She needed to get out of NYC period. Transfer to a different school. Maybe in LA or somewhere that Walker could not touch her.

  She stopped walking, her eyes going wide.

  She muttered, “Holy shit. It would work but…but it might get me killed.”

  No, there was no might to it. It would get someone killed.

  But if she could manage it then she would be safe.

  Pete wanted her because she was fresh, a virgin and untouched by drugs. Because she was famous enough that he could brag about having bagged her. She could not change that last part and no way was she about to start doing drugs. But she could have her virginity taken and when she did that would lessen her value.

  So why not just do it?

  Well, there was the fact that Walker would absolutely kill her if he found out and he would have to find out if she was going to use that to keep him from trading her off to Pete for his connection. If Pete found out he had been swindled he might go after Walker but he would beat her first and maybe even kill her. If he didn’t kill her he would go to his connection and declare it all a bad bargain and cut Walker off from that connection. Then Walker would kill her. Or maybe he and Pete would take turns beating her until she was dead.’ She had witnessed firsthand the brutal beatings that Walker dished out to the prostitutes that he ran. He had not yet killed one as far as she knew but Julia also had no idea how any of those women managed to survive such brutality and come out whole on the other side.

  They did survive and went right back onto the streets to sell themselves for Walker. That alone terrified Julia. She knew Carla was not above trick turning and frequently did just that and Walker had been known to whip her ass for coming up short, and in front of her girls too. Walker would blame Carla if her girls did not meet the quota for daily money he set and that was why Carla often took to the streets herself, to make sure she didn’t catch a beating from her brother.

  Walker should die.

  That thought nagged at Julia. If only she had the guts to kill him! But even if she did what good would that do? There were plenty other equally violent men in that crew who would be willing to take over and would if something happened to Walker. That would leave her without even the very thin protection that being his sister offered.

  She muttered, “I need someone who is tough enough to protect me from Walker but who the hell is that tough?”

  She froze again, her feet parking her in front of an elegant townhouse. Her eyes focused on her cute little shoes. A thought formed but it was so outrageous and crazy she shoved it aside.

  Ace?

  Was she really considering trying to get with Ace?

  “I really am losing my mind,” she muttered and started walking again.

  She left the quiet side street she had fetched up on and stepped out onto Seventh Avenue. Pedestrians floated like shoals of exotic fish. The traffic snarled and horns blared. The street vendors served up their wares and she stopped to look at a few displays of jewelry and then stopped again to buy a small paper bag of roasted walnuts crusted with sea salt and rock sugar. Munching on her treat she let her feet take her past the now quiet stores of the Village. One in particular caught her eye. The windows held a sharp and elegant display of clothing, and the artfully posed mannequins drew her closer yet.

  The clothes were industrial inspired, all sumptuous fabrics cut in hones angles and layers. Her heart lightened as it always did when she found an item of clothing that gave her fresh inspiration. She wanted her own shop, a cute little boutique that sold upscale clothes and a nice little apartment all her own just upstairs.

  She stared at her reflection on the windows. Her eyes held anxiety and her mouth turned down like a cup rim.

  “Ace,” she whispered. “That’s my only hope. I know it is. How in the world do I get him to want me and to want to protect me? I could stay with him just long enough to get out of here?’

  Did she want out? NYC was home and had always been her home. It was the center of everything fashion. There were terrific design schools out in LA but the idea of being in a city where she would need a car which she had no idea of how to handle, and that she would be away from all that she knew, was a terrifying one. But she would have to do just that. Get safe long enough to get up the money and to get a transfer out west.

  There was so little time. Pete and Walker were pressuring her more every day. Walker had some heavy debts to repay and he needed that connection to take his crew to the next level and deal with those debts. Walker knew how to make money but he had zero idea of how to keep it once he got it. He and the crew were always buying flashy shit and spending like there was no tomorrow.

  Her forehead wrinkled. There was another way out if she was brave enough to take it. There was a whole lot of money floating ar
ound. She could try to snatch some and run. But that was also something that Walker would kill her for and not just him but the rest of the crew too. And whoever that money was supposed to go too would be happy to put a price on her head.

  So that was out.

  It was back to Ace.

  The empty bag crumpled between her fingers. She was tired and the train was still running but it was not running again for at least an hour. She could not go back this late at night and not expect to find herself in the middle of a serious party. The guys were celebrating taking down some of Ace’s street sellers and she knew that Walker was about to begin harassing the dope boys running along the avenues of Williamsburg, selling heroin and coke to the hipsters and artists and junkies.

  Her teeth clenched. Her feet took her back toward the train station. What would Ace do to get the information she held? Would he agree to protect her for that or would she have to offer up her body too?

  If she had to, she would. She definitely would. She would be his old lady if she had to. His taking her virginity would guarantee that Pete did not want her. No way would he want Ace’s sloppy seconds.

  It was her only option.

  And as much as she hated to admit it, Ace had made her feel a leap of desire like none she had ever known in her life. Six had always seemed a little obscene and revolting to her, and she knew that was mostly due to the way she had been educate din it. She lived in a place where people fucked for no reason at all and where hookers would blow anyone for a dime bag of dope.

  She had always wanted her first encounter with sex to be good and gentle and intimate and for love.

  But that was a dream she could no longer afford to hold onto.

  Chapter 5

  Ace was in a small restaurant he favored that sat very near the train station. He was parked right at the windows and enjoying a late dinner but his senses were, as always, on full alert. He was forever aware of his surroundings and the people near him. He was always scanning faces and looking at everyone with real suspicion. That was what life had taught him and that was the one habit that served him the most.