Grizzly Love (4 page)

Would he notice if she whacked her head off the seat in front of her a few times to punish her dirty mind?

“Ma’s high-strung. She’ll get over it. A man’s got to do the right thing, especially if it’s beneficial to others.”

The pointed gaze he shot her made her think he spoke directly to her, and perhaps he did.

Travis, like everyone else, surely knew of her mate’s cheating ways. Yet, despite his attraction, surely Travis wasn’t implying he would act?

Her heart rate sped up.

She ordered it to slow down.

The situation with Frederick was hers to deal with. She couldn’t allow Travis, or anyone else, to interfere. Because if anyone deserved to peck the jerk’s eyes out it was Jess!

“The right thing?” She snorted. “You know, I hear people say that, but sometimes I have to wonder, who decides what the right thing is? How can you know if you’re making the proper choices?” She’d thought she knew what she was doing when she married Freddie while in her last year of medical school just before he got drafted.

Despite her high GPA, it panned out to be the dumbest thing she’d ever done.

“Sometimes you have to just go with what your gut says.” How intently he stared at her as he said it.

She couldn’t hold his gaze, not without perhaps giving something away of her inner turmoil. Time to remind him of a crucial fact. Remind them both. “I’ll be seeing my husband while we’re in staying in the military camp.”

No denying the grimace at her words. “Yeah. I figured you would. Does he know you’re coming?”

And give him a chance to disappear and rob her of her chance to confront him? “Nope. I thought I’d surprise him.”

Concern filled his brown eyes, and he spoke softly. “Doc, are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, you haven’t seen him—”

She cut him off. “I’m well aware of how long it’s been since I’ve seen my husband. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know. And, might I add, it’s none of your business.”

“It could be.”

Now that wasn’t subtle at all. It seemed the imminence of her reunion with Freddie made Travis bold. A part of her exulted in the fact that he wanted to care, but on the other hand, honor meant she had to reject his offer. Instead she avoided it. “I’m sorry. Would you mind moving so I can use the washroom?”

Had she chickened out of answering?

Yes. Yes, she had because she really feared the wrong words would slip out of her mouth. Words like, “Please make me your business. Oh, and would you take off your shirt? I’d like to examine you—with my tongue.”

Well, at least she hadn’t said no.

But she sure escaped damned quick.

Travis allowed himself to stare at Jess’ ass, which given the observant guys he traveled with, wasn’t the brightest idea.

“Travis, stop staring at the doc’s butt and get your hairy carcass over here,” Brody called.

Caught.

Travis couldn’t help but make a face at Brody as he realized he was going to have to trade his seat beside a hot hawk for one beside a glaring wolf. He’d probably get a lecture too.

Sometimes being the youngest in a group sucked. Holding in a sigh, he levered himself from his current spot and dropped himself into the empty seat beside Brody.

“What’s up, boss?”

“Stop bugging the doc.”

“Who says I was bugging her?” Travis replied.

“Are you going to tell me you weren’t making big bear eyes at her?”

The biggest he could manage, not that they seemed to work. “So what if I was?”

“She’s married, dude.”

“To a douchebag.”

“Yup. A douchebag we’re going to run into in less than eight hours. You need to cool it around the doc.”

“I haven’t done a thing.” Not laid a single hand on her, even though he was tempted.

“Never said you did, however, dude will only need to take one look at your googly eyes and he’ll know. Then kill you.”

“He can try.”

“And he’d probably succeed. Frederick might be an asshole, but he’s a trained one. A deadly one.”

“What makes you think he’ll care who’s staring at Jess? The man hasn’t been home in over three years. Three, dude!”

“Just because he’s been ignoring her doesn’t mean he wants anyone else poaching. Guys like Frederick are funny that way.”

“Not funny to me.” Not when he stood between Travis and Jess. Sure, she’d never given him any indication she returned his interest, not openly, but Travis knew she felt something. Call it a sixth sense. Gut instinct. Whatever. He could also smell her arousal whenever he got too close, like just now. If Jess were single, Travis knew he could—

The slap in the back of the head forestalled any interesting thoughts on what he could do to the red-haired doctor.

He glared at Boris, who took a seat across the aisle from him. “That was uncalled for.”

The big moose smirked. “So do something about it.”

“And have Jan threaten to make me into a rug for your living room floor again? No thanks.”

The vixen was fiercely protective where Boris was concerned. Ironic really given Boris was a borderline psychopath who would prefer to shoot first and drag it home for dinner.

He also used his cold gaze when playing poker. The moose could bluff like no one’s business and take all of Travis’ money.

Asshole.

“Scared of a cute, defenseless woman, imagine that,” Brody mocked.

Even Boris had to laugh at the definition of Jan as defenseless. The woman could outshoot just about everyone but her dad.

Yet Boris, ornery moose Boris, reveled in her skills. “My Jan.” A happy grunt of two words said it all. Boris was in love, and he didn’t care who knew. Mock him though, and he’d gladly rearrange your face. Travis knew from experience.

Still though, if the grumpiest moose with mental issues could settle down with a hot babe like Jan, then there was hope for the rest of them.

Hell, even free-spirited Brody recently got hitched.

“Where’s Layla?” Travis inquired. Brody’s mate, some kind of weird witchy woman with a power over bugs and animals, tended to freak a lot of people out.

Except for Travis. He found anyone who could get a salmon to swim to him in shallow waters so he could swipe it when he went grizzly awesome.

“Napping in the back. Which is what we should all be doing.”

“I would be if you’d all shut up,” Gene grumbled from across them where he lay splayed, his eyes shuttered. “Yapping like little girls. It’s fucking annoying.”

“Go back to sleep, big man. You could use the beauty rest. I might even recommend you sleep for a few weeks.” Travis’ baiting met with only the smallest of growls. Gene didn’t rise to the taunt about his looks, not since he’d found a geeky human who’d mistaken him for a hero.

Gene, the killer ghost, a deadly polar bear, the most feared man in their gang, a hero?

And they say I suffered one too many concussions.

Someone needed to check the prescription on that girl’s glasses because Gene was ugly, but cool, except when he was slapping Travis down on a training mat and telling him to try harder.

He tuned back in to the conversation going on in hushed tones.

“Reid got a hold of Sergeant Carson.”

“I still can’t believe that old bastard is still running the camp,” Boris stated with a shake of his head. “Damn, he’s got to be what, fifty, sixty? I thought for sure he’d have retired. Then again, I haven’t seen or talked to the rhino since we got our discharge.”

“Oh, he’s still there and still just as ornery as ever. But helpful. He’s sent a vehicle to meet us at the airstrip. Apparently the military is most interested in our target. Seems there were problems a little over a year ago that the townsfolk were attributing to a snake god.”

“Less god, more like shapeshifter.”

Nagas were serpentine-based shifters, rare, mostly because their kind were hunted pretty much to extinction because they were so dangerous. A Naga could walk as a man, shift into an actual giant snake, or, if strong enough, do a half shift where, below the waist, they bore the tail and rattle of a snake, their skin sported scales, and their spit turned into venom. But what made them truly deadly was their speech in this half form. Their sibilant words could hypnotize a person into doing their bidding. The weaker the mind, the stronger the hold.

It explained how a stranger managed to convince a bunch of weak-minded shifters to attack Kodiak Point. What it didn’t explain was why?

What had they done to earn such enmity?

Brody was still talking. “Once we hit base camp, Sarge is going to set us up with some gear, rations, and a vehicle.”

“The military doesn’t mind loaning?” Travis asked.

“When interests align, the military is open to lots of things.”

“Do they have a trail for us to follow?”

“Kind of. According to sarge, the Naga hijacked a car at the airport and drove it out into the badlands.”

“So they followed it?”

“To a certain extent. A sandstorm obliterated the traces of its passage, and given they were running low on supplies, they turned back. But, before that happened, I’ll give you one guess as to what direction it was headed.”

Gene growled. “It’s gone to ground in those mountains where they held us prisoner.”

By ‘us’, Gene meant himself, Reid, Brody, Boris, Kyle, and several others, most of whom died, not all of them in the detention camp. Some just couldn’t handle the real world once they escaped.

Whatever happened to them while they were held captive was never openly spoken of, but the result was clear. The men returned different.

Harder.

Damaged.

They each dealt with their incarceration in different ways, some better than others.

Travis frowned as he thought aloud. “I thought Brody killed the snake that was in charge of that prison camp.”

The bristling tension in Brody’s body was evident as he straightened in his seat. “I did. Chopped his fucking head off myself before setting fire to the place. No way he survived.”

“Yet another snake has risen to take his place,” Boris pointed out. “Did he have a son or other relative perhaps that is seeking vengeance?”

“It would explain a lot,” Brody mused.

“Still going to kill him,” Gene announced, not opening his eyes but obviously not sleeping as he added his two bullets to the conversation.

“If we know where he’s going, then why hasn’t the military moved in on the place to clear it out?” Travis couldn’t help but note the anomaly in their discussion.

“Because,” Jess replied as she passed them to regain her seat, “those mountains are technically not in territory they are allowed to enter. They’re right over the border. To invade them might involve some sticky red tape they want to avoid.”

“Hence why they’re willing to give us supplies,” Brody said, picking up the discussion, “but will deny any knowledge of our activities if we’re caught.”

“Bullshit politics.” Boris grunted his disgust, and heads nodded all around.

“I, for one, am glad they’re leaving it to us,” Gene announced, rousing his head long enough to bare a feral grin.

A grin Boris echoed. “I am totally going to kick your ass in kills.”

“Ha, you’re both going to bow to my mighty wolf skills,” Brody boasted.

Feeling the bonding moment, Travis added his own claim. “I’m going to grizzly some rebel ass.”

For once they didn’t laugh in mockery.

After that, they tried to rest. Well, Travis at least tried, but he failed.

Excitement thrummed through him. With any luck, this mission would finally elevate him in the eyes of the men he admired, and Jess would finally maybe see him as more than just a clumsy bear.

But if he was counting on luck, then he was in for a nasty surprise because, as soon as they landed, the worse kind befell him in the form of the person they’d sent to meet him.

None other than Jess’ absent husband.

Crap.

Of all the bad luck.

When Jess hit the wall of heat upon exiting the plane, she foolishly thought it was the only shock she’d have to deal with. However, the stifling, unbreathable air was nothing compared to the one of seeing Frederick, dressed in green fatigues and leaning against a military Humvee, smoking a cigarette.

Filthy habit. Just another thing about him that only served to heighten her dislike, and she did dislike him.

She’d often wondered over the past few years if once she set eyes upon Frederick—a good-looking guy at six foot two, built like a linebacker, with blue eyes and black hair, a true raven breed—she’d feel the attraction that once made her think she loved him.

Looking upon his chiseled visage, with its shadow of a beard, and seeing the muscled arms bared by his short-sleeved shirt, it amazed her to note she felt nothing.

Okay, not exactly nothing. Rage. Irritation. An urge to slap him, yes. But no arousal or sudden urge to beg him to come back to her and give her babies.

Considering he was supposed to be her mate, it shocked her.

He’s supposed to be my husband. The man who will father my children.
But right now, all he seemed was a stranger, one she could have walked by and never given a second glance.

Jess knew the moment Frederick spotted her. Gone was the lanky slouch. His eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed.

Not happy to see me?
The imp in her capitalized on it as she hit the tarmac and strode over to him. Only once she stood a few feet away did she let a bright, yet false smile, stretch her lips. “Hi, honey. You don’t seem glad to see me.”

“What are you doing here?” His tone matched his expression.

“Funny you should ask that because that’s one of the questions I have for you. What are you still doing here?”

“My duty.”

“Your duty?” She couldn’t help a bitter laugh. “Your duty isn’t just to the military. It’s also to your wife. Since you decided not to come home and fulfill that role, I decided it was time to come find you. Aren’t you happy to see me?” she asked even if she could see the answer in his gaze.

His cold gaze.

He doesn’t want me here,
and she didn’t need his terse, “Get out of here, Jess,” for confirmation.