HUNTER
H unter frowned up at the sleet gray sky outside of Grizzly Protection Services. Orson had raved about the weather and the sights and the sheer beauty of Alaska, but Hunter hadn’t seen anything to impress him so far, and he wasn’t expecting to find anything better inside.
The door tinkled like a retail shop when he opened it.
That would have to go.
A Grizzly office should inspire respect, not greet a customer like they were coming into a candy store.
Hunter gave the door a good slam behind him and was startled to find his youngest brother sitting behind a counter like he was a common secretary. “Orson?”
“Hunter! Holy hell! I mean, welcome to Grizzly Protection Services!” Orson’s voice went silky. “How can I help you?”
Hunter grunted in disbelief. Orson had been sent to Alaska to take over an established company, Snafu River Security. Had he run off every employee in just a few weeks ?
“I’m delighted to see that you’re as chatty as ever,” Orson said, steepling his hands and then leaning his chin on them. “Did Theo send you to make sure I hadn’t run the company into the ground already?”
Since that was exactly why Hunter was there, he gave a half-shrug in answer.
“I can assure you that everything is going completely smoothly,” Orson said cheerfully. “Business is booming! All the paperwork is in order! Happy customers everywhere!”
“Then why are you playing BigMart greeter?” Hunter demanded.
“The previous secretary tried to kill us, and Alex said that this was a job I could handle until we found someone to replace her.”
“You were supposed to replace Alex , not the secretary,” Hunter reminded him, though he had to admit he was curious about the story behind tried to kill us.
To his surprise, Orson didn’t fold like a wet paper bag and apologize for his failure.
“No way. Alex is the reason this company is thriving. I came in and found a lot of ways I could screw things up, and she very skillfully kept me from doing any of them.” The phone rang.
“Hang on, I have to take this. Grizzly Protection Services, how can I help you?” The cub was actually grinning, like he had no problem sitting at the secretary’s desk taking phone calls and making coffee.
Hunter didn’t like surprises. He liked it when life played out according to plan, and worked hard to make sure that it did. He had planned to come to Alaska, fix whatever mess Orson had made, whip the business back into shape, and waltz back to Colorado in time for the skiing season.
Orson pointed at a chair by the door as he chatted sympathetically with someone who seemed to be missing a cat. “Yeah,” he said cheerfully. “Try the litterbox trick before you offer a reward. You’d be surprised how well it works.”
When he hung up (“Good luck finding Sassy Whiskers!”), he pressed another button on his phone. “Hey Alex, the big boss is here to see you.”
The speaker crackled in reply. “I told you the speakerphone wasn’t a toy, Orson. And stop calling yourself the big boss. It confuses the clients.”
Orson snorted. “No, I meant the real big boss. My brother Hunter is here to do an inspection or something. I told him you have it all in hand, but he’s doing that glaring thing he’s so good at.”
Hunter hadn’t realized he was glaring, but it didn’t surprise him.
There was a slight pause, and then the voice said flatly, “I’ll be right out.”
“She’s as good at glaring as you are,” Orson said worshipfully. “Wait til you meet her.”
Alex Vex was not what Hunter had expected.
She wore sensible boots and looked like she’d be more comfortable on a wrestling mat than a board room.
True to Orson’s warning, she was glaring.
“Mr. Davison,” she said in a frosty tone, striding to shake Hunter’s hand.
He stood to greet her, and her handshake was firm and brief.
“I suppose you’re here to shake things up . ”
“Ooo,” Orson said. “You’re in trouble ,” he hissed at Hunter.
Hunter hesitated. He hadn’t expected this kind of dynamic. “I assumed that there would be some…speedbumps over the change in ownership and came to make sure that things went smoothly.”
“He doesn’t trust me,” Orson said in a stage whisper to Alex.
“That’s understandable,” Alex replied dryly.
To Hunter, she added, “I can assure you that everything is in order. If you’d called ahead, I could have all the accounting ready for you to look over.
I could even have sent the files by email and spared you the long trip. ” Her voice was crisp and challenging.
Hunter tried to assess their relationship.
Orson was looking at her adoringly and she was taking it as her due.
She was a handsome woman, Hunter thought objectively, if a little on the tough and inflexible side.
He preferred his women prettier and less prickly.
She didn’t look like the type who would seduce his kid brother for a promotion, but appearances could be deceiving, and Orson was a wet-nosed knucklehead who would probably fall in the thrall of anyone who gave him a smile and swayed her hips.
Alex certainly wasn’t smiling now. She looked offended, and Hunter wondered if she had some justification.
He’d expected Orson to flunk his first test in the real world and take the business down with him.
Perhaps he’d done this woman a disservice in assuming that she couldn’t keep his little brother in line.
Charm was not Hunter’s finest skill, but he had enough to draw on. “I assure you, I did not intend to question your competence,” he said blandly, not including Orson in his assessment. “But I have found that surprise is often a useful tool in investigation.”
“Are we under investigation?” Alex asked, sounding very neutral and not looking at all charmed.
“I’m merely here to do a business assessment,” Hunter said, just as flatly. “It won’t take much of your time.”
“Good,” Alex said. “This is a busy time of year and we’re…temporarily short-staffed.”
Hunter pounced. “I noticed some employment irregularities,” he growled. Hiring felons was not something the business did on a company-wide basis.
Alex’s lip pulled up in a snarl. “I will vouch for any of the men and women who work for me,” she said fiercely. “We’re low on staff this week because it’s hunting season and they're out in the field filling their families’ freezers for the winter.”
Orson looked between them uncomfortably. “Maybe I could give Hunter a quick tour?” he offered. “While you put together the paperwork?”
Hunter ignored him. “I’m going to be here for a few weeks. You can put me to work wherever you have a staff shortage. I’m fully qualified for any positions in the office or in the field.” He spared a glance at Orson. “Though I feel my skills may be wasted answering phones.”
“I’m already doing that anyway,” Orson said with a hopeful grin. “Hunter is really good at surveillance electronics,” he added to Alex. “Way better than me.”
If Hunter had not been watching her closely, he might not have noticed the twitch of amusement at Alex’s mouth.
“Don’t undersell yourself, Orson,” she told him.
“Have Mr. Davison look over the specs for the Crutchfield camera quote and show him the surveillance room. Tom can give him an orientation. It wouldn’t hurt to have another opinion on their offer. ”
“Yes, Ms. Hotpants, ma’am!” Orson said jovially as he sprang up from his seat and saluted. “I’ll show you, Hunter.”
“You call your boss Ms. Hotpants?” Hunter asked, when they were alone.
“She’s not just my boss,” Orson said cheerfully. “She’s my mate.”
Hunter came to a surprised stop. “Your…what? ”
“Like Theo! As soon as I saw her, my bear knew she was the one and only.”
Mate, his own bear agreed.
That iron-faced harpy? Hunter asked in surprise.
Not our mate , his bear assured him. His mate. Hunter was understandably relieved. He had no desire to find a mate and wasn’t sure he believed in fate anyway. Instinct was one thing. Inescapable shackles of destiny was quite another.
Hunter caught up with Orson in a few determined strides. “Why didn’t you tell one of us?” he demanded. “Part of the reason I was sent here is because you’ve gone basically radio silent, and that’s never a good thing.”
“I’ve been busy,” Orson said with a sly sideways smile. “We’re buying a house.”
Hunter nearly careened into the wall as they turned a corner. His baby brother, buying a house? With a mate ?
They had just come to a door marked with several warnings about radiation. There was a red ON AIR lantern above it that was lit. “Should I be concerned?” he asked, gesturing.
“Nah,” Orson said. “It’s just for jokes. It’s fun here. You should take notes. You could learn a lot.”
Hunter only scowled. He didn’t like surprises.