Page 20 of Handcuffed to the Bear (Shifter Agents #1)
CHAPTER 20
Time had little meaning for Jack. Recovery was like a kind of hibernation: he’d sleep, roll out of bed, stagger to the bathroom, eat whatever in the kitchen didn’t need more prep than opening a package and/or sticking it in the microwave, then stagger back to bed.
Consequently, he had no idea how long he’d been home (six hours? one day? three?) when the smell of something cooking—something that smelled much better than a can of microwaved soup—slowly penetrated his stupor.
Also, there were voices. It sounded like his condo had been invaded by a very polite block party.
He detached himself reluctantly from his bed, fumbled into a shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and groped around for his glasses. Then he lurched out into the living room.
“Hey!” Cho called from the kitchen, waving a beer at him. “Steaks are on!”
“Yeah, on my grill, apparently.” The door to the patio was open, and most of the amazing smells were coming from there, where Avery and Mila appeared to be having an argument over the optimal time to flip a rare steak.
“Sit,” Dev Tripathi said, moving over to make room on the couch. “We were just trying to figure out whether it would be a good idea to wake you up.”
Eva, leaning against the wall with a beer of her own, grinned at him. “I offered to do it on the assumption that I can probably take you in a fight.”
“You probably can,” Jack said, slumping on the couch. “Actually, I think Cho could take me right now.”
“I resemble that remark,” Cho said cheerfully from the kitchen, rummaging in the drawers. “By the way, Mendoza would be here, but he had some soccer thing with his kids. The active social life of the single dad waits for no one.”
“The part I seem to have missed is why all the rest of you are here.”
“Because I have a key,” Avery said, leaning in from the patio. “And we did bring food.”
“I guess you can stay, then. Since you brought a bribe.”
It wasn’t like he didn’t understand why they were all there. It was just strange to be fussed over. But in a good way.
He couldn’t help thinking about Casey, and wondering how she was getting along. She’d said she didn’t have anyone she was close to. But surely there must be somebody —people to stop by, to bring her things she needed, just to let her know she wasn’t alone.
* * *
By the following day, he was feeling halfway human again. Dr. Lafitte paid him a house call—”How’s my most troublesome patient?”—and told him he was doing good for someone who had come in looking like a Rottweiler’s chew toy.
“It’s largely superficial, though. You lost a lot of blood, but overall, there’s no damage to your organs or your bones. You’ll have some new scars to go with your old ones, that’s all.”
“Have you been to see Casey, too?” he asked as she packed up her things. “Ms. McClaren, I mean.”
“She was discharged from the clinic yesterday. Doing well, from what I understand.”
She left him with a prescription for painkillers he doubted he’d use, and instructions to keep doing what he was doing. “And drink more fluids.”
“Do I need more fluids?”
“Most people do,” she said with an impish grin. “If I didn’t give you some medical advice and just told you to keep doing everything you’re doing, you might not feel like you were getting your money’s worth.”
“Point taken, ma’am.” He smiled back. “More fluids it is.”
Avery showed up shortly thereafter, with a bag of burgers and a six-pack of beer. “The beer is for me. People who got chewed to pieces by lions aren’t allowed to have alcohol.”
“Is that actual medical advice, or some sort of punishment?”
“Do I look like a doctor to you?” Avery flicked the cap off the beer bottle at him. “I came over to see if you’re ready to give a full debrief yet, because Stiers is nagging me for it. I can’t put her off forever.”
“I thought I did in the hospital.”
“No, you gave her the bare bones while half out of your head on painkillers. Not that it hasn’t been useful, and so far, everything in your account checks out perfectly. Eva’s team is up there now with Mav Descheenie from Forensics, retrieving evidence.” He laughed suddenly. “According to Mila, they picked up both the at-large Fallons at their helicopter, or what was left of it, trying to get it started. Mav emailed me a picture. What did that poor helo ever do to you, man?”
“I was in too much of a hurry to sabotage it nicely,” Jack said. The memory of unfinished business nagged at him. “The remains of the other victims Casey and I found in the caves—are they picking up those?”
“Eventually.” Avery’s cheerful mood cooled. “We’re going to have a long road ahead of us, matching up remains to victims. God knows how many there are.”
“I know one name we didn’t have before. Wendy Lebrun. Casey knew her. She wasn’t on the list we had.”
“Damn.” Avery rubbed at his temple with his thumb. “You think you know how evil people can be, but then it comes up and kicks you in the face again.”
“Is Debi Fallon being helpful?”
“Alarmingly so. I don’t know how much I trust her—well, okay, I know exactly how much, and it’s no further than I can throw her. But so far, it seems like she’s playing us straight. She seems to genuinely want to help, and she hasn’t lawyered up, unlike the rest of them.”
“She might be more squeamish than the rest of them, but she sat by and let a whole lot of people die. Don’t forget that.”
“I haven’t. At the very least, even if she gets out of it without charges, she’s not going to have the family money to fall back on.” Avery grinned wolfishly. “Now that the serial killer story has hit the news—minus the shifter aspects, thanks to Easton and the rest of our PR department—Lion’s Share stock has gone through the floor and the basement, and seems likely to just keep plummeting. Plus, everybody who does business with them is now falling all over themselves to backpedal from association with a name that’s just become poison.”
“Which means Casey’s going to be out of a job.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you get hired by homicidal maniacs. I notice you aren’t worried about the other several dozen employees who are now on the job market.”
“She saved my life,” Jack said defensively. “It’s reasonable to wonder what’s going to happen to her. And she’s just been through a hell of a thing.” He’d seen people implode before, under that kind of stress. He hoped Casey was handling it okay.
“You could call and see how she’s doing.”
“She just went through the worst experience of her life. She probably doesn’t want any reminders of it.” Like, say, a giant bear-shaped reminder that didn’t have the decency to stay out of her life.
Avery rolled his eyes. “For God’s sake, Jack. There’s oblivious and there’s just obtuse .”
“What?” Jack asked, genuinely baffled.
His phone picked that moment to twitter cheerfully at him. Saved by the bell.
Avery, who was closer, lurched out of his chair and picked it up. Glanced at the caller ID. Grinned. Tossed it over.
Jack didn’t recognize the number, but the look on Avery’s face said it all.
Casey.
Avery mimed holding a phone to his ear, and raised his eyebrows.
Jack glanced down at himself. He hadn’t bothered getting dressed when Avery showed up, so he was wearing nothing but sweatpants and a T-shirt, as well as a number of bandages.
“Jack!” Avery said, exasperated. “She can’t see you. Answer the damn phone .”
By the time he did, though, it had already gone to voice mail.
“Damn it.”
“This is just painful,” Avery said. “You know what? I think I’m going out on the patio to commune with nature for a few minutes.” And with that, he limped to the sliding glass doors leading outside.
“Very subtle,” Jack scoffed.
“As a hammer between the eyes,” Avery agreed. “Now, I’m going to give you what passes for privacy in a one-bedroom condo. Call her , Jack.”
Once Avery was safely outside, Jack played back the message. He was unprepared for the effect of hearing her voice—alive, safe, and well. His heart tripped over like a thirteen-year-old kid with a crush.
“Jack?” Casey’s voice said. She sounded hesitant. “I’m sorry, I hope this isn’t a bad time. Look, I’m kind of ... in the neighborhood, I guess, and I wondered if you might want to ... no, you know, this is stupid.” And she hung up, with a very final click.