The car pulled up to the edge of the forest, and Stacey McKinley got her first glimpse of the mark. He was tall and broad, with a chest almost twice the width of the man beside her in the car, and he had a floppy mess of wet, blonde hair that he was trying to tame. It was a damnably hot day, the sun beating down on a happy crowd of campers by the lakeside. The damp blonde had just pulled himself out of the water, where he’d been recovering a small dog who could barely paddle. He was returning the dog to its grateful owners, his damp park ranger’s uniform sticking to every curve and bulge of his muscular frame.
He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful man Stacey had ever seen.
“Kurt Best,” the man beside her said, flicking through a notebook. “Owing seven thousand dollars, payment date was one month ago.”
Kurt looked happy and cheerful, not the sort of guy who was hiding a considerable debt. Stacey watched him among the crowd, seeing how those campers seemed to idolize him. What did he even need seven grand for? Surely a ranger’s salary in a park as large as Fairhaven was damn good money. Stacey found herself drawn to his cheerful face, that playful grin with the dimples. His eyes might have sparkled, if she’d been close enough to make them out.
“Hey, you listening to me?” the man beside her asked.
He’d said something else, after the seven thousand, but she hadn’t heard it. Now, she tore her gaze away from the lakeside and the sunshine, back to the dark recesses of the car. Their windows were tinted to block the sun, and the AC was blasting a frozen stream of air straight at her legs. The man beside her put his hand on Stacey’s knee, and he was just as cold to touch.
“Sorry Jack,” Stacey said with a stammer. “I was just thinking.”
“Good,” Jack answered with a thin smile. “It’s going take strategy to get to this one. Best’s line is that he can’t pay, he doesn’t have the money, but I think it’s bull. You’re gonna get in there and find out if he’s got savings or possessions we can reclaim. A car, a property share, whatever. You got that?”
Stacey nodded. She had to play the role Jack had made for her. It was her job, had been for a few years now, and it paid well. When she’d first met Jack, he was only a doorman throwing people out of nightclubs. Now, he was a collector, and she was too. It was their job to source money back from those who’d borrowed from Big Al Moschino. Once they had Kurt’s seven grand, they’d see a nice slice of commission. Jack took hold of Stacey’s hands, like he was thinking the same thing.
“We do good work together,” he said. “Just focus on the task.”
Stacey felt her stomach do a flip. Jack sometimes tried to cross a line in their partnership. She hated it but the money was too good to pass up.
“I’d better get to work scouting this guy out,” Stacey said, breaking their contact to reach for the door.
She was almost out of the car when Jack cleared his throat. Stacey looked back at him, seeing the hope in his dark eyes turn to grim seriousness. He got little lines on his pale face when he was serious, and there were shadows beneath his gaze.
“One other thing I ought to mention,” he began.
Stacey waited in silence.
“This guy,” Jack continued, “I’ve got intel that says he’s a shifter. He can turn into a bear, Stacey. Be careful.”
Stacey simply nodded, and walked towards the lakeside.
* * *
Kurt Best was probably the easiest mark Stacey had ever had to find. She had watched him at the lakeside all afternoon, reclining in the Californian sun from a respectable distance, until the crowds seemed to be drawn away by an imaginary dinner bell. The sun was fading when Kurt got into his Land Rover and cruised away, but he soon popped up again at the grill-style restaurant where dinner service was beginning. Stacey had booked herself a table for one, and she was sitting alone in the corner when the maître-d’ approached her.
“Excuse me, miss, but I wondered if you wouldn’t mind sharing your table?” he asked politely. “We’re almost at capacity.”
When Stacey looked up and saw Kurt standing behind the waiter with a hopeful grin, she couldn’t believe her luck. She nodded, and the waiter vanished a moment later, leaving the bulky ranger to settle himself in a chair. He was still dressed in his uniform, though he’d dried out, and smoothed his blonde mop of hair back into an unruly wave. He had a shadow of pale fuzz growing about his jaw, and a sprinkling of chest hair visible in the v of his shirt.
“I saw you today at the lake,” Kurt said. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”
Inside, Stacey let out a curse. She had meant to be inconspicuous at first, approach the guy slowly, but clearly he was alert. Whether that was to do with his shifter powers or not remained to be seen. When Stacey offered him a casual smile by way of a reply, she happened to catch his eye. His gaze was golden, shining like two perfect rings, reflecting the glorious lights of the restaurant. He dazzled her for a moment, and she lost her footing.
“I, uh… No. I mean, of course not. I’m Stacey.”
She hadn’t meant to give her real name, and when Kurt gave her his, she tried her best not to look like she already knew it. Stacey nodded and shook his hand, her fingers warm in his grip for the briefest moment.
“I was out catching some sun today,” she explained, hearing the nerves in her own voice. “I’m just here to relax awhile, you know? I live in LA, and it’s pretty busy down there.”
“It is,” Kurt agreed. “I go down to the city most weekends.”
Stacey knew that too. Kurt had to be involved with something in LA, else he never would have met Big Al and borrowed so much money. She took a sip of her drink, hoping that the maître-d’ would be back soon to take their food order. But the grill was overflowing with customers and not very well staffed. She hadn’t had time to plan what she would say to Kurt, to wile her way into his confidence, but she couldn’t throw the opportunity away now that it had landed in her lap.
“You don’t like to eat at home?” she asked him. “I mean, if you’re a ranger here, you must live nearby.”
“I do,” Kurt said with a nod. “Fairhaven’s family run. We all live in a huge lodge in the east sector. But to be honest, if I get dinner at home my Gram tries to make me eat sauerkraut. Like, every night. I’m not joking.”
He made her laugh. It was a natural laugh, something Stacey hadn’t done in quite a while. Her life was so serious, and Kurt was so jolly. They didn’t match, not really, but Stacey could play her part well enough to make him think that they did. Jack had always been very specific about how she should lead the marks on. Give them giggles, be flirty, and she could kiss them if she needed to. Nothing more than kissing, though, not ever. Just enough to make them trust her, and answer her questions.
“And you like eating out here, with everyone else?” Stacey pressed. “I thought you rangers would be sick of people after running around for them all day.”
“I guess,” Kurt said, cocking his head to one side. “My brother, Hart, he likes his quiet time at the end of the day. And our cousin Reinicke, well, he hates people in general. He practically lives at the outpost where only a few hikers go by every day.”
“But not you?” Stacey said, smiling.
“I like to meet new faces,” Kurt replied. “Like yours.”
Something flushed in Stacey’s chest. The smile on her face had come unbidden, and she knew at once that she was in trouble. Of all the men she’d beguiled for Jack over the last couple of years, Kurt was the first that she’d felt easy with. She had known from the moment she saw him that he was painstakingly gorgeous to view, but up close, there was something else about him. He gave off joy like it was a scent, with every movement and every flicker of his golden gaze.
“Say,” Kurt began, a cheeky grin overcoming his lips. “Maybe this is a little bold, but if I pick up the tab, can we call this a date? I don’t meet a lot of heavenly brunettes out here.”
The remark made Stacey toy with her hair, just for a moment. She felt like a schoolgirl trapped in a woman’s body. Kurt’s grin was unwavering as he waited for her answer. If he was bluffing, then he was good at it, the sweetest poker face she’d ever seen. But Stacey had built up her repertoire too, and she was damned if she was going to let some hunky ranger break it down in one fell swoop. She took a breath, and fluttered her lashes as she cast her gaze to the floor.
“Well, since you called me heavenly,” she crooned.
That was how they came to be at the campsite entrance a little after ten o’clock. The moon was almost full, bathing a range of little triangular tents in its silver light. A few people were still up, cooking on campfires or telling stories on the lawn. Stacey stood at the path which wound among the tents, looking forlornly over her shoulder.
“I didn’t have you down as a camper,” Kurt mused, apparently delighted. “I figured you’d be a hotel lady. Luxury, you know?”
Stacey nodded. She would be, normally. It was Jack’s idea to rent a pair of separate tents, pitched on either side of his car. It would save them money, Jack had said. The thought of a night in the woods next to Jack gave Stacey a shiver, and Kurt reached out at once to hold her shoulders.
“You shoulda told me you were cold,” he said apologetically. “I shoulda offered you my jacket. What a jackass.”
“Hey, that’s for me to say,” Stacey replied with a grin. “I’m fine, really. Just tired. Looking forward to a rest, and maybe another date tomorrow?”
Her voice rose with a hitch at the end. But that was the first time that she saw Kurt’s unstoppable grin fade. His face was half in shadow from the angle of the moonlight, and he looked away for a moment, his golden eyes flashing. He rubbed at the back of his neck for a moment before the smile climbed back into place.
“Actually, I go into the city on Saturdays,” he explained, “it’s just something I have to do. But I’ll be back first thing Sunday. I’ll book the day off. We can go everywhere in Fairhaven. All the best sun spots and views. If you’d like that?”
Stacey tried not to show the suspicion that was brimming in her mind.
“I’d love that,” she replied.
“You sure?” Kurt asked.
One blonde brow had risen, and Stacey realized there must have been something showing in her nerves. She wanted to know exactly where he was going on Saturday, but there was no way to ask. Jack would need to know too. Kurt was studying her face closely, and there was only one thing Stacey could think of that would turn his mind off for a moment. Reaching gently for his cheek, she pulled him down into a kiss.
His lips were soft, though she felt his stubble scratch beneath her fingertips, and the strong muscles of his jaw shifted as the kiss deepened. Kurt’s warm hands were still on her shoulders, and he let them slide down her bare arms until they rested at her waist. She leaned into his body a little, shifting the angle of the kiss so that her lips parted just a touch. He didn’t take the hint, so she slipped her tongue out to tease his lips.
Kurt pulled back and broke the kiss. He touched his own lips for a moment, a little breathless.
“Save some of that for Sunday,” he said in almost a whisper. “Goodnight Stacey.”
As he walked away, it seemed to Stacey that she’d been split in half. One part of her was pleased to tell Jack that she’d reached the mark on day one, even got close to him already. But the other part wanted something else from the strong, broad ranger now walking into the darkness. There was a possibility about Kurt that she couldn’t deny, and it sparked something in her chest that she hadn’t felt for years.
* * *
“I want to come with you,” Stacey had insisted.
But Jack had shaken his head.
“You can’t risk being seen with me in LA.”
It was true, and he was right, but Stacey had still protested. They had argued about it all morning on Saturday, right up until Jack had taken the car and left. Stacey had wanted to follow Kurt, to find out what he was up to in the city, but instead she found herself alone in the woods. It was late on Saturday afternoon, and she felt as though she’d walked all the way around the earth. Her skin tingled from the warmth of the sun, but inside she was churning up cold water like a winter storm.
Despite the idyllic setting, these thoughts kept Stacey from enjoying her book. She was sitting on a bench a little ways up the hiker’s trail, which overlooked a gorgeous set of hills. The sun was bright in the azure sky, and if she’d been able to relax, Stacey would probably have been half way through the latest of her mystery books by now. She adored a good mystery, figuring out who the real good and bad guys were, being misled but secretly always knowing how things would turn out. It would have been a great read on any other day.
“Phew!” said a voice somewhere nearby. “These old gams ain’t what they used to be!”
A little old lady was trudging her way up the hill. She was hunched over a tad and her wrinkled face was glowing crimson from the effort. Even as she took the next step, she hung her head to sigh and her glasses fell off, tumbling into the dirt. Stacey got up at once and set about retrieving them. The old lady watched her, squinting with interest.
“Well, aren’t you a well-mannered young lady?” the woman asked in a bright voice. “Don’t get many of those in their twenties nowadays.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Stacey said politely.
She handed the glasses over, and the old woman met her gaze with a wide smile. She had milky, amber colored eyes that had a peculiar glow, and when Stacey went back to the bench, the woman followed. She settled herself beside Stacey and gave a long, wistful sort of sigh.
“Thank you so much for that, dear,” the old lady said. “You really are kind and sweet. Not single, are you? Only I have a couple of grandsons that could use a lesson or two in manners.”
Stacey chuckled, but the words struck something true inside her.
“Um, well things are complicated,” she said.
“Hmm,” said the woman. “That sounds like what we used to call an unenviable position.”
The old lady gave a chuckle. She reached out and took hold of Stacey’s hand, holding it between hers for a moment.
“Courage, dear,” she professed. “You only have one life. Why lead a complicated one?”
It made sense. It even made her feel a little better.
“Thank you,” Stacey replied, “Mrs.…?”
“Call me Anina,” the old lady answered.
Stacey gave her own name, and a comfortable, contemplative silence fell between them. They both looked out into the mountains, and Stacey was about to make one of those stock-comments about the weather, but Anina cut in with a whole new conversation. All credit to her, she was not shy.
“I keep telling my boy about courage,” she revealed. “One of my grandsons has a… well…” She dropped her voice to a hoarse whisper for a moment. “A gambling problem.”
“Oh?” Stacey remarked.
“He thinks we don’t know, but we do,” Anina added. “It’s a terrible shame. All he needs to do is stop.”
“Sometimes, it isn’t that simple,” Stacey replied. “From what I know, gamblers get into this cycle where they have to win. The house takes their money away and it makes them feel small. They have to keep going back, keep trying to beat the system, and they can’t see that it doesn’t work that way. The greater victory would be to get out and never go back.”
“You sound like you know what you’re talking about, honey,” Anina said, her expression one of fascination.
Stacey gave a little nod, but no explanation. In her work with Jack, a great deal of the marks she’d led on before were gamblers. It was a dangerously easy way to get into huge debt real quick. She’d seen the hard-nosed types who assured her that they’d win big next time, and the nervous wrecks that had burst into tears once they realized who she was, and what she knew about them.
“I guess I have a little experience,” Stacey offered.
“Couldn’t talk to my grandson for me, could you?” Anina said.
Stacey grinned a little. She couldn’t be sure if the old lady was joking or not. When Anina hung her head, her glasses slipping again, Stacey realized that the question was genuine.
“It’s just that Kurt’s got a lot to lose,” Anina continued, “what with being a park ranger and all…”
* * *
Despite his best efforts, Jack had not discovered what Kurt was in LA for on Saturday, but Stacey was now pretty sure that she knew. She’d not divulged to Anina that she and Kurt had already gone on an accidental date together, and she hadn’t told Jack that she’d found out how Kurt had managed to rack up seven grand’s worth of debt. Keeping secrets from Jack didn’t make Stacey feel as guilty as it ought to have, and she put that down to being very well-practiced at it. The thing that did bother her was Kurt. She wanted to tell him something at least. Keeping so much from the guy didn’t feel right.
He’d messaged her with details of their date on Sunday morning, just as he’d promised. Stacey found herself walking up a fairly steep mountain trail, which promised a spectacular view of Fairhaven on the other side. She was regretting her shoe choice by the time she reached the top, but the view was certainly worth it. On the other side of the path, there was a deep bowl of scrub land about twenty feet in diameter. It looked like if you dropped down into that bowl, you’d never make it back out. Stacey scanned the shrubbery and the few trees down there, her body tensing as she made out a shape in the distance.
There was a grizzly bear among the bushes. He was about half-way up the slope of the dirt bowl, his long claws dug into the earth firmly. The bear had massive shoulders covered with tawny brown fur, and strong paws that thumped the ground whenever he moved. Stacey let loose a small gasp in her wonder, and the bear turned its head. To her surprise, it had those golden eyes that she recognized. What Jack had warned her about came racing back into her head. Amid everything else, she’d forgotten that Kurt was also a shifter.
Upon seeing her, the bear ran up one side of the dirt bowl with tremendous power, off to the left away from her. It disappeared into the trees at the top of this part of the path, and Stacey watched them with interest. It was totally possible that this particular bear wasn’t Kurt at all, for he’d said he had brothers and cousins. Yet, some five minutes later, when Kurt emerged on the path from that same direction, Stacey knew it had to be him. His clothes were disheveled for one thing, like he’d only just put them on to rush over and meet her.
“You’re early,” he panted as he jogged up to meet her. “Sorry. I was out for a walk.”
“In your bear suit?” Stacey challenged, folding her arms.
Kurt cocked his head, grinning at her quizzically. There were too many secrets between them already, and Stacey couldn’t stand to add to the pile.
“I saw your eyes, Kurt,” she revealed. “I know you can transform. That was you down there, right?”
“Geez,” Kurt said, rubbing the back of his neck, “you ladies are really up on your shifter knowledge nowadays.”
“Oh, I’m not,” Stacey added, palms up in her admission, “I don’t pretend to actually know any.”
Kurt stepped forward, putting his palms against her own. He let his fingers gently interlock with hers.
“Well, now you do,” he crooned.
She leaned forward and planted a very gentle kiss on his lips. When they broke from the moment, she watched the very tip of Kurt’s tongue sneak out and lick his lips. It was a sight that filled her with a tingly feeling, and she kept hold of one of his hands as they began to walk further around the rim of the dirt bowl.
“That’s deep,” she observed, gazing down into the scrub again. “You must be wicked strong to get up that slope.”
“In bear form,” Kurt agreed with a nod. “Humans have no chance, it’s just too high. We do a lot of rescues out here when the hikers come along.”
“You like your work?” Stacey asked. It was a genuine question, and it felt good not to be interrogating for a change.
“I guess,” Kurt replied, looking out to the path ahead. “It’s better than any other job. But, I… No, it’s stupid.”
“Tell me,” she pressed, gently holding his strong, thick arm. “Is there something else you’d rather be doing?”
“Not really,” he said, “I just feel empty sometimes. Like, I have a job and nothing else. I want some excitement, I suppose.”
“You ought to be careful,” she began thoughtfully, “that kind of thinking leads to trouble.”
She’d hit a nerve. It seemed that she couldn’t help her skills from coming through even when she wasn’t trying to draw intel out of a mark. She saw a range of emotions pass Kurt’s face, each threatening to strip him of what was left of his grin. Eventually he let out a sigh, and stopped walking. He stood facing her, as he had on Friday night, and at once she wanted to kiss him again, as deep as before. But there was no thought of kissing on Kurt’s face. He looked pained, and she already knew why.
“Stacey, you’re a nice girl,” he began. “You wouldn’t ever want to go out with a gambler, would you?”
She had to play this one carefully. She took a moment to plan my sentence before she spoke.
“Well it wouldn’t be my first choice,” she began, “but-”
He never let her finish. Kurt nodded and made a little scoffing sound, and he finally let go of her hand.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, even as she tried to speak again. “You know what? We ought to call this off now. I’m… I’m just not good enough for you.”
He was turning and leaving, and Stacey couldn’t bear it. To her own surprise, a huge rush of emotion hit her chest, like he had her heart on a tow-rope and was ripping it out of her ribs with every step. She knew that she had never felt something so powerful before. He was it. He was the thing she’d been looking for all her life.
“I met your grandmother, Anina,” Stacey called after him. “She told me everything yesterday.”
Kurt didn’t stop walking, and Stacey was determined not to let the conversation slide. She raced up after him, just within earshot of his reply.
“She has no business telling people about my problems,” Kurt grumbled, his voice almost a growl.
“But I’m still here,” Stacey urged. “She told me yesterday and I still wanted to see you. It doesn’t matter.”
Kurt stopped, and he spun on the spot. Stacey knew at once that she’d made another mistake.
“Oh, it matters,” he said, the pain evident in every level of his voice. “I’m in too deep to get out, Stacey. I owe a lot of money, and every time I go to try and win it back, I get even deeper in the hole. They’ve got me. It’s only a matter of time before Big Al sends the nasties to come and collect.”
“The nasties,” Stacey repeated. Kurt mistook it for a question.
“Low-life goons who’ve got nothing better to do than ruin other people’s lives,” he explained.
Was that really how he saw her? Stacey tried not to feel the hurt that sank into her heart at his words. He didn’t understand that collectors were people too. We all had a job to do in this world, and as much as she felt sorry for his struggle, it was his debt, his fault really.
“You can’t get a loan from your grandma? Your brother?” Stacey suggested.
Kurt shook his head.
“We don’t have that kind of income to hand,” Kurt said sadly. “It all goes back into the family business. Fairhaven takes a lot of money to run, we’re very nearly a charity.”
“So there’s no way out?” Stacey mused.
When Kurt did not reply, Stacey’s heart gave another stab. One way or another, Big Al always got paid back. On those rare occasions where his debtors couldn’t raise the funds, nasty things had happened. Things that Jack would talk about and Stacey would cover her ears and plead with him to stop. Jack enjoyed being close to such a powerful, dangerous man. If Stacey had known the truth of Big Al when she started working for him, she never would have taken the job. Now, she was in deep too, trapped just like Kurt. If she couldn’t convince him to deliver the money, awful things would happen.
“You really want to help me, don’t you?” Kurt asked. “Stace, you’re nearly crying.”
She hadn’t noticed until he pointed it out, but there was a sting of tears pressing hard against her eyes for release. She had never wanted to help a mark so badly, and Stacey knew that was because Kurt wasn’t a mark. Perhaps he hadn’t ever been a mark, even when she first saw his glorious grinning form among the happy campers. Now, in her private viewing of his serious side, he was just as stunning. He held her arms at the biceps, studying her face carefully.
Then, he leaned in, and she let him take a kiss. It was warm and deep, lingering with pressure on her lips until they opened. Kurt let his tongue slide against hers, their lips locked amid hot breath and fast-beating hearts. Stacey felt her hands rush up the front of Kurt’s shirt, feeling the solid muscles beneath the thin fabric of his uniform. She was racing with nerves, pulsing with desire. Everything could have happened there and then. She felt so much, too much to hold in, like she could only really show Kurt how she felt with her body against his.
He pulled her in hungrily, transferring the kisses to her neck. She felt his hands sliding down her back, warmth spreading everywhere and making her shudder. He was hard too. As she embraced him, she felt the throbbing shaft give her thigh a push. They were alone on the path with the glorious sun beating down, but their passion was rising above even that heat.
“You know when you said you were looking for excitement?” Stacey teased, whispering against his ear.
“Mmmm,” Kurt agreed, his face buried against her collarbone.
But Jack flashed into Stacey’s mind, even as ecstasy overwhelmed her. She would have to stop Kurt soon. There were rules, damnit. She couldn’t account for the wildness of it all, or the way she just knew that Kurt had given her something that no other man would be able to. They both deserved to be treated fairly, no matter how badly she wanted to rip Kurt’s shirt off and vanish into the trees with him.
“We should slow down,” she said, hating herself for having to say it.
It took Kurt a moment for the words to sink in, but he pulled away reluctantly.
“You’re right,” he said, panting. “We’ve got plenty of time. Plenty of dates, right?”
“Of course,” Stacey said with a smile. The pain inside her was phenomenal.
“And don’t worry about what I said about the gambling,” Kurt offered with a grin. “I’ll work on it. It’s my problem, not yours.”
He was so very wrong, and Stacey could tell that he too was hiding pain behind his smile.
* * *
It was later that evening when Jack asked Stacey to meet him. There was a lounge bar in a hotel called the Old Spring Lodge, a fair walk from the campsite. When Stacey found it, there were only a few barflies sitting at a long, polished platform, and beyond that there were some comfortable-looking armchairs. Each pair of chairs had such high backs that they towered over a person’s head. Jack looked like a little boy in the chair he had chosen. He even had the petulant scowl on his face to complete the look.
“What’s wrong with you?” Stacey asked, settling into an opposite chair.
“Tell me about this,” Jack demanded.
He threw a digital camera at her, and it landed hard against her stomach. Stacey fumbled with the display to find that it was focused on one picture. It had been taken only a few hours ago, and it showed her and Kurt wrapped up in each other’s arms. She couldn’t get over how happy she looked.
“You didn’t even tell me that you’d made contact,” Jack accused.
“I…” Stacey began, still staring at the picture. “I didn’t want to scare the guy off, that’s all.”
“You’re sure?” Jack said sharply. “Because you always tell me, Stacey. You’ve never not told me when the first kiss happened before.”
If he knew that that wasn’t even the first kiss, then Jack was going to flip. Stacey decided to keep quiet about that, but she couldn’t look into his dark eyes and lie to him any longer. Kissing Kurt had made her realize what really mattered, and that was the truth.
“Look, I wanted to wait until after the job, so as not to distract you,” she began carefully, “but, I don’t want to do this anymore, Jack.”
As she’d predicted, he wasn’t all that hurt. He blinked the words away and gave a shrug.
“Okay, look, you’re overworked,” he reasoned, “If you need a vacation, I get it. But we’re a team, Stacey. Always have been, always will be.”
“No,” Stacey cut in, as gently as she could manage. “I mean, we’re done. Whatever we are, whatever you want us to be, it’s done. This used to just be a job, but you’ve crossed a line.”
And then she saw a quick flash of rage in Jack’s eyes. She hadn’t been expecting it, because he never showed her his emotions, but now they were flowing clear as crystal in his eyes. She saw a vulnerability there that he hadn’t possessed for a long time, and a confusion and panic that really did make him look like a lost little boy. But in moments, the pain was over. Something dark clouded Jack’s gaze and his face turned emotionless.
Over his shoulder, he said: “I’m out. She’s all yours, Al.”
There were two chairs behind Jack, arranged at another table. Stacey watched two figures rise from those chairs, and she got to her feet too, looking to the first figure with disgust. Big Al Moschino had made his way up from LA to see her, in all his gutsy, greasy glory. His hair was slicked flat to his head, a bad dye job trying to cover grey with jet black, and he wore a suit that must have fit him once, and gradually been stretched over the years. The cigarette hanging from his mouth gave him the appearance of a patchwork walrus with one remaining tooth. He grinned at Stacey, and she looked away, only to find that her shock increased with the second person that she saw.
“You were spying on me?” Kurt asked. “This was all bullshit.”
“See what I told you, buddy,” Jack said to Kurt, his tone harsh. “You gotta watch these women. They’re not to be trusted.”
Stacey wanted to scream, not from fear but from anger. In that moment, she didn’t care what the vicious Big Al might do to her if she stepped out of line, she only wanted Kurt to know that she had never meant to hurt him. They’d gone into their first meeting on the wrong foot, but everything thereafter had been real. She wanted him for his grin, his kindness, his warmth and his truth. She needed him to teach her how to be honest again.
“I wish we hadn’t met this way,” she told him. “I really-”
“Save it,” Big Al snapped. “You can do your lovey-dovey shit later. First, the bear-boy and I have got a deal to strike.”
Jack stepped up to Stacey, hovering beside her like he’d restrain her if he needed to. She could feel the anger coming off him in waves, and at least she felt some small relief that she was no longer going to have to spend time around him. They both watched in fraught silence as Big Al squared up to Kurt. They were both the same considerable height, though Al was much wider round the middle, and Kurt seemed too hurt to be intimidated.
“I’m willing to cut you an offer, Mr. Ruxpin,” Big Al began. “You remember that toy? It was a talking teddy bear. Ahh well, before your time I guess. Well, I can make my seven gees back in one night, taking bets on a high profile fight. If I can get a shifter in to fight, I’ll score a fortune and you’ll be all clear. How does that sound, kid?”
“No,” Stacey said at once. Jack grabbed her wrist and shook his head.
Kurt glanced at her, those gold eyes flashing with hidden pain.
“Who would I be fighting?” he asked.
Big Al shrugged, giving a genial grin. “Just a couple of my boys. No weapons, I swear. Just ropes, you know, to restrain you if they win.”
“How many?” Kurt asked.
“Five?” Al returned.
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Done.”
They shook hands before Stacey could even protest again.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to suggest the venue,” Kurt said. “Fairhaven’s private land, it’d be better for both of us to keep this quiet.”
“Good thinking,” Big Al returned with another grin. “If you were half as good as gambler as you are a dealmaker, you wouldn’t be in this mess. Come on Jack, let’s get organized.”
Stacey waited until they’d left, and then she rushed to Kurt. He stepped away at once when she reached for him.
“Are you crazy?” she demanded. “Big Al Moschino’s not a good guy. You can bet those damn boys of his will be armed up to the back teeth.”
“What does it matter?” Kurt shot back. “It’s my only way out. And it looks like I’ve got nothing left to lose anyway.”
His stern voice broke on the last few words, and Stacey felt her tears returning. She knew it was a mark of how strong their bond was, the fact that she could cry so easily with him. Kurt looked at her, then looked away again at once. If he really wanted to be away from her, surely he’d have already left the deserted bar? He was still standing there, which meant she still had a chance to make things right.
“What we have,” she began, her voice shaking, “what we feel when we’re together, you can’t fake that. I didn’t tell you why I was here, sure, but everything else I said was true. I really do want to help you. There was nothing between me and Jack except him being a creep. You gave me the strength to admit what I really want.”
“What’s that?” Kurt asked, eyes still downcast.
“Something true,” Stacey admitted. “Love.”
The word hung like electricity in the air between them. When Kurt finally turned to face Stacey, she felt her chest rise with the force of impossible hope. He stepped towards her, but did not reach for her. Instead, he tried to grin. It almost made its way onto his face, lighting up some of the shadows there.
“Do you think that’s what we are?” he said softly. “Love at first sight?”
“I didn’t believe it either, until it happened,” she replied.
* * *
The fight was two nights later, and Stacey and Kurt had talked and talked in the time in between. They had not shared so much as a hand-holding moment, though, and Stacey knew she’d have to give it some time before Kurt could trust her again. Their conversations were long and winding, learning more about each other every time, but ultimately everything came back to the moment which was looming between them. The fight would decide Kurt’s future, and Stacey’s too. If all went well, they’d be free to start over. If it didn’t… Stacey couldn’t handle thinking about that other option.
Kurt had chosen the venue, just like Big Al promised. He and Stacey walked up the steep hiking trail that led to the dirt bowl, a little before midnight. There were voices ahead, whispering frantically to one another. When they reached the very top of the rise, Stacey saw a collection of greasy men and women who had come to bet and watch the fight. They stood in groups around the rim of the dirt bowl, some peering down into its depths. To combat the darkness, someone had set a large lantern aglow in the bowl’s center. It lit the place up like an arena, and Kurt was to be its gladiator.
“You don’t have to-” Stacey began, but Kurt cut her off.
“I do,” he said, “and you know it.”
The men he was intending to fight had already scrambled down into the bowl. They were stripped to the waist, revealing muscles just as well-defined as Kurt’s, and they appeared to be stretching and preparing themselves to take on a shifter. One, Stacey noticed, was patting down the legs of his pants.
“Weapons,” she murmured to Kurt, “I told you.”
“Don’t panic,” Kurt replied, though his face was anything but calm. “I’ve got claws of my own, remember?”
Stacey had only ever seen Kurt’s bear form once, in the very spot where he was about to do battle. She remembered those huge claws digging into the earth, and she realized at least that Kurt would be able to escape if he needed to. That was some small consolation, for the more she looked at the four men in the dirt bowl, the less she trusted them to fight according to the terms.
“Ladies and gentlemen, gather ‘round,” Big Al called in a hoarse voice. “Final bets, please. The competitor is here, and we’ll begin as soon as he transforms.”
He waved a large hand at Kurt, indicating the bowl. Beside him, faithful as ever, Jack shot Stacey and Kurt a withering look. It was strange to see him and feel so detached. It had barely taken a week for Stacey’s whole life to change. She felt a thumb and finger gently take hold of her chin, turning her face until she was looking into Kurt’s deep golden eyes. He looked serious, the carefree grin gone, and she would have given anything to have it back.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her. His voice was low and level, yet she couldn’t bring herself to believe him.
“Sure,” she said shakily.
Kurt leaned in and kissed her. His warmth cut through the darkness of the night, and he held her close as their passion made the world melt away for a moment. In his embrace, Stacey could believe anything. She could see their future in a way she’d never dared to imagine before. When he broke away, and reality came caving in again, she felt like he’d taken part of her with him. Stacey watched, devastated, as Kurt scrambled down into the bowl.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jack announced over the crowd, “the odds just went up on death in the ring. Absolute final wagers please.”
He’d done it on purpose, and Stacey knew it was meant to frighten her. She kept her eyes on Kurt instead, blocking everything else out to watch him prepare. He had stripped off his shirt and put it to one side, kicking off his shoes and socks to add to the pile. When he let his pants slide away, the crowd and Stacey gave a gasp. He hadn’t bothered with underwear – Stacey supposed the transformation would have ripped it to shreds anyway – and he stood naked before his foes. Exposed, and totally true to himself. And when he looked back over his shoulder, up the hill to where Stacey stood, the grin was firmly back in place.
His transformation was swift. The crack of bones landed like thunder, echoing off the walls of the dirt bowl. His human frame was illuminated by the lantern light as he arched his back, suddenly growing in size. Fur sprouted everywhere, obscuring skin, until he was a giant ball of tawny hair. Then the limbs came, powerful legs with clawed paws thumping into the ground. Kurt let out a roar and stood on his hind legs, and his four intended foes seemed to give a moment’s pause. Big Al would never let them back down now, Stacey knew it. The fight was on.
One of the men had attained a length of rope, those designed to restrain the bear. He kept his distance, trying to lasso the rope over Kurt’s head, but he was sharp on reflexes. His huge head swayed side to side, avoiding the loop expertly. When he suddenly lunged forward, all his weight on his front paws, the ground gave a mighty shake and one of the men fell over. Kurt sat on his legs, and the man gave a squeal as he struggled to be free. Some people in the crowd were laughing; others clutched their tickets angrily. Stacey folded her arms with confidence. If they had bet against Kurt winning this, then they needed to think again.
But it was just that kind of overconfidence that gamblers always had in the moment before things went wrong. The man who’d been patting his pockets earlier had hung back at first, but now he suddenly made a run for the bear. Kurt was too busy enjoying playful swipes at the man underneath him, and even a cry from Stacey didn’t alert him to what was coming. In seconds, there was a long, sharp blade shining silver against the lantern light. The wielder gave it a huge slash as he neared Kurt’s head.
“You bastards!” Stacey shouted. “No weapons, you said!”
Jack glanced her way, but neither he nor Al answered her. The crowd was drawn to the fight, as the bear suddenly reared up and gave a howl of pain. There was blood on the blade, but Kurt’s wound was lost somewhere in his fur, too obscured to make out whether it was a full slash or just a cut. He charged for the man with the sword, but had to rear up again when the human pointed it right for his skull. Two of the other adversaries had gone to help their flattened comrade get out of the dirt, but knife-boy was confident. Stacey wasn’t surprised to find a maniac in Big Al’s employ, but she was fearfully impressed by his fearlessness. Even when Kurt snapped and snarled, bearing a huge jaw full of teeth, the sword wielder made another charge forward. He had Kurt on the run.
Stacey willed him to run up the side of the dirt bowl. She knew Kurt could get out if he wanted to, digging his claws into the earth to make the climb. Kurt was circling the lower part of their makeshift arena, as if considering his next move. He was too proud to run from the man. He wanted to best him. It was then that Stacey remembered what he’d said about winning and the search for excitement. This fight was just as a much of a drug as his gambling woes.
Kurt took a sudden lunge forward, intending to throw his enemy off guard. It worked, to some extent at least, for the sword wielding man dived to the left to avoid the attack. But his reflexes were just as good as Kurt’s, and when he landed, he shoved the blade deep into the ground. The crowd gave a horrified gasp. The long knife had gone straight through the center of Kurt’s paw, trapping him in place. The bear gave a pained howl, trying to free himself, but it was no use. Stacey watched in horror as the man returned to his other fellows, retrieving the lasso rope from them. If he put it round Kurt’s neck, it was all over. Stacey saw her future being stolen from her.
She couldn’t let it happen. She was running down into the bowl before anyone could stop her, and she heard the annoyed hollers of the crowd following her down. Every sound echoed larger in the bowl, and the closer she got to Kurt at the bottom, the more speed and force she seemed to build up. Gravity was on her side, and she knew exactly what to do with it. Changing course, she let herself barrel straight into the man with the rope. Her speed knocked him flat, and she fell on top in a haze of pain and panic. She would hold him off as long as she could.
Fortunately, she didn’t have long to struggle. A huge floodlight came down into the bowl, blinding everyone in its brilliant white beam. It had come from a portable rig which two men were holding up on the ridge, and once her vision had cleared, Stacey recognized their uniforms as that of the police. Officers were everywhere, swarming the crowd and taking Big Al and Jack into handcuffs. They were scrambling down the side of the bowl too, racing towards the men, who couldn’t get away even if they’d tried.
There were others coming down the hillside too, four men in park ranger uniforms. Two dark-haired men who looked fairly similar raced towards Kurt, who had collapsed in a pained heap. They were shouting at one another and examining the knife carefully. Stacey realized that she was being helped to her feet by the other two men. One had a stern face, full of fury as he gave the rope wielding man, still on the floor, a solid kick. The other man was blonde, the same kind of blonde as Kurt, but with a slightly older, kinder face.
“You must be Stacey,” he said brightly. “I’m Hart. My brothers told me all about you. Everything’s going to be all right now. I promise.”
* * *
Two months later.
“Sixty days,” Kurt said.
He crossed the day off the calendar, the one with the big red ring around it. Sixty days had arrived, and Stacey felt a thrill rush through her.
“I can’t believe we’ve waited this long,” she said in amazement.
“Well, there were a few slip-ups,” Kurt added. “A few temptations. But we made it.”
Kurt set the calendar on the table, and settled himself on the sofa. They were sitting in the back room of the Rangers’ Lodge, where Stacey had recently moved in. She crawled across the wide, soft fabric of the sofa, nestling her lips against Kurt’s ear.
“Sixty days with no gambling,” she crooned, “I’d say that deserves a reward.”
It was what they had agreed, albeit reluctantly on Stacey’s part. Kurt said he couldn’t be with her until he was sure that his problem was under control. Sixty days clean was enough to prove that he could stay away from casinos and the like if he wanted to. Now, they were free to be together, with Big Al and Jack safely locked away for racketeering.
“Hang on,” Kurt said, a hitch in his voice. “Here? Don’t you want to go upstairs? What if someone comes in?”
Stacey let her tongue slide out, teasing Kurt’s earlobe. He gave a groan.
“You weren’t shy about being naked in the crowd before,” she reasoned. “Besides, it’s the middle of the day. They’re all working.”
It was true enough to convince him. Kurt let his hands slide away from his lap, and Stacey climbed on, her thighs either side of his. They kissed with deep, lingering kisses, Kurt catching her lip between his teeth when she tried to break away. He reeled her back in every time, hands caressing upwards under her skirt. Stacey moaned when he found her buttocks, squeezing and massaging with his huge, strong hands. She could feel the scar on his right palm, where the stab wound had eventually healed. That little rough patch made her skin shiver when it stroked over her.
“I’ve waited sixty days,” Stacey said, breathless. “I’m not waiting even a second longer.”
She pawed at the buttons on Kurt’s shirt until they were all undone, pushing it apart to reveal his chest. It was golden from so much sun exposure, and she kissed him all over, the blonde hairs there tickling her jaw. Her hands found his abdominal muscles, trailing down each one in turn. When she reached the end of that trail, Stacey leaned back, looking down at the bulge which had appeared in the groin of his pants. She lifted herself a little higher on her knees to give him room.
“Off. Now,” she commanded.
Kurt grinned. It was that glorious grin that lit up whole rooms, brighter than the sun. He was panting with excitement as he fumbled with his belt, letting his pants slide off down his legs. It was then that Stacey realized he’d been playing coy before. If he hadn’t been expecting her to leap on him no sooner than he’d marked the day off the calendar, then he wouldn’t have been going commando. His cock was hard and proud, waiting for her touch.
Stacey reached out, her fingers wrapping around the shaft. Kurt gave another groan, so low that it sounded like a growl in his throat. As Stacey stroked him, feeling the throb of his pulse with every move, Kurt’s hands made their way up her skirt again. There was some clever moving around as he teased her panties off, and when his fingers found her clitoris, she gave a little gasp of surprise. They teased each other with long, languid movements, kissing and letting their tongues dance for a moment.
Then Stacey moved forward, the ache inside her too strong to resist. She hovered her body over Kurt’s hips, letting him hold her legs and ease her down onto him. When his warm, throbbing hard-on slid into her, she couldn’t help the grin that burst onto her face. They stayed like that a moment as Kurt helped her out of her shirt and bra. He kissed and teased her nipples, slowly starting to rock their hips together. Every push upwards sent a surge of lightning into Stacey’s nerves.
“It’s you, you know,” Kurt said, his breath hot against her chest. “You’re my new addiction. I have a Stacey problem now.”
She grinned, pushing her hips down to get him as far in as he’d go. The ache was building, begging her to move faster, but she resisted long enough to ask him one last question.
“Do you want to solve your Stacey problem?” she asked.
“Never,” Kurt said with a grin. “I want to have it forever.”
He held her suddenly, hands gripping her thighs tightly. Stacey gripped his shoulders and let out a moan as they began to thrust together. She felt his body slick with sweat against hers, and heard the growl in his throat again as he showered her collarbone in kisses. Every thrust was harder and faster than the one before, until they were a blur of passion. Stacey felt her body rumble with the build-up to her climax, and she threw her head back to ride out the wave. They came together in a mutual cry of ecstasy.
Moments later, as they were panting and recovering from the orgasm, a key turned in the door to the Rangers’ Lodge.
“Only me, darlings,” Anina called from the hall. “Anybody want some lunch?”
Kurt’s golden eyes were wide in panic and amusement. Quickly, he and Stacey gathered their clothes and snuck out the back door of the sitting room. They rounded the stairs, running naked and trying to stifle their giggles so that Anina wouldn’t hear them. Once safely inside the bedroom, Stacey suggested that they’d better get dressed and go and answer her. But Kurt slid the bolt across his door. He was serious about his addictions, and now that he’d had a taste of Stacey McKinley, he couldn’t help but crave more.
* * *
Epilogue
It was summer when Elise Davenport and Dietrich Best had their first baby. He came into the world on the anniversary of the night they had met, and that meant that all the Best boys were standing in the waiting room of the hospital. Elise was still in labor when Stacey and Kurt arrived, hand in hand. Anina came over to greet them, kissing Stacey on both cheeks. The old woman was clearly overjoyed, her milky eyes brimming with tears.
“Not long now,” she said excitedly. “Just think, a whole new generation of the clan is being born.”
“And another one on the way in two months,” said a voice behind her.
Here, Ben was sitting with his new wife Layla, whose own baby bump had swelled recently. Stacey gave them a wave and a grin. She looked at Kurt to find his golden eyes shining. He nodded, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. He often did.
“Actually, Anina, we-” Stacey begun.
But the old matriarch of the clan was still talking, too wrapped up in her excitement to listen to anyone else.
“Yes, yes,” she said to Ben, “and now Kurt and Stacey are happy and settled together. It’s all so wonderful. You next, Reinicke?”
She said this last with a teasing hitch in her voice. Stacey gave a giggle. It was a well-known fact in the family that Reinicke, Kurt’s cousin, hated to be teased. He looked the least excited by whole fiasco, though even he was tapping his fingers against his chair with impatience. He scowled. Reinicke might have been quite handsome, if not for all the scowling.
“No thanks, Gram,” he answered dryly. “You’ve got quite enough baby-making going on without my efforts.”
“Speaking of which,” Kurt tried to interject, but he was cut off once again.
“Well, what about you Hart?” Anina pressed. “Any new girls on the horizon?”
Hart caught his brother’s eye for a moment and they shared a sigh.
“I called Karina at the agency, just like you said,” he told his grandmother, “but she’s short on girls in this area right now. Sorry Gram, it doesn’t look like happily ever after is on my cards just yet.”
“However,” Stacey said loudly, but once again Anina was jabbering away.
“Oh, that’s a shame,” she said gently. “I thought you and that girl from Ben’s wedding were very well suited.”
“She’s gone back to China, Gram,” Ben cut in. “To her husband, remember?”
“Gram-” Kurt tried again.
“Ah,” Anina said. “I knew there was a reason that wasn’t going to work.”
“Gram…” he tried again.
“Such a shame, she was very pretty.”
“GRAM!”
Silence filled the room. Kurt’s voice had risen to shake the atmosphere, almost as loud as his roar. Anina looked at him, aghast. She seemed as though she might have been about to tell him off for being so rude, and Stacey felt it her duty to step in. She took the old woman’s hands gently, touching as they had when they’d first met.
“Anina, we’ve been trying to tell you our news,” she explained gently. “Kurt and I… Well, I’m two and a half months pregnant.”
Silence followed as the news sank in, then everyone was speaking at once. They rushed to crowd around Stacey and Kurt, congratulating them on the happy news. Even Reinicke got up to shake Kurt’s hand, before making some excuse about finding a vending machine. Amid all the fuss, Stacey looked to Kurt, and this time he shook his head. The crowd was excited enough for one night.
They’d wait until later to tell them it was most likely twins.