Page 26 of Caught Bear Handed
“I didn’t.”Lowering my gaze was almost impossible.I should’ve beared up and owned my decision.“Everything went great.I didn’t want to worry him for no reason.Or give him a reason to reassign me.”
“Would he do that?”
“I’ve only worked with them for a few months.I haven’t gotten everything right, but it’s not because I don’t care.”
“Did you mess things up, or did you do them your own way, and the other guys didn’t expect it?”she asked.
Good question.“A little of both.”
“You obviously care about your job, and you don’t blindly follow rules.You listen to your instincts.It makes you good at what you do.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“So I asked what vigilant meant because I have a proposition for you.”Her voice was low and husky.“But it requires another outing.”
“Kayla.”Telling her no wasn’t going to be easy.“Not sure that falls under being more vigilant.”
She leaned forward.“What if those guys are watching us too?”
“Impossible.”My bear rumbled inside me.“We’re off the grid.Sawtooth Security employs the best in the business.”
“But the guys they’re investigating are no joke.They convinced many smart people to give them a lot of money.They managed to get past security atThe Wolf’s Moonand abduct me.You said it yourself—they won’t be satisfied until they get everything they want.”
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this,” I said slowly, studying her.“Or why any of this justifies putting you in danger.”
“It’s bigger than me.My friends were involved too.If they gave in to these demands, they haven’t said anything.And just because those thieves got what they wanted from them once, twice, doesn’t mean they won’t come back for more, especially if they can’t get to me.”She shuddered.
It took everything I had not to go to the other side of that island and take her in my arms.They’d never lay a paw on her.
“Shea said that he heard Amelia was in town, so I checkedThe Wolf’s Moonsite while I was getting ready,” she continued.“We do silly little vlogs in between takes.The viewers love it.The most recent one talked about how everyone was handling the hiatus—and yes, Amelia is here, in Sawtooth Forest.She said she’d be at the Fourth of July cookout.”
Oh.“She’s one of the people who lost money in the crypto scheme?”
Kayla nodded.“Yeah.Not sure how much.Once everything went sour, no one wanted to talk about it.So I’m not sure if she’s had any additional encounters with these guys, but if Sawtooth Security’s intelligence is correct, it sounds like she has, or she should be expecting another visit soon.I need to warn her.We need to go to that cookout.”
Technically, she was right.But there had to be a better way to do this.“We can get her a message.”
“No, I need to talk to her.She could have information that could help your coworkers solve the case.An email or a text would warn her, sure, but I can’t tell her it’s me, and no one involved with the investigation can tell her you’re guarding me, because it could blow your cover.Not to mention, if Bellamy can get into the crypto stuff—they can probably track us.”
I raised a brow.“And how will you talking to her in person not blow our cover?Everyone in Granger Falls watchesThe Wolf’s Moonbecause Amelia is pack.”
Kayla gave me a grin that sent all the blood in my body rushing to my cock.Whatever she was about to propose was dangerous—and I had no idea how I’d tell her we couldn’t do this.Under any circumstances.We absolutely needed to let Amelia know she was in danger.Put a security detail in place for the cookout.But a face-to-face meeting could put the entire investigation in jeopardy.
“I go in disguise.Don’t reveal my true identity to anyone but Amelia,” she said, running her teeth over her bottom lip like she knew it would send me over the fucking edge.“If we do it right, it will strengthen our cover.Won’t your fellow firefighters wonder why you’re not at the biggest event of the summer?Didn’t you say they were expecting you to bring the chili?”
“The guys know I’m on a special assignment with Sawtooth Security.”I sighed.“How do you think you’re gonna pull this off?We don’t have a team of makeup artists at our disposal to change your appearance.Sawtooth Forest isn’t Hollywood.”
“We don’t, but I’ve watched them work their magic for enough years I feel like I can do a pretty decent job on my own.We just need to order a wig and some makeup.”
“This is insane,” I said.“We could blow the entire investigation.At the very least, I could lose my job.”
“I’ll hire you to be my personal bodyguard,” she countered.“I need to go to that cookout, Beau.I won’t be able to live with myself if one of my friends gets hurt and I could’ve done something to stop it.”
ChapterEleven
Kayla
I felt bad about putting Beau in an impossible position, but not bad enough to back down.I had the privilege of keeping myself safe, and if I had knowledge that could help people I cared about do the same—I couldn’t keep hiding here with my adorable bear shifter, just hoping for the best.That crime ring already figured out how to crack security onThe Wolf’s Moon.Production had managed to sweep news of my abduction under the rug, in a collaboration with Sawtooth Security.