Page 5 of Caught Bear Handed (Sawtooth Security #3)

Chapter Four

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 know somebody , 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 on The 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.

“Like where?” I had a feeling this would be important information for Barrett and Bellamy. Bellamy was one of the most talented digital forensics experts I’d ever met. If there was any dirt, he’d find it. But I could definitely make his job easier.

Kayla shook her head, and I put my hand on her arm. Big mistake. Her big brown eyes widened, like she had electricity flowing through her veins too.

“I know it’s scary, but what they’re doing isn’t a reflection on you.

You tried to make things better for yourself.

They fucked you over. Keeping quiet because you’re embarrassed only helps them, and I know the she-wolf that jumped out of a moving car doesn’t help the bad guys.

” Then I made my second mistake, meeting her gaze.

My cock twitched. “If we’re gonna get these bastards, you can’t hold back. ”

“You’re right. About all of it. It’s humiliating, and I want them to pay,” she said softly, lowering her gaze.

“It’s a drug cartel. Somewhere in Eastern Europe.

They think they might be involved in trafficking.

I don’t know for sure. We were in public, so the developer couldn’t say much—for good reason, because a week later, I was on set, and I got mail delivered to my trailer.

Not unusual. Fans will send things to the production office.

It was a picture of me talking to the developer. No note, no nothing.”

“Do you think they tricked you?”

She bit her lip and gave her head a slight shake.

“Didn’t think of it like that. I’d thought one of us had been followed, but now, I wouldn’t rule anything out.

Soon, the developers who were still with the company contacted me again.

Sweet summer me thought they wanted to make things right,” she scoffed.

“But they were looking for more money and threatened to expose my ties to their goons if I didn’t comply.

I was like, hell no, I’ll call the police.

They told me that was a really bad idea, then tried to reassure me that the project was still a go, and if I played the game right, I’d be a billionaire. I just had to be patient.”

“What did you do?”

“Told them I needed to think about it. Obviously, there was nothing to think about besides how to get out of this awful situation. Instead, I contacted a journalist friend at one of the industry’s most important magazines.

I knew a lot of actors who had lost their life savings, and I wasn’t the only one who’d been bribed and threatened.

I had a feeling there were more I didn’t know about and everyone was too scared to speak up.

They’d let me stay anonymous, and I could blow the story open.

It felt like the only thing I could do.”

“That’s when Mark came into the picture,” she continued.

“Like I said, I didn’t connect the dots at first. Considering the circumstances, the last place I should’ve been was on a dating app, but I didn’t want to be alone.

I’m an overthinker, much better at pretending to be someone else, and I needed a distraction. ”

“Tell me about Mark.” My bear was clawing inside me, wanting nothing more to take a swipe at these assholes.

She shook her head. “It’s hard to find a partner when you’re a public figure.

So even though the date was a disappointment, it wasn’t a surprise.

Looking back, the first red flag was he wanted to meet at that same restaurant I saw the developer at.

But it’s a hot spot, and they have these amazing fried green olives?—”

“Fried green olives?” I raised a brow. “Never heard of such a thing.”

“That’s what stands out to you in all this?” She laughed heartily. “You seem like you know your way around the kitchen, maybe we can make them while we’re here.”

“Challenge accepted.” I nodded. “Now, tell me more about this dickhead.”

“He looked nothing like his profile picture. It was like he used his son’s photo.

It had all my alarm bells ringing, and I got up to leave, but somehow, I let him convince me to stay.

I’d liked him, or whoever I was talking to, online.

Against my wolf’s better judgment, I gave him a chance.

And it was a weird date. Like crazy stalker fan.

He knew so much about me. Not just things that were public knowledge.

Things I’d only told my inner circle. I’ve never had to text my friend from the bathroom and ask her to fake an emergency before. ”

“But it didn’t end there,” I said.

She shook her head. “He kept messaging me, finding me on my personal social media accounts, my email. He showed up while we were filming on location. He didn’t get past security—I’d let them know there was a problem—but still, I was shaken to the core that he found us there.”

“Sounds like someone you trust might have been giving him information.”

Her lips parted. “You’re right. I’d figured he was just an obsessed fan. He wasn’t the first.”

“Do you have any information about the others?” I asked. “It could be connected.”

“I can look, but to be honest, I deleted a lot of it. I was so creeped out I just wanted it gone.”

“Understandable.” One of my pots started to boil over and I had to go back into the kitchen to tend to it. “If you can remember any details, write them down. I’ll give them to Bellamy. If there’s a connection, he’ll find it.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s what you hired us for.” Even though I had a feeling I’d be fighting for this woman long after the job was done.

“I know, but I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear I have some trust issues.” She leaned forward. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“You can open the cans of beans and get them rinsed and drained,” I suggested.

She slid off the stool and came into the kitchen. I pointed to where she could find the can opener and handed her the strainer. She had a rhythm to the way she moved. I’d always known there was something special about her, but I could never describe it until she was right next to me.

I groaned inwardly. I sounded like just as much of a creep as this Mark guy.

“After Mark showed up on set, it was suggested I take out a restraining order against him. Problem solved, right?” She gave a shaky laugh as she turned the opener along the top of the can. “Then he had the actual audacity to show up at the pool at my apartment complex.”

“That motherfucker.”

“Yup. So he got arrested, and as far as I knew, that was the end of it. Until this week.” Her head bowed, and she let out a long exhale.

Her shoulders shook, and I realized she was crying.

“Hey,” I said softly, taking a step closer to her.

I wanted to comfort her, take her in my arms and hold her. Inhale that intoxicating honey scent. Whatever I could do so she knew she was finally safe. No one would ever hurt her again.

But I couldn’t. She’d been taken advantage of and betrayed. I needed to protect her by the book.

“How much of this does Barrett know?” I said, hating how cold it sounded.

“He said Mark was part of a bigger network, and that’s what made me realize he was connected to the crypto scheme.” She looked up at me and wiped tears away from her cheeks. “But I could be totally wrong, and he could be affiliated with something else awful.”

“The chances are low.” I pulled the meat out of the sauté pan and transferred it to the slow cooker, which got Gigi’s attention. “Looks like I have a customer. Want to try a sample?”

“Love to. I’m starving.”

Gigi rounded the island, her tail happily thumping against my calf as I spooned the meat into the bowl for her. “I cook the onion, peppers and garlic separate because this one is a little spoiled, and those things aren’t good for her. I’ll mix them together for you and give you a little cheese?—”

Kayla laughed as Gigi put her paw on my thigh.

“That’s her favorite word. If you give this dog cheese, she will follow you to the end of the Earth.”

“Noted.”

I placed the first bowl on Gigi’s mat and watched with satisfaction as she eagerly dug in. When I turned around, I found Kayla spooning the ground beef into a bowl.

“I could’ve done that.”

“You’re dog dadding, and I’m perfectly capable of serving myself,” she said as she spooned the vegetables over the meat. “I can make you a bowl too. I assume I have dish duty.”

“I wasn’t gonna ask, but if you’re offering.” I accepted the bowl from her and went back to the stool.

Moments later, she joined me. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. There was a mix of emotions as I waited for her reactions. I wanted her to like it.

You want her to like you, my bear clarified.

She closed her eyes for a long blink, moaned, and then turned to me. “You’re making this for a competition?”

“Not exactly, but the fire department takes chili very seriously. I hadn’t earned the right to make it for them yet.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. This is…have you had any formal training?”

“Nope. Taught myself because I had a single mom who worked all the time and I was a hungry bear.” I laughed, but it was short-lived. Kayla had just been vulnerable with me, and I owed it to her to do the same. “She left our clan when I was a baby. It was just me and her.”

“You have natural talent.” She laughed and took another bite. “I bet you make some amazing meals for her.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to say she’d find out soon enough. But this woman was in much more danger than she could possibly comprehend, and I wasn’t sure that Sawtooth Security could save her.