CHAPTER TWO
Ezra was heading for South Dakota, to meet up with some specialist help he’d convinced to come from Phoenix. The three mechanics were brothers, and all were grizzly shifters. Ezra had met them years ago, and when he followed the far-reaching threads of Beth’s business interests all the way to South Dakota and the famous motorcycle rally held there each year, he knew just who to ask for assistance.
The brothers owed him. He’d saved their asses more than once on overseas ops. They’d all served together, and all being bears, they’d sort of gravitated together in the Special Forces unit that had been made up of all sorts of shifters. They’d drifted apart over the years since getting out of the military, but those bonds were never broken. The men kept in touch from time to time, and they all knew that, if one of them needed help, they could always call on the others.
As Ezra had done in this particular instance. The brothers were experienced mechanics with serious resumes. They could get into places that Ezra didn’t have the credentials to penetrate himself. They could get behind the scenes more easily and scope out the extent of the problem in the business Ezra was trying to investigate on his employer’s behalf.
Trevor knew the brothers and had approved their temporary addition to the troubleshooting team Ezra ran. Most of the time, the squad was just him, but on occasion, when he needed specialist assistance, he was authorized to spend a bit for expertise.
The brothers had flown from their current base in Phoenix to South Dakota and were already nosing around. The plan was for Ezra to meet them there later in the week to find out what they’d learned so far and make plans for their next steps. To add some authenticity to his arrival, Ezra was riding across a few states, starting out in Grizzly Cove and ending in the motorcycle heaven that was South Dakota during rally week.
He might be going there to do a job, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the trip. He’d taken Interstate 90 across and was in Wyoming. The land was rugged and breathtaking, and Ezra was glad he’d chosen to do the long trip. It had been too long since it was just him and his bike and the open road. He liked the steady gig with Beth and Trevor, but he was also a bear who liked his freedom. Trevor understood that, being a bear himself, so he was a good boss for a guy like Ezra.
When he rode through the outskirts of a small town with a truck stop, Ezra figured it was about time to stop and refuel—both the bike and his body. A truck stop meal might not be cordon bleu, but it would keep you going. He figured he was about halfway through Wyoming at this point. He had a few more hours to go until he crossed over into South Dakota. Luckily, his target wasn’t that far from the border, so if all continued to go well, he’d be checking into the hotel he’d reserved on time.
After a few days on the road, he was looking forward to a soft bed and a warm shower. Who knew? He might even try out the indoor pool and hot tub the hotel featured prominently on their website. Warm water on stiff muscles sounded really good to a guy who’d been sitting on a bike for several hundred miles.
He’d need all his wits about him when he finally got his teeth into the problem he’d come to solve. One of the businesses Beth had inherited was a small garage in South Dakota, oddly enough, that did a brisk business every year during the motorcycle rally. It did decent business the rest of the year, too, but like many of the businesses in that town, it peaked during the rally.
Ezra suspected the garage was using its rapid turnover of imported parts and engines to camouflage smuggling operations. Being so near the Canadian border also meant that drugs were probably being brought up through Mexico, stopping off in that garage then making their way across the border to the North.
If that was the case—and Ezra had already collected some pretty damning evidence on paper—then he was going to clean house. First, though, he had to verify the operation was still running drugs and find out exactly which employees were involved and how deeply. If they were shifters, he would mete out justice the old-fashioned way. If they were human, he’d have to get creative in how he handled getting them caught for something without implicating the garage as a whole. The business itself should be salvageable, and that was Ezra’s goal—preserving as many of his employers’ assets as possible while cleaning them all up and ending any illegal activity.
Ezra parked his bike where he could see it from the window of the truck stop and walked inside. He’d fuel up before he left, but for right now, he needed food and plenty of it. He headed toward the restaurant area and chose a seat at the window that gave him a good view of all the exits, as well as outside. When the waitress sashayed over and took his order, he gave her a smile as she filled his coffee cup. A few minutes later, after he’d sent a quick text to his friend Ace to apprise him that Ezra was right on schedule, the food came, and Ezra began to shovel it in.
It smelled decent. The food at this particular truck stop was a bit better than at the chain places. He scented fresh herbs and vegetables in his generous portion of meatloaf, and the gravy was tasty. He applied himself to his meal, and other than glancing occasionally at his bike, he let the food begin to wash away some of his weariness.
It wasn’t until he was mopping up the last of his dessert that Ezra heard the rumble of an approaching motorcycle engine. It was a newer model Harley in prime condition, and as it pulled into a spot right next to his bike, he noticed the female driving it was pretty prime herself. A shapely ass and long legs made his mouth water as she stood from her ride as if she’d been born to straddle that hog.
She took off her helmet and looped it over the handle, shaking out long golden hair that made him think of honey. And, of course, bears loved honey. The woman was a knockout from behind in her leather duds that hugged every curve faithfully. Then she, turned and started walking toward the entrance.
It couldn’t be.
No fucking way.
The last time he’d seen that beautiful face, it had been gaunt with weight loss, and her energy had been at its lowest ebb. Could the bombshell with the curves that didn’t quit and the smooth sashay that said she owned her piece of the world and Goddess help anyone who tried to take it from her be the same woman he’d rescued those months ago in Lake Tahoe?
Could it really be Theodora?
His heart almost stopped as she opened the door and headed straight for the restaurant. She gazed around the room, taking it all in, and Ezra found himself standing without even thinking about it. Their gazes met across the distance and held…
Her eyes narrowed for a moment, but she didn’t make any other outward show. Then, she started walking toward him.
Goddess help him. It really was Theodora, and she was heading his way.
She looked long and lean and curvy in all the right places. As she drew nearer, he caught the delicate scent of her on the air-conditioned currents. She smelled even better than she had before, if that was even possible. Sure, she’d been weak and had almost given up the ghost a couple of times before she stabilized and started to come back to the land of the living, but he’d remembered her delicate scent. A scent that had haunted him these many months.
And now, she was here. How? Why?
Ezra almost shook his head. Did it really matter? She was here, and she had recognized him. Well, that answered that question. She remembered him. More than that, she remembered him and hadn’t run screaming in the other direction at the sight of him. Will wonders never cease?
Thea walked right up to him and stopped, a few feet separating them. She looked him straight in the eye, strong, vibrant. So different from the way she’d been when he’d last seen her flying away in the company of her parents on a private plane chartered by Collin Hastings.
“Ezra.” Her voice was solid. Full of confidence that seemed to ooze from her every move. It was incredibly sexy.
“Theodora,” he replied, nodding slightly. “You’re looking well,” he said, then thought his words a little too sappy. “You’re looking incredible, in fact.”
“Thanks to you,” she replied after a moment where she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, drawing his attention to her lusciously curved hips. “I can’t recall if I ever did thank you properly for what you did.”
Ezra held up one hand, palm outward. “No need. I’m just glad I was there, in the right place, at the right time.”
She looked like she wanted to argue the point, but her gaze flitted around the room. People were watching them. Right. Get a grip, man.
“Would you like to join me?” he asked, gesturing toward the other side of the booth he’d been sitting in for the better part of an hour.
“I don’t want to intrude,” she said, but he hoped she was just being polite.
“Not at all. I’d enjoy the company,” he told her. If he’d been at a table with actual chairs, he would’ve acted the gentleman and pulled one out for her, coercing her to sit with him. As it was, he merely stood, waiting for her to make up her mind.
She finally took a seat, sliding into the booth opposite him, and he let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He sat back down and signaled the waitress to bring more coffee and a menu for the lady. If the waitress seemed disappointed that Ezra had found female companionship, he tried not to notice.
Thea couldn’t believe she was sitting opposite the man who had saved her life all those months ago and who had featured pretty heavily in her dreams ever since.
Ezra. That’s all she knew him as. She didn’t know his last name. She didn’t know where he’d come from or where he’d gone to after she left Lake Tahoe. Many times, she’d been tempted to try to figure out a way to look him up, but so far, she’d been able to curb her impulses.
No need for that anymore. He was right here. Sitting with her. She could hardly believe it.
He was as tall and handsome as she remembered. His face was angular, and his eyes were a golden brown that seemed to go on forever. His shoulders were even broader than she remembered, which was saying something, and he filled out his denim jeans really, really well, from what she’d been able to observe.
In short, he was hot with a capital H.O.T.
She thought maybe she’d been dreaming how handsome he was. How Alpha. In her weakened state, she could have easily attributed traits to her rescuer that weren’t true, but she was astounded to realize that she hadn’t done that at all. No, Ezra of the no-last-name was everything she remembered…and more.
His presence didn’t intimidate her. He never had, which was a marvel, considering how she’d been before her ordeal. While not exactly submissive on the level of some other species of shifter, for a bear, Thea had been rather weak-kneed before her abduction and torture.
Now? Well, she wasn’t quite sure where that experience had left her. That was part of the reason she was on the road, going walkabout, seeking answers to what she was now, after the months she’d spent healing.
Whatever it was, she was no longer the timid, submissive bear she’d once been. Was she more Alpha? Well, she wasn’t quite sure about that. She didn’t feel like kicking everyone’s ass all the time—which was what she supposed Alphas must feel like, based on the limited exposure she’d had to the local Alpha bear in her parent’s area. He wasn’t in their territory, per se, but a loner who lived on the edge of their land. They didn’t have much to do with each other, each preferring to roam alone, or in the case of her folks, just with each other and their only cub.
She felt bad about leaving them, but they’d understood her reasons, even if they would rather have had her stay. She would go back, but not right away. She had a bit of self-discovery to do, and she didn’t think she could do it in the safe embrace of her familial home. If she’d stayed there, she would’ve reverted to a younger mindset. She probably would’ve let her parents take care of her, as they had when she was truly a child.
The healthiest thing for her development right now was to have a little solo adventure. The priestess she’d been talking to since her rescue had heartily approved of her idea to go it alone for a month or two and had helped break the news to her parents. They’d taken it better than Thea had expected and had seen her off with tears—on her mother’s part—but also with their best wishes for her growth, healing and safe return.
Thea had never imagined when she set out a week ago that she’d be sitting in a truck stop diner, facing the devastatingly handsome bear shifter who had rescued her. Not in a million years could she have imagined this scenario, but she was going to take advantage of it. She wanted to know more about him, and this might be her only chance to talk to him.
“So, where are you headed?” she asked after the waitress had come and delivered more coffee for him and taken Thea’s order.
She realized pretty quickly that Ezra must have already eaten, but he’d ordered something, probably just to keep her company. She liked that. He wasn’t going to let her eat alone and feel self-conscious about it, nice guy that he was.
“I’m going up to Sturgis for the rally,” he answered easily, but she sensed there was more to his simple words than met the eye.
Still, she wouldn’t pry here. Not in the middle of a busy diner with all these people around. People who were mostly—if her senses didn’t deceive her—humans with no clue about the shifters peppered among them.
“I was heading that way myself,” she admitted. “I got a new bike, and the guys at the shop couldn’t stop talking about the rally, so I decided to come see what it was all about.”
“Just like that?” Ezra asked, his golden-brown gaze speaking of his interest.
“Yeah, just like that,” she affirmed. “Ever since… Well… You know. Ever since then, I’ve been craving freedom, and this trip is a bit of a vision quest type thing, except without the peyote,” she joked. He chuckled along with her as the waitress deposited her food in front of her.
“I’m glad for you. You look like you’ve recovered really well,” he said gently, his eyes crinkling up at the corners in a kind smile. He might be a fierce Alpha bear, but he’d always been kind to her.
“I’m better. Physically, I’ve recovered,” she told him honestly. If anyone deserved to know what was going on with her since her rescue, it was him. “Mentally… Well… Things have changed a lot for me. Part of taking this trip is to figure out what I am now, if that makes any sense.”
Ezra nodded. “It makes perfect sense. You know…” He leaned forward, their conversation kept to low tones that wouldn’t carry beyond their table. “I spent a lot of years in the military. Certain experiences can impact a person in ways you don’t fully understand until you’ve had time to figure it all out. Talking with my buddies about some of the things we went through together helped. Spending time on my own helped, too. You’re doing that now, and I think that’s healthy, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here for you. Or maybe you could talk to some of the other women,” he suggested without going into detail. She knew who he meant. The other women who’d been held prisoner by Bolivar in his basement of horrors.
She nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m still in contact with them, and I’ve been talking to our local wise woman ever since I got back home. My parents have been great. They’re very supportive, even if they don’t fully understand why I packed my saddlebags and took off on this journey.” She smiled as she thought of her folks. “But I do appreciate the offer. However, I don’t even know your last name. It’s kind of hard to call someone when you don’t know their name or number.”
She chuckled, wondering if he’d be cagey about his personal data. Some shifter men were squirrely when it came to giving out the digits, preferring to be phantoms.
Ezra grinned. “Sorry, Thea. I’m Ezra Tate. I didn’t really think about the fact that we never got around to a formal introduction.”
He extended his hand across the table, and she took it for a friendly shake. She tried hard to ignore the sexy little sizzle of sensation going up her arm from where their hands met. The man should come with a warning label. Really.
When their hands parted—after just a hint too long for a casual handshake—she missed his touch. That was unexpected. Hmm.
“You probably already know all about me, right?” Thea asked, feeling a tad self-conscious.
“Yeah, I admit, your folks provided a profile to Collin, the private eye they hired to find you,” he told her. “I read the file when we were searching for you and the others,” he admitted. “You were a teacher, right?”
“Primary school. I worked with little kids, and I loved it. But, when I disappeared, my job disappeared, too, and I haven’t had the heart to look for another. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to work yet,” she said, surprising herself with her honesty. It had taken some time for her to admit that truth to herself, and even longer to tell her parents.
“Nothing wrong with taking a little time to reassess,” he said.
She tried to read his expression, to see if he was as disappointed with her decision as her mother had seemed. She didn’t see anything on his face to indicate that his words weren’t meant to be taken at face value, which made her feel a little better. Her mom had seemed so worried when Thea had finally admitted that she didn’t want to go back to work in the fall.
She applied herself to her meal for a few minutes. The silence was companionable. Ezra was an easy person to be around. He made her feel safe.
And sort of tingly… In a good way.
“So, are you meeting friends in town?” Ezra asked her after a while.
“No. I don’t know anybody there. I just figured I’d check out the rally and see what it was all about. The cougars at my bike shop couldn’t stop talking about how awesome it was.”
“Did you line up a place to stay?” he asked, frowning a bit.
“Well, I figured I’d just find a place when I got there,” she admitted, sensing maybe she hadn’t thought her plan all the way through when his frown deepened.
“The town really fills up during the event,” he told her. “There might not be any rooms left.”
“Seriously?” She hadn’t anticipated that. She knew next to nothing about the town or the rally. It had just sounded like as good a destination as any when she’d set out on her motorcycle vision quest minus the peyote.
“Look, uh…” He seemed a little uncomfortable, but he went on as she waited. “I’m going there on business. I’ve reserved a suite, which I might not even be using most of the time. If you can’t find a place, you’re welcome to crash with me. I mean—not with me—but in the suite. I’m not trying to hit on you or make you uncomfortable, but I can’t, in good conscience, leave you to fend for yourself when I have a big room all set aside that I may not even be using most of the time.”
Now, it was her turn to frown. He’d been almost tongue-tied there for a moment. Was she that repulsive? Or that needy? She didn’t like either scenario. Her newfound backbone stiffened.
“I appreciate the offer but—”
Ezra held up one hand, cutting her off. “I said that badly,” he told her, shaking his head. “I want to be sure you’ve got a safe place, Thea. For my own peace of mind, as well as your safety. The town can get a little wild with the influx of people. I’d be pleased if you’d just take my room. I can try to find another if you’d rather not have me around.”
“Not have you around? Is that what you think?” She was shocked by his words. “Ezra, you saved my life. How could I not want to have you around? At this point, you’re like the one person in the world, besides my parents, that I trust fully. If you’d wanted to hurt me, you would have left me in that basement. Or you could have let me die when I was so weak. But you stayed, and you fought for me. I could feel your power reaching out to me, willing me to live,” she told him in a desperate whisper that went no farther than their small booth. “The fact that you’re willing to help me again, when it’s pretty clear I didn’t think this trip all the way through, just proves all over again that you’re one of the good guys. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I might just take you up on your generous offer.”
“Now, wait a minute.” He held up both hands, palms outward. “Don’t go polishing my halo so shiny.” His lips curled up at the corners, softening his denial. “You’ll ruin my image.”
She laughed with him, and balance was restored between them. He really was an easy guy to be around. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so comfortable with another bear—besides her family, of course. She didn’t know what it meant, but it felt significant.
“So, is that what you do?” she asked, returning to a previous point in the conversation. “You work for the private investigation firm my parents hired?”
“No, not at all. I’m actually a bounty hunter. Or, at least, I was until recently,” he clarified. “See? I don’t really deserve that halo. I deal with the worst of the worst, usually. I was just helping Margo—who really is a P.I.” He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “Just between us, I’m a troubleshooter now. I clean up dirty businesses.”
“Is that why you’re going to Sturgis?” she asked quietly.
He nodded. “Yeah. My employer owns a business there that I suspect is being used for something… Well… Something bad. I’m here to put a stop to it. I’m telling you this because, if you’re going to stay in my suite, you might need to be aware of what’s going on. I don’t intend for anything to spill over, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. The people I’ll be dealing with can be dangerous.”
“It’s not like what was happening in Tahoe, is it?” she asked breathlessly.
“No, not at all,” he answered quickly. “It’s something else.” He looked around, as if considering how much to tell her, then caught her eye again. “Let’s just say that if you really wanted that peyote for the vision quest, these guys could probably get it for you.”
“Drugs?” she whispered, surprised but intensely relieved the activity he was tracking wasn’t related to human trafficking.
Ezra nodded. “Smuggling them over the northern border. Or so I believe,” he added casually.
To any observers, their conversation probably looked totally normal—at least on Ezra’s part. She took her cue from him and tried to relax her features. Not that she thought anyone was really watching them, but why take chances? They were close enough to their destination now that there were a lot of motorcycles on the road with them. In fact, many were parked in front of the truck stop, and they probably belonged to a number of the people sitting all around them.
Thea applied herself to the last bits of her meal and finished just as the waitress returned to ask if she wanted anything else. She declined anything sweet, knowing she’d gained a bit too much weight since her rescue. Ezra seemed like he wanted to say something about her choice but didn’t, and the waitress left the bill on the table. Ezra snatched it up before Thea could, and they had a little discussion about how she wanted to pay her way.
He won, of course. He just simply kept the slip of paper and didn’t allow her to see it. He didn’t even allow her to leave the tip on the table. It was both annoying and endearing. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since a handsome man had bought her a meal. Was this a date? No. But this chance encounter felt special because Ezra was treating.
As they were leaving the restaurant, Ezra turned to her. He was so tall. She’d forgotten that, but she grew to appreciate it now. As a bear shifter female, she wasn’t exactly built on the petite side, but Ezra made her feel that way. Oddly, it was a nice feeling.
“Since we’re both headed in the same direction, do you want to ride together the rest of the way?” he asked, making her breath catch.
She hadn’t ever imagined she’d meet up with him again, and now, here he was, wanting to travel the miles left before they reached their destination together. She couldn’t find it within herself to refuse. Ezra was a good man. She knew that already. And it felt like he was still looking out for her.
She smiled at him. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
He nodded then looked away. They agreed to make a final pit stop in the restrooms and meet out by the bikes. He informed her that she’d parked right next to him, and she had to admit to a little shivery feeling down her spine. It felt like fate had pushed her to this place… To this man, maybe?
She wasn’t sure, but she was already looking forward to spending a little more time with him. Ezra Tate just made her feel safe. And that was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.