Page 9 of Caught Bear Handed
“I’m not used to seeing you without your red lipstick,” he said.
I touched my fingers to my mouth, acutely aware that his gaze followed the movement.“I feel a little naked without it.”
Which made me think of him dripping wet in nothing but that towel all over again.
“You look great either way.”He gave me a smoldering look.
The aroma of cooking meat hit my nostrils, and my empty tummy rumbled in appreciation.“What are you making?”
He put down the knife.“When Barrett told me about this assignment, I was on duty with the Granger Falls volunteer fire department.We’d started a pickup basketball game, with the stipulation that the loser was responsible for doing all the department’s cooking at the Fourth of July cookout.Since I technically had to forfeit, I got a text tonight that I needed to bring chili.It’s a big deal, so I want to make sure it’s perfect.Hope you’re in the mood to do some taste testing.”
“So ready.”I settled onto one of the high chairs on the other side of the island.“I have so many questions.”
“Ask away.”He picked up the knife again and continued chopping bell peppers.
“You’re a firefighter?”
“Volunteer,” he clarified.“My main job is Sawtooth Security.But I’m not the type of guy to sit at a desk and push paperwork.Between cases, I’m pretty much climbing the walls.I worked out a deal with Barrett, so I can cut back my hours when things are slow and work with the fire department.They’re flexible, because it’s a volunteer gig.So far, it works.”
“That’s cool that he’s willing to be so accommodating.”I barely knew these bears, but they seemed like decent guys.A family, like I’d found withThe Wolf’s Moon.“Do you cook a lot or are you only doing this to settle your bet?”
His lips parted, and his eyes sparkled.“I like to cook, but I usually stick to stuff like steaks and burgers.I make a mean chicken wing.I know you’re new around here, but the Fourth of July cookout is a big deal.Everyone in town will be there.”
I nodded.“Do you think we’ll be able to go to this cookout?We’re under house arrest.”
“Hope so,” he said after a moment.“And I hope you’ll stick around for it, if your filming schedule allows.But on that subject, I have a question for you.”
I swallowed hard.Beau had been completely candid with me, and he deserved the same.I had no idea what he was about to ask.There was no reason for my heartbeat to speed up.“Of course.”
He put the knife down again and leaned against the counter.“So, let’s be real here.This case is way more than an obsessed ex-boyfriend.What do you know about these guys, and why do they want you?”
ChapterFour
Beau
Kayla’s eyes widened, and her body tensed.
Gigi picked her head up from the rug, feeling it too.
I didn’t need animal instinct to know she hadn’t told everyone the whole story about Mark Peters and why she jumped out of the window of a moving van to get away from the guy who’d abducted her on his behalf.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a totally badass move.But it told me she was fully aware of how much deep shit she was in.
Kayla let out a shaky breath.“I feel so stupid.I didn’t see it until now.”
“See what?”I asked as I went to the other side of the island and took the chair beside her.I had to ignore that she smelled like honey.I could understand why she drew dangerous men to her like a magnet.This woman could be my kryptonite.
“I got in on the ground floor of what seemed like a great investment.A bunch of my actor friends were doing it too.They’d found out about a brand new cryptocurrency, and of course, actors always knowsomebody, and my friends were excited because if we could get in the initial investment round, the sky was the limit for what we could make.It wasn’t the first time I bought crypto, and I felt like I had a good understanding of it.And I can’t lie, the idea of making more money than I could comprehend was exciting.I’m lucky, I have a steady gig onThe Wolf’s Moon, but the temporary cancellation scared the hell out of me.Most actors aren’t rich.I just wanted to make sure I could keep doing what I love on my own terms.”
“That makes sense.You wanted to take care of yourself.”I was beginning to see where this was going, but I wouldn’t fill in any gaps for her.Especially since it sounded like she’d just had a revelation about the case.
“People I trusted were going all in, and it made me overconfident.That whitepaper was too vague, but every time I asked a question, they told me what I wanted to hear.My intuition was screaming, but I dismissed it as fear, and I invested more than I was comfortable with.”She let out a long sigh.“And then everything went sideways.The launch kept getting pushed back at the last minute.Explanations were sketchy, when we got them.The development team, who’d wined and dined us when they wanted our money, stopped answering emails.Their socials went silent.I was trying not to panic.Getting in on a new thing never went smoothly, right?But then, another investor noticed a major flaw in the plan.I did everything to try to get in touch with someone, anyone, but I wasn’t getting anywhere.Then I found out the developers were flat out quitting.The project was dead in the water.I was gutted that I lost all that money, but I thought it was the end of it.That I’d emerged older and wiser.”
And more beautiful, my bear added.He was digging this natural, no makeup look.Her hair had been pulled into another messy bun, and she looked as wild and free as she craved to be.
“So I picked up the pieces of my pride and went about my life.You don’t get to graduate into full-blown adulthood without a few mistakes under your belt.”She chuckled sadly.“One night, I went out to eat and saw one of the developers who ghosted.After a couple of glasses of rosé, I decided it would be a good idea to go up to him and ask what happened.I didn’t expect to get my money back, but I wanted answers.Or so I thought.
“Turns out, the money didn’t just go into the developer’s pockets.He got screwed too.The whole thing was a laundering scheme, and the money was going to some pretty gross places.”She shuddered.