Polar Bared (21 page)

And what of the coma claim? Gene didn’t believe it, assumed it was part of a ruse comprised by Brody or Reid, but what if it wasn’t? What did he truly know of what happened to Vicky once they parted ways? Had Brody gotten attacked before reaching Kodiak Point?
Is she injured in a hospital, alone and defenseless?

Gene berated himself for not seeing them safely there. In his defense, he’d feared changing his mind during the journey. But now he wished he had.

The not knowing how she fared, if she truly was injured, gnawed at him.

I’ll just go and have a peek.
Or he could call and get an update from Brody.

No. Because that would signal his interest. Better he visit in person and not let anyone know he was there. He’d slip in. Then out again.

Ha. As if that would happen. Gene had been looking for an excuse, any pretext really, to run to Vicky’s side. And now that he had one, he didn’t hesitate.

True to his nickname, Gene ghosted into town under the cover of darkness, right past their sentries—if he’d not wanted to keep his presence a secret, he would have done something to make a mockery of their feeble defenses. Unnoticed—because he was just that good—he made it to the medical center where Vicky supposedly lay in a coma. He watched people coming and going. Noted the position of the cameras, easy enough to avoid under the cover of a shift change as their electronic eyes swiveled in the opposite direction.

Tiptoeing along in stocking feet—because, contrary to the movies, boots were never quiet on hard-tiled floors—he avoided the numerous monitoring devices on his way to the section they kept convalescing patients in. He waited for the nurse to leave her station on her rounds then ducked behind the counter out of sight to peruse patient records.

There Vicky was, in black and white, a whole clipboard of info about her situation, signed by the doctor. He noted her room number and headed there next, but he didn’t need to enter her room to know Vicky wasn’t in it. While he could smell faint traces of her, the fresher trail—which drove his inner bear crazy, with the outer man not far behind—led him to the opposite end of the facility to an unmarked door. A locked door behind which he knew with every fiber of his being was his Pima.

He didn’t knock or let her know he was there. Nor did he lay his cheek on the barrier like those idiots did in sappy movies.

But neither did he entirely leave.

Exiting the building, he found some shadows to hide in. He kept watch. Watched as Reid, with his distinctive swagger, arrived and then escorted two bundled figures to his truck. Instead of trailing them, Gene cut across town to arrive at Reid’s house, where he watched from the woods. The drapes over the windows were drawn, a precaution against prying eyes, but Gene knew Vicky was inside.

And so long as she was, he watched. He followed. He stood sentinel some more.

However, he didn’t remain unnoticed. His chilly perch on the rooftop across from the medical building, while rife with hiding places, couldn’t hide him from a certain wolf tracker.

Gene didn’t bother moving or greeting Brody when he settled in beside him the next day.

“I wondered how long it would take before you showed up,” stated Brody.

It should have bothered Gene that his old friend guessed his baiting action would draw Gene to Kodiak Point. However, the well of anger that had fueled him for so long seemed to have run dry, dry where they were concerned at least. Hurt his Pima, though, and he would easily erupt. “I should kill you for using her as bait.”

“Oh please, you and I both know it’s our best chance at catching this guy. Or girl. Or whoever it is you think is targeting her.”

“Maybe. But it’s risky.”

“Name a plan that isn’t. According to reports, your girl disappeared into thin air from the expedition she was on. Authorities thought she was dead. We had to do something to draw the killer’s attention.”

“By having her at the very hospital you’re trying to lure the assassins to?”

“She insisted on helping keep watch.”

Gene snorted. “My Pima, insisting?” Surely he misheard.

“Your little lady can be quite stubborn.”

Again, Gene couldn’t help his incredulous tone. “Are we talking about the same woman here? Short, curvy, and wearing those stupidly hot glasses?”

Laughter erupted from Brody. “Yes, I’m sure. Seems her association with a certain crass bear has resulted in her growing a spine. Next thing you’ll know, she’ll turn out as bossy as Tammy or Jan.”

Wouldn’t he love to see it? Too bad he wouldn’t. “I guess now that I know this whole coma thing is part of your plan I should leave.”

“And miss all the fun?” Brody snorted. “Please. You and I both know this is where you want to be. Actually, I’ll wager down there with that little human is what you really want.”

Yeah, but he wouldn’t give in to temptation. “My being here is putting you all in danger.”

“I’d say having you on our side gives us an advantage.”

“How do you figure that?” Gene asked, averting his gaze for a moment from the building to eye Brody.

“First off, you made it past our ring of sentries unnoticed. We could use your skills to beef things up around here.”

“Me a teacher?”

“You could channel your inner sarge.”

The idea did have some appeal.
The things I could teach those young pups and cubs that I learned in the military.
Still though, putting down roots? “I’m a magnet for trouble.”

“And? Nothing wrong with a little excitement to keep a clan strong. Complacency kills. As does a stubborn refusal to accept a helping hand. Or paw. How many times do I have to tell you we’re stronger together? I know you were probably dropped on your giant squash of a head a few times as a child, but still, even you’re bright enough to understand the concept behind strength in numbers.”

“I also know the benefits to ripping out the tongues of people who annoy me,” Gene growled.

“I can feel the love. How I’ve missed your gentle camaraderie.”

“Gentle?” Gene made a disparaging sound. “I see our experience didn’t destroy your fucked sense of humor.”

“Sometimes laughter is all we have.” Brody’s mien turned serious. “We all emerged scarred from our experience, Ghost. But some of us choose to not let it dictate our future.”

A part of him wanted to scoff. Instead, he found himself asking, “How?”

“By allowing ourselves to live. By caring for others.”

“But caring hurts.” And admitting it aloud made him squirm, so he scratched a manly part to ensure his balls were still intact.

“Funny, because I’d say your plan to not care is hurting you even more.”

Stupid jerk pointing out the obvious. “I hate you.”

“Because I speak the truth. How long are you going to run from the fact you love that woman down there? How long are you both going to suffer?”

He latched onto one word. “Pima is suffering?”

“Yeah, for some strange reason, the girl misses you. One would even say she’s depressed.”

“Not because of me.” He couldn’t fathom that.

“Like I said, strange. It seems, despite the fact you’re an A-hole, the girl is fond of you. If you ask me, I think she was dropped on her head a time or two as well. How else to explain the fact that whenever you’re mentioned she jumps to your defense like a rabid wolf protecting a pup?”

“She does?” The news spread warmth through him.

“Yup. You’d have been so proud when she stood toe-to-toe with Boris, without fainting I might add, to expound upon your heroic qualities.”

Gene groaned. “She didn’t.”

“Oh, she did. Quite vehemently.”

Emotions twisted inside him as he found himself torn between wanting to shake her for her erroneous belief he was heroic and the urge to kiss her senseless for thinking he was. How he missed her. These fleeting glimpses didn’t help. They only made his craving worse and to hear she missed him too and came to the defense of his tarnished honor?

Is it any wonder I love her?

What. The. Fuck.

How had he gone from needing and caring to love? When?

Fuck.
I love her.

Now that the L word had exploded forth, even if only in his mind, it remained, a resonating realization he couldn’t shove back in a box, or bury in an unmarked grave.

While stunning, the knowledge didn’t send him rushing to her side. He still wasn’t convinced their being together was in her best interest. But it also cemented his reason for staying, and screw it if his presence drew the wrong kind of attention. If Reid and Brody didn’t give a fuck, then neither would he, and should the worst happen, he’d do his best to fight. Kill. And protect.

Given his cover was blown, Gene accepted Brody’s offer to use his place as a rest stop. Having a place to stash his shit was handy, as was the use of a shower and a bed to rest. But only when he knew Vicky was well guarded, which usually meant Brody switching spots with him and keeping an eye on her.

They fell into a routine of cooperation and renewed their old friendship with an ease that Gene never expected—yet enjoyed.

Accepting a small measure of aid didn’t mean he eased up on his vigilance. Good thing too, because someone took the bait.

As spring turned to summer, pesky tourists made their way to this remote Alaskan town. Strangers, human and not, arrived, flooding the population with their strange scents, spending their tourist dollars. It was a nightmare to track all the new arrivals, yet there was no real way of stopping them. Not without drawing attention.

The influx provided the perfect cover for someone with nefarious intentions.

A new set of hired killers finally arrived, appearing inconspicuous in their regular clothes and entering the medical center, not as a group but individually and at intervals so they didn’t call attention to themselves. Unlike in the movies, they didn’t sport villainous sneers or skulk inside, gun in hand. Just regular Joes going to see the doctor. One even held a bloody towel over his hand.

Great cover.

Just not good enough. Gene’s bear took notice and rumbled a mental warning. Yet Gene had already marked them the moment his gut said these were the guys they’d been waiting for.

As Gene jogged down the two flights of stairs to ground level, he dialed Brody, who, wearing an earpiece as he was currently playing the dummy, didn’t reply but listened as Gene simply said, “It’s time.”

He hung up and tapped a text to Boris.
Move your moose ass.

Before he put his phone away, there was one more person he needed to contact, the woman he owed a big apology to for turning her into a shifter, even if it turned out Gene had done Reid a huge favor. Still, there was no card that could properly convey
Hey, sorry for causing you some kickass fucking pain and making you turn hairy and grow big teeth.

While at his watch post, Gene noted as Tammy left the place, to grab some food at the diner. Not wanting her to come back and walk into a possible gunfight, he messaged:
Not safe. Stay where u r. G.

Screw waiting for a reply. He slid his phone in his pocket and fell into a jog as he made a beeline for the medical building. Entering it, he could hear the sounds of a fight, and he sprinted down the hall toward the commotion, but he skidded to a halt outside the door with the Brody patient decoy, for more than one reason.

First off, Brody already had things well in hand. His buddy—who didn’t save any thugs for Gene to slap around—already had three of them down and groaning. As for the fourth, he didn’t stand a chance against the wolf.

But that wasn’t the only reason Gene paused. These weren’t the hired killers he’d expected. For one thing, they were shifters. For another, he recognized one of them, the only one still standing. “You work for
him
,” he growled.

Brody, who’d grabbed the fellow in a chokehold, held him aloft and turned his head. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

A feral smile split Brody’s lips. “Awesome. Reid will definitely want to talk to them.”

Reid could try, but Gene doubted he’d learn much. Without a name or a face, just fuzzy impressions and a strong need to obey orders, these minions to the puppet master wouldn’t have much to tell. They never did. Which was why Gene was having such a hard time tracing a path back to the source of the attacks.

Speaking of which… He glanced at the camera in the corner of the room. What were the chances Vicky hadn’t seen him?

A cowardly part of him wanted to slink away instead of dealing with her. But the bear slapped it down, stomped on it, and then sat on his yellow streak for good measure. Time to face the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.

The woman he could no longer avoid.

And didn’t want to.

As he walked the hallway, which twisted and turned, the various additions to the medical facility over the years having given it an irritating layout, he couldn’t help but rehearse what he’d say.

I’m sorry.

Sorry for running out without a word.

How have you been doing?

Had she missed him as much as he missed her?

I love you.

Because he did, despite the fact that caring for her exposed his weakness. A weakness his enemies knew about and weren’t afraid to exploit.

The fact was, danger revolved around Vicky whether he was around or not. Maybe more, because at least if she was at his side, he would stop at nothing to keep her safe.

A belief reinforced by a cry of pain that he recognized at once as belonging to her.

Someone dares hurt her!
Yeah, that wiped all thoughts from his mind but one.

Kill!

As Gene rounded the last corner, he skidded to a halt and eased silently to the open door. He halted at the edge and peered around the frame, a silent presence that knew better than to rush in. Startling a killer led to hostages getting killed. Since he wanted Vicky alive, taking stock of the situation, despite his urge to barrel in, took precedence.

The sight of Vicky on the floor, a purple bruise rising on the edge of her jaw, made him burn with anger but not as much as the realization of who stood over her, threatening. While Gene had let Vicky go in a physical sense, he’d not completely let go. He’d spent more time than a grown man should, researching her online. Learning everything he could which in this day and age, was more than people realized. He’d come across many pictures, especially in the news, of the car crash that took her husband—a puny fellow he could have taken out with one punch.