Breaking Fate: Book Three: Black Claw Ranch

by Lane, Cecilia

  “Okay, one, this is some bullshit. I resent being tricked into a stakeout on my day off. Two, how the fuck did you not account for someone else in our office doing the same shit? Crewe could roll up here any second and see your sorry, busted-looking ass and then rip into me for driving you out here.”

  Sloan looked over one shoulder, then another. She made a show of squinting in the distance with a hand over her eyes before giving August a flat stare. “Don’t see anyone else here, do you?”

  “And if he is here, what then? You going to roll up in a wheelchair and knock his legs out with a crutch?”

  “I don’t have either of those, so no.” She shrugged a shoulder. “But I guess if you don’t want any commendations for bravery or some other bullshit, I’ll go find some.”

  “Motherfucker,” August muttered with another shake of his head. “What’s your mate think about this?”

  She tracked a car pulling into the lot and parking near the bar. When a blond man exited the vehicle, she relaxed back against her seat. Not Ian. “My what?”

  “Oh, come on. You’ve been drooling over him since those horse-riding hicks left dust all over the office.”

  “I don’t know if they’d like being called hicks,” she said lightly, hoping he’d take the hint. Discussing whatever complicated mess that tangled her up with Lorne wasn’t on the books. Find Ian. Check out some bars. Forget Lorne existed. Those were her goals for the day.

  August apparently didn’t want to cooperate. “You’re telling me he hasn’t said a word? Damn, girl. You’re both fucked up. I told Alicia the moment I got her name.”

  Sloan snorted. “That sounds romantic. ‘Hi, I’m August and I’m here to leave you unsatisfied for the rest of your life. Let’s get some rings.’”

  “Bite marks, and it took some convincing. For the record, she has never been left unsatisfied.” He dropped his wrist over the steering wheel and studied another car rolling slowly through the lot. “She was human, like you. I had to work my ass off to convince her I wasn’t crazy. Then I had to convince her I wasn’t any danger once she saw my bear. Once all that was out of the way, then she was more understanding. But you know about this life already. You didn’t have the surprise factor.”

  “So I’m just supposed to drop my panties and leave all objections at the door?” she snapped. “Don’t I get a say in the matter?”

  “You’re not picking him back?” He shot her a dumbfounded look.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing, August. Knowing some of the process on paper doesn’t really prepare you for the real thing.”

  Or the disappointment when it didn’t work out.

  Instinct picked the person, that was what the manual said. Well, she didn’t have an animal inside doing the talking. All she had were past experiences and current behavior. She didn’t take anyone’s shit then, and she wasn’t about to start now. She wouldn’t be ordered to give up doing what she loved because someone decided she would be safer.

  A man and a woman walked out of the bar and shambled toward an old brown pickup. He cracked open the door and held out a hand to help her inside before rushing around to take his place in the driver’s seat.

  Sloan rubbed a hand over her heart. Even the damn barflies had each other while she was alone.

  “How do you feel right now?”

  “Like I got hit by a train.” Not a lie. Her ribs felt like they were on fire and the side of her face throbbed with every beat of her heart.

  “Below all this.” He waved a palm at her. “You feeling heart sick? Clenched up stomach? Chills and dry mouth and like you’re in the worst hangover of your life?”

  Reluctantly, she nodded.

  “That’s the bond. That’s cutting ties to your mate. If you’re feeling this bad, he’s got it ten times worse being an actual shifter.”

  “I’m glad we can make this about him,” she sniped.

  August raised his hands in surrender.

  Sloan chewed on her lower lip. There was no living without pain, but she hated to be the cause of it.

  After a beat of silence, she asked, “Will it pass?”

  “Probably for you. I didn’t fight fate, so I can’t tell you about that. All I can say is there’s nothing Alicia and I can’t overcome. She hates where I kick off my boots at night and wants to strangle me five days out of seven, but she’s it for me, just like I am for her. That devotion runs bone deep. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

  She envied the man and his certainty. The thought of someone at home, ready to be irritated at her, warmed her heart. Her mother had done the same for her father. Like August, Sloan never questioned the underlying affection.

  She had no doubt that both couples supported their partners in every aspect of their lives. The warmth in her middle died to a cold breeze through the empty chambers. She couldn’t count on that with Lorne.

  Ian stepped out of the bar and saluted them, cutting her pity party short.

  “Shit, you might just be good police,” August snarked. “Get Crewe on the phone and backup this way.”

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and started dialing. Her gaze stayed trained on Ian as he paced from one end of the bar front to the other. He didn’t turn back toward the door when he reached the corner.

  No. No, no, no.

  The phone kept ringing.

  “Where is he going?” August leaned to the side to try keeping eyes on him.

  “Back inside maybe?”

  “Stay here, will you? I’m going to keep eyes on him.”

  She waved him on. “All yours.”

  Sloan watched through the windshield as August approached where Ian disappeared. Her breath caught in her throat as she imagined how the conversation would go. Asking Ian to come peacefully, saying they had some questions for him back at the office. Getting a little more forceful when Ian undoubtedly refused. She even wouldn’t mind seeing him flattened on the ground and cuffed before being transported. Seemed appropriate for the bruises and stiffness she’d carry for the next few weeks.

  Crewe finally answered right before the call went to voicemail. “What is it, Kent?” he growled.

  “August and I have eyes on Ian Bennett.”

  He paused for a heavy second. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  An SUV with the SEA logo blazoned across the side roared into the parking lot. A second, then a third, followed.

  What the hell?

  Two of the vehicles slammed to a stop right near the bar entrance, but the last swerved around to block her view of the scene. Crewe jumped out and strode for her, and yanked open the door.

  “Where’s Snow?” he demanded. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but Sloan put good money on them being the bright color of his inner animal.

  She blinked in confusion, then pointed toward the corner of the bar. “He followed Ian. We didn’t want him slipping away before someone else got here.”

  “Shit,” Crewe cursed. He gestured some of the others forward, then ducked back to her. “Do you have any idea the shitstorm you’ve brought down on my people? Ian Bennett called us to report fearing for his life.”

  She slammed a fist against the dash. “Motherfucker.”

  “That’s not all.” Crewe looked like he’d swallowed an entire storm and was ready to unleash it on the next person who pissed him off. “There’s an Internal Affairs agent that wants to talk to you.”

  Fuck.

  * * *

  Sloan leaned against the wall of the room and glared at the door. At least her executioner waited in another box, ready to interrogate her, and didn’t lurk behind the two-way glass. She was guaranteed some privacy with her commanding officer.

  Fucking Ian. On any other day, his little stunt would have gone unnoticed. Maybe he’d have enjoyed a few more hours of freedom while the stories all got sorted. She carried bruises he put there. He wouldn’t have stayed free for long.

  Fate had something else in mind. His call came through only hours after Agent Joh
n Espen arrived to swing his dick around.

  “This is bullshit, Crewe. There’s no reason for an investigation. Why is he really here?”

  “He says he was informed of your admission to the clinic and is here to follow up.” Crewe scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger. “He’s here now. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

  Even though he kept a professional face, Sloan could feel the fury rolling off the man. He made the air almost unbreathable. She understood. He’d been given command of his squad and ordered to make the Supernatural Enforcement Agency palatable to the supes they aimed to police. But he and his were still second class compared to the rest of the agents. They could still be pushed around, jobs revoked, careers ended. All at the whim of assholes who hated them.

  They’d been through so much and there was still no end in sight.

  Sloan gritted her teeth. Unfair. It was the sort of injustice she wanted to ease and she hated she played a part in bringing attention down on Crewe and his people. “What do I need to do? August is innocent in this. I’ll tell Espen I tricked him into taking me out there.”

  “You’re going to keep your mouth shut. You’re going to give up on this little side quest of yours. Keep your head down, heal up, and let this all blow over.” Crewe cleared his throat. “You’re not half bad, Kent. We’d hate to lose you.”

  Sloan swallowed back her sudden wave of emotion. The man owed her nothing. She wasn’t one of his and had been tossed his way as punishment. He could have let her flounder in boredom on a desk assignment until she got frustrated enough to quit. That she’d earned his respect and a place on his team meant the world to her.

  Maybe her place was in Bearden after all.

  She ignored the cut to her heart that said otherwise. One man did not make or break a place. If she survived this challenge, she could survive seeing Lorne around town.

  “Let’s do this,” she said.

  The walk down the hall and into the interrogation room where Agent John Espen waited felt like a walk to the gallows. She hoped there would be a stay in execution before the final drop.

  She settled into a chair and folded her hands on the table. Crewe took the spot next to her while she studied Espen from under her lashes.

  Beady eyes, pale skin. She didn’t like referring to Internal Affairs agents as rats, but he did not challenge the derogatory term in the slightest. Rise to the occasion, she wanted to urge him.

  Espen looked up from making a note on his pad of paper. Cold eyes met hers and she resisted the urge to shiver.

  “Thank you for making time for me on such short notice, Agent Kent.” He snapped his words out sharply. “Are you ready to begin?”

  As if she had a choice.

  Sloan dipped her chin once. “Yes.”

  Espen shoved a recorder between them and hit a button. “Interview with Agent Sloan Kent, accompanied by Special Agent in Charge Desmond Crewe and conducted by Agent John Espen.” He clicked a pen and held it above the pad of paper. “Agent Kent, in your own words, please take me through your contact with Mr. Ian Bennett.”

  She began from her first introduction to the man—the briefing on the campground attack. Her words settled as she reported each subsequent step of the investigation. She didn’t justify anything and stuck to the facts. Ian was spotted. He was brought in for questioning on her tip. He vandalized her home. A confrontation ended with a fight.

  Facts were her friend. Embellishments or extra explanations would only derail the story she wanted to tell. She didn’t want to give Espen any reason to dive down a rabbit hole.

  The man jotted down a final note after she finished speaking. “Do you have a history of taking matters into your own hands, Agent Kent?”

  Sloan pressed her lips together. “I do not.”

  “Never acted erratically?”

  “No.”

  “Do you believe your sympathies have clouded your judgment?”

  She stared at him in shock as the words registered. “I’m sorry, my what?”

  Espen barely looked up from his notepad. “Your sympathies. You made accusations against a partner in the past. Perhaps you were so worried about those coming up in your new assignment that you took a tougher stance on Mr. Bennett than necessary.”

  “He attacked me.” Pleasantries were forgotten as her voice took on a hard edge.

  “Mr. Bennett maintains he acted in self-defense. He was simply trying to reconnect with an estranged relative—”

  “In the middle of the night, with no announcing his presence?” Sloan scoffed. “This is ridiculous. He’s just saying whatever he thinks will stick.”

  “Is he? This trouble began after you spotted him in a local drinking establishment. After you accused him of vandalizing your property. After you brandished your weapon at him. Now you’ve been found following him around.”

  She gaped at him. “What are you saying?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time an agent doubled down on a problematic attitude when questioned on a call.”

  Sloan narrowed her eyes, suspicion building in her gut. Sympathies. Accusations. Those weren’t the words of a man looking to get to the bottom of the story. His sudden appearance made more sense if he was already looking to cause trouble.

  She tongued her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest. Jimmy swore to make her life miserable and make her pay. He couldn’t have reached so far, could he? She knew the Agency had deep problems that she wanted to help fix, but even this seemed too much. IA helped put Jimmy away in the first place!

  Dead snakes skins and stalking were child’s play compared to tying her up in internal investigations and stripping her of her badge. What chance did she have of walking into another agency or police station with that black mark on her background check?

  Her heart hammered against her breastbone and her palms slicked with nerves. He couldn’t do this to her! He was in the wrong, not her. She’d stood up for the innocent victim and now she was being thrown to the wolves.

  Sloan swallowed hard to keep herself in check. Everything she ever wanted was blowing up right before her eyes. Forced to move to Bearden, she tried to find her place. She attempted to make friends and form bonds. She wanted to make the best of the situation and set down roots. Start over.

  Those roots had been slashed to pieces. Those bonds set on fire. She’d gotten her friends in trouble and didn’t have anyone to vent with at home.

  “Agent Kent has done nothing to make me question her judgment,” Crewe rumbled next to her.

  “Except for lying to her partner and allegedly becoming romantically involved with a relative of Mr. Bennett’s.” Espen dismissed Crewe with a flick of his eyes. “I’m here to make sure the Agency isn’t given another black eye in the media. The frankly disturbing allegations Mr. Bennett has lodged against Agent Kent have escalated beyond what I was initially called in to check out. Until a full investigation into her conduct can be concluded, I’m recommending suspension.”

  Sloan folded her hands together and stared straight ahead. Inside, she died.

  Chapter 19

  Head pounding, Lorne squinted at the sun. Too bright, and still too high in the sky. Too many hours to go until he could drown himself in a bottle of whiskey and keep his bear from taking his skin.

  His inner animal ripped at him over the plan. Lorne locked the beast down tight and bounced along the road. Letting the bear run away with him and forcing the issue seemed like a damn good way to get shot.

  He’d kept a careful balance of working himself to exhaustion and drinking away the rest of his will in the days since Sloan booted him from her room at the clinic. She didn’t want to see him. She’d made it clear with the ignored calls and unanswered texts. The unease sitting in his chest wasn’t something he could push on her when she made the choice to sever their growing connection.

  Better this way, he lied to himself. The sick feeling tying his stomach up in knots and buzzing around his brain was worth every second if i
t kept her safe. If she wasn’t part of his life, then Ian and the remnants of the Bennett clan had no reason to go after her.

  Lorne turned off the dirt track and onto the paved road leading away from the ranch, noting a black SUV parked along the shoulder down the road. Whatever. No skin off his back if the fuckers wanted to waste their time watching the ranch. Ian wasn’t likely to show up again where they could see him.

  He hated Ethan for sending him into town for supplies, but the job gave him the chance to avoid the rest of the clan. They weren’t willing to let him slip into quiet observation for long without pushing—constantly pushing—for some reaction or discussion. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings. Forcing the issue brought his bear out in clawing, brawling force. Those were the only moments he’d felt at peace. But blood was just a temporary balm, and he hurt worse when he forced his bear to step aside for his human half instead of letting the creature run straight for Sloan.

  The SUV pulled onto the road as soon as he passed. Lorne glared at the flashing lights in his rearview. No good could come from the meeting.

  Law abiding citizen he was, he slowed and came to a stop.

  Only one person was inside the vehicle, as far as he could tell. August Snow, Sloan’s partner, stepped out of the SUV and sauntered toward his truck with his hands casually within reach of the weapons on his waist.

  Like he was the danger. Lorne wanted to bite the man.

  Instead, he rolled down his window and did his best not to bare his teeth. “You following me?”

  “Something like that.” August rubbed a hand over his shaved head. “You talked with Sloan?”

  He blinked slowly. “Not since she was hurt.”

  “Thought as much. So you don’t know she’s been suspended.”

  That gave him pause and forced him to reconsider driving over August’s foot in his haste to get away. “She didn’t do anything wrong.”