Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) (8 page)

Rosie’s eyes widened. “What the hell? Shana, you can’t be serious.”

Shana’s eyes had a wild edge. She glanced between Rosie and Phoebe. “I’m serious, and I refuse to be talked out of it. I can damn well take care of myself and both of you know it.”

After several more minutes of futile arguing, Shana shoved past them, pushing the door open and Rosie out of the way. She stalked down the hall. Fear, worry, and anger clashed inside Phoebe. She looked at Rosie. “I can’t let her go alone, but she won’t be stopped.”

Rosie’s eyes mirrored her concern. “I don’t know what to say. I’d offer to chase her down, but she’s more likely to listen to you than anyone else.”

Phoebe grabbed her coat and purse, racing out of the room. She turned to glance over her shoulder before she left. “If I have to, I’m going with her. I’ll try to call Jake, but promise me you’ll call him and Dane.”

At Rosie’s quick nod, Phoebe dashed after Shana.

Chapter 7

Jake kicked his boots against the threshold as he stepped into his office. Over a foot of snow had fallen last night. Catamount was blanketed in fluffy white snow. In Maine, the world barely missed a beat after such a storm. By the time he’d awakened spooned behind Phoebe as the first shafts of sun rose above the trees, the roads had already been plowed. When she’d rolled over in his arms, the flicker of doubt that hung in her gaze reached into his heart. He didn’t know how to make her trust how he felt. But he knew her well, and he knew trying to force the issue wouldn’t help. She was a person of action. Actions, not words, defined her life. She was the last person to stand up and make proclamations about anything, and yet the first to
do
something to make a difference. She wasn’t the friend who would offer platitudes. She was the friend who’d quietly take care of the practical matters for a friend in need, as she’d done for Shana in the early days and weeks after Callen’s death.

With that in mind, he decided he’d stop trying to explain her worries away and let his actions show her the truth behind his words. The soft brush of her lips against his sent his pulse rocketing and lust tightening inside. The sound of a snowplow in her driveway interrupted them, and she’d leapt out of bed to race outside and move her car. He’d left her house shortly thereafter, his lust barely in check.

With a sharp shake of his head, he tossed his jacket on the coatrack by the door and immediately sat down at his desk, powering his computer up and diving back into his work. A while later, Dane stepped into his office.

As soon as he met Dane’s eyes, his stomach clenched.
 

“What’s that look for?” Jake asked.

Dane’s blue-gray eyes were dark, his jaw tight. “Shana just texted me. She and Phoebe are on their way to Montana. That guy Paul at the hospital is gone. He snuck out during the night. Did you fuckin’ know this was happening?”

“No! How the hell could you even think I would know about this?” Jake pushed his chair back and stood. He glanced at his desk, trying to find his phone. He spotted it under some loose papers and grabbed it, seeing he’d missed two calls from Phoebe in the last few hours. He’d been so busy with work, he hadn’t noticed his phone had been on silent. Fear knotted in his gut, and anger flashed. His cat simmered under his skin. What he wanted was to shift and chase. He fought the urge because he knew he needed to think. “Are you sure? I can’t believe Shana and Phoebe would take off like that.”

Dane yanked his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Jake. “Text is right there.”

Jake snagged the phone and glanced at the screen. Sure enough, there was a text from Shana.
I’m with Phoebe. We’re on our way to Montana. Don’t freak out. We’ll be fine. Visited Hank at the station. He had nothing to do with this. Someone has to check out Montana and it can’t be you and Jake, so we’re going. Call you when we land.

“What the hell are they thinking?” Jake went to snatch his jacket. “Let’s go. We’ll follow them.”

He quickly listened to the two messages from Phoebe—both explaining that Shana was taking off, and Phoebe thought someone needed to be with her. He swore and threw the phone. It bounced against the wall, and Dane caught it. Jake began pulling his jacket on only to find Dane standing there, arms crossed. “We’re talking to Hank first. I already checked their schedule. They won’t land for hours yet. Next flight out of Portland to Bozeman isn’t until tomorrow. Get on your computer and let’s pull up as much data as we can before we sort out who’s going after them.”

Jake shook his head. “Let’s drive to Boston and leave from there. We’re not waiting.” Fury and fear thrummed through him, fuzzing his thoughts. Thoughts of Phoebe pounded with every beat of his heart. He’d finally let his heart experience what she meant to him, and it ran so deep, he couldn’t bear the thought that she might be following Shana into danger. He needed her like the air he breathed.

Dane took a step back and blocked the door. Jake swore savagely and stood toe to toe with Dane, locking eyes with him. He didn’t want to shift, didn’t want to battle Dane, but he would if he had to.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Dane asked, placing his palm on Jake’s chest and pushing back. “Calm the fuck down. You know we have to think this through. I’m just as worried as you, but…” Dane paused and eyed him carefully. “What is with you?”

Jake forced himself to breathe, reining in the urge to shift. He could barely contain it, his cat lay so close to the surface. He shook his head sharply. “Nothing’s with me. I’m scared for Phoebe and Shana. I’m surprised you’re not. These guys always seem to be one step ahead of us. We have no idea who Paul is, or why he was here. After what happened to Chloe, I can’t believe you’re asking me what’s wrong with me.”

Dane’s eyes sharpened. “Of course I’m worried about Shana and Phoebe! And you of all people should know why I’m saying we should take a little time to think this through before we do anything. That’s exactly what you said the day Chloe went missing—that we had to take it one step at a time. That’s all I’m saying.”

Jake heard Dane’s words, but barely. He couldn’t shake free the thought that something might happen to Phoebe. He’d finally, finally given in to what his heart and body had wanted for so many years and now he had to face the reality that she could be walking into a trap. When they’d discussed the fact that someone should probably get out to Montana to follow up on the leads they had, he’d never considered it would involve Phoebe. He wanted to talk to her
now
.

Dane cleared his throat.

Jake whipped his head back up to meet Dane’s eyes. “What?”

“It’s Phoebe. You finally stopped running from how you feel about her.”

Jake started to shake his head and then stopped abruptly. Dane was his closest male friend, a brother to him in spirit, as a human and a mountain lion. They’d been together every step of their lives. While they rarely spoke of emotions, he knew Dane felt things deeply. And he knew there was no sense in hiding his feelings from Dane. He took a breath, still wrestling to keep himself from shifting. The only thing stopping him was Dane’s calm presence, and the knowledge that if he tried to battle past Dane when he shifted, it would likely end in a tie.

He looked out the window at the snow coating the ground. The tree outside his office window was glistening with drops of melted snow under the sun. He turned back to Dane and nodded. “You could say that,” he said tightly.

Dane nodded firmly. “About damn time. Now it’s my turn to keep you sane. You kept me from running off wild after Chloe. You told me not to be stupid, so I’m telling you the same. I’ve already talked to Hank. We’ll go, but first, let’s decide where we’re starting. Hank’s calling in a favor from a friend out there who works for a private security firm. They’ll be at the airport when Shana and Phoebe land and won’t let them out of their sight. You and I will be right behind them.” Dane paused and eyed him. He shook his head with a chuckle. “I wondered when you’d come to your senses. You’ve loved her for years.”

Jake felt as if he’d been punched in the chest, the breath he’d been holding let loose with a groan. “I have. Now I have to make sure she’s safe.”

Chapter 8

Phoebe threaded through the cluster of people at baggage claim in the airport in Bozeman. Shana had stepped to the other side of the baggage carousel when she saw her bag making its way around. Phoebe quickly snagged her own bag and turned to get out of the way. She met Shana over by a customer service counter.

“Let’s rent a car and find our hotel,” Phoebe said as soon as she reached Shana’s side.

Shana glanced up at her, her blue-gray eyes tired. “Right. I promised Dane I’d call when we landed. Do you mind handling the car rental while I call him?”

Phoebe nodded and glanced around. As soon as she spied the car rental signs, she headed that way, gesturing for Shana to follow her. She fumbled for her phone in her purse and quickly called Jake. Once again, she got his voice mail, so she left another message. She’d tried her damnedest to talk Shana out of leaving for Montana, but after it became abundantly clear Shana was going with or without Phoebe, she reluctantly decided to go with her. She couldn’t stand by and watch Shana walk into danger by herself. Phoebe figured the least she could do was try to keep Shana from doing anything too impulsive.

She’d tried to call Jake before they left, but all she’d gotten was his voice mail. She worried he’d misunderstand why she chose to go with Shana.
Phoebe shook her thoughts away and strode to the counter. A few minutes later, she tucked the keys to the rental car in her pocket and turned to find Shana leaning against the wall nearby, talking furiously into her phone. When she approached, Shana swore and ended the call.

“Let me guess, Dane’s pissed off?”

Shana nodded and began walking. Phoebe followed her, wheeling her suitcase behind her. “So, what did he say?”

“He and Jake are on their way tomorrow,” Shana said tightly. “He doesn’t get how stupid that is. If the shifters we believe are out here are, in fact, here, there’s no way they don’t know who Dane and Jake are. Their faces were all over the local news after Chloe’s kidnapping. I tried to tell him we’d be careful, but he won’t hear it.”

They walked the remainder of the way to the rental car in silence. Once Phoebe was driving out of the parking lot, Shana spoke again. “Oh, and Dane said to tell you to call Jake. In fact, he said to tell you he knows what’s going on with you two, so you’d better understand why Jake is upset. Mind filling me in on what’s going on with Jake?”

Phoebe sighed. She hadn’t been trying to hide anything from Shana, but she hadn’t had a chance to talk to her either. Every time she thought about it, she hesitated for fear it would hurt Shana because she couldn’t imagine Shana watching someone else start a new relationship while sifting through the ashes of her husband’s death and the knowledge of his betrayal. The additional complication involved Phoebe’s own mixed feelings. She’d loved Jake for years, but she was finding it confusing and confounding to accept the reality that they might have a chance. She couldn’t quite trust it.

Phoebe came to a stoplight and glanced at Shana. Shana met her eyes, steady and concerned.

“Jake and I, uh, I guess we’re kind of in a relationship,” Phoebe blurted out.

Shana’s eyes widened slightly and then the corner of her mouth tipped up. “You two have been circling each other for years. How long has this been going on?”

“Not long at all. With everything going on, I guess it just…happened.” Phoebe looked away to check on the light. She drove through the intersection, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Saying aloud what was happening between her and Jake somehow made it feel more real. She took a shaky breath, trying to gather her wits. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. So much has been going on…”

Shana interjected. “I’m guessing you’ve got yourself all worked up about it and didn’t know if I could handle hearing two of my best friends finally did something about how they felt. My heart breaks every time I think about Callen dying and the fact that he wasn’t who I thought he was. But I would never begrudge you finding your own happiness. You never said a word about it, but it was obvious to me you’ve loved him for years. What does Jake have to say about all of it?”

Phoebe turned into the parking lot at the hotel once she saw the sign. She waited until she found a parking spot before turning the car off and looking at Shana. “Jake said he’s wanted me for years. He said he wants us to have a chance.” She paused, her throat tight with tears. She couldn’t sort out why, but somehow experiencing intimacy with Jake had twisted her to knots inside. Because if it didn’t work out for them, she had no idea how her heart could handle it. “When we’re together, it’s amazing. You’re right that I’ve loved him for years. But I never talked about it because he swore for years and years that he’d never be with any woman who wasn’t a shifter. And now, I’m scared because I don’t know if I can take it if things don’t work out for us. What if he changes his mind? What if it is best for him to be with a shifter? I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Shana’s mouth twisted in a rueful smile. “I may not be the best one to give advice since I hardly trust anyone after what Callen did, but I’ll try. The list of people I trust is super short, but you’re on it and so is Jake. Jake isn’t much of a talker. If he says he wants a chance, he wants a chance. Dane told me years ago that he thought Jake had a thing for you, but he was too stupid to do anything about it. I can see why you might get hung up on the shifter thing because he was so weird about it after what happened with Naomi. I’m not going to be ridiculous and pretend like you should just believe it will be amazing, but I know you shouldn’t try to shut it down because you’re scared. If two people ever should be together, it’s you and Jake.” Shana’s words were strong and confident, an antidote to Phoebe’s swirling confusion and self-doubt.

Phoebe took a deep breath and met Shana’s eyes. “Have I mentioned you’re the best friend ever?”

Shana rolled her eyes. “Not always, but I try. As far as friends go, you deserve an award. You’ve been a rock for me since Callen died and reality as I knew it was turned upside down.”