The grizzly bear inside of Izek Compano loved a good fight. That was one of the reasons why he became a cop. He could fight battles for the innocent, and his bear would be satisfied. Only lately, his bear had been grumbling more than usual. He was working on a short fuse, and Izek had to work extra hard to control his bear. Even with the action of being on one of the busiest SWAT teams in the state didn’t calm his bear down.

The SWAT team for the city of Great Falls, Montana, was made up of shifters and humans, working together for the good of shifters and mankind. Izek loved his brothers in blue. It didn’t matter what type of shifter they were, or if they were human. He got along great with his unit and wouldn’t trade them for all the fresh salmon in the world. His bear licked its chops at the thought of salmon. Later tonight, Izek planned to invite some of the unit over and fire up the grill once their shift was over.

They had just received a call that the downtown branch of Bells National Bank was being robbed, and it had become a hostage situation.

“We roll out in three minutes,” Izek called out, slamming his locker shut.

Joking and laughter usually filled the air of their locker room, but now that they were being dispatched on a call, seriousness filled the air. As a member of a deadly tactical unit, each member knew that even with all the careful, strategic planning it took to complete missions, there was always a chance that someone would return in a body bag.

Each member nodded and grabbed their gear before they headed out towards the garage. From the intel that they’d received, Bells National Bank was not a large bank, and there were reports of only three robbers.

With this size job, they should only need the ten-man team that was present. If they needed the second team to come in to help, they were only a call away.

Izek followed his team and jumped into the GFPD portable command vehicle. He was the SWAT Captain. This was his team and he was in charge. Each member of his team was handpicked by him. The nine dedicated officers of his unit were well-seasoned officers of the Great Falls Police Department. They were the best of the best, and he was damn proud to lead them.

Ross and Walter were the communication specialists of the team. They instantly dropped down at the workstations and booted up the computer systems.

“Bells National Bank has been robbed,” Izek began, briefing his men. “Reports from the scene state that three armed men walked into the bank at oh-nine hundred, and immediately took control of the bank. So far, no demands have been made, or any reports of anyone hurt.”

“ETA is seven minutes,” Oliver, one of the humans of the unit called out from the driver’s seat.

“Tair, you’re going to work your magic. Let’s see if we can peacefully negotiate for the hostages,” Izek said, nodding to his negotiator.

Tair was the best negotiator in all of Montana. It helped that he was a leopard shifter. Leopards were known for their high intelligence, so if anyone could barter for safe hostage passages from the bank, Tair could.

“Yes, sir,” Tair said with a small salute.

“Let’s make these bank robbers regret they woke up this morning,” Izek growled amongst the agreement of his unit.

His bear rumbled, readying for a fight. Izek pushed his animal down, trying to calm him. Soon, he promised his animal. Later tonight, he would have to shift and head into the woods to let his bear out. His animal would be on the prowl for something. For what, Izek didn’t know.

“Captain, over here!” a voice yelled out, grabbing Izek’s attention as he jumped down from the vehicle. His eyes scanned the mayhem outside of the bank.

“Tair, get the robbers on the phone. Javri, get this scene under control. Now!” he barked to his team. They were proficient and competent. Izek knew they would get the situation under control. Now that they were there, he would be the officer in charge.

“Who was in charge?” he asked, arriving by a squad car with a few beat cops.

“I am. Mike Wilde, sir.”

Izek took the outstretched hand of the well-seasoned officer who stood tall and fit in his blue uniform. Izek was impressed by the firm handshake of the officer. Not many men could withstand the firm handshake of a bear shifter.

“You are no longer in charge, Officer Wilde, I am,” Izek announced, asserting his status. His eyes met each of theirs. The alpha in him was pleased when they couldn’t hold his gaze for long. “How many bad guys, and how many hostages are in there?”

“From what we know there are three robbers, along with a total of twelve hostages.”

“Have your men get that crowd back,” Izek ordered, pointing to all the spectators. He rolled his eyes at the sight of the multiple media vans parked behind the crowd. This was beginning to turn into a fucking circus.

“Yes, sir,” Mike said with a nod. He and his men jogged away, heading towards the crowd.

“Where are the plans for the bank? We need both storefronts on each side of the bank to be evacuated.” He made more demands and barked orders as he walked towards his team.

Shouting filled the air as people scrambled to follow his orders.

“Captain!” Oliver waved him over to the tactical vehicle.

“What do you have?” Izek asked.

“I’ve reached the leader inside the bank. He’s willing to let out a few hostages now for good measure,” Tair said, placing the telephone receiver in the base.

“What does he want?” Izek growled, feeling the rest of his team surround him.

“He’s demanding that their getaway truck be allowed to come to the front doors of the bank. Once that’s done, he will let more hostages go.”

Izek paused. If they could get all the hostages away from the robbers, his unit could move in and take them out. Even if they allowed them to get into their truck and follow them, they could move the danger away from civilians.

“Call him back and make the deal.”