Bear Claw

by Crissy Smith

  What would he do if she leaned forward, reducing the small distance between them, and pressed her lips to his? She wished she had the nerve to find out.

  But she didn’t.

  “I better go,” Jamie said with obvious reluctance.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Brandy stated softly.

  “Yeah, sure will,” Jamie replied. “It was good to see you again, Chris.”

  “You too, Jamie.”

  Brandy watched as Jamie strolled away. Damn, the man’s ass was fantastic in those tight jeans. He had on black biker boots and a short-sleeved black Henley.

  The tattoos that ran down his arms to his wrists made him appear dangerous, but Brandy was certain that there was so much more to Jamie than his exterior.

  He’d already proven that he was kind. Knowing that he had been the shifter who had helped her cousin really made him more attractive to her. Jamie was one of the good guys.

  And he was a shifter. Wow, how had she not ever considered that? It made a weird kind of sense, with as reserved and secretive as Jamie was.

  “You’re drooling,” Chris teased across from her.

  “Ha-ha.” Brandy kicked her cousin under the table. “I can’t believe you know Jamie.”

  “Small world,” Chris commented.

  “Do you know what kind of shifter he is?”

  “No, he never told me. But it’s got to be something big and bad ass.” Chris lowered his voice as he leaned forward. “Lion? Wolf?”

  “No, something better,” Brandy guessed.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I bet you can find out.” Chris raised an eyebrow. “Get him naked and turned on.”

  “Chris!” she snarled at him.

  “All right.” He laughed. “Are you ready? I have to get everything together for the meeting. And you need to get to work.”

  She glanced at her wristwatch then groaned. “I need to hurry.”

  Dropping some money on the table to cover the bill and tip, she waved at Anna and followed Chris to the door.

  “I’ll call you tonight,” he promised.

  “Be careful.”

  They separated, and Brandy thought once again about Jamie. The big, gentle giant was a shifter. She couldn’t wait to get to know him better.

  Chapter Four

  Jamie couldn’t believe the turn in events for his bid to get to know Brandy. Not only did Brandy have some connection to shifters, since her cousin was one of the biggest shifter activists, but she seemed to have been surprised instead of disgusted by the fact that he was a shifter. That had to be a good sign. However, accepting and being with a shifter were two different things.

  Hopefully Brandy would be able to see the man and not just his animal side, or his job.

  Christopher had known about him and his spilling Jamie’s secret had been an accident. For as long as he’d been visiting Brandy, he should have found a way to tell her. Learning she had talked about him—that was fucking fantastic!

  As he pulled into the underground parking garage, Jamie was still happy. His stop to get his breakfast had moved along his plan and now there would be no holding back. If Brandy wasn’t receptive, he would have to get over it. But he felt his chances were good.

  After parking and turning off the engine, Jamie sat in his truck and dragged his mind away from Brandy and to the day ahead.

  He wanted to research more about the case Aubrey was investigating.

  He’d worked in the missing person division with the Phoenix PD for years prior to accepting his position at the Coalition. Two teenage bear shifters going missing should have been called into him. Luckily, Aubrey was wise enough to inform him about what was going on. If he needed any more information, he knew she would provide it.

  He wanted to help, even if he had to do it behind the scenes.

  Pushing open his door, he exited the vehicle, grabbing the bag of food.

  “Hey, man.”

  Jamie turned back and saw Zak jogging up to him. “You’re early,” he said in greeting.

  “Commander Green called a meeting with all the feline leads.”

  “Something’s up?”

  Shrugging, Zak didn’t seem too concerned. “Is there ever not?”

  That didn’t sound like something Zak would normally say. Jamie stopped walking. He waited until Zak noticed he wasn’t next to him any longer and turned around.

  “What’s up, Zak?”

  “Nothing.” His friend waved, dismissing Jamie’s concern.

  Jamie knew Zak was closer to Cody—it didn’t mean he would let Zak brush this off. Zak needed to open up more. Sure, the big tiger shifter liked his privacy, but Jamie wished Zak trusted him and Cody more.

  “Come on.” Zak motioned toward the Coalition entrance.

  Jamie only lifted an eyebrow. He could wait his buddy out.

  However, Zak surprised him by sighing and looking down at his feet.

  What the hell was bugging his friend?

  “Fine.” Zak turned, strolling over to the cement divider running along the parking garage. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, reaching a secluded area and leaned against the separating wall as he lit up.

  Jamie followed him at a slower pace. Joining his friend, he shook his head. “I thought you quit.”

  “I did.”

  Snorting, he rolled his eyes. He’d get Aubrey to work on him again. For some reason, the small woman had a way of talking Zak into taking better care of himself. It had been her idea that Zak stop smoking.

  “Don’t you dare tell her,” Zak ordered, guessing where Jamie’s thoughts had gone.

  “Tell me what’s up with you and I won’t say a word,” he promised. He wouldn’t have to narc on Zak anyway. Aubrey was a shifter. She would be able to smell the nicotine on Zak.

  “Nothing, really,” Zak told him. “This damn legislation the government is trying to get passed is really pissing me off. The entire reason my Prince decided with the wolves to come out was because shifters and humans had an agreement.”

  The feline Prince had gone through a lot to keep his shifters safe. While the cats were mostly solitary, like Zak, they did have a royal line that they followed. Birth and power determined who would lead the felines.

  Jamie was a little jealous that Zak had someone he could go to if need be. He knew his buddy would never consider going to his Prince but the option was always there.

  In Jamie’s situation, he didn’t have anyone he could turn to. Sure, his friends and team would always have his back but he missed having a family. Well, he couldn’t really miss what he’d never had—craved was the feeling he had deep down inside. He wanted a family.

  “I still don’t believe that there is any way a registration will ever pass. Not with the Coalition working with the Wolf Council and other leaders. There are just as many high-power shifters as there are humans.”

  “I keep telling myself that,” Zak said. “But I have a bad feeling about all of this, one that I can’t shake.”

  “Well, there is a meeting tomorrow night at the library for both shifters and humans to organize a protest or something. Why don’t you come with me?”

  “So you’re finally going to man up and go after your girl?”

  Jamie bumped his shoulder. “I had breakfast with her.”

  “What?”

  “Okay, she was at the diner while I picked up my breakfast. I sat with her and her cousin while I waited for my food.”

  Zak grinned. “And?”

  “Turns out her cousin is the same little blond guy that I protected at the animal testing lab protest.”

  “Let me guess. You didn’t even tell her that you’re a shifter. The information came out for you.”

  “Yep, and since she seems really close to the cousin, I’m pretty sure my being a shifter won’t be a deterrent if I do ask her out.”

  “I don’t know how you do it, man,” Zak groused as he dropped his cigarette butt and ground it out w
ith the toe of his utility boot. “Everything always falls in place for you. If I had half your luck…”

  Jamie only grinned. His life wasn’t perfect but for some reason Zak always made comments like that.

  “We better get inside or the commander will send someone out looking for me. What are you doing here so early anyway?”

  They started to walk back toward the front of the building. “I want to look into the kids who Aubrey told us about last night.”

  “I thought that might be the case.”

  Reaching the glass entry, Zak held open one of the doors. The Lake Worth Shifter Coalition was located in a huge brick building downtown that had been remodeled for their needs.

  Jamie loved everything about the structure. Having to leave Phoenix hadn’t been that big of a deal for him, especially not while his two best friends were with him.

  Getting to work every day at the Coalition had helped Jamie settle in so quickly.

  “I’m taking the stairs. I’ll think about going with you tomorrow night. Call me when you find out the details.”

  Jamie waved then headed for the elevator. His food was probably cold but he didn’t mind. That was what microwaves were for, and he was pleased about his chat with Zak.

  All of the different shifter divisions were located on the same floor. His team had a large room on the northeast side of the building. He made his way down the deserted hallway to the door. Using his key to unlock the entrance, Jamie was surprised to find it already unlocked.

  The lights shone brightly. Ray Burrow sat at his desk working on his laptop.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  Ray jumped. “Jeez, man, make some noise.”

  Chuckling, Jamie set his breakfast on his own desk then strolled to his team member. “What are you working on?”

  Turning his laptop screen so Jamie could see it, Ray pointed. “Look at this.”

  Jamie leaned forward, squinting at the small print. “Is this a report of bears getting into trash?”

  “Yes,” Ray exclaimed.

  “Why did you pull that up?”

  “I don’t think it’s normal bears.”

  “Why not?” Jamie settled his hip on the edge of Ray’s desk.

  “It doesn’t make sense. The trash cans are being knocked over and the trash spread out but none of it is being consumed.”

  Shaking his head, Jamie pushed away and strolled back to his own seat. “Still don’t get it.”

  “Well, no one would think anything about it until you start looking at who owns the properties being targeted.”

  Jamie stopped walking. He turned slowly. “Who?”

  “All four places that have reported bears belong to outspoken supporters of the shifter registration legislation.”

  “Shit,” Jamie muttered.

  “I think shifters are posing as natural bears and targeting these families.”

  He had to admit Ray might be onto something. He sat and pulled his breakfast out of the bag. Pleased he could still feel the heat from the Styrofoam, he hummed happily.

  Lifting the top of the container, he took a deep whiff. The scent of eggs, bacon and hash browns drifted up to him, causing his stomach to rumble in hunger.

  “Damn, that smells good,” Ray said in envy.

  “What time did you come in?”

  “About an hour ago. I got a call from one of my buddies with the Lake Worth PD. He works patrol in the area these reports are coming from and has been at three out of four locations.”

  “Shifter?”

  “No, he’s human but he knows what I am. That’s why he called. It seemed weird to him that bears would be going through so much trouble. This is a gated community. There are no woods or anywhere the animals could be coming from. It’s in the middle of the damn city.”

  Jamie dug into his food as he listened to Ray.

  “We know better than anyone how stupid people are about protecting themselves. How often have we come across cases where someone had their identity stolen because they threw away the wrong piece of paper?”

  Nodding since his mouth was full, he encouraged Ray to continue.

  “That’s what I think they’re doing. Instead of sneaking in and discreetly searching, they are going about it like a smash-and-grab break-in.”

  Pushing his empty container away, Jamie thought about it. “Untrained.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe even teenagers.”

  “Huh?”

  But Jamie was already reaching for his own computer. There was too big of a connection to ignore what was happening.

  “Jamie?”

  He glanced up and saw Ray had moved closer.

  “You know Cody’s mate, Aubrey?”

  “I’ve seen her a few times but haven’t had the privilege.”

  “I’ll introduce you. She’s a smart woman and runs a private detective and personal security agency. She’s working on a case of two missing teenage bear shifters.”

  “What kind?”

  “Grizzlies.”

  “What? How long ago did they go missing? Why weren’t we called?”

  “It’s from one of the factions that won’t talk to us. But the second missing kid’s sister went to Aubrey for help. She told me about it last night.”

  “And now we have these reports,” Ray added. He was following along the same line as Jamie.

  “Yeah,” Jamie confirmed. “I want to look more into these two boys and their families, but you go ahead and start your own investigation. As soon as Wendy comes in, get her updated and head out. Use your Coalition ID and go to every house.”

  “They might not cooperate. These people are against shifters.”

  “Call me if you have any problems. I’ll get the commander involved if needed. I think this is a real good connection, so I’ll have to tell him what we’re working anyway. For now, I need you to find out what you can.”

  Rubbing his hands together, Ray grinned. “Oh, I won’t mind pushing into this investigation. It’ll be my pleasure to help these racist idiots.”

  He couldn’t hold in his chuckle. While Ray looked like the nicest out of his entire group, Jamie knew the truth. The five foot ten bear shifter with long brown hair and brown eyes was actually one of the most dangerous men Jamie had ever met.

  Ray was too smart for his own good most of the time. Extremely intelligent, Ray had spent most of his childhood in trouble with the law until one day someone had realized that by keeping Ray busy, he would settle down.

  Graduating five years early from high school, he had immediately been in great demand.

  Since his family was good friends with their commander, Ray had been recruited quickly when a spot had opened on Jamie’s team. Jamie loved working with the man. His entire unit was the very best in his opinion, but he was closest friends with Ray.

  “I’ve got a search going on any other similar crimes called into the PD running right now. Maybe we’ll get more.”

  “Sounds good. Looks like you have everything covered.”

  Ray beamed. “Just doing my job, boss.”

  Jamie snorted but didn’t say anything else. His email finally opened and he saw a file from Aubrey in his inbox. The message was simple, thanking him for his help, but it was the folder he was really interested in.

  He double clicked, downloading the attachment. While it loaded, he walked over to the coffee pot in the corner. As he passed Ray’s desk, he scooped up the empty coffee mug to pour him a new cup also.

  After filling both ceramic mugs with steaming, dark brew, he then added a splash of creamer to Ray’s before heading back across the room. Jamie loved fresh, strong coffee. He’d placed the machine on the other side of the office, knowing that if he didn’t, he’d never resist drinking too much.

  This way he had to get up from his desk, go around his team then he had the entire distance to get distracted.

  Sounded stupid but it was working. He was down to about two pots a day. At one point at the end of his ter
m with the Phoenix PD, he’d drunk four carafes full from the start of his shift to the end of it.

  Cody and Jamie teased him constantly about his excess energy. Since he was just naturally antsy, he knew the extra caffeine wasn’t helping.

  There was no way that he would ever completely give up his magic substance but he could try to take better care of himself.

  Plus, he didn’t want Aubrey to start harping on him like she currently was doing with Zak and his smoking.

  Gently setting down Ray’s coffee, Jamie then made his way back to his desk. The file that Aubrey had sent had opened and he sat to go through the information.

  Since she’d given him an accurate and precise account the last night, he could concentrate on the little details. The first boy Sean Nichols had gone up to his room to get ready for bed. The parents had said nothing strange had occurred the night the teen had left. They’d eaten dinner, then afterward, Sean had worked on his homework at the kitchen table while the mom cleaned the kitchen. The dad, a local plant worker, had been sitting in the living room watching the news and relaxing.

  Sean had kissed his mother goodnight and called out to his dad. After, he’d closed himself inside the bedroom. The parents had gone to bed a few hours later.

  Having a seventeen-year-old boy, they trusted the teen already to be asleep.

  It wasn’t until the next morning, when it was time to start getting ready for school, that they noticed the bedroom was empty. Two drawers were halfway open and it was obvious that clothes had been removed. The kid’s backpack was also missing while his books and papers had been left on the desk.

  Right away, the parents had started searching, calling friends and other people in the small community.

  No one knew anything.

  Aubrey had included pictures of the bedroom. And other than the two unclosed drawers, there weren’t any other signs that the boy had gone missing.

  A typical young man’s room.

  Scrolling down further, he came across the account for the second boy, which was the same as the other one.

  Aubrey had every reason to be concerned. Opening another window, he signed into his Coalition records account and put in the information requesting any other similar accounts.