Bear to the Rescue (Bear Claw Security Book 3) (15 page)

C
hapter
1

Carly had to get out of this town.

She absentmindedly wiped down the tables at Lone Tree Bar and Grill once more. Anything to pass the time during the dead zone between lunch and dinner. The bar was deathly quiet in the afternoons, only frequented by the occasional jobless man looking to drown his sorrows or people who worked night shifts looking to take the edge off before work started.

The Lone Tree was one of several bars in Bearstone Village, a tiny town nestled at the base of a vast mountain range that held one of the world’s most famous winter sports resorts, Bearstone Park. But unlike Bearstone Park, this town was old, rundown, and virtually empty during summers when the resorts were closed, since nobody would drive through a tiny place like this except to get to somewhere much nicer.

If only I could make enough to move out and get a fresh start someplace new,
Carly thought to herself as she grabbed the rag she was using and tossed it into a small bucket.

She was grateful that Rob, the owner, had given her the job six months ago, since it was the only thing keeping her afloat right now. She was still several months behind on rent since the creditors were constantly haranguing her to make good on her other payments, but at least she was moving forward, not backward.

Around five or so, people would start milling in to grab a beer or a bite to eat, and things would pick up. Depending on tips, she could sometimes do all right, though most people in this town were just as poor as she was.

Carly had just started drying a few clean glasses when she was interrupted by the tinkle of the bells that hung over the front door. She looked up to see a huge shadow standing in the doorway. In walked a towering man wearing leather boots, roughed-up jeans, and a huge black leather jacket that bulged at the shoulders.

He probably stood at six feet six or so, a good foot or more taller than Carly. He had dark, unkempt hair that fell over his face in slight waves, which looked like a woman had just been running her hands through them, and steely blue eyes that watched her carefully, showing no emotion.

As he came into the light and nodded to Carly, she recognized his handsome, masculine face.

Zeus Wilson.

He walked over to his usual stool at the far corner of the bar. She could almost feel the ground rumble beneath her from the
thump-thump
of his huge boots as he moved, and despite his worn-looking clothes, she could make out incredibly muscled thighs straining his jeans and massive pecs and arms that looked ready to burst out of his jacket.

Zeus had come in a few times since Carly had worked here. After the first time, she’d asked Rob about him.

Apparently, he was a noted recluse who lived alone in the mountains and only came down occasionally to do business with locals.

“What can I get for you?” Carly asked from behind the bar where she stood. Even hunched over with his arms planted on the bar top, the man was humongous. His mere presence was intimidating.

“Whisky,” Zeus answered in a husky tone that filled her with anticipation. He was so large, so masculine; it was impossible to not be aware of his presence.

“Which brand?” she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“Any,” he replied.

Carly grabbed a bottle of something mid-range and a shot glass. As she came over to where he was seated, she could feel his eyes following her every movement, intimidating but also thrilling. It made her scared to look directly at him for fear of making eye contact and seeing those striking blue irises, so she watched the ground as she came over.

She opened the bottle and moved to pour a shot for him when the bottle was gently whisked out of her hand. Carly looked up to see Zeus set the bottle beside him and pull something out of the pocket of his jacket with the other.

He slid money onto the bar in front of her. Her eyes widened as she looked down at it. A hundred was far too much, especially considering he was pouring his own drinks and making it less work for her.

“I can’t take that,” Carly said, pushing the bill toward him. The last thing she wanted to do was rip someone off. Especially someone like Zeus, who’d always been a good customer.

Zeus put his hand over hers, his huge fingers entirely enveloping it and the hundred. There was a slight roughness to his palm that she could feel on the top of her hand, and the light touch sent sparks of electricity through her fingers and down her spine, giving her goose bumps. He gently pushed her hand and the bill toward her, and she finally dared to look up and meet his piercing gaze.

His clear blue eyes were a deep royal blue. Intense, with a depth that seemed to go on forever.

Zeus said nothing, just shook his head slowly as he pressed her hand back along the smooth bar, the money underneath it. When his hand finally released hers, Carly let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

The whole exchange could have lasted all of three seconds or several minutes. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was the closer she got to him, the more he took her breath away.

Carly nodded in understanding, and for a moment, she thought she could see the smallest ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth before he put the bottle to his lips and took a long swig. She couldn’t help but admire at this distance his incredibly masculine features. His powerful, straight jaw. Thick brows that made his gaze even more intense. Tanned skin and broad cheekbones. And perfectly defined lips that pursed slightly as he drank.

It made her wonder what those lips would feel like on hers.

Carly’s last relationship had gone down in flames only a year ago, leaving her stuck in this town, working off debts she’d likely never repay, and she wasn’t eager to start something with a man again.

But something about Zeus made a woman want to try.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the clank of the bottle onto the counter, and Carly quickly went back to what she’d been doing before, hoping he hadn’t noticed her gawking.

She went to the cash register to break the hundred into smaller amounts so she could put the excess into the tip jar. But when she opened the register, she saw it was out of twenties.

Rob kept all the cash in his office in a safe, and Carly knew they would need money in the register before the evening regulars came in anyway, so she exited the bar and headed for Rob’s office.

“Excuse me for a moment,” she said to Zeus, trying to sound formal but hearing something that sounded more like a squeak come out of her mouth.

The man didn’t reply, just nodded, but still followed her intently with his eyes. As she walked past him, she could swear he was watching as she walked down the hallway that connected with the storage rooms and Rob’s office. But when she turned around to look, all she saw was the huge man hunched over the bar and turned away from her.

She went through a door for employees only, turned down the hall, and came up to the thick wooden door that led into the office. Carly listened to see if he was playing his oldies rock station. She knew Rob didn’t like to be interrupted if he was in the middle of doing financials or counting money, and the sure sign he was doing either of those was the sound of Lynyrd Skynyrd or Bob Seger coming from the office.

But instead of the sound of music, she heard voices coming from inside. Angry voices. She perked her ear closer to the door

“You’re way behind on your payments, Rob. Where’s the money you owe us?” said one voice, gruff and mean.

“I don’t have it yet. I will by the end of the month.” Rob sounded terrified.

“Do we have to remind you this is for
your
protection, friend? If you can’t make good on your part, then how are we supposed to keep you and your establishment safe from rival gangs in the area?” said another voice, this one more cool and conniving.

It sounded like extortion. She’d heard whispers from drunks and other locals about the town being under the control of a resident biker gang, the Red Devils, but she’d never seen any proof of it, and she wasn’t one to pry into dangerous things.

She didn’t know if she should run and call the police. If she did, it might be too late for them to do anything.

“Maybe we oughta teach him a lesson. Give him a taste of what’ll happen if he doesn’t meet the deadline by the end of the month,” said the first voice.

Carly couldn’t wait any longer. She had to do something. She turned to go to the bar and use the phone. But she’d only taken one step when the floor gave a loud creak beneath her.

Carly cursed and froze, hoping the men inside hadn’t heard the wood betray her.

“Did you hear that?”

“Go outside and check it out. I’ll stay here.”

Carly knew they’d found her out, so she rushed for the end of the hall and the door that led back into the main restaurant area. Behind her, she heard the door fly open with a bang, followed by loud footsteps coming up on her fast. Though the hallway wasn’t that long, it felt like a mile. Her heart was pounding as she ran.

Angry voices muttered behind her, and she knew they were close. She sprinted for the door and pushed it open, but before she could make it out, a hand grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back into the poorly lit hall.

She was shoved against the wall and realized she was surrounded by three terrifying men dressed in various combinations of grubby-looking biker gear. One had a headband that was red and black. Another wore dark sunglasses. And the last had a smug grin that showed missing teeth.

“What do we have here?” he snarled.

“Rob didn’t tell us he had such a hot piece of ass working for him,” said another as he leered.

She was totally caged in by the three of them. At the other end of the hall, she could still hear someone else inside Rob’s office, making threats, but she was too frightened to make out any of it.

“What did you hear?” asked the one in front of her. He was by far the meanest-looking of the three.

“N-nothing,” Carly stuttered.

“Really?” he asked doubtfully.

“Honest, I swear. I don’t know anything.” Carly tried to sound convincing, tried to keep herself together. But she’d never been more scared in her life, and she could feel tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes.

Everything had just gone wrong for her, ever since she came to this town. No, even before that, if she really thought about it.

“Maybe we can take her as a down payment on Rob’s debt. I don’t think he would mind,” the one with missing teeth said with an evil grin. He leaned in, and she cringed away, avoiding his fetid breath as he tried to kiss her.

In that very second, the door behind them that led into the bar whooshed open with incredible speed. A huge figure stood on the threshold, looming just a few feet away.

All three men turned around at the same time and looked up at Zeus, standing at his full, intimidating height, hands clenched and blue eyes glaring down at them.

She could feel the rage emanating from him, and somehow it made her feel secure, like everything was going to be all right.

“Let the woman go,” Zeus growled, assessing the men before him like a predator eyeing prey.

“Who the hell are you?” the mean-looking one spat, stepping forward. All three of the thugs were large, burly men. But they were tiny hills compared to the mountain that was Zeus.

“None of your business. Just let the lady go and there won’t be any trouble,” Zeus said darkly, taking a small step forward.

The man on the right stepped forward. “How about you go fu—”

His curse was interrupted by a loud crack as Zeus’s fist connected straight with the man’s jaw, sending him flying into the wall to Carly’s right with a loud thump.

For a split second, the other two turned and looked at their comrade, stunned. Then, in unison, both men charged at Zeus. He grabbed them both easily and pulled them into the main eating area, away from Carly.

Carly saw the man motionless to her side, but she still heard an angry voice coming from the direction of Rob’s office, so she took the opening and came out of the hallway, ducking behind a table in the corner of the restaurant and hoping to stay out of sight.

Zeus held both men by the collar, then tossed one to the side while the other swung wildly at him. He kicked that one in the gut, and the man flew backward, crashing through chairs and tables. The other man lunged at Zeus, who whirled around to meet him with a solid punch to the nose that sent the thug reeling back into a table and then falling to the ground, out cold.

Despite his sheer size, Zeus moved with incredible precision and speed. Most men around these parts were no strangers to bar fights, but the way Zeus fought was more practiced and honed. The kind of skill that came from a lifetime of training.

In that moment, another man came in, swearing up a storm and running at Zeus. It was the one who had stayed in Rob’s office, and Carly guessed he was probably the highest in command of the group, based on his size and how he’d been the one giving commands earlier.

“You picked the wrong people to mess with, stranger,” he said.

Zeus said nothing. Just replied by grabbing the charging man by his collar and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The man shrieked as he landed square in the middle of a large table, which buckled beneath him and crashed onto the ground in a cloud of splinters.

The man groaned as he rolled over and tried to get up. Zeus didn’t let up, just walked over to the man, examined him for a split second, and gave him one swift blow to the head, knocking him out.

For a moment, the room was still, not a sound disrupting the odd quiet as Zeus looked around one last time, then came over to the table Carly was hidden behind.

Her blood froze. Not only was this the largest, most badass man she had ever seen in her entire life. But he was also dangerous. What would he do with her?

Zeus knelt in front of her and reached out his hand. The anger and coldness were gone from his eyes. Instead, there was a gentle warmth that eased her worry.