Polar Bared (22 page)

A puny fellow who currently stood over his woman, daring to threaten her.

It seemed a certain dead husband wasn’t so dead after all. And there was the missing piece of the puzzle. How easily he could snap that scrawny fucker’s neck—and enjoy it. However, he paused as Vicky questioned the asshole. Now that he was here, his Pima was safe. Let her find closure and answers. Besides, he was curious to see this new braver Pima he kept hearing about. He couldn’t help the pride that surged in him at she bravely sputtered, “You rotten jerk.”

Not the most vehement of verbal attacks but a good start. He could always teach her better words later.

“Not happy to see me, wife?”

“I thought you were dead.”

“Surprise! Going to give me a hello kiss?”

Over my dead body.

Over hers, too, given the moue of distaste twisting her lips. “Like heck. I preferred you when I thought you were six feet underground. Why, Rick? Why and how did you fake your death?”

“Oh so many reasons, but the main one was for money. I spent years fudging the books at my company. Shifting funds and building a nest egg. The plan was to fake my death and start over somewhere tropical where a man with a few million could live like a king.”

“Well, you obviously got away with making everyone think you were dead. Why come after me, because it was you, wasn’t it? All those accidents and then those men on the arctic expedition.”

“Yes, it was me. Dying and taking on a new identity was easy. Problem was someone must have gotten wind of my money maneuvers. All the funds I’d squirreled away got transferred, leaving me penniless. Until I remembered my rich wife.”

“So you decided to kill me? That makes no sense. You were declared dead. They found a body in your car.”

“A body that they assumed was mine.”

“So you faked it. You’re still dead in the eyes of the law. I don’t understand how you thought you could hope to inherit my money if I died.”

“A miraculous recovery of course. The beauty of a body burnt beyond recognition is that it can be anyone. In this case, I was mugged, a victim of a crime. My car stolen, my identity hidden from me because of a blow to my head, which caused temporary amnesia. Until I caught sight of a news article about the demise of a certain woman that would trigger my memories. Albeit too late. I’d return to life, a sad widower and sole heir of millions.”

Millions?
Biting his tongue was all that prevented Gene from making a sound. His sweet Pima was an heiress? He could have smacked his head against the wall. When she’d thrown forth the idea someone was after her money, he’d assumed she had a few hundred thousand from a life insurance payout. But millions?

The gap he’d thought love could span suddenly widened.

“So now what are you planning? Going to just kill me in cold blood?”

How brave she sounded. And alert. Pride swelled within him. She’d come a long way from the girl who fainted every time something shocking came her way.

“Well, I can’t very well let you live,” Rick said in a matter-of-fact tone, advancing on her. “Especially now, since our little talk.” From his pocket, he pulled a gun.

“What I don’t understand is how you knew I was in this room and not in the bed?” she said, indicating the screens.

“I didn’t, until I happened to be in the diner the other day when a woman came in and ordered a burger. A burger with a familiar set of toppings.”

“Me and my craving for jalapenos, bacon, cheddar and mayo,” she grumbled.

“You and your disgusting penchant for food proved your downfall because I followed your friend back and then saw her leave hours later with a friend. It wasn’t hard to guess you weren’t in that bed. How clever of you to set a trap. But not as clever as me.” He waggled his weapon at her. “Enough blabber. Your friend will be back soon, and I’d prefer to not have to kill two of you.”

“You won’t get away with this.”

“And who’s going to stop me?”

Gene almost said
I will
, but Vicky said it first as she staggered to her feet. “I will.”

“Has my fat nerd of a wife finally gotten a backbone?” Rick laughed with clear derision. “Too late.” He aimed his gun.

Gene had heard enough. Yet, before he could step in and save Pima, she saved herself.

“No. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since you died is that it’s never too late to fix a mistake.” She then lifted her arm and, without wavering, or hesitation, fired the weapon in her hand.

She was armed?

Damn, he almost wiped a tear in pride.

As Rick toppled over, the close target making it impossible for her to miss, she finally caught sight of Gene. The gun fell from her hand with a clatter, and she whispered his name before her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled.

She never hit the floor, not with Gene to catch her.

As he held her cradled in his arms, he brushed the hair from her face tenderly. “Oh, Vicky, my brave girl.” He brushed his lips against hers. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Not run away, not this time,” she murmured against his mouth.

Surprised, he drew back to find her staring at him. “You faked fainting again,” he accused.

“Not quite. Although it was pretty damned close. But I couldn’t let it happen. Not when I knew you’d be gone again once I woke up.”

“For your—”

“Own good. Yeah. Yeah. I know the refrain. But you know what? I don’t accept it.”

“Excuse me?”

“No I won’t,” she said struggling to free herself from his arms. She stood and faced him, a brave little thing with flashing eyes behind huge lenses and hands planted on her hips. A feisty Pima who screamed sexy. “You are not running this time, Gene. I won’t let you.”

“Like you could stop me.”

“Physically no, but I intend to try, and I will succeed.”

A smirk curled his lips. “Really? And how do you intend to accomplish that? I don’t see an army. Or handcuffs.”

“I won’t need them.”

“Then you can’t stop me. This is for the best.” Before he’d entered the room, he’d convinced himself they could make it work, but knowing his Pima was wealthy, and seeing her bravery, he got cold paws.
What can I offer her that she can’t get herself?

Much as it hurt, he’d turned to walk away when she said the one thing guaranteed to hit him hardest and destroy his chance at escape.

“I love you, Gene.”

Damn.

Most women would have been crushed to see the effect the words I love you had on the man they declared them to. The slumping of his shoulders. The heavy sigh. The lowly uttered, “Why did you have to do that?”

“I said it because it’s true. I love you, Gene, and nothing you do or say will change that. You can walk away now. Run if you want, but that won’t stop me from looking for you.”

“Looking for me will draw attention.”

“Probably. But I don’t care. Life without you sucks. It’s lonely, and boring, and quite honestly, I don’t want it. I don’t care how safe it is. I’d rather live on the run or in a shack with you than without you.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and she held her breath, her moment of bravery fading the longer he went without answering. Had she misjudged? She’d thought for sure when she saw him standing there that it could mean only one thing.
He loves me.
Why else would he have shown up unless he was watching over her?

A man who didn’t care wouldn’t have bothered. Or so she hoped.

She almost missed his reply he spoke so low. “I have nothing to offer you. No riches. No house. Not even the promise of safety.”

“I’m not asking for those things. All I want is you.”

She squeaked as his arms came around her in a crushing hug.

“And I want you too, but—”

She hushed him with a kiss, a kiss into which she poured as much of her love and need as she could. To her relief, he returned it plus some, along with tongue action which turned her legs to rubber. She didn’t fall though, not with Gene holding her.

When they finally came up for air, he growled. “Since when do you play dirty?”

“Since a certain bear taught me that being timid and nice won’t get me anywhere.”

“Staying with me is consigning yourself to a life on the run.”

“Or not,” interjected Reid as he entered the room and interrupted the moment.

Gene sighed. “I swear, Pima, you’re worse for me than silver. You addle my wits.”

Which, while he meant as a complaint, she took as a compliment. She doubted much frazzled her bear. To know she did warmed her from head to toe.

Reid laughed. “That’s got to be a first. Me sneaking up on the infamous Ghost. Hello, Gene. Long time no see.”

As Gene turned to face the alpha of Kodiak Point, he kept Vicky tucked into his side, where she felt the evidence of his tension in his rigid body. “Reid. I see you’ve recovered from our meeting.”

“Never better. I trust you remember my mate?”

Tammy peeked around Reid’s bulky form and grinned. She also winked at Vicky and mouthed,
Told you so.

As in ‘told you Gene cared’. There went the twenty dollars they’d wagered.

Gene actually fidgeted. “Is this where you shoot me for what I did to your woman?”

“Actually, I wanted to say thank you,” Tammy replied. “Because of your generous blood donation I no longer need a frying pan to keep my bear in line.”

“And as I keep telling you, it wasn’t the cookware that made me fall for you but your damned mouth. Which I will gag if you don’t behave.”

“Behaving is overrated,” sassed Tammy. “Just ask Vicky. I’ll bet she’d agree. Bad girls have more fun.”

“I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call myself bad. But I’d definitely say that toeing the line does get dull.” She noted Gene’s surprised look and grinned.

“I’d like to know how this conversation got off track. I thought we were discussing convincing Gene to stay,” Reid interjected.

“Oh, he’s staying,” Tammy stated with confidence. “Because it’s his best shot at keeping Vicky safe.”

“Not with the security you’ve got watching this place,” Gene grumbled.

“Which is why we need you. I need you.” Reid faced his old friend, and Vicky could not only see, but also feel, the tension running through Gene. “We need your expertise when it comes to setting proper perimeters. We need you to teach our younger clans members how to defend our clan and spot intruders.”

Gene sighed. “Need.
What is it with that damned word suddenly following me around?
Since when did I become such a popular guy? Did I accidentally let my membership to Bad-Guys-R-Us expire?”

“The only thing bad about you is your attitude, but I’ve got a solution for that,” Reid replied.

“Oh yeah. What?” mouthed Gene at his most belligerent.

The fist that hit Gene in the jaw might have snapped his head, but it barely budged his body. It also resulted in him…laughing?

Indeed, Gene chuckled. “Finally. A more manly response instead of all this touchy-feely shit. I’ll stay, but only because you obviously need me. Your defenses suck. But I’ll warn you like I warned Brody, no goddamned singing. Or barbecues. Or anything too fucking domestic. A man can only handle so much.”

“We’re not some fucking yuppie commune,” Reid growled. “But we are clan, a clan that needs to talk apparently. But not today. It’s late, and we’ve got cleanup to do before any of the tourists see something they shouldn’t. Such as this guy. I take it you took care of him.”

“Not me, but my Pima here,” Gene said with obvious pride. “Say hello to the source of her attacks. It seems her ex-husband wasn’t as dead as everyone thought.”

“He certainly is now,” Reid remarked, “which means no one will miss him when we make his body disappear.”

“What of the other guys, the ones who went after the decoy?” Gene asked.

“All shifter. And the only one conscious isn’t talking yet. We’re going to put them on ice while we wipe any evidence.”

“Need a hand?”

“Not for this. Besides, I think Vicky might be in need of a bit of companionship, as the shock seems to be setting in.”

Indeed it was, a shiver making her shake as her gaze was snagged by the body on the floor.
Rick.
A man, who even dead, had tried to hurt her.

Not anymore.
For the first time since she’d begun her abusive relationship with Rick, she’d stood up to him. She’d not allowed him to perpetrate his cycle of violence on her.
I don’t have to take abuse, from anyone.

Of course, she probably wouldn’t necessarily resort to such permanent methods with everyone, but in this case, given his attempts to murder, she felt justified. She could console herself with the knowledge that, if she hadn’t, Gene would have. She’d seen the murderous look in his eye on the monitors when he entered the decoy room. He’d been ready to tear apart those he thought attacked her.

So hot.

Almost as hot as the arm he slung around her, which hugged her against his solid body. She tuned back in to the conversation.

“I want you to take Vicky back to my place. Tammy will be along shortly. I’ve already got men positioned around it.”

“Then what?”

“Then you meet back with me and we question the sneaky bastards who went after your woman.”

The shudder that went through Vicky this time had little to do with the fact she’d killed someone and more because of the deadly tone Gene used when he said, “Oh, they’ll be answering for that. Loudly.”

The men shared a dark chuckle.

“Torture the bad guys, get some intel, and then,” Tammy said brightly, interrupting the deadly intensity. “Rinse off the blood, grab a few cases of beer, and meet back at the house. I think it’s time all you boys got together for a barbecue and, over copious amounts of roasted meat and booze, finally stop hiding from what happened and hash it out.”

“Does she know what she’s suggesting? The shit that could happen?”

A forbearing expression creased Reid’s features. “Yes. She knows.”

“She’s nuts,” Gene muttered.

“But mine,” Reid replied fondly as he hugged Tammy to his side. “Enough blabber. Get out before I change my mind and have you work all night instead.”