Guardian Bears: Lucas

by Leslie Chase

  "No," Lucas said, standing in turn and stepping over to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension in her neck. The muscles felt like corded steel. "You know I can't work like that. If I don't know what you're in danger from, I don't know what to look for."

  He tried to keep his frustration out of his voice, but knew he hadn't quite managed it. She tensed even more under his hand and scrubbed unhappily at the bowl she held. "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."

  He sighed and took a step backward, leaning against the table. "Why don't you try me? You have to trust someone, and I promise you can trust me. Who are you running from?"

  "I don't know!" Emily almost shouted the words, dropping the bowl to clatter in the sink and throwing up her hands. "I don't know who it is, okay, just that they are after me."

  "Tell me as much as you do know, alright? I can't help otherwise."

  Lucas felt anger coursing through him as he spoke. The idea that someone had made Emily – had made his mate – so afraid that she couldn't talk about it… that was enough to make him want to tear someone apart limb from limb. The bear inside him wanted it too, rumbling a low and angry growl that carried into his words.

  Emily turned to face him, looking up, and he could see the tears in her eyes. Instantly, he regretted asking her about it. Whatever it was, it was too scary for her to think about, and he didn't want to make her feel any worse. The last thing he ever wanted to do was bring her pain.

  "Look, okay, you don't have to tell me anything –" he started, but she held up a hand.

  "No, you're right," she admitted, her voice small and scared but determined. "I'll tell you some of it, alright? So you know what I'm afraid of?"

  He nodded, reaching out to take her hand. She seemed to draw strength from him, looking up and smiling through her tears.

  "I was working on web development for a small company, okay? It all seemed pretty normal at first, but the money was… well, it didn't make much sense. Sam Tanner, that was the owner, he always said not to worry, he had some friends who were helping out, but it all looked pretty shifty. I wasn't involved in anything, but there were always these big guys hanging around. I think they were some kind of gang."

  Lucas felt his frown deepen, but he didn't want to interrupt. Nodding encouragingly, he waited for her to go on.

  "I'm not sure, but I think they were money laundering. And that Sam, he always wanted his software to be the next big thing. Like he thought he'd be the next Google or something." She shook her head, but didn't stop talking. It was as though the barriers inside her had broken, and the words were pouring out in a flood.

  "One day the other guys, the big ones, they were angry. There was a lot of shouting, and then they stormed out. It scared a lot of us, but Sam told us it was all going to be fine, he'd set things straight with the investors. And I figured that was going to be that."

  This time the words trailed off, and a silence hung between Lucas and her. He waited patiently, giving her a chance to get back to the story, but though her mouth moved, the words didn't come.

  Her hand gripped his tight, her knuckles white and he could feel the trembling. He squeezed back gently.

  "What happened?" he prompted.

  "I was working late that night. It was just me and Sam in the building. That was stupid, right? But Sam was so convincing, and he'd made it clear that whatever they'd argued about, he was square with the big guys. He just needed everything up and running as quick as possible, so he paid me extra to stay late.

  "He was in his office, I was outside working on the website. And one of them came in and, and killed him."

  Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, and it was clearly an effort to keep talking. Lucas put his free arm around her shoulders and held her as she forced out the words.

  "I didn't know what to do. I, I just grabbed my laptop and ran! Got as far away from there as possible. But I saw the man who did it. He's going to come after me, isn't he?"

  Lucas frowned, not liking the answer to her question.

  I'm surprised she got out of there alive, he thought. No wonder her first reaction to a big stranger was to try to hit me. He found that he was proud of her, as well as angry at the people threatening her.

  "Probably, yes," he admitted out loud. "If you saw enough to identify him. But I can keep you safe, don't worry. Why didn't you go to the cops about this?"

  She paled and shook her head. "I couldn't face that! They'd never believe me!"

  Lucas couldn't see why not – nothing in her story was unbelievable. Just a case of a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the right time, maybe – if she hadn't been there, these killers would have gotten away with it and he would never have met his Emily. There must be something she's not telling me. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to push her about it now. She'd clearly had enough of a struggle to say as much she had, and the rest could wait a little.

  "What was so important about the laptop that you had to grab it?" he asked, changing tack.

  "It has everything on it," she said. "I'm not sure if any of it's worth anything, but I grabbed everything off the network. The company's accounts, all of it. I thought it might be evidence of – of something. Maybe something I could trade for my safety? But I'm not an accountant, I can't follow the cash enough to figure out what they were up to. Or even who they were."

  "That was good thinking, especially when you were in shock," Lucas said, hugging her tighter. "But if you can't follow the trail yourself, and you don't want to talk to the police about it, we'll need to find someone who can. Let me see the files, I've got some contacts who might be able to run down those leads for us."

  "No!" Emily jerked away from him, face going pale. "I… there are things I can't explain on there. I can't show it to anyone."

  Stepping back, Lucas gave her some space. Was she involved in something illegal? If the laptop had evidence of her being responsible for something, that would explain her reluctance to share it – but that meant he wouldn't be able to help. He frowned, shaking his head. One step forwards, two back.

  "You're the client," he told her, biting down on his frustration as best he could. "If you don't want me to look at it, then that's your call. But it's going to make it harder to protect you. It would really help to know who I'm dealing with here."

  "I know," she said, her voice small. She looked at the floor, hugging herself, and Lucas just wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. "I know, but I can't. You'd never believe me!"

  Reluctantly, he nodded. "I promise you, nothing you could show me would shock me. I've seen stranger things, much stranger. But all right. We'll do things your way until you trust me."

  "Thank you," she sniffled and stepped into his embrace. Lucas held her tight against him, and knew that whatever it took, whatever she might have done, he'd protect her.

  He lifted her gently and carried her through to her bedroom.

  10

  Emily's tears flowed freely, and she cursed herself for her weakness. I don't want him to see me cry, she told herself. But his arms made her feel safe, and telling that much of her story was enough to weaken the walls she'd built around her memories of that traumatic night. She couldn't hold back the tears.

  At least Lucas didn't seem angry or disappointed by her weakness. He held her tight, his strong hands stroking her hair as he brought her through to her bedroom and settled her onto her bed. It was amazing how gentle his touch could be, for all his corded muscle and casual strength.

  "Get some rest," he said, concern in his voice. "We can speak more in the morning."

  He stood as if to leave, but Emily couldn't face being alone right now. She reached up and caught his hand, and he stopped, looking down at her, his intense eyes looking into her soul.

  "Stay," she said. Her voice was rough with tears, and she thought she sounded pathetic. But if Lucas thought so, he gave no sign. He just nodded, and sat back down beside her.

  Is
this a good idea? She didn't know. She just knew that she needed to be near him tonight. "Please don't go."

  "All right," he told her, squeezing her fingers gently. "I'll make sure you're safe."

  He slid into the bed beside her as she scooted over to make room. Not very much room – it wasn't a big bed, and he was a very large man. But they fit together neatly, and Emily found herself resting her head on Lucas' chest as it rose and fell. There was something hypnotically soothing about the sound of his heartbeat, and his arms around her held her safe. Sleep came much quicker than she'd expected.

  It was the middle of the night when she woke, still curled up against him. His breathing was slow and gentle as he slept beside her and he still held her tight against him as though he never wanted to let go.

  That's fine by me, she thought, a smile tugging at her lips. I never want him to let me go either.

  But how long could this go on for? She couldn't afford to hire him indefinitely, even if she kept her job at the diner – and that was hardly a sure thing. Sooner or later he would have to let her go. Or maybe he wouldn't, but how could she ask him to stay and face a murderous gang without even being able to tell him the details?

  She couldn't. She knew that.

  Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling above her. His presence made her feel safe, but was that just an illusion? Nothing had really changed about her situation. But maybe it could?

  She had been too busy running before, too scared to try to do anything else. But with Lucas beside her, she had the confidence to try to find her way to safety.

  Sitting up slowly, she slipped out of Lucas' grip. He muttered something she didn't catch, but didn't wake, just grumbled quietly in his sleep. He looked so peaceful, so calm. Very different from the imposing man who'd towered over her by day.

  Still just as hot, though, she thought, looking down at him admiringly. She couldn't help herself – something about his body was almost magnetic to her, drawing her to him. Running a hand over his chest, she felt the contours of his muscles through the t-shirt he was sleeping in and smiled.

  Lucas murmured something, a small smile on his sleeping face, and rolled into the space she'd left in the bed.

  Time to get to work, then, she thought, her fingers still tingling from the feel of him. It was an effort to turn away and pick up the laptop from the nightstand, but she made herself do it.

  The screen lit instantly, bright in the darkness of the room, and she stared at the TannerTech login screen for a moment, her fears reasserting themselves. Then she started to type.

  Lucas was in the dark woods, surrounded by the scent of his mate. A dream, he realized quickly. But a pleasant one. The smell of Emily's hair was strong and lovely, and he followed it through the trees, moonlight streaming through gaps in the leaves above him. He couldn't see her, but he was close to her, and that was what mattered.

  But as he walked, he began to feel that something was wrong. Around him there was movement amongst the trees, the rustling of leaves and branches as something circled him. Something that he knew, with the strange logic of dreams, was searching for his mate.

  And along with the scent of Emily, he smelled another, darker scent. Something more threatening, more dangerous. That scent was getting stronger.

  He pushed his way through the undergrowth, looking for the source of the scent. He'd never been one to run from trouble, and if there was something after his Emily, he would find it before it reached her. The branches tore at his skin as he ran faster and faster, the shadows in the darkness around him keeping pace with his rush.

  The two scents mingled and became hard to separate as he charged onward, until Emily and the darkness chasing her were indistinguishable to him. He growled at that, his bear taking over, his body stretching and growing as he took his animal form and smashed his way past the plants in his path. Nothing will keep me from her when she needs me.

  He tore his way through the thickening undergrowth, not letting it slow him. Around him, blood-chilling howls sounded in the night air. Lucas ignored them. Nothing mattered other than getting to the woman he loved.

  Bursting from the trees, he found himself in a large clearing, a stream running through the middle of it. On the far side, he saw Emily sitting on a rock, the pale moonlight illuminating her face as she stared in shock at his sudden appearance.

  Around her, a darkness swirled. Lucas couldn't make out the details of it, but it coiled around her like smoke. She hadn't noticed it, but she had seen him – and her terror at the sight of a charging bear made her draw a deep breath to scream.

  The dark cloud was drawn into her lungs, and before he could reach her, Lucas woke up.

  He sat bolt upright, immediately aware that Emily wasn't in the bed with him. Anger filled him, anger at himself for getting careless, and for anyone who might have taken her or harmed her. It was only then that he looked around.

  She was sitting, frozen and staring, beside the bed. Her face was lit eerily from below by the laptop screen, and she looked startled and terrified by his sudden movements.

  "Sorry," he growled, shaking his head and trying to clear it. His body was ready for a fight, the dream's influence still strong on him. His hands clenched and relaxed as though anticipating wrapping around an enemy's throat.

  Emily quietly put aside the laptop and watched him. She looked worried, and he wondered what he looked like to her. Was he a threat, or a protector? He swung himself up to sit, the bed creaking under his weight.

  "I didn't mean to wake you," she said. Her voice was tiny, her eyes darting around as though she was looking for an escape route.

  "You didn't," he said. "I had a dream. A bad one. You were in danger, and that's what woke me. I'm sorry that I startled you."

  "It's not your fault." Hesitantly, she reached out to take his hand. Lucas smiled, feeling her fingers gripping his, and squeezed back.

  It's okay, he told himself. She's safe, there's nothing to worry about.

  But the feeling of danger from the dream hadn't gone. Something had agitated his bear, and he knew better than to ignore that kind of message from his soul. In the Army, he and his fellow bears had been saved by that kind of warning often enough.

  "I'm going to check the locks," he announced, standing and stalking out of the room. He could feel Emily's eyes on him as he walked past, but whatever she was thinking, she didn't speak.

  Nothing had disturbed any of the windows, or the door. He double-checked the locks and alarms to make sure.

  No, everything is fine. But that didn't satisfy him. Something was wrong, his bear could smell it. Sighing, he realized that he wasn't going to get any more sleep that night.

  "What's wrong?" Emily asked as he stepped back into the bedroom.

  "I don't know," he admitted, sitting back down on the bed. Emily was on the only chair in the room. "Something's not right, I can feel it, but I can't see anything wrong. Why are you up?"

  She blushed, and he couldn't help noticing how cute it made her look. "I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to just lie there, doing nothing. So I thought I could have a look through the data I downloaded and see if there's anything there that's useful. I don't know what I'm looking for, though. The accounts are really tangled up."

  "That's not an easy job," Lucas told her. "But it's a good idea. If there is some evidence there, maybe you can get them off your trail."

  It wouldn't be easy, but it was something. And if she was willing to share some of the information, they might be able to get her out of danger after all. Lucas smiled, happy to see some progress.

  Unfortunately, this wasn't an area he had the skills to help her with, but that was the point of being part of an agency.

  "My colleague Karl knows a lot of people," he offered. "If the accounts are too tangled for you to follow the money trail, then I'm sure he can put us in contact with a forensic accountant who can help with that. If there's enough evidence, then we can get it to the police anonymously, and your proble
ms go away."

  And if there's not enough evidence, I can sort things out myself. He found himself hoping that was how it played out. Hurting the bastards who threatened Emily would be very, very satisfying.

  She looked dubiously at him, but her eyes had a spark of hope in them. As though she couldn't believe that there might actually be a way out. "Are you sure it'll work out like that?"

  He had to shake his head. "I can't promise, but we can try. And if it doesn't work, we'll try something else."

  She smiled at that. It wasn't a very certain smile, but it had hope behind it and Lucas liked the look of that on her. For a moment they just looked at each other, and then Emily stood and hugged him, hard.

  He put his arms around her gently and for a minute they just sat there, on the bed, embracing. He couldn't believe that it would be so simple as all that to fix things, but at least he could try.

  11

  "I have some friends who can look into that for you if you want, Lucas," Karl said over the phone, sounding dubious. The morning light was shining through the windows and Emily was making breakfast while he made his call. "But this really doesn't sound like our kind of work. Money laundering? There are better firms for looking into something that mundane."

  "So subcontract one of them," Lucas growled back. "We're not letting go of this contract. And I'm telling you that there is something more going on here. I can smell it."

  There was a pause as the other shifter took that in. None of them would lightly dismiss a message from another's bear – not after spending so long relying on each other’s instincts in the field.

  "If you say so." He didn't sound entirely convinced, but Lucas didn't care very much. As long as he helped out. "Are you certain this isn't just because you've found your mate? I'd be happy for you if that's all this is, you know."

  Lucas stifled a wordless growl and counted to three under his breath. His phone creaked in his hand as he struggled with his temper.