Bear with Me (Bear Mountain Patrol Series Book 1) (9 page)

According to this account, Camilla had been shy, shunned others and remained closeted at home or with a few friends. None of that fit the photos her roommates showed him. Quite the opposite, she appeared energized, happy, and ready to take on the world. Maybe it was living away from home, he wasn’t sure. Camilla dated less than five guys, one in college but they broke up her third year. Her mom never remarried after the death of her dad and lived alone in Broward County, Florida. They remained in the house and area. Nothing unusual there.

Tag frowned at the brevity of the report. There should be pages of data on the vibrant woman he had seen in those photos. What was Camilla hiding? And who was the real Camilla Lopez? Tag wanted to know.

Chapter 11

At sunrise the next morning, Tag walked away from his hotel in search of a substantial meal. Continental breakfasts made no sense; he refused to call it breakfast. Down the road, a restaurant cooked a delightful buffet of meats, breads and other foodstuff that called to him.

He took three pieces of each meat, eggs and pancakes. Because of his size, no one ever questioned the five plates heaped with food on the table in front of him, which he appreciated. Back home, everyone gardened and owned cows, pigs, chickens and a few sheep. It wasn’t that they didn’t shop at the grocery stores, they did but they supplemented their diets with the extra meat to keep outsiders from learning of their large appetites. 

Finished, he headed back to the hotel. Lorenzo had discovered the locations of properties owned by Green and Brody. Tag planned to visit each to search for Camilla’s scent. He could pick up a faint scent a mile away but hoped to get closer. Combined, there were 10 properties and he’d spent a huge amount of time last night reviewing maps, security plans and exit strategies in case she was in any of those places.

Eager and optimistic, he checked out of the hotel before eight and headed to the first location in Loveland. By two that afternoon, he had searched half the list with no luck and sat in his car in a small town an hour from Loveland with sagging spirits. No matter how much he tried to bolster them, Camilla had been missing for over 48 hours. Ryan lay in a hospital bed from an unexplained attack. Tag was no closer to finding her and making good on his promise. Leaning against the headrest he sighed, closed his eyes for a moment then stepped out in front of the restaurant and stopped. Broiled meats, fresh flowers, unwashed bodies and a host of other smells filled the air but one very faint one in particular tickled his nostrils. After inhaling her nightshirt this morning he filtered through the odors zeroing on one. Turning right, he started walking. As her scent grew stronger, he increased his pace.

Buses turned onto the road, children skipped along the sidewalk, nothing deterred him from following the elusive yet familiar scent. Harsh, unforgiving sun rays beat against his back and shimmered across the asphalt. A car screeched on brakes with a long unbroken serenade on the horn. Sweat ran from his forehead to his chest, down his belly until absorbed by his shirt.

Tag raised a hand in apology and ran the rest of the way across the street.

Grizzle growled at the challenge.

“
Not now, she’s close. Ryan’s friend.”

“Prey
?”

Tag ignored the question and continued down the sidewalk and stopped in front of the bus station. Breathing deeply, he stepped inside and wrinkled his nose at the rancid odors of uneaten food, unwashed bodies and urine. Where was she? A handful of people milled around the small waiting area. Following the faint trail of her scent, Tag moved down the hall and stood in front of the side-by-side bathroom doors.

A woman walked out the women’s door and jerked back pulling her coat close to her chest as she walked sideways to put as much distance between them as possible. Tag waited until she was around the corner and stepped inside the woman’s bathroom for a quick look. Empty, just a toilet and sink.

He stepped out and headed back toward the front when the men’s bathroom opened. Her scent slammed into him. A small, dirty man smelling of urine stepped out wearing a female jogging top. He stopped and looked up at Tag then tried to walk by.

“Where’d you get that top?”

“Huh?”  The man blinked a few times. Beneath the grime on his face Tag noticed his skin reddened.

Tag stepped closer. “You heard me, where did you get that top?”

“I…I…I found it.” Although the man pulled his jacket closed, covering the top and his hands shook as if he was afraid, he wasn’t.

Tag pulled a $20 bill from his wallet and held it between his fingertips. “Show me where.”

Staring at the $20 as if it were a $100, the man nodded repeatedly and pointed down the hall. “Inna bag.”

“Where’s the bag?” Tag asked.

“In there, trash. You wan’ it?” He swallowed hard while staring at the money.

“Yes, get it. Then show me where you found it.”

The guy spun around and returned to the bathroom. Without closing the door, he snatched the bag then gave it to Tag.

“Here ya go.” He rubbed his hands on his dirty pants while watching Tag sniff the plastic sack.

“Show me.” Tag moved out the way and followed the man down the hall and toward the front of the building. They stopped short of going outside.

“He put the bag in there, right there.” He pointed to a metal trashcan chained to the masonry column.

“Do you remember what the man looked like? Was he alone?”

“White dude, not big like you, mean-looking. Didn’t see nobody else, ask one of ‘em behind the glass, he would’a talked to ‘em.”

Tag looked at the ticket sales window.

“Um…can I ‘ave me money now?”

Tag extended his hand. The man took it and allowed Tag to shake it as he transferred the money. “Thanks, I appreciate your help.”

The vagrant bobbed his head several times as he walked away. “Welcome, Mister.”

Tag spoke to the woman at the counter and showed her Camilla’s picture. Neither of them had seen Camilla.

“What about that guy who bought the ticket to Canada for his sister?” one of the women asked the other. “Said she was sick and he was sending her home. Ruby handled that sale but she’s at lunch. As far as I recall the sister never came to the window, he may have pointed her out to Ruby or something.”

Sister? Canada? None of it made sense. Why would they release her then put her on a bus out the country? Still he needed to check. “Where does the bus stop?”

“Here’s the schedule. You just missed it. Left here a little late, so the driver’ll try to make up time. But it stops at these places.” She pointed to the locations on the map. The next stop was about thirty miles north of where he stopped for lunch.

“Thanks,” he said grabbing the brochure then moved quickly away from the counter. When he cleared the building, he ran to his car as a sense of urgency gripped him. If he pressed the pedal he could reach the next station about the same time as the bus.

“Hunt?”
Grizzle asked.

“Yes,”
Tag said as he started the car.

<<<<>>>>

Tag released a satisfied grunt as he pulled behind the bus, grabbed his keys and jumped out. Passengers picked up their unloaded luggage and left the crowded area. Tag searched the crowd for Camilla. Relief turned to concern. What if she hadn’t been placed on this bus? Hundreds of odors buffeted him. He stepped aside filtering fumes, body odors and food to find her while waiting for the last person to exit the bus.

When the bus emptied, Tag jumped to the second step and looked to the left. Camilla’s face lay against the window, eyes closed, mouth opened slightly, she appeared sleep. Tag released a long breath and moved toward her. Messy curls escaped the band meant to corral them. The gray velour jogging suit looked new and expensive, definitely out of place on this bus.

“Camilla.” He took her hand. “Camilla.” She frowned and turned toward him. Her eyes opened slightly.

“Tag?” she whispered.

His brow shot up. She recognized him?

“Yeah, it’s me. How’re you feeling?” He placed his hand on her forehead. No temperature. Plus, she didn’t smell sick which made his job of removing her from the bus easier.

“Thirsty. Hungry. Tired,” she whispered, her voice cracked.

Those things he could take care of.

“You know her?” The driver asked from the front of the bus.

“Yeah, I’ve been looking for her. How’d she wind up on this bus?” Tag asked while stroking her hair away from her face in the same way he’d done to his sisters when they didn’t feel well, of course they were much younger at the time.

Her soft, delicate hand touched his much rougher one just as she’d done the first time they met. Understanding her need to connect with someone halfway familiar, he held on while waiting for an answer.

“Some guy put her on here. That’s all I know. Her fare’s paid to the border. I wondered what would happen to her once we got there. She’s got no passport.”

“No worries. I’ve got her now.” Tag stood. “Scoot this way, Camilla. I’ll take you home.”

“Home,” she murmured but didn’t move.

Tag pulled her out of the seat and held her around the waist to take her down the narrow aisle. Once outside, he picked her up, carried her to his car then laid her on the back seat. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he walked to the driver’s side. He looked around and locked gazes with Jackson, from the BMP. Maybe they found the connection between her disappearance, Green and Sanchez and worried he’d get involved. Too late, he was already involved.

Neither spoke or moved.

Camilla moaned. Tag slid into the front seat and pulled out onto the highway.

“Fucking bastard, following me as if I were a cub,” he muttered while looking in the rearview mirror for Jackson or one of his cronies. When he turned onto the road leading to his home, he realized he should have turned the other way toward her home in Millen and slapped the steering wheel. Jackson, Green, Sanchez, the whole lot of them were getting under his skin. Since his dad’s death, he’d been off his game but no longer. If an opportunity arose to avenge his father and allowed his family to live in safety, he would damn sure take it.

He called Tyra.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice sad. “He’s not doing well,” she said. “Something happened and they took him back to surgery.”

Tag exhaled. He had skipped lunch and needed food, so did Camilla. They both needed to bathe. Grizzle needed to run free.

“I need to run by my house, check on a few things then I’ll head back down there.”

He wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell her about Camilla, maybe he wanted a few hours of peace. They needed to talk about what happened while it was fresh. Or he didn’t think the timing was right for her to be in the hospital right now. Those were excuses not the main reason. Camilla surprised him when she recognized him and he didn’t like surprises. The need to know why she remembered him burned in his gut.

“Don’t come tonight, he’s going to be out of it until tomorrow some time. Call first and I’ll put the phone to his ear for you,” Tyra said, sounding more and more like a girlfriend.

“Okay. Talk to you then.” He hung up surprised she hadn’t asked about Camilla then looked in his rearview mirror. Eyes closed, she lay with the side of her face on her hands.

Tag smiled at her angelic appearance and turned down the road leading to his home.

Chapter 12

The dark cloud in the recesses of her mind parted allowing her to see clearly for the first time in what seemed like years. Camilla ran around the track without the weight of her glasses. She threw her head back, feeling free and complete for the first time in her life. Sharp pins dug into her scalp in some sort of macabre rhythm sending intense jolts down her neck. Nauseated, her stomach clenched. Her knees locked.

“
Answer the damn phone, Tyra
.” Her eyes refused to open.

“
Are you okay?”

“Help me lady who runs faster than me. Don’t leave, I was just showing you the phone.”

“Camilla?”

“Who are you? Go away. You don’t smell right.”

“Come with me.
” She tried to fight him but her arms wouldn’t move.

“
Tag! Help me
.”

A wave of crippling grief washed over her at the mention of his name. Heavy-hearted, she accepted he wasn’t her knight. For years she’d thought of him, even tried to find someone like him and failed. In the eyes of every man who talked to her, she searched for him. Good Lord why him? He wasn’t the most handsome, or the smartest? But like a needle in a craw he stuck in the back of her mind. She couldn’t flush him out. Why did he epitomize the perfect man in her dreams?
Dreams
…Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. In the quiet of her mind the truth spoke and hurt, he didn’t want her. There would be no future with him.

No babies. No home. No Tag
.

He never asked for her. Never cared for her. Never thought of her and that was killing her.

“Camilla?”

Stop! She didn’t want to talk to anyone anymore. She didn’t know who was looking for her or where Ryan was. Her cousin traveled all over the world just like Tag… no, stop thinking about him.

“Camilla.”

She frowned at the raised voice. He sounded real. Close. It hurt to see but she had to be sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks again and peeked. A hazy vision of a man stood nearby. “Tag?” she whispered her deepest, darkest wish, not what she considered reality.

“Yeah, it’s me…”

The deep timbre of his voice awakened every part of her, resurrecting hope and crushed dreams. Questions floated haphazardly across her mind but she couldn’t lock any of them down. The needs of an empty belly and a dry, sore throat rose to the top of her list for correction.

Strong, callused hands touched her arm after all the years of waiting. This time she wouldn’t let him go.

“Camilla, you need to drink this.”

It hurt to talk, open her eyes or move. Hearing seemed okay.

“No,” she whispered. The bed, dipped. She gasped at the pain but didn’t cry out.

“You have to drink this; it’ll make you feel better.”

Focused on his voice, she fought her way through the dark cotton. “Tag?”

“Yeah. Do you remember me bringing you here yesterday?”

Tag was here? He came to see her? What? Yesterday? He took her somewhere?
Camilla struggled against the pain and discomfort and opened her eyes. Through the dimness of the room, she barely made out his features. Not a dream. Tag. They were together somewhere.

“Here drink this. My mom swears by it.” He held the cup next to her lips and she took sip of the warm liquid, moaning in pleasure as it coated her throat, easing the pain. Neither spoke until she drained the cup. There were a few tense moments when her belly revolted and she thought she’d embarrass herself but he was patient, much more patient than she remembered.

Finished, she leaned back. Through hazy shadows she saw his thick eyebrows over intense russet-colored eyes. He wore his hair longer than she remembered. But his triangular face, sharp nose and long lashes were the same. She traced the scar near his eye with her fingertip. “This is new.”

Tag leaned back, breaking their connection. “Not really, I’ve had it for a few years.” He paused. “Do you remember anything that happened?”

“Happened?” She didn’t understand.

“You were running in the park then you called Tyra… your roommate, to tell her you didn’t feel well. She looked for you but you had left the park. Do you remember any of that?”

Frowning, she searched for his hand, took and threaded their fingers together.  The pad of her thumb slid back and forth over one callous on his palm. “No. Well, bits and pieces. I’m not sure what’s real or not. Like right now.” She looked up and cursed her poor vision, this time she wished she could see him clearly. “This is real, right?” She hated sounding so needy, she wasn’t normally. But everything seemed out of order and she tried to make sense of them being together.

His smiled reached his eyes.

Her heart melted.

“Yes, this is real. We’re real. You running in the park two and a half days ago was real. Ryan is waiting to see you.”

Camilla frowned. “My cousin?” She looked around. “Where is he?”

“In Millen. After you eat and shower, we can head down there.” He pulled his fingers from hers and stood. “Tyra sent a pair of glasses for you in case… I placed them on the table right there.” He pointed to the side.

She glanced over her shoulder.

He leaned forward, picked up her spectacles and handed them to her. She slid them on and started at his feet encased in slippers and climbed him inch by inch until she reached his face. Her heart beat faster with every passing second.

Tag cleared his throat. “You’re looking better. That tea always works.” He tapped the tip of her nose and left the room.

“The tea?” she murmured, as she scooted to the edge of the bed to test her legs.
“He’s crazy if he thinks the tea is what made me feel better.”
Standing gradually, she waited until she steadied then moved slowly to the open bathroom door. The need to touch him, beat like a persistent drum in her mind, drowning out her troubled thoughts. Something major happened to her and she couldn’t remember or dredge up any emotions about it. As she reached the vanity, she glanced at her image in the mirror and stopped. Dark circles spun a wide circle around her eyes, her wavy hair hung in clumps around her shoulders and her drawn skin gave her a Goth, vampire look. And not a very appealing one either.
This is why he doesn’t see me
. As Tyra would say, time to bring her “A” game to grab his attention. She stepped into the shower hoping she’d get answers soon, in the meantime, she had a man to snare.

Tag ran his fingers through his hair, stopped and looked at his hand. She held his hand as if it were something they did all the time. He sensed no fear or deceit in her actions and that bothered him. Well, bother was the wrong word. He liked her touch, more than he should but knew he shouldn’t. That’s what had him confused.

When they arrived yesterday, she had drifted in and out of sleep, refusing all offers of food and drink. Instead she burrowed into the covers on the bed in his spare room similar to Goldilocks in a fairy tale. Despite her ragamuffin appearance, Tag had been drawn to her natural beauty and had stared longer than appropriate at her soft curves beneath the blanket. Something about her scent relieved and agitated Grizzle at the same time, which made no sense. With Amber, Grizzle had been adamant, there had been no confusion. Sex…yes, mate…no. Camilla made Grizzle uneasy.

Sleep eluded Tag. He had tossed and turned all night unable to find a comfortable spot in bed. Around 3am he stopped trying and went outside. Restless, he planned to roam the forest until he dropped from exhaustion. But with each step toward the woods, a weird sense of contentment wrapped around him. Rather than leave, he remained on his wraparound porch. This morning he woke basking in the beauty of the sunrise and listening to nature’s chorus from his chair on the porch where he fell asleep.

When he remembered Camilla, he made haste inside to check on her, hoping she hadn’t had any nightmares. Frozen in the same spot from last night, he wondered if she moved at all. Tag’s stomach growled. Determined to get some food in her today, he returned to the kitchen and pulled out a few things for breakfast.

He swallowed hard at the memory of her soft hand on his then wiped his hands down his pants leg to stop his thoughts. The shower turned on and his imagination took flight. Before he realized what happened, he stood in front of the guest room holding the doorknob. Tag looked down, stared at his hand and dropped it as if the shiny object burned.

Human,
Camilla was off-limits he explained to his ornery beast who didn’t agree and demanded to go inside the room. Tag took one step back then another and another until he was far away enough to turn and walk into the kitchen.

Grizzle snapped and growled with every step. “
Want her.”

“No. She’s Ryan’s… friend.
” Tag hoped the mention of Ryan would avert an argument.

“
Hunt for bear hurt Ryan?”

“Yes, soon.”
With a sigh of relief, he placed the slab of cured pork on the cutting board then sliced and fried it. With an ear to hear any call for help, he cooked eggs, sausage and frozen waffles.

Citrus, vanilla and Camilla’s unique scent pierced the aroma of food as she stepped into the kitchen. Tag bit back the rumble in his chest as he looked over his shoulder, prepared to offer her breakfast and promptly lost every thought in his mind.
Too thin
? The woman standing in front of him, wearing his tee-shirt looked perfect. High cheekbones in an angular face, with a perky nose and long, toned legs. Even though the tee hung mid-thigh on her, she had rolled up the sleeves making the shirt look better than it ever had on him. The vee showcased her full breasts.

“I hope you don’t mind me putting this on, those other clothes stank and need to be washed or burned,” she said walking into the room, stealing his air. He blinked to clear his lust-filled thoughts so he could respond.

She took another step closer.

His chest tightened at the predatory look in her eyes. Although he stood a foot taller and had snapped necks with his bare hands, he couldn’t stop her from touching him. His nipples hardened in anticipation. Both sides of his nature were tempted by her bold approach.

“
Want her, mate with her
,” Grizzle roared.

Whoa!
Back away from that line of thinking.

Female bears always waited for males to show interest first. If interested in the male, he was given permission to pursue her. As much as he liked her bold approach, Camilla was not for him. Granted, she was a sexy package who smelled divine and he would definitely take her to bed if she wanted. But that’s all he could offer.

Her palm touched his chest and he’d swear his skin sizzled beneath his shirt, imprinting the feel of her touch in his mind forever. To escape her allure, he turned and removed the griddle from the stove. “I hope you can help me eat some of this food,” he said to fill the silence.

“Who’s coming over? Ryan?” she asked.

Tag looked at the table. “Nobody. That’s just breakfast.”

“Breakfast? You eat all of this?” Her voice rose as she looked down at the table.

“Yeah. I have to eat.”

She looked over her shoulder, her warm gaze touched him as surely as if it were her fingertips. What was going on with him? He never cooked meals for women or allowed them to stay overnight in his place either. It was too easy for them to get the wrong idea that he wanted permanent company. Maybe her recent experience softened his armor, or her aggressive approach, he wasn’t sure why he acted so out of character.

Pushing those thoughts aside he pulled out a chair. “Have a seat, eat what you can so you can rebuild your strength.”

“Thank you.” She sat and grabbed a slice of bacon. Tag filled his plate with meat and pancakes and started eating.

Tag had taken two more helpings while she ate very little but drank his mama’s tea which was loaded with natural herbs to help speed healing. At least it worked on bears, he wasn’t sure what it would do for her.

“How did I get here?” she asked watching him.

He liked the smoothness of her voice. It rang at the perfect pitch like a well-tuned instrument. Tag took a sip of water then told her everything that happened from the time Ryan called for his help. He glossed over Ryan’s condition and spent more time on her roommate’s tears. When he finished, her mouth hung open then she snapped it shut. “Who? What?”

Understanding her confusion, Tag drank more water and hoped she remembered something. He still needed to find whoever hurt Ryan, deal with Jensen and take out Green before BMP stopped him.

“I don’t know. The important thing is you’re safe now. You can use my phone to call your mom then Tyra. I talked to Ryan this morning, so everyone knows you’re okay but they need to hear your voice.”

Numerous expressions crossed her face before she cleared her throat. “Yeah, wow, didn’t see that coming. But yeah I need to talk to my mom and Ryan. Oh my god, someone hurt him? Why? None of this makes any sense!” She took his phone and tapped on the keys as she left the room.

Tag stretched his legs and prepared to listen.