Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

My Bear Only Had One Plan

Bellamy

Working with Clover on this case was the most natural thing in the world, and my bear knew that feeling was downright dangerous. She could be setting me up for another fall. But she was different now, softer but still wild, wiser but not jaded.

Magical, my bear said. The thing that’s different is the magic.

We hadn’t talked about the possibility of her having magic at all since Shirley had crashed our cupcake…it wasn’t technically a date, since it was right before we’d gone to talk to Major Lowe, which was all business. It had been a fun little diversion. I meant to bring it up on this drive to Coeur d’Alene, but we fell into an easy conversation about the clan.

“I was relieved everyone we grew up with seemed to be done having babies so I didn’t have to be the awkward single lady at the baby showers quietly getting drunk in the corner anymore, but now I’m getting invited to showers for their grandkids.” She laughed, but it was hesitant.

I glanced over at her, mostly paying attention to the road, but we were the only ones on this stretch. Soon, we’d be passing clan land and I’d been debating with myself the entire way if I should suggest stopping. My bear and I were both leaning toward hell no, because I needed to keep Clover away from anyone who could cast a spell on her.

You want to keep her for yourself , my bear said.

“I know, that could’ve been us,” Clover said when I didn’t respond.

“Do you wish it was?” I asked.

Her lips parted. If she didn’t answer, I’d tell her how it had been torture sleeping on the couch knowing her delectable body was in my bed. How I was getting addicted to the way my house smelled like her now. And the other reason I didn’t want to face my clan was my heart would never recover from another rejection.

“Sometimes,” she said softly. “I wonder what our family would’ve been like. How we would’ve spent holidays. And other times, I tell myself everything happens for a reason.”

“I think about it all the time.” I surprised myself by admitting it so easily. “Definitely what it would’ve been like to have a family with you. Watching you raise them to be just as fiery as you are. Growing old with you. Making a difference in the clan.”

She let out a long sigh. “You never found anyone else?”

I shook my head and clutched the steering wheel tighter. “Couldn’t even think about dating for a long time. Then when I finally let myself try, I kept trying to find you in them. And it turns out, you’re one of a kind. There’s no one like you, Clover Crowley.”

“Some people would say that’s a good thing.” She beamed at me. “I was terrified that I’d run into your wife and kids when I came to ask for your help, and I had no idea how I’d handle that.”

“How come?”

“Because there was no way you wouldn’t have told this fictional wife about me, and there was also no way she’d think I was anything but a heartless bitch. I expected it to feel like a slap in the face.”

“Is your reputation the only thing that was on the line in that scenario?”

“I don’t know, Bellamy.” Her lips curled up in a mischievous grin. “Why don’t you tell me how this ends?”

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that I needed a bulletproof vest for this conversation. “That’s a little complicated because we don’t know what we’ll find when we recover the locket. There’s a good chance your grandmother stole it. It could change everything for the clan. And if you have magic?—”

“I’m not talking about the clan, or my grandmother, or her stupid locket.” Clover rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about me and you.”

What I really wanted to do was pull the truck over and take her on the side of this lonely highway. But we couldn’t use sex to avoid every argument, as much as I would like to.

“I was too,” I finally said. “It’s bigger than us now. Maybe it always was.”

“Yeah,” she said. “You’re probably right.”

Clover turned toward the window, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. I wasn’t afraid of anything, except for this woman shattering my heart all over again. Now that I was pretty sure her magic had been stolen and used against her…and me…fuck, it was complicated. If only there was a spell to put our past completely behind us and give us a clean start. I would empty my bank account for that potion.

And there would still be no guarantees , my bear reminded me. He had an answer for everything except for how to claim this woman.

Why did fate seem so easy when it happened to everyone else?

We were quiet for the rest of the drive. A part of me dreaded finding this stupid locket because it could mean saying goodbye to this woman, this time for good.

Fight for her , my bear said. She needs that more than she’ll ever admit .

My GPS startled us both by announcing it was time to turn off the highway into Coeur d’Alene. It led us to an apartment building downtown, near the lakeside beach.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Clover wrinkled her nose as she looked up at the converted industrial building. “It’s a nice place, but it’s not I-special-ordered-a-custom-antique-motorcycle-that-probably-costs-a-fortune nice.”

“I agree, but maybe it’s an office.”

“Or a front for something else,” she suggested. “If Anders Lynwood has access to a computer and a credit score, he can’t be a figment of my imagination. And Major Lowe doesn’t seem like someone who’s easy to scam.”

“No, he’s not.” But Anders Lynwood was supposed to be dead. These were all excellent points, but things were making even less sense now. The databases I had access to were as good as they got. If he was alive, we should’ve already had a lead on him. “Let’s go see what we can find out.”

Clover confidently walked up to the door and tugged on it, letting loose with a low growl when she discovered it was locked. The noise that came out of her made me want to back her against the doorway and forget all about Anders Lynwood.

“Guess we’ll have to wait for someone to come out.” She considered the list of names on the buttons. “I could play the auntie card, once I know who we’re here to visit. Or we could press all the buttons and see which one of Anders’s neighbors has trust issues.”

“No need for either.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped.

“I understand you’re strong enough to huff and puff and blow the house down, but I thought we were trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Wait, what are you doing?”

Her eyes widened as I positioned my phone at the lock mechanism, and I winked at her just after we heard the satisfying click of it disengaging.

“What sorcery was that?” she asked as I held the door open.

“You’re not the only one with magic.” It felt way too natural to put my hand on her back and guide her up the stairs. Whoever was using this address didn’t live on the ground floor. The door that corresponded with the number on the invoice was on the third floor. There was a floral wreath outside. It didn’t feel right.

“What’s our plan?” Clover whispered.

“We knock on the door and see who answers,” I whispered back.

“What if no one does? Do we just loiter until they come back?”

I shook my head. “You’ll see.”

She grunted softly and I raised an eyebrow.

“Those little noises are going to get you in trouble.”

“Good to know.” She gave me a wicked grin.

I blew out a breath and knocked on the door before I got totally distracted.

A young woman answered the door, drawing back when she saw us. From what I could tell, she was human. She didn’t have shifter energy, but she was definitely picking up on ours.

Let me take the lead . Whoa. Clover didn’t say that out loud, but I heard her as clearly as if she had.

She stepped forward and gave the young woman a warm smile. “Hi, I was wondering if you could help us. We’re looking for Anders Lynwood. Is he home?”

That was good.

“I-I don’t know an Anders Lynwood.” The young woman clutched the door and narrowed her eyes at Clover. “I think you’ve given me a facial before.”

“It’s possible.” Clover beamed. “I’ve worked at a few spas in the area. So do you know Anders? Maybe I knocked on the wrong door?”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“Is there anyone in the building, big and burly, interested in motorcycles?” Clover asked.

“You just described half of the panhandle.” The young woman laughed nervously. “I’m sorry, I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I hope you find who you’re looking for.”

She closed the door before Clover had a chance to ask any more questions.

“Well, shit,” Clover said under her breath. “What do we do now?”

“We wait.”

“Here?”

I shook my head and motioned toward the stairs. “We’ll have to do some more research on the area. There’s a reason why Anders, or whoever placed that order, picked this address.”

We were outside again, in the blazing sunshine. Clover shielded her eyes with her hand. “When will we be done?”

“When we have everything we need.” I shrugged. “Do you have other plans?”

“Eventually I should get back to work, but everything’s on hold until we find the locket.” She sighed. “I was just wondering where we should stay. Clan land isn’t too far from here?—”

“No,” I said so abruptly she widened her eyes. “Conflict of interest. We need to be on neutral territory.”

She pulled her phone out of her bag. “There are a couple of cute hotels nearby. Some of them cater to long-term stays.”

“I can handle that,” I said.

“You can, but you’re busy looking for clues. This is my territory. Just because I asked for your help didn’t mean I expected you to do everything yourself.” She walked away from me to a shadier spot. I definitely didn’t mind the view of her round ass.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her not to book two rooms. But she was my client, not my mate. And if I had any chance of updating my status, I had to let her handle this.

A door won’t be enough to keep you away , my bear rumbled.

I wasn’t so sure. Clover seemed willing to play, until she didn’t. I might have been fooling myself to think I ever had a chance with this woman, but I didn’t want to jeopardize the case.

She turned to me. “The resort has availability. Want to go check in? It will give us a chance to come up with plan B.”

“Let’s do it.” But my bear only had one plan, and it was the same plan he’d always had—to claim her.