Outfoxed by Love (Kodiak Point Book 2) (12 page)

“Which is?”

“Play dirty. Enflame his jealousy.”

“From what I’ve seen,” Tammy said
, “it won’t take much.”

And if those plans failed, Jan could always resort to
Plan C. Stripping naked again.

The doctor patched Boris up without any of the recriminations Jan
had lavished on him. She didn’t give him shit even though the wound had already begun to heal. She didn’t harangue him even though it was tougher to remove the bullet because he’d waited so long. Doctor Weller knew better than to browbeat a man.

So why did he miss Jan’s nagging presence?

Probably because he didn’t have the hots for Doctor Weller—even if she was attractive with her curly red hair, bright smile, and curvy figure. In his world, only a certain blonde fox would do.

A fox
who had disappeared and not kept him in the loop about her whereabouts. On the one hoof, he enjoyed the break. Keeping himself and his emotions in check when she was around took a lot out of a man. On the other hoof, though, who knew what the vixen was up to now?
Mischief, I’ll wager.

Exiting the clinic, he called his alpha
for an update on what was happening.

Reid answered. “
Boris, about time you checked in. You all patched up?”

“Good as new.”
If one ignored all his old scars.

“Excellent.
”

“Any new developments while I was seeing the doc?”

“Not really. We found the dead guy’s sled hidden in the woods about a mile out of town. No trace of whoever took him out, though.”

“Do you think it was Gene?”

“Could be. Whoever shot him certainly knew how to hide their tracks, but then again, any skilled tracker and hunter could do the same.”

“Where do you want me to head now?”

“Home,” Reid replied. “Get a few hours’ sleep.”

“I should head out now while the tracks are fresh.”

“I’d prefer to have you fresh. I’ve got boys hunting for clues. If we find anything big, I’ll let you know. Once you get a bit of shut eye, if the boys aren’t successful, I’ll want you and Brody to head out to the eastern ridge and see if you can’t find out where the seal and the guy who took him out came from. The wind might have obliterated most of the tracks, but maybe if you loop out far enough, you’ll catch some kind of clue.”

“
You think the seal was acting on someone else’s orders?”

“
I’d say that’s a certainty. I mean, seriously, have you ever met a seal who had an original idea?”

Good point. Boris grunted in agreement.

“But, now the question is, who took the pudgy shit out? If the seal was following orders, then why kill him. Someone else was there. Someone who didn’t want him to talk. It makes me wonder if we’re dealing with two groups, or individuals.”

“Two people making a play for power?”

Boris could practically see Reid’s shrug. “Maybe. I can definitely say something fucked up is going on.”

“I’ll do my best to find out.” And eliminate the problem.

“I know you will, but after you get some rest,” Reid added, his firm tone brooking no argument. “You can drop Jan off at either Ursa’s or my aunt’s house to keep her safe.”

A chill swept him that had nothing to do with the ar
ctic temperature outside. “What do you mean drop Jan off? She’s not with me.” No, she’d stormed off without a word as to where.

“
She’s not? Oh. I just assumed. Never mind then. I’m sure she’s gone to stay with someone.”

Never mind? NEVER MIND! Someone stalked his little fox
, and Reid didn’t know where she was, and Boris was supposed to just forget about it? Forget about Jan?

Boris let out a bellow in the middle of the street that was more animal than man.

“Um, Boris, is everything all right?” Reid’s voice emerged from the cell phone he still held in his hand.

“I’m fine,” he bit off into the receiver.

“Didn’t sound that way. As for Jan, you can stop worrying. Tammy just sent me a text to let me know Jan’s at my place.”

At least she’s fucking safe.
His relief was short-lived. “But you’re not there.”

“No, but Travis is
around keeping watch. I never leave the house unguarded these days, not after what happened.”

What happened was someone had dared once before to try and kidnap Tammy from Reid’s place. They
’d almost succeeded too. Thankfully, Reid arrived to the rescue.

Weeks had passed since without any further problems at Reid’s home
, but the clan alpha wasn’t taking chances where his mate and grandmother were concerned. Someone guarded the place, and the women, at all times. People like Reid’s cousin, Travis. But Travis was a young, hot-headed idiot. A good fighter yes, but one who didn’t have the skills, experience, or training Boris and some of the other boys who’d served in the army did.

Maybe
Boris should swing by and check on things. Make sure the young cub was doing an adequate job. A spot inspection. Yeah, just like his sergeant used to do.

Surely ensuring the safety of the Alpha’s mate
, grandmother, and foxy secretary were more important than him getting some sleep?

As for the mocking voice
in his head that taunted him about his irrational need to check on Jan? He told his moose to trample it.

B
efore he headed over, he had one pit stop to make. Boris hitched a ride back to Jan’s place where he’d left his truck and did a detour to his house on the outskirts of town. More like a cabin built in an A-frame style with a large picture window that spanned the main floor and extended up into the loft area of the second.

It was as he stuff
ed various weapons in holsters and pockets that he eyed the expansive view. What a perfect target he made for anyone watching. Good thing he’d invested in the toughest windows around. It cost him a ridiculous amount, but keeping his home open and airy, as well as safe, didn’t have a price, not for a man who’d spent too many months in something only slightly bigger than a coffin.

Locking the door, and setting the alarm, which Reid had mocked him for when he’d first had it installed, Boris now thanked the foresight to make his home into a mini fortress. He had a feeling he might need it.

When he showed up at Reid’s door a little while later, he didn’t spot or smell any sign of Travis. Either the
grizzly cub was well hidden, or shirking his duties. Boris hoped for the latter. Any excuse would serve to give the boy a cuff, under the guise of making him into a man.

Not that the boy would live to manhood
once Boris got through with the womanizing little prick.

The sound of laughter brought
Boris around from the front of the house to the back, where he found Tammy, Travis, and Jan bundled against the cold, but out in the open. Clear targets for anyone who came along. That was problem number one.

“Hold it steady with two hands, and remember, it’s going to kick, so don’t lock your arms too tight,” Jan advised Tammy as
she took aim at a tree—which looked remarkably healthy and unmarked despite the fact they’d chosen it for target practice.

Bang
. The shot went high, and a branch quivered, sending a bucket full of snow to dump on the ground.

“Better,” Jan said.
“Now your turn, Travis.”

“Watch this
. I’ve been practicing.” Travis took a wide-legged stance and held the rifle up against his shoulder. Barely taking the time to aim, he fired. And missed by a mile. “Dammit. I think the tree moved.”

The women giggled.

“The tree didn’t move. You’re crooked,” Jan told him. “Here, let me show you how you should hold the gun.”

As Jan placed her body close to Travis’, her hands over his, her breasts pressing into him, her voice low and encouraging, Boris felt himself detach from his body. It was the strangest thing
. He knew on some level what he witnessed was perfectly harmless, but that rational-minded level wasn’t the one in charge of him at the moment.

A more primal part of him
surfaced, a possessive aspect to his personality that had, until now, remained dormant. It rose to the top, commandeered his limbs, and was to blame for the fist that met Travis’ jaw when he spun around after his successful shot.

Did Boris feel bad when the cub
’s eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the ground? Nope. Damned fool had his hands on Boris’ woman. He was lucky Boris let him live.

Unfortunately, Jan didn’t quite
see things the same way.

“What is wrong with you?” she exclaimed
as she dropped to her knees in the snow beside Travis’ prone body.

“
Me? I was simply giving the boy a lesson.”

“In what?
How to survive a concussion from a rabid moose?”

“
Bah, I barely touched him. Not my fault he’s got a soft melon for a head. Besides, it would never have happened if he was paying attention to his environ. If you ask me, he got off lucky. What if I were the enemy? You all could have died.”

“You moron.
We knew you were there from the moment you pulled in with your noisy truck.”

“So why didn’t you acknowledge me
?” Jan hadn’t looked his way once. It was enough to prick a man’s ego, if he cared about such things.

“Because I didn’t feel like it,” she retorted. “But if I’d have known being ignored would send you in
to a childish snit, I would have rolled out a red welcoming carpet.”

Snit?
Boris didn’t have snits. He was a man, and a moose. He had episodes that some of his friends termed psychotic but he labeled stress relief. “Well, how was I supposed to know you knew I was there?” Given the convoluted direction of the conversation, Boris could feel himself going cross-eyed and possibly having another psychotic episode.

She didn’t reply. Instead, s
he shot him a dirty look that said, “Really?” As if someone with her enhanced sense of hearing and smell wouldn’t have known. Add in Travis’ ability to hers and Boris’ excuse was flimsy by any standards. But Boris blustered ahead. “Don’t give me that look. Next time, if pretty boy here wants to avoid a nap in the snow, then he should do his job instead of screwing around.”

“You better hope his mum doesn’t hear about this.”

The threat almost sent a shiver down Boris’ spine. He’d heard the stories. He’d met the woman. With her plump cheeks, bright smile, and wicked wooden spoon, Travis’ mom, Betty-Sue, appeared sweet on the outside, until you harmed her precious baby. Given her reputation, Boris, and many others, usually stayed far, far away. “Travis won’t snitch.” The cub knew better. The nickname momma’s boy wasn’t one he enjoyed.

“Hey, while you guys argue, mind if I go inside for some hot cocoa
? My brand-new nose says Ursa has a pot of it ready, along with marshmallows.” Tammy had only recently gone through the change from human to shifter. Given her human heritage and upbringing, she’d taken the news of her change rather well. She skipped off to the house, leaving Jan alone with Boris and a still snoring Travis.

Jan avoided looking at him, which irritated Boris for some reason. In the past, the few times they’d run into each other, she’d hungrily devoured him with her eyes, to his great annoyance.
I am more than a hunk of meat.

Now
they’d slept together, he expected her to… What exactly? Fawn over him? Simper? Throw herself into his arms and beg him to take her hard, fast, and furious?

She did none of those things. Not one. Nope, instead she practically ignored him, never meeting his gaze, maintaining her distance.
Boris didn’t like it one bit.

I am such a fucking idiot.
One whom it seemed was never happy. He’d finally gotten his wish, for her to leave him alone, and now he wanted her focus back on him.

“What are you doing here?”
he asked.

“I think that’s a better question for you.
I thought you were getting patched up,” she said, scuffing the ground with her boots.

“I was.”

“So shouldn’t you be resting now?”

“Yes, but when I heard you were out here, and with your place currently off limits due to the fire,
I thought I should drop by and give you this.”

Somehow, this was not how he’d pictured this moment. Even as he’d stashed the box in his pocket, nervous about her reaction, he’d expected a more welcoming reception. Which he would have rebuffed, because,
that was what he did.

At least his mention of a present got her to finally meet his eyes.

Wham! Dammit. What was it about her that always slammed him like a fist in the gut?

To hide the effect she had on him, he thrust out his offering.

“Is that for me?”

“Do you see anyone else around? Of course it’s for you.”
He didn’t mean it to come out so brusquely, but he couldn’t help it. Jan didn’t seem to notice. She took the gift from his hand and lifted the lid.

For a moment she was silent, but he saw how her eyes lit with
appreciation, but it was her softly murmured, “Oh, Boris. It’s beautiful,” that just about sent him to his knees. “You got this for me?”