“So we go?” Cynthia asked, her heart breaking as she hugged her daughter back. How could she have brought this on them? Her children were the most important thing in her life, she should have stayed at home and let someone else bring down Cracol Lemnisci.
But no one else would. No one else knew the things he’d done. Until the story broke, everyone thought Cracol Lemnisci was a good, legitimate businessman.
All except Connor.
The father of her children.
And he’d died because of that knowledge.
Chapter Two – Hunter
Hunter stepped out of his SUV and breathed the clear mountain air.
Home.
He hadn’t been back in Bear Creek for more than five days in a row for the last six months, and now he was looking forward to a couple of weeks downtime. No more people to protect. Only the spring sun on his back and the sound of birds in his ears as he took to the mountains for some R&R.
Closing the car door, he went to the trunk and took out his luggage, which consisted of one well-packed backpack and a small carry-on suitcase. He liked to travel light. Walking to the house, he opened the front door and went inside, dropping his luggage in the hallway while he bent down to retrieve his mail. Flint or Guy dropped by periodically to check on the house and pick up the mail while Hunter was away. However, they’d been busy protecting a young mother and her children and so his mail had piled up. He wasn’t complaining, there were far more important things in the world than letters on a doormat.
Hunter flicked through the envelopes absently, while he walked to the kitchen and filled up the coffee pot. He was looking forward to spending a couple of days at home, eating and drinking coffee and beer while he unwound. Then he’d pack for his trip into the mountains.
Two weeks of pleasing himself, of wearing jeans and combat boots, and not having to button up a shirt and tie a tie.
He loved his job, he loved helping people. But he did not love button-up shirts.
With the coffee pot on and the aroma of the fresh beans filling the kitchen, he began the ordeal of opening his mail, dealing with their contents while listening to the messages on his answering machine.
His usual routine was to deal with all the stuff he had to as soon as he walked through the door. Then he could shower and really begin to relax, with no worries about stuff that needed doing.
Two weeks, he reminded his bear as he finished his second cup of coffee and set the mail to one side. Two weeks of no stuff, only running across the open grass plains and climbing a peak or two until we feel as though we’re on top of the world.
His bear stretched, flexing his claws as he imagined running along the dirt trails over the mountain. It had been a long time since they’d been free to spend so long in the mountains, exploring their old haunts. His bear shook, and grinned, if bears could grin.
I need to go into town and check in with Flint and Guy, he told his bear. Then we can get some food and come back and pack.
Maybe they could move their trip to the mountains forward by a day, Hunter reflected as the low sun streamed in through the kitchen window. The weather was unseasonably good, and he wanted to take advantage of it. It was early spring, the weather could spin on its head in an instant, and his bear could end up plowing through four feet of snow in a couple of days.
Hunter walked back to the hallway, grabbed his pack and suitcase and ran upstairs. Dumping the luggage on his bed, he sorted through the contents. Ten minutes later, everything was put away, with his suits hung in the closet and his dirty clothes in the washing machine, spinning around and around.
Going back upstairs, he showered, dried himself and dressed in combat pants and sturdy boots. Pulling a T-shirt over his head, he went back downstairs, took a weatherproof jacket off the coat hook and grabbed his keys.
The drive to town gave him a chance to check out the local weather forecast on the radio while also looking at the world around him. Spring was in full swing; the warm weather had tempted the plants and trees to wake up early. The buds on the trees were fit to burst and the spring flowers were opening up their delicate petals to add a flash of color in the hedgerows and gardens as he drove past the houses dotted along the route.
Home. He was home.
Hunter had been all over the world working as a bodyguard. But nothing was quite like coming home.
No place in the world was like Bear Creek.
Hunter reached the offices that served as the Bear Creek Bodyguards HQ and parked his car behind the building. Taking a folder off the front seat, he exited the car and strode across the asphalt, wanting to get the meeting over as fast as possible, since he planned to make the most of the glorious day. After this meeting, he would visit the store, take his groceries home and then go for a walk along the lower slopes to stretch his legs.
His human legs, he told his bear.
He had some muscles that needed unkinking after the flight home.
“Are Cynthia and the kids okay?” Flint’s gruff voice reached Hunter as he pushed open the front door of the old building and went inside. It wasn’t unusual for them to be called in as a dangerous scenario unfolded, but it was unusual for Flint to be emotionally involved.
“Yes, she’s just boarded a plane. They should arrive in a couple of hours. I’ll go to the airport to meet them.” A female voice filled with more concern drifted out of the office used by the two men who ran Bear Creek Bodyguards. He’d heard that Flint had found his mate. And Hunter was intrigued to meet the woman who had tamed the old bear shifter.
“Have I arrived at a bad time?” Hunter knocked lightly on the door, which stood ajar, and went inside. The shifters in the room would have known he was here from the moment he got out of his car, if not before. Guy and Flint were both well known for their heightened shifter senses.
“Hunter. No, not at all.” Guy, who was ex-police, got up from his seat and came to meet Hunter. “Good to see you back.”
Hunter handed Guy the folder with the completed paperwork from his last job. “I can come back some other time.” He couldn’t help himself, despite his bear groaning loudly as he said his next words, “Or is there something you need my help with?”
Two weeks’ vacation, his bear reminded him. Two weeks of running free across the mountains.
“Thanks, Hunter. But I think we can handle this.” Flint came around the desk and shook Hunter’s hand. “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to your free time.”
“Are you sure?” Hunter didn’t need heightened senses to tell something was wrong.
Don’t you want two weeks’ vacation? his bear growled.
We can spare a couple of hours, Hunter replied, knowing his bear would do anything for anyone if they needed help.
“We’re sure.” Flint glanced at the woman, who looked unsure. “This is my mate, Jenna. I should have introduced you.” The look in Flint’s eyes as he talked about his mate showed the depth of his love and longing for the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
A pang of longing hit Hunter. He was ready to settle down and have kids. He didn’t want to wait around for years until he found their mate. He wanted to spend a long life with his mate, unlike Flint and Guy. But he knew better than anyone that these things could not be rushed or forced. A mate appeared in your life at just the right time.
Or so his mom had always told him.
“Hi, Jenna, I’m Hunter.” He offered his hand to Jenna who took it with a firm grasp. “Good to meet you. Flint speaks highly of you.”
Flint looked down at his shoes and grumbled something unintelligible in his growly gruff voice.
“I think a lot of him, too,” Hunter told Jenna, then winked. “But don’t tell the old bear, he gets embarrassed about showing his emotions.”
Jenna laughed despite the evident seriousness of the situation unfolding. “You know him well.”
“We’ve known each other for a few years.” Hunter cracked a smile at Flint. “So come on, spill.
What can I do to help?”
“I told you about the babysitting job Guy made me do.” Flint didn’t make eye contact with either guy or Jenna as he spoke.
“A job you enjoyed so much that you decided to adopt a kid or two yourself?” Guy retorted.
“Really?” Hunter asked.
“Maybe.” Flint’s expression faltered, and Jenna moved closer to him. “Yes.”
“I remember. The woman involved broke up a child trafficking ring, didn’t she?” Hunter might not have been home for a while, but he talked to Flint every couple of days, except when the old bear was driving across country with two children and Jenna.
“That’s the one.” Flint nodded. “Well, she is in trouble. And she’s on her way here.”
“I thought you caught the guy who was after her and her kids.” Hunter had even seen the arrest on the news. “How did she manage to get into trouble again so fast?”
Hunter had to admire Cynthia for taking on a man like Cracol Lemnisci. He had money and connections, enough to crush most people under his hand-stitched leather shoes without missing a step. But Cynthia had persevered until she brought him, and the other people involved, down.
“It seems trouble has come looking for her.” Guy picked up a piece of paper from his desk and showed it to Hunter. It was a printout of a photograph taken on a phone.
“Someone sent this to her?” Hunter took the piece of paper and looked at it closely.
“Someone hand-delivered it this morning.” Flint slid his arm around Jenna’s shoulders and hugged her close. Hunter had never seen his boss so emotionally expressive.
And she loved the old bear right back, he could see it in her face and in the way she placed her hand on his chest as if drawing comfort from him.
“Hand-delivered. I don’t suppose she saw who it was.” He suspected the letter would have been delivered anonymously, but they might get lucky. People could be just plain stupid about these things.
“No. She heard the mailbox, by the time she found the letter and opened it, the person was long gone.” Guy ran a hand through his hair. “We know some of the police in the area were mixed up with Cracol Lemnisci. When he was arrested, we hoped most of the corrupt cops went with him. There were several arrests.” Guy took the printout off Hunter and examined it once more. “But we can’t be sure, which is why she’s coming here. We’ve notified Brad and he’ll help in any way he can.”
“That’s probably a wise decision.” Hunter hated the idea of corrupt police. If you couldn’t turn to the police, who could you turn to? “Can you keep her safe once she’s here?”
“Between the three of us, we should be able to. If we take shifts, we can watch her around the clock.” Flint didn’t look at Jenna. He wasn’t certain they could keep her safe. This didn’t sit well with Hunter. Cynthia had two young children…
Offer to protect them, his bear said firmly.
What about our two weeks on the mountain? Hunter asked, although his mind was already made up. He just liked to dig at his bear and his urge to protect those who were in need.
The mountain is not going anywhere. There will be other days, other weeks. And maybe this will end quickly, and we’ll get a few days on the mountain before we have to work our next job. Hunter’s pride in the other side of himself swelled.
I appreciate it. I didn’t want to fight you over this...
It’s the right thing to do. And when have we ever not done the right thing? his bear asked.
Never.
Not that doing the right thing always turned out as they planned. But Hunter could say with a clear conscience that he’d always acted in good faith in the belief that he was making the world a better place by protecting those in it who could not protect themselves. Which was a larger number of people than he would ever have believed growing up as a kid.
“Listen, I could go with Jenna to the airport and collect Cynthia and her kids,” Hunter suggested.
“But you’ve only just gotten back from the airport, we couldn’t ask you to go all the way back there again.” But Jenna’s expression told him she hoped that was exactly what he would do.
“Are you certain, Hunter?” Flint asked with relief. “One of us would go, but we have a meeting scheduled with a large client and neither of us has the time.”
“I’m certain. I have some grocery shopping to do and then I can swing by and pick you up, Jenna. If that’s okay?”
“Great. I’ll go home and get the house ready for our guests.” Jenna kissed Flint on the cheek and picked up her purse before walking to the door. “You’ll love Cynthia and her kids.” She beamed at Hunter and then left the room.
Little did Hunter know as he went to the grocery store just how true those words were.
Chapter Three – Cynthia
Cynthia’s stomach churned as the plane landed on the runway and they began to disembark. What was she thinking uprooting their lives over a letter?
Her hand clutched her purse where the cursed bag, containing the envelope, letter and photograph, was nestled next to her wallet and their passports. She’d brought them with her just in case they had to flee the country. Yes, if Bear Creek wasn’t far enough to run, she would go elsewhere. Somewhere where no one knew her. Surely whoever wrote the letter was not crazy enough to follow them overseas?
“I can see the mountains!” Thomas jumped up and down and pointed into the distance.
“I see them, too,” Laurel said excitedly.
“You really do like the mountains, don’t you?” Cynthia asked, her guilt at uprooting them easing a little.
Their father used to tell Cynthia that all things happen for a reason. When he died, in an apparent suicide, his words were difficult to hold on to.
It was only a couple of years later when she learned the truth about his murder that she could see the meaning in his words. Words that came true when she finally uncovered the child trafficking ring. His death had spurred her on to keep going until she broke down the barriers protecting Cracol Lemnisci. She had finally avenged his death and fulfilled his wishes.
“Mommy.” Thomas pulled on her sleeve.
She jerked like a puppet on a string, not realizing she had been staring into the distance, gazing at the mountains while the rest of the passengers made their way to luggage collection. “I was just taking a good look at the mountains.” She smiled to cover her inner turmoil. “When we were here before, I didn’t really have time to appreciate them.”
“Can we stay in Walt’s cabin sometime? Like a vacation?” Laurel asked as she took her mom’s hand and pulled her forward.
“I’d like that.” Cynthia shivered as a cool breeze swept over them. “But maybe in the summer when it’s warmer.”
“I can’t believe we’ll be in Bear Creek to watch all the seasons,” Laurel said in awe as they went to gather their luggage.
“Can we buy a sled for next winter?” Thomas asked. “I want to slide down the mountain from the top to the bottom.” He made a whooshing noise and pretended to slide in a slalom, twisting and turning his small body.
“Maybe, if you can be sensible. We need to get our luggage and we have to be aware of other people.” Cynthia’s words helped calm her son, but Thomas was itching to run around after the drive to the airport and the flight. But there was one last part of the journey to make and she needed him on his best behavior.
“There’s where we collect our suitcases from.” Laurel pointed to the sign for Baggage Claim, where they could collect their luggage as it was taken off the plane.
“Yes, it is. Remember, Thomas, I need you to behave and not climb on the baggage carousel.” Cynthia gave her son a stern look.
“Okay.” He nodded, then added, “But it looks so fun.”
“I know, honey, but it’s also dangerous. You could get hurt.” Cynthia watched the bags going around but couldn’t see theirs. She looked at her watch. Jenna would be waiting in the parking lot, they needed to get a move on.
“That’s o
ne of ours.” Laurel pointed to a worn suitcase coming toward them. “It’s yours, Mommy.”
Cynthia reached out and took the suitcase off the carousel. It was worn and tattered around the edges, but it had been all over the world with her and she loved it like an old friend. “And there’s yours.” Cynthia grabbed hold of Laurel’s small suitcase and then they all waited for Thomas’s.
At last, it appeared. Like a busy bumble bee, it came toward them, black and yellow. Cynthia smiled as she grabbed it off the carousel and put it down in front of Thomas. Her son picked it up with both hands and heaved it off the floor. “It’s heavy.”
“No heavier than when you carried it into the airport and told us how light it was since you were Superman in disguise,” Laurel told her brother as she pulled the handle up on her own suitcase. It was pink with butterflies fluttering around on it, carefree just as a child’s life should be.
“Come on. Jenna will be waiting for us.” Cynthia helped Thomas pull the handle up on his case. “Here, this is so you don’t have to carry it.”
“I’m strong enough,” Thomas insisted as he carried the suitcase in his hands, huffing and puffing like a train.
“You might be strong enough, but you’ll slow us down.” Cynthia put her hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “You have nothing to prove,” she added gently.
He looked up at her and then took hold of the handle. “I know, but I want to be strong like Flint. He has superhuman senses.”
“I know he does, honey. But he’s also a grown man.” Cynthia winced. “And you are a growing young man.”
“He’s a shifter, that’s why he’s stronger.” The disappointment in Thomas’s voice was palpable. “I’d love to be a shifter and change into a fierce bear.”
“You’re not supposed to talk about it,” Laurel warned him in a hushed voice.
“No one is listening.” Thomas waggled his head at his sister. Normally Thomas and Laurel got along well, but the stress of the long journey was beginning to tell. They were one snarky comment away from a full-blown argument.
“Okay, let’s all look for Jenna,” Cynthia suggested as they walked out of baggage collection and headed toward the main terminal.
Protector Bear Page 2
