Guardian Bears: Marcus (8 page)

L
eaving the gang’s headquarters
, Marcus saw that the compound was deserted. Most of the gang had left while he’d been speaking to Vance, and for a moment he wondered what they were getting into. Then he shook his head and moved on. There was no way to tell, and anyway he had bigger concerns than whatever mischief they were up to. The plan was moving ahead, and it was time to check in.

He rode off towards town, taking it slowly and making sure he wasn’t being followed. That was easy enough, since he was alone on the forest road - one of the advantages of the Serpents’ base was that anyone following them to or from it would be obvious. This time, it worked in his favor instead of theirs.

A little way out from town he pulled off the road and took out his phone. Checking one more time that he wasn’t being watched, he dialed a number and waited.

“What?” The voice that answered was deep, gruff, and unfriendly.

“Wisconsin,” Marcus said, the prearranged password that meant it was safe to talk.

“Marcus! How’s it going out there, buddy?” The gruff voice was immediately warmer.

“Could be better, could be worse,” Marcus admitted. “Hope you’re not too bored waiting on my call, Lucas.”

“It’s not like I’ve got another job. I know how important backup can be. Speaking of, do you need some help?”

Marcus suppressed a laugh. Lucas might say that he didn’t mind waiting by the phone, but he knew his squadmate too well to believe it. By now he’d be itching for something to do, and his enthusiasm showed in his voice.

“Sorry old friend, but nope. I can handle things just fine, and having some strangers show up is only going to make it harder.”

“I know, I know,” the other bear grumbled. “So what’s going on? You figured it all out, yet?”

“I think I’ve got most of it. It’s a worse mess than I thought though, the whole gang stinks. And there
is
a bit of a complication. The Serpents don’t just want money for their guns - they want part-payment in girls.”

Lucas made a disgusted noise into the phone. “Yeah, that’s not good. We could front some money if you need more time to find the site, but girls… not happening.”

“All it means is that I’ll have to speed things up, it’s not like my cover was going to last that long anyway. I might need you to take a few calls from them - Vance, that’s the boss, might want to hear that the deal’s on from someone other than me.”

“That’s no problem, buddy.” Lucas didn’t sound thrilled at the idea of sitting by the phone to do his bit, but Marcus knew he could trust his friend. He’d do the job if that’s what was needed. “So, how close are you?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus admitted, looking around the woods and shaking his head. “There’s something nasty in the woods, but I figured it would be at their compound. No luck there, though. I had a look around and the place doesn’t have the smell, you know?”

Lucas grunted. In the Army, the three bear shifters had seen enough places with the touch of evil to be familiar with the scent of it. It was a scent human noses just weren’t sensitive enough to catch onto. It meant that shifters were ideal for this kind of work, but human language wasn’t very good for discussing the details.

“Any chance of following the scent?”

“That’s the next step, I think. But trailing it out from their base is going to be pretty suspicious. If there is an unholy spot out there, and they use it for something, then they’ll be keeping an eye out.”

Another voice broke into the conversation on Lucas’ end of the phone. “Marcus, hey, it’s Karl. Look, if the gang’s asking for girls, you know what that probably means.”

“Nothing good,” Marcus said. “They must be running through victims faster than they can find their own without being caught. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in Europe still?”

“Ah, that went sideways. We’ll fill you in later,” Karl said, sounding a little defensive. “Anyway, there’s one thing we can try, maybe. If it comes to it, we could try and send them a plant, someone they’ll take out there. We plant a tracker on her, and follow them right to wherever they’re doing this shit. I know some girls who are up for taking a bit of a risk if we pay well and we’d be there to pull them out of the fire before anything happened.”

“No.” Marcus and Lucas snapped in unison. Karl was a good guy, of course - they wouldn’t be working together otherwise. But he was far too happy taking risks, especially with other people’s lives.

“Look, I’m not sending someone out there without knowing exactly what’s going on. We can take care of ourselves, but some civilian…”

“Yeah, yeah, fair enough,” Karl said. “Just trying to think of some way to help, that’s all.”

“Well, I do have something. Got some ideas of where their money is sitting, so you can have a look and see what their front companies are up to.”

“Are you sure that’s a good use of our time?” Lucas said, unconvinced. “Sure, it can’t hurt to see what else they’re involved in, but we’re planning on wrapping this up in a few days, right?”

“At least it’s better than sitting around your apartment all day, hoping Marcus calls and needs us to come running to the rescue,” Karl responded, laughing. Marcus heard him clap Lucas on the shoulder. “And after this job, we have
got
to get us a real base of operations. Doing this shit from home is not a good way to go.”

“Yeah, we’ll get right on that.” Marcus smiled and shook his head. They’d set up Guardian Bear Security in a hurry, and it was still running a little too much by the seats of their pants. But a team of bear shifters willing to deal with problems that no one else could had commanded enough business that they simply hadn’t had the downtime to sort things out yet.

I guess it’s a good kind of problem to have,
he told himself.
And it’s not like we just need an office, either. Three bears need some space, we want a place to train… that’s something to think about later, though.

“There’s one other thing I wanted to tell you guys, while I’m on the phone,” he said, pulling his mind back to the present. “Lisa’s still here.”

“Lisa, the girl from back home you’re always going on about?” Karl sounded amused. “I thought you said she’d left?”

“Yeah, well, I thought she would have. She was nearly as set on getting out of here as I was, and she’s bright enough she’d have been able to make it anywhere. But no, she’s still here, running her family store. And I think that she’s my mate.”

It was the first time he’d said that out loud, and it didn’t sound as silly as he’d feared. In fact, it sounded
right
, simply a statement of truth. There was a moment’s silence on the phone, and then Lucas spoke.

“Congratulations, buddy!” His voice was warmer than usual, and Marcus could almost feel the hug he’d be getting if they were in the same room. “That’s got be the best bonus we’ve had yet on one of these jobs.”

“Yeah, well done,” Karl put in, laughing. “I’m not exactly surprised, though. The way you talked about her, it was a little bit obvious. I mean, did he ever go a week without reminding us how
perfect
and
wonderful
Lisa-back-home was, Lucas?”

They all laughed together. “Well, I’m glad you assholes approve,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “I’m sure she’ll like you when we can all get together.”

“You told her about us yet, buddy?”

“Not yet. That’s kind of complicated, and I don’t want to get into it until I’m sure I have time to do it right.”

“Sure,” Lucas said, sounding a little dubious. “Just be careful. I doubt she’ll like it if you keep her in the dark for too long.”

“Remember the rules, though. I can’t tell her until we’re properly mated - can’t bring outsiders in on our secrets.”

“Well, get mated then,” Karl advised. “It’s not like you want to put that off, is it now?”

Marcus snorted. “It’s never quite that simple, is it?

His phone vibrated, and a text message arriving. He frowned.
Hardly anyone has this number, and most of them are in this call.
“Hang on a second, you two.”

He looked at the phone’s screen and felt the smile drain from his face.

C
ome quick
, L in trouble w serpents, at her store.

I
t was
from a number he didn’t know.

That has to be Danny
, he realized. The only person in town he’d given the number to.

“Got to go, guys; trouble,” he said into the phone and hung up before they could respond.

He was on his bike and racing into town before he started to think about what that meant.
Is he sending me a warning, or baiting me into a trap? Could be either. Or both, if someone’s got him fooled.
He could feel the rage of his bear under the surface of his military-trained discipline, urging him to race in, to rip and tear at anyone who dared to threaten his mate. It was a struggle to think at all past that anger, that hunger. But he knew he had to, if he wanted to save her from whatever trouble she was in.

I doubt they’re going to just back down from me,
the thought,
and I don’t know how many there are, so I can’t count on just beating them.

Time to make an entrance, then.

He didn’t take the most direct way to the store, staying out of sight and parking his bike in an alley nearby. A quick glance around the corner showed more than half a dozen of the Serpents’ bikes outside the store, and an SUV at the curb. Not good odds for one man on his own, especially not with Lisa caught in the middle.

Good thing I’m not just a man then,
Marcus’s grin would have frightened anyone who saw it, more like a predator baring his teeth than a real smile.

Working quickly, he stripped out of his biker leathers, feeling the chill air on his skin as he undressed. It didn’t bother him - he’d done this in far less welcoming environments during his time in the service, and he wouldn’t be naked for long.

Should I wait for them to show themselves? Or get close now?

The question was taken out of his hands by the sound of a scream from the direction of the store. Before he had time to think, he was changing, the bear inside him coming out to protect his mate, and he found himself charging out onto the main street and towards the store.

The Serpents emerged from the store, and he saw Lisa dragged along by two of them as another limped around the SUV. A jolt of admiration pierced his rage at the sight - clearly Lisa had managed to fight back, at least a little.

His charge was silent and swift, but they were keeping an eye out for trouble and there was nothing subtle about a charging grizzly bear. A shout from one of the Serpents on lookout, and suddenly all of them looked at him.

He had a moment’s grace while they adjusted, he knew. People were rarely prepared to react properly to a bear: if he’d been in human form, they’d know what to do. If they’d spotted the cops coming, they’d know what to do. But no one thinks about their kidnapping being interrupted by an angry bear, and that was one of the things which made his company so good at what they did.

Almost too late, a couple of the Serpents pulled guns. Others, already at their bikes, fled with tires squealing. Marcus ignored the runners, focusing on the ones who’d drawn guns, as well as the ones still beside Lisa, roaring as he closed in on them.

One got off a shot, clipping his flank before Marcus’s paw smacked the man aside. The other gunman was too slow, and Marcus swiped the gun out of his hand. Both of them decided not to push their luck and ran as fast as they could, leaving their weapons behind. Marcus ignored them both, all his attention on the whip-thin man trying to drag an unresponsive Lisa into the SUV.

She was limp in his grip and he wasn’t having an easy time lifting her. The limping man had already started the engine, and Marcus could hear him shouting for his comrade to hurry up and get in, but Lisa wasn’t cooperating.

Standing up on his hind legs, Marcus roared, towering over the man and the vehicle. With a snarled curse, the man dropped Lisa and jumped in, barely getting into the vehicle before the car sped off, swerving unevenly down the road.

Alone on the pavement, Lisa looked up at him eyes wide.

L
isa looked
up at the giant bear towering over her, and prepared to die. She’d gone limp as soon as she’d seen the huge animal charge at her, and now she wondered if maybe she should have gotten into the car after all. Could whatever the Serpents had in mind for her really be worse than being mauled by a bear?

Her captor had abandoned her when she froze, leaping into the SUV which now accelerated down the street. The rest of the Serpents scattered wildly, leaving her alone with the massive animal. Paralyzed with fear, Lisa’s muscles felt like water, and she couldn’t make herself move.

What is it you’re supposed to do in a bear attack? Run away? Play dead?
She couldn’t remember, everything seemed to happen so fast. There had been bears in town before, once or twice, but it was very different to hear about that than to be faced with one charging and roaring.

But now that the Serpents had fled, the bear didn’t look nearly so aggressive. He dropped back down onto all fours, face near hers, looking at her carefully. There was something familiar about his eyes, an unexpected look of intelligence and compassion. Not something she would ever have expected to see in an animal which seconds ago had been charging to attack a group of humans.

Seconds passed as they looked at each other, unmoving, and Lisa felt a strange sense of connection between them. Vaguely she remembered being told that you should never look a bear in the eyes. A bear might see that as a challenge or a threat, and attack. This one, though, seemed to almost be smiling.

With great, almost exaggerated gentleness, the bear reached out a mighty paw, as though it were offering her a hand up. Lisa remained frozen, unmoving, staring up at him. After a moment, the bear huffed impatiently and slipped the paw under her. With casual, gentle strength, he lifted her to her feet. Lisa felt more of her fear ebb away at that, confusion replacing it as the bear urged her towards her store.
Well, whatever’s happening I suppose I should be inside.

The bear followed her as she cautiously started backing towards the doors of the store. He looked around with what seemed exactly like the slow careful awareness she’d seen from Marcus, a wide focus that missed nothing.

The likeness was, she thought, uncanny.

Her hands found the door handle behind her and she opened the door, trying to remember where the bear repellent was stocked. She had some somewhere, she knew, but right now she could hardly think about anything other than the giant animal following her inside.

For a moment, she considered trying to lock the door against it, but that was silly. Even if she could shut it in his face, the door wouldn’t hold out against a bear, not if he really wanted in.

And he clearly did, following her inside almost impatiently, as though he was eager to get off the street too.

Lisa realized with surprise that her fear had vanished entirely. The bear wasn’t threatening, wasn’t here to harm her. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, only that it was true. There was something about the bear that made her feel safe, the kind of safety that she had only ever felt when Marcus was with her. Somehow, she felt sure that the bear wasn’t her enemy, wasn’t a predator who meant her harm.

It was the eyes, she thought. They had the same intensity as Marcus’s. The same powerful focus that seemed to look past her body and into her soul. She found it hard to look away from them.

Lisa found herself backing past the fallen shelves until she was at the counter, the bear watching all the while. She realized the one shot the Serpent fired had scored a bloody line across the bear’s shoulder, but despite the blood caking the fur around the wound he didn’t seem to care about the pain.

Should I… try to help? But I’ve got no idea how to do first aid on a
bear
, and what if I hurt him?
She didn’t want to trust this feeling of peace and safety to the point where she was poking the poor thing’s injuries. That kind of thing was a job for a vet. She didn’t even know if human medicine was safe for a bear.

Somewhere outside, sirens wailed. The police, finally deciding it was safe to turn up, she thought. The bear seemed agitated by the sound, though. She couldn’t blame him - the police were likely to assume the worst if they saw a bear this close to her, and it wasn’t likely to end well for the animal. As Lisa watched, the great brown bear turned to look outside, and then hurried through the shop, barging towards the small selection of clothing on display.

For a moment that was a funny notion - what did the poor animal think it was going to do, disguise itself as a man? But the harsh fact that the bear that possibly saved her life was in danger was enough to suck the humor out of her thoughts.

Lisa hurried towards the door, hoping she could convince the police to let the animal go. If he trashed her store in the meantime, that was a small price to pay - she owed him that much for saving her from the Serpents.

She was only part way there when she heard a strange sound from the bear. She’d never be able to describe it properly, it was unlike anything she’d ever heard. The closest she could come was that it sounded like a sharp breath, a soft growl, and a
whoosh
like wind rustling through fur all mixed together. Looking over instinctively, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Where the bear had stood, Marcus was, naked and pulling a pair of jeans off the display. Blood soaked his left arm, welling from a wound that matched the one the bear had taken. As though he felt her eyes on him, he turned to look at her, and she saw his eyes. The same eyes as the bear’s, looking back at her with a powerful intensity.

That’s impossible,
Lisa thought as she staggered backward, grabbing hold of a shelf of DVDs for balance. She was staring, she knew, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He couldn’t be the bear. That didn’t make any sense. But what other explanation was there for his appearance? For his wound? For the sudden obvious
lack
of a bear?

While her mind fought against it, something deep down told her it was true. That she’d known it from the moment she’d seen the bear charging to her rescue. Why else had she been so unafraid? Marcus would never hurt her.

She watched as he pulled on the jeans. His body was distractingly perfect, even now, in the midst of the wreckage of her store, and she found it hard to tear her eyes off him as he dressed.

“You… you,” she stammered and stopped. Marcus glanced up at her, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips.

“Me,” he confirmed. “I can explain everything.”

His voice made it real, somehow. That deep gravelly voice which she’d longed to hear for so many years - even when she’d dreamed of Marcus, her mind had never gotten his voice quite right. Hearing it from him now, she couldn’t doubt it was actually him.

Maybe I hallucinated the bear?
It didn’t seem likely, but was it any more unreasonable than the idea that a grizzly had turned into the man of her dreams?

The moment stretched as she stared at him. Words wouldn’t come, and she didn’t know what to say. The bell saved her from having to think of something, announcing the door opening. Finally, the police had arrived.

The policeman who entered warily was someone she knew vaguely, like she did everyone around town. He was a young man, nervous looking, eyes darting around the wreckage of the store and his hand resting on his pistol.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” he asked, gaze settling on Marcus as he spoke. She could see the tension in him, looking at the huge muscled man dressed only in jeans, arm covered in blood. It didn’t look very good for Marcus, she realized.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, feeling dizzy as she pushed herself up and stood straight. “There were some other guys making trouble, but they’re gone now. Nothing worth getting the police involved over.”

If she could trust the police to do anything about the Serpents, maybe she’d have reported what actually happened. But in this town, that wasn’t going to happen, and there wasn’t any point in pretending it would. It just wasted time.

And anyway, how would she explain Marcus and the bear?

“We got a report of a bear attack?” The cop didn’t sound too sure of himself, but he was relaxing slightly. Lisa breathed a sigh of relief, glancing over to see Marcus standing still and calm, hands carefully visible to the police officer.

“I don’t know about that,” she said carefully. “But I’m okay and my, um, my boyfriend here was just helping out.”

“That’s a nasty looking wound on your arm, sir,” the policeman said, frowning. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Marcus said, shrugging. “I heard the trouble, came down to help, slipped and cut myself. It looks a lot worse than it is.”

Lisa hoped that he was telling the truth about that, at least. There was a lot of blood on his arm.

“If there was a bear attack, shouldn’t you go look for the bear?” she asked, trying to get the awkward encounter over with. The cop looked around at her, indecision written all over his face. Coldwood didn’t exactly encourage policemen to act on their own initiative.

“Look, I’m fine, and if he needs medical attention, I’ll make sure he gets it. I wouldn’t want that bear to hurt anyone in town while you’re looking after my boyfriend.” Lisa smiled tried to look confident as she spoke, though she felt like her world had been torn apart and she couldn’t be sure she was doing the right thing.

One thing that Coldwood had taught her over the years, though, was that the police wouldn’t be any help. Whatever was going on with Marcus, she’d be better off getting to the bottom of it on her own.

She must have looked convincing enough for the cop, who nodded. There might have been a bit of a guilty look on his face, or maybe she was reading something that wasn’t there. With a flash of empathy, she realized it must be difficult to be a policeman and actually try and help people in a place like this, where everyone had long since given up on getting any help with the real problems they faced.

“Okay, ma’am. If you change your mind and want to report whoever was making trouble earlier, you know where to reach us.” He shot a suspicious look at Marcus before leaving.

As soon as he was gone, Lisa felt her legs give way and slipped towards the floor. Marcus’s reaction was instant - before she could blink he was at her side, his arms around her, supporting her. She saw a slight wince as her weight hit his injured left arm, but he didn’t let the pain stop him.

“Hang on, I’ll get you somewhere to sit down,” he told her, lifting her up. She put her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he carried her, first to the door to lock it, and then to the back of the shop and into the stock room.

Lisa was glad of the battered but comfortable armchair she kept back there. She mostly used it for somewhere to sit during stocktaking, but its soft and familiar cushions were much better than the floor would have been.

“You’ve had a shock,” Marcus told her as he wrapped a blanket around her. “You’ll be okay, but better to keep you warm.”

“Your arm,” she protested. It felt ridiculous that he was looking after her when he was the one who’d been shot. She started to stand. “I’ll get my first aid-”

“No, you’ll sit down and recover,” he told her, firmly. There was no arguing with that tone of voice. “My arm will be fine for a little while, and I think you deserve an explanation.”

She looked up at him. Even more than usual, he seemed to tower over her, and she sank back into the chair, feeling a little better already.

“Was that really you?” she heard her voice tremble as she asked the question, and Marcus sighed, nodding.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “But I guess you need to hear it now.”