Page 6 of His Bear Hands (Bear Creek Grizzlies #1)

6

ZOE

Z oe tried to make conversation with Ethan when he came into the lodge, but by the odd look he gave her, she failed. She went back to staring at the wall, trying to decipher the next logical step. If this were a role playing game, she should get out of there. Men who turned into bears heralded a lot of sick shit she didn't want to deal with.

As soon as Ethan jogged up the stairs, she crept over to the kitchen to search for the keys to something. Any possible mode of transportation. Nothing. So she snuck into the office where Simon kept his antiquated ledger books and snatched the keys off his desk. The gears ground as she tried to pull out of the drive, but she didn't care about the transmission. Simon could pay for a new one if it fell out.

The door to the lodge banged open just as she peeled out, gravel scattering from under the tires, and she careened down the side of the mountain. She raced away, terrified that Simon would come after her as either man or bear, and fumbled with her phone to try to get a signal. She had to call Tate. Had to figure out whether Tate actually knew what these guys were or if this was some sick joke. Maybe he could pick her up. Send her a rental car or a bus ticket or something.

She wrenched on the steering wheel and stomped on the clutch to avoid flying off a switchback, and dialed Tate's number. She kept hitting re-dial, half her attention on the road, and waited until the trees thinned and she actually got a signal. The phone rang several times before Tate picked up, sounding annoyed. "Yeah?"

"You son of a bitch," she said, nearly breathless with the effort of keeping the Range Rover squarely on the road. "These people are nuts . Come get me. Come get me now ."

"You shouldn't have called." Tate swore, and it sounded like he moved quickly. "Jesus Christ, what's wrong with you? It's been less than a day. Just sit tight. You'll be fine."

"I swear to God, Tate, you'd better —" She yelped as the car hit a pothole and a deer bolted across the road and she swerved. And then there was nothing below the car and she felt weightless, floating up until her seatbelt caught her, and she stared out the windshield as trees rushed up and then —

Nothing.