So that man had just slipped into the diner, unseen and unnoticed, and headed straight for the washroom. It could be that he really had to go, and well, if you gotta go, you gotta go. You couldn't put Nature's call on hold.
But...something told her the man didn't sneak into Dino Diner just to take a leak or a dump. He looked flustered, tensed and angry when she blocked his path with her towering tray. He had pushed her on purpose.
The shove was forceful, vicious even. He had wanted her out of his way, but he had wanted to hurt and humiliate her as well.
The man seemed to be in a great hurry to get out of the diner. He didn't even stop to apologize or help. He didn't even look back.
She had never seen him before, but something about him was eerily familiar. What was it? The look in his eyes? That irrational, violent rage in his eyes?
Jade suppressed another involuntary shiver as she put away the first aid kit and stood for a moment in the tiny storeroom that was cramped with all manner of utensils. Old pots and pans, new saucers and plates, extra cutlery and serviettes.
She touched a hand to her chest and gulped. She had felt this tight, painful feeling in her heart when Luke was taken and dragged into that evil doctor's lair. She had called him repeatedly but just couldn't reach him. And she had known, without a doubt, that something bad had happened to him.
She had that same feeling now. She just had the sense that something bad was about to happen? Or had it already happened?
Jade fumbled for the phone in her pocket, her breath hitching. Was her brother in danger?
Her finger hovered above the speed-dial button but she never got to press it.
A massive, violent explosion tore through the diner. Jade heard screams and a deafening boom, like the sound of the sky crashing to earth.
Jade saw the door flying towards her and she ducked.
There was another crack, like the sound of thunder.
Jade lifted her eyes just in time to see the ceiling and walls caving in on her.
She could hear bricks falling, glass shattering and people screaming in terror.
Jade tried to scramble free but her lower body was pinned down under the fallen shelves and rubble.
A beam fell in front of her, missing her head by inches.
Jade screamed again.
But no one heard her.
Jade wasn't sure if there was anyone left to hear her. Everything was dark, dusty and deafeningly silent.
CHAPTER FIVE
Dylan removed his security vest and added it to the pile on the reception counter. They were back in the offices of the Black Bears Group. His team members were grinning and slapping one another on the back for a job well done.
Their receptionist, Paul, immediately began to sort out the security vests according to size. Paul grinned and congratulated the team on their success as he gathered up the vests and headed towards the storage room at the back of the office.
Their mission had been more than a success.
The police had recovered the large diamond in the pocket of the man's fancy tailored suit.
The old woman had taken the diamond, her family heirloom, out of her bank safe deposit box and one of the bank employees, Jim Tuck, had followed her home. Jim was buried under a mountain of gambling debts, and he thought that huge, tear-shaped diamond would be the solution to all his problems. The elderly lady looked like an easy prey. He had roped in a greedy, tech-savvy friend to create a diversion. The friend had operated the old, souped-up car by remote control and crashed it into the stationary cars. Then he simply hopped into the blue Toyota and drove the getaway car to pick Jim up. Jim said not to be late. He would be at the side of the road waiting for him.
Well, Jim was waiting for him all right.
So were the Black Bears.
The Black Bears had foiled the robbery. It took foresight, guts and teamwork to pull off a successful mission. Many of his team members were relatively new to the Group, and Dylan was real proud of them.
They were back in the office, but from the exuberant banter hurtling at warp speed between his bears, he knew that they were making plans to go out and celebrate their success in style.
“Where shall we go for lunch?”
“Shall we have Italian?”
“All I can think of is a big, juicy burger.”
Dylan turned and saw that Luke was busy checking the messages on his phone. “Hey,” Luke said, looking up with a smile. “My sister texted me this morning, but I didn't see her message. It's her first day at Dino Diner. Shall we go there for lunch? We can drop by and say hi to her, give her some moral support. And they serve the best burgers there!”
“You did a great job this morning,” Dylan spoke up, giving his team their well-deserved recognition and praise. “Dino Diner it is then. My treat.”
His team whooped and cheered.
“Oh boy, I'm going to have two Dino Burgers!” Aidan declared.
“I'll have three!” Luke scoffed, throwing his arm around his teammate's shoulder.
“I'll have five!” Mason, Aidan's brother, said pompously.
“What you'll have is a tummyache,” Dylan said, shaking his head.
The rowdy group pushed out of the office and made their way towards the car park.
Luke's phone chirped and he stopped ribbing Aidan and Mason long enough to answer the call.
Dylan kept his eye on the young man as Luke slowed his pace. He had been Luke's mentor for close to a year. When he first joined the clan, Luke had been a confused, bewildered, hurt young man and the bear in him was angry and in pain. It had taken months of tough, grueling training, and lots of patience and understanding to get Luke to accept and control his bear. Once Luke understood that his bear wasn't a monster and there wasn't a ruthless, brutal killer lurking inside him, Luke had taken well to Dylan's instructions and advice. They got along very well, and Dylan looked upon Luke as more than just his mentee. Luke was like a younger brother to him, and in just one year, a strong bond had been forged between them.
Just three weeks ago, Dylan had written up Luke's report and sent it to his alpha and beta. The Black Bears alpha, beta and a team of senior lieutenants had agreed with his assessment. Luke was ready to be on his own without a mentor breathing down his neck and monitoring his every move. Luke could now control his bear, his temper and emotions. He was coping and adjusting well, and was steady and reliable during critical missions. In fact, he had the makings of a good team leader.
The mentorship was officially over. But Dylan still looked out for Luke.
The hungry, burger-mad Black Bears were hurrying purposefully and unstoppably towards their cars as their stomachs and bears growled and rumbled.
No one noticed that they had left Luke behind.
Luke had stopped walking and was frozen to the spot, with his phone to his ear.
Dylan turned and watched the color drain from Luke's face.
“No, no,” Luke muttered into the phone, shaking his head repeatedly as his knuckles gleamed white under the midday sun.
Luke lowered his shaking hand and stuffed the phone back in his pocket. He spun on his heel and was about to take off at a mad run when Dylan clamped a hand on his shoulder.
“What is it, Luke?” Dylan said quietly.
Luke jerked and turned his panicked, pained eyes to Dylan.
“Jade...” was all he managed to choke out.
At the same time, an alert sounded on Dylan's watch.
Dylan glanced down at the alert and read the horrific news.
He met Luke's anguished eyes.
“No,” he said as a terrible, tormented roar ripped from Luke.
CHAPTER SIX
Luke lurched away but Dylan caught him and muscled him towards his car. “I'll drive you there.”
He pushed Luke into the passenger seat and slammed the door. As he sprinted over to the driver's side, he saw Thor and Baxter running towards them. Ev
ery lieutenant in the Black Bears clan would have gotten the alert by now.
Luke wasn't a Black Bears lieutenant but he had just received a call from the police.
A bomb had gone off at Dino Diner. His sister was working there, and the police were contacting the next of kin of all the staff.
Dylan tapped his watch and relayed the news to Aidan as he started the engine.
“We'll be there,” Aidan said immediately.
Dylan was about to stomp on the gas pedal when the back doors opened and Baxter and Thor jumped into his car.
“We heard what happened,” Thor said by way of explanation as he wisely buckled himself in. He knew Dylan was going to break every traffic rule in existence and Thor wanted to get home in one piece to his mate, Aubrey. Thor had been the first one to charge headlong into that hidden chamber and rescued Luke from the clutches of Dr. Faizel. And Baxter had carried the unconscious Luke out of that chamber of horrors. Thor and Baxter weren't assigned to train and mentor Luke, but they would constantly ask Dylan how Luke was doing. Luke was a new Black Bear, but he was a member of the clan. He was one of them, and when one Black Bear needed help and support, the whole clan rallied and threw everything they got into the fight. That's what they were doing right now.
“Go, go, go!” Baxter yelled to Dylan. “Oh my God! Who would bomb Dino Diner? Shit!”
“Sit tight,” Dylan growled and floored the accelerator. His SUV peeled out of the parking lot and sped towards Dino Diner, burning rubber all the way.
Baxter jabbered on as Dylan battled the infuriating traffic. The car tilted on two wheels as he squeezed between a gap in the road divider and made a sharp U-turn. When the car righted itself and hurtled forward, Baxter was still talking.
“Gosh, I love that diner! That's where I met Lindy. And I know all the staff there!” Baxter gabbled.
A strangled sound escaped from Luke. Luke looked deathly pale, and he was digging his claws into the leather seat.
“Zip it, Bax,” Dylan warned.
“Jade...she just started today,” Luke mumbled, staring straight ahead. “It's her first day. She was so excited...”
Baxter leaned forward. “We'll find her.”
When Luke jerked, Baxter added quickly, “Alive.”
Dylan shot Baxter a look and turned up the volume on the radio. There were reports of more bodies being dragged out from the rubble. There had only been one survivor so far, a male.
Luke closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Whether it was a prayer or a curse, Dylan couldn't tell. All he knew was that Luke was in agony, and his bear was very close to exploding out of his skin.
“Be in control,” Dylan said, throwing Luke a glance. “Letting your bear rage out of control isn't going to help anyone at this time.”
Luke didn't reply. His face twisted as he fought to contain his emotions and his beast.
Dylan tore past a red light and turned into a side lane. Again, his sturdy SUV sped forward on two wheels before thudding back firmly on its four large wheels.
Baxter whistled. “Your car's almost as good as me,” he said, with a note of grudging admiration. Baxter was the only Black Bear who could tilt his chair back and balance it on only two legs. Dylan had given up trying to figure out if Baxter did it to show off or just out of habit.
Once Dylan neared the street where Dino Diner was situated, Luke bolted from the car. He didn't even wait for the car to screech to a complete stop. He simply tore out of the moving car and ran like a madman towards the smoking wreckage.
There were police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and other civil defense vehicles blocking the street.
Dylan pulled his car to the side of the curb and the three Black Bears raced after Luke.
Luke was running hard towards the pile of rubble. “Cut him off!” Dylan hollered to Thor and Baxter.
The two of them split up. Thor ducked into a side alley and re-appeared out of another alley just ahead of Luke. Luke just kept running, not seeing Thor, not seeing anyone.
Thor spread out his arms and crouched, preparing to tackle Luke to the ground as Luke came at him.
At the speed Luke was going, it was obvious that Luke was intending to run straight at Thor and right through him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As Luke hurtled forward with a roar, Baxter came flying out of a corner and landed on Luke. Luke let out a howl of rage and anguish as Thor and Baxter held him down.
Dylan ran up to them and put his hand on Luke's shoulder. “I'll find her,” he told Luke.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” Luke screamed. “Let me go! I need to get to Jade! Let go! I have to find her, I should have protected her!”
Dylan pulled Luke up by the collar and shook him hard. “Get a hold of yourself and your bear! There's work to be done here. We need to find the survivors. If you can't help, then stay out of the way.”
Luke snarled at him and Dylan caught the glint of claws at the tips of Luke's curled fingers. His bear was coming out, and it looked like Luke wouldn't be able to control the maddened beast in his present state. He would be a danger to everyone present and himself.
“I will find your sister. I promise you, Luke.” Dylan grabbed Luke and shook him again, forcing him to stare into his eyes. “I. Will. Find. Jade.”
Luke's blue eyes had turned feral and he thrashed madly in Dylan's iron grip.
Dylan signaled to Thor, who nodded once and muscled Luke away.
Dylan heard familiar voices and he saw his team members running towards him. Caleb, their beta, was at the head of the group and he jerked his head at Dylan.
“Where's Luke?” Caleb asked.
“He's with Thor. It's better if he stays away,” Dylan said tersely.
Caleb gave a grim nod. “Yes. Let's hope she's alive.” When Dylan met his eyes, he understood his beta's unspoken worry right away.
If they didn't find Jade alive, they might lose Luke. He might blame himself for his sister's death, and his pain and hatred might cause him to lose his mind and lose control of his bear. If he turned rogue, they would have to hunt him down and destroy him.
“Damn it, she's alive,” Dylan snapped, refusing to think otherwise.
The Black Bears approached the cordoned off area and were stopped by police officers. Caleb stepped forward and showed them his Black Bears identification badge.
“We can help,” he told the officers. “My bears can sniff out any survivors, and they can help locate the bodies as well.”
One of the policemen hurried off and returned with a senior detective.
Dylan recognized the detective. He had worked with the detective on a number of cases and knew Detective Kai Wong to be a smart, decisive officer of the law.
Detective Wong nodded at the Black Bears. “Thank you for your offer to help. There are many hands on site already. We are hoping to find the remains of the bomb and see if we can find out who is behind the bombing. But—the scene is a mess. We want clues and we want answers, but our priority is to find as many survivors as possible. So far...there aren't many.”
The detective glanced behind him and blew out a breath. “We can allow only six of your members in. The rest of you will have to stay behind the police line.”
Caleb nodded. “Dylan, Baxter, Aidan, Mason, Vera, with me! The rest of you, fan out and see if you can find any clues to aid the police in their investigation,” he ordered.
“Yes, Beta!”
The Black Bears spread out and began to do their jobs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dylan ducked under the police tape and approached the collapsed diner. The smell of death and destruction was thick in the air. He could scent the spilled food and coffee from the diner, and he could smell the bodies trapped under the rubble.
This was a devastating, dastardly attack. The bomb had killed so many innocent people.
Dylan crouched at a corner of the pile of rubble and put his hand g
ently on a fallen beam. They had to be careful not to move the rubble unnecessarily. Any movement might cause the precarious pile to shift and cave in further, crushing the bodies and survivors trapped within.
He took a deep breath and said her name. “Jade.”
He had never seen her face to face, but Luke had shown him her photographs and he had spoken very briefly to her on the phone when he was her brother's mentor.
She was blond and blue-eyed like Luke, and when he spoke to her over the phone, he could hear her smile in her soft, soothing voice. She was always smiling happily in her photographs, and he saw the sparkle in her brilliant blue eyes.
But it was her voice that had touched something in him.
He would never forget that beautiful, gentle voice. It seemed to speak to his soul, and stir a strange, deep yearning in him.
Why was that?
Was it because she was Luke's sister? He was responsible for Luke and he cared for Luke. Did that sense of responsibility extend to Luke's sister as well?
Dylan didn't know the answer. He had learned from Luke that Jade had recently moved to the city, but he just never had the chance to arrange a meeting with her.
Dylan's heart and fists clenched. “I will find you, Jade,” he swore.
CHAPTER NINE
Jade coughed and tried to blink the dirt and dust out of her eyes. She couldn't see in the pitch darkness. She didn't know how deep she was buried under all this rubble.
How long would she remain buried down here?
Did anyone even know that she was here? Was anyone looking for her? Had the news reached Luke?
Jade stifled a sob, forcing herself not to succumb to panic and despair.
She would be rescued. She had to believe that.
She was lucky to be alive. She was trapped in a tiny space between criss-crossing fallen beams and pieces of concrete. There was no wiggle room at all. She couldn't move and she could hardly breathe. If she wasn't found in time, she would just die here alone in the dark, buried under the remains of Dino Diner.
Bear's Heart: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (Bear Heat Book 5) Page 2
