Chapter 1

Nearly seven years later

Northern Minnesota

Gavin hated one thing more than anything else in the world—flying. And that’s just what he was going to have to do for this mission.

Eleanor Dylan was a cosmetic heiress, though she also had other kinds of businesses, and she was certain her husband was having an affair. She needed proof to start divorce proceedings and keep her inheritance intact. “Conrad is going on a fly-in company canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the BWCA, and your agency is the closest to that location. They’ll be in the wilderness, so you’ll have to take a seaplane to get there. Well, I guess you could just paddle in, but it would take you too long to catch up to them. Wouldn’t it? I mean, if you only have a day and a half to get ready and be there?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gavin grimaced, glad they were speaking on the phone.

“I would have called sooner if I had thought of doing this earlier. But it’s the perfect way to catch them at it, I think. They’ll be there for nine days. The tour package includes food and all the equipment they need, so they won’t be stopping for supplies anywhere. Can you do it?”

“Yes, ma’am. Our agency can definitely take care of it.”

All of Gavin’s PI partners and their mates were Arctic wolf shifters who had been turned a few years ago. As wolves, they had enhanced night vision, and their hearing was superior whether they were in their wolf coats or human form. They had settled in Minnesota and their PI business was booming, which meant Gavin was the only one available for this job. A trip to the Boundary Waters totally appealed. More so if he could have just paddled in.

“Not your agency. You. I’ve looked into your background already, and from everything I’ve seen, you’ve got an outstanding track record.”

“Thanks. All of my partners are also well qualified.” Gavin didn’t want her to believe that they couldn’t handle the case if one of them had to take over for him.

“You, or no deal.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll head up there and check it out.” His pack had already reserved permits for him and two of his partners to go to the Boundary Waters later in the summer. He checked on his computer for the availability of a different entry point, and he found one. Some canoeists must have canceled their trip because of the bad weather expected over the next couple of days. Gavin was able to switch his time and port of entry without any trouble.

“Conrad gave me a copy of their trip itinerary in case anything happened,” Eleanor said. “It shows their route and where they intend to set up camp. He’ll never suspect a lone canoeist is doing surveillance on him, will he?”

“No, ma’am. Does he often give you the detailed itinerary for his trips?” Gavin couldn’t help but think that if her husband were having an affair, he’d keep his wife out of the loop.

“Always. I would have been suspicious if he hadn’t.”

Okay, that explained it. Though Gavin wondered if Conrad would have given her a fake itinerary if he thought his wife was having him watched.

“Have you been in the Boundary Waters before?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Several times.” Especially once they had more control over their shifting. The wilderness had been the perfect, close getaway for them.

“Oh good,” she said with relief.

“How many are on this company trip?” As a wolf, he could get up close to the campsite, and Conrad and his party would never know he was there.

“Four executives from various departments. Lee Struthers, the CEO, likes to chill out with her executives on adventure tours a couple of times a year instead of always conducting business in the boardroom. It’s supposed to be a team-building trip. One of the executives is a woman. And the two sales associates going with them are women too.”

“You suspect your husband is having an affair with someone in the group, then?”

“A top sales associate. She’s in her late twenties. He’s forty-five now. I know Orwell Johnston, who’s also on this trip, is having an affair with the other sales associate. Conrad told me all about their antics. The long lunch hours at a nearby hotel. The gifts he gives her, even at work.”

“How did you learn who would be going?” Gavin wondered why Conrad would tell his wife, if the guy was having an affair with someone at work.

“I asked. And Conrad told me.”

That sounded like he was open about things with his wife. “Have you had other investigators checking into his activities?”

“Yes, before we were married eight years ago. I had inherited quite a large estate before I met him, and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t marrying me just for my money.”

“You must have learned he was a good prospect, since you married him.”

“No skeletons in his closet. He worked his way up in the greeting-card business and is now one of their executives. I didn’t suspect anything was wrong between us until he came home from the last trip. He acted distant and aloof, and he didn’t seem to be his cheerful self for several weeks. I asked what was wrong, but he said nothing was. Which I knew was a lie. He wouldn’t tell me what had happened.”

“The sales associate had been with him that time too?”

“Yes. They seemed close when I attended the company Christmas party. She was sweet and got me refills on my drinks, and she was trying to be careful about not showing any overt affection toward Conrad. But there were coy smiles, and she patted his hand and ran hers over his back in a way that led me to believe there was more intimacy going on between them.”

“How did he react to her attentions?”

“Like he was used to it. He didn’t make her stop. I didn’t see him treat her in the same way, but that could just mean he was being more discreet at the party because I was there. After the way he acted following the last team-building trip, and with Cheryl part of the group again, I want to know what’s really going on.”

“Okay, so anything else that raises your suspicions? Like he’s taking more care with his appearance? Staying away from home later, leaving home earlier? Evasiveness? Defensiveness?”

“He has been working later. If you must know, our sex life is nil. He’s always taken care of his appearance. Evasiveness? Yes, especially after the last trip. And defensiveness, yes. He’s received calls he’s secretive about. I haven’t smelled a woman’s perfume on his clothes though—and I haven’t seen any receipts that would make me suspicious. Of course, he could be using a separate account that I don’t know about for more…personal business.”

“You have a prenuptial agreement, right?”

“Yes. If he’s having an affair and we divorce, he doesn’t get a cent from me. To be fair, if I divorced him and he wasn’t at fault, he’d receive a settlement. I do love him, and I was willing to make that concession.”

“Okay. I’ll get right on this.” Gavin didn’t know what to think. If Conrad was telling his wife about his coworker’s affair, was he trying to get a reaction out of her? Maybe. One of the cops Gavin knew on the Seattle force had done that. His wife thought it was amusing, until she learned her husband was having an affair with a nurse at one of the local hospitals.

“Thank you. I’m emailing you pictures of Conrad and Cheryl. I trust you’ll be inconspicuous.”

“Guaranteed.”

They finished the call, and Gavin studied the photos Eleanor had sent, apparently taken at the company Christmas party. There was a Christmas tree in the background, and both Conrad and Cheryl were holding glasses of champagne.

Conrad was dark-haired, dark-eyed, and had a manicured, pampered appearance. He didn’t appear to be the type who was ready to rough it. Cheryl had dark roots, but the rest of her hair was pale blond, and she had light-green eyes. She looked like the girl next door, sweet and innocent.

Gavin called Faith MacPherson, one of his partner’s mates, to let her know he had a job and would be leaving as soon as he could. She managed the calls for their business while taking care of her six-year-old triplets. Her husband, Cameron, and their other two partners were out on jobs of their own.

“Oh, Gavin, I’m so sorry you had to be the one to take this particular case,” Faith said.

He wished no one knew about his fear of flying. Faith had learned the truth when Cameron had needed his help to locate their missing friends, and he’d had to fly from Seattle to Maine to aid them.

“No problem. I’ll let you know what’s going on when I locate the group and tell you if I learn anything.”

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

Like everyone else at the agency, Faith knew how things could go wrong at a moment’s notice. Gavin called Adventure Seaplane Tours and got the owner, Henry White. “Yeah, I had a last-minute sightseeing tour cancellation. Do you need all the outfitting equipment? Will it be just you?”

“Just me, and I’m bringing my own gear. Thanks.”

“All right. Drive up here, and I’ll fly you out. My son and I are taking a group out there a couple of hours before your flight. We’ll be back well before you arrive. It’s a popular time of year. Though a storm’s coming in tomorrow. So we’ve had a few cancellations.”

Gavin wondered if the earlier group was Conrad’s. It would have worked out time-wise, from the itinerary Eleanor had, and Conrad’s company was also using White’s tour service. “Yeah, thanks. See you soon.”

He was relieved he wouldn’t be too far behind the company’s canoeists, if that’s who White and his son were taking. He’d be able to begin surveillance right away. Getting the job done meant he’d be available for another. He and his partners had accumulated lots of great reviews, and they believed that’s why business had really picked up.

If time hadn’t been against him, Gavin would have just paddled in from Ely and not bothered with the plane trip. But the group would only be out there for nine days, and a thunderstorm was rolling in the night after he arrived. By flying in, he’d be hunkered down well before the storm hit. If they didn’t have too much lightning, the storm shouldn’t hinder him much. In fact, it could provide him cover.

A day and a half later, Gavin loaded his canoe on his Suburban and finished packing his waterproof bags, cooler, and rain gear. He headed out thinking that, despite the storm and the fact that he had to fly there, he was going to enjoy this trip.

* * *

Amelia Marie White glowered at the group of male tourists who were waiting to take a plane up for sightseeing. One of the men had refused to go if a woman was piloting the plane. Was he a throwback to cavemen or what? She’d already had a day of it, so she wasn’t in the mood for any more trouble. They’d loaded all their gear into her plane while she was away taking a call about placing a foster dog, so they’d thought her dad or brother would be the pilot.

The guy’s arms were folded across his chest in a defiant way, his blue eyes narrowed in contempt. He was around forty, red hair cut in a short burr. He looked like he could be ex-military. Yet something about him seemed so familiar. She couldn’t place where she’d seen him before though.

If they didn’t want her to fly them, no problem. They could go somewhere else, though at this late date, the other seaplane services might be booked. Unless they also had cancellations because of the coming storm. Her dad wouldn’t want to get bad publicity out of this though. The other two companies provided the same services and were already annoyed that her family had settled here and taken some of their business. She was certain they would jump at the chance to take these guys up and bad-mouth her company.

Her dad quickly took her aside to defuse the situation. “You know the other group canceled on me because of the iffy weather. Now I’ve got to take another paddler out to the Boundary Waters. You’re scheduled to fly Winston to Saint Paul. Taking the paddler will give you more time to do that, and you’ll be way ahead of the deadline. Just drop this guy off, take Winston to the shelter, and come back here—or stay there and do some shopping. I’ll take these people up and see you the day after tomorrow.”

Wishing he’d back her in telling the redhead either to fly with her or find another service, Amelia frowned at her dad.

“Listen, maybe the guy was involved in a plane crash where a woman pilot was at the controls. Who knows?”

“All right, Dad. It still irks me.” Especially since she’d crashed a plane—on purpose—to give herself and the heist gang’s possible hostage a chance to live. That still troubled her. No decent pilot should ever be forced to do such a thing.

Her father knew that was why the passenger’s attitude bothered her and was empathetic. “I don’t blame you. I have to take this group up and I’ll just use your plane. If you have any trouble with anything, call me.”

“Sure will.” This was going to be one of those days, Amelia thought. First, she’d been running late because of car trouble. Then, while she was loading Winston’s dog food in the car, he’d made a mad dash out the door of her duplex to chase a cat. She knew he’d just wanted to make friends with it—not that the cat would understand. She’d wasted a good twenty minutes chasing after him. Even her electric teapot had decided to conk out right before she had her first cup of tea. Now this.

Her dad headed out with his passengers, and she hoped the disagreeable man wouldn’t give her dad grief. Her brother had already taken up another group.

Amelia was getting ready to pack Winston’s container of kibble in the plane when a black SUV pulled into the parking area and the driver cut the engine. An orange canoe was secured on top. He must be the guy wanting the trip into the Boundary Waters. When a redheaded man exited the car and hurried to grab a couple of bags, her jaw dropped. Gavin Summerfield. In the flesh. No way!

Her heart raced. How could he keep showing up in her life?

Was this karma or what? It was like the gods had decided she was going to have to deal with this man, one way or another. After the issue with her first wolf boyfriend, she always carried a Taser gun. So she was ready if Gavin gave her any real trouble.

He turned to ask, “Is Henry White here?” Bags in hand, Gavin stopped dead in his tracks, frowning, looking just as shocked to see her as she was about seeing him here.

Amelia couldn’t pretend she didn’t remember him, at least not the time she’d knocked him flat on his back in her home. The other time, the crashed-plane time… She wasn’t going to reveal anything about that. He didn’t act like he knew where he’d seen her before, which had to be a good sign. She needed at least one today. She was eager to drop him off and leave him far behind. Hopefully, the time he’d scheduled for pickup would be when she wasn’t available. Though she’d need to remind her dad and brother to watch what they said if the guy asked them if she’d ever been to Seattle.

“Are you the one who needs to get to the Boundary Waters?” she asked, almost growling.

“Yeah, I am.” He seemed to want to say something else but hesitated, glancing at the plane and then back at her. “Is Henry ready to fly?”

Could the day get any worse than this? “He had to fly another group out. I’ll take you instead. Are you ready to go?”

Gavin frowned.

She folded her arms. She supposed, after their second meeting, Gavin was afraid she would dump him in the rapids instead of docking where she was scheduled to go. Or if he did recall she’d flown the plane she’d crashed during their first meeting, maybe he thought she was a bad pilot. Of course, if he knew about that, he’d probably figure she was a criminal.

Fine, she could just take Winston to Saint Paul, and the paddler could find his own way to the Boundary Waters. She wasn’t about to deal with more disagreeable men. “Okay, listen, do you want to come with me or not?”

“Yeah, sure.” Gavin hurried to join her.

Though her dad would want the income, she would have been just as happy to not take this fare anywhere. “Did you find your lost Samoyeds?” She asked because she’d always worried about whether he’d located them and returned them to their family.

“Yeah, at the house London had indicated.”

“Male, right?” She swore Gavin’s ears tinged red.

“Yeah.”

“I saw that the police took the Michaelses into custody that day. I didn’t know they had the puppies you were looking for. I’m glad.”

“Where did you hear that?”

She raised a brow at him. “The newspapers.”

“Michaels was armed and nearly shot me when I questioned him about the stolen dogs. And then his rabid wife came out and began beating on me, trying to get me off him. That’s when the police took them into custody.”

“Huh.”

“You don’t believe me?”

She smiled. “Don’t believe everything you read and half of what you hear.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter how it went down. All that’s important is that the pups were returned to their owners. Did you find foster homes for the two female Samoyeds you were caring for?”

“Yeah. My mom took Molly and Snowflake. She could never foster pets. She’d keep all of them. She works out of the main office, making the reservations for flights, and she often takes them with her.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

As soon as the wind carried Gavin’s scent to her, Amelia smelled that he was a wolf like her. Shocked to the core—because when she’d seen him before, he’d been human—she couldn’t help but catalog more about him. Figuring he had to be fairly newly turned, she wondered just how newly turned. She was a royal—no strictly human genes for generations—so she had complete control over her shifting. Because of that, she didn’t pay much attention to the phases of the moon. Now she wondered… Was he worrying he would shift? He had to be. And she was wondering when the full moon would make its appearance.

Wearing a T-shirt and stonewashed jeans that fit over nice muscles and hiking boots, he was in great shape. No matter what he’d been before, he was still tall, strong, and imposing. He held his head high, no slumping over, and his green eyes held her gaze, full of surprise, intrigue, and question.

She pegged him for an alpha gray wolf. Now she wondered if he had a pack. If so, she hoped they wouldn’t have an issue with her family settling in their territory, if he was from this area. Then again, the last time she’d seen him, he was from Seattle. His license plate on the vehicle here indicated Minnesota, but maybe it was a rental car. She’d thought her last boyfriend was a lone gray wolf living in this area, but now she wondered if maybe he’d been in this guy’s pack. What were the chances that two wolves would be in the same area and not belong to the same pack?

Then again, she and her family didn’t belong to a pack either.

When Gavin set his gear down to shake her hand, he hesitated, his eyes suddenly widening, and Amelia was sure he had smelled she was a wolf. He took in her appearance again, not so casually this time, recognizing she was one of them—and that was important. His smile indicated he was more than interested in what he was seeing. Which surprised her.

He wouldn’t have known she was a wolf before because he hadn’t been one, so she realized what a shock this must be to him.

He asked, “You and your family are—”

“Arctic lupus garous.” She wanted to set him straight right away. If he didn’t like that she was an Arctic wolf, he could figure out another way to get to the Boundary Waters. She knew her dad would be annoyed if she pissed off a paying customer. Still, if Gavin didn’t like Arctic wolves—and they’d run into some grays who didn’t—her dad couldn’t fault her too much.

Amelia lifted her chin farther in a way that challenged Gavin to deal with it or find another ride.

Eyes sparkling, he cast her an elusive smile and stretched his hand out. “Well, hell, you have made my day.”

She frowned, not understanding why he’d feel that way. “Wait, you’re not an Arctic wolf, are you?” That would be too weird to be true.

“Yep. Along with all of my packmates.”

“Oh.” This could be a real problem. “Here? You live here? In the area? Permanently?”

When she didn’t shake his hand, Gavin dropped the offer. “Uh, yeah, but we have no problem with other Arctic wolves living in the area, if you don’t have any problem with us being here.”

She did.

Great. Just great. Then again, he didn’t seem to recall the plane incident, and the business of tasing him didn’t seem to be an issue. He still appeared interested in her in a wolfish way. Too bad she’d already had a couple of bad experiences with wolves: one recently, and the earlier one with the robber who was also a cop. Not to mention she’d killed that boyfriend! Under acceptable circumstances, as far as she was concerned. But that didn’t mean Mr. Cop Turned PI would feel the same way.

“So you moved here from Alaska?” he asked.

“Yeah. A couple of months ago.”

Amelia had thought she and her brother would never meet prospective mates down here. Not that she was looking anytime soon. And this guy could be a mated wolf, though the way he was smiling at her said otherwise.

She and her father and her brother all flew. They didn’t want to break up the family business, and they were wolves, so family meant everything. Her mom had wanted to live in an area that had a shorter winter. More than that, her mother had been worried about them flying in the dark, which was necessary for part of the year in Alaska, particularly on rescue missions. Seaplane landings at night could be much more dangerous. Doable. But dangerous.

“You don’t happen to have a sister, do you?” Gavin asked.

What did he mean by that? “Just a brother.”

“Well, that’s great news too. We’d love to meet him and the rest of your family. We need to stick together.”

No, no, no. This was so not what she wanted to hear. She and her family needed to stay far away from this guy.

“We’ll help any of you out anytime you or your family need it.”

Never, ever, ever. Though her mother had often said Never say never. Even so, as a wolf, Amelia was curious who was in Gavin’s pack. A single she-wolf maybe, someone her brother could date?

“You know London Lanier, that retired police detective you met in Alaska?” she asked.

“Yeah? He was a great help to me in solving the case.”

“He’s an Arctic wolf too. That’s why he went on a crusade about illegal hunting once he retired.”

“He’s working for the police again. Well, I’ll be. A wolf. No wonder he didn’t believe you were involved in trafficking dogs.”

“Nope. He’s my uncle.”

Gavin didn’t say anything about that for a moment. Then he frowned. “Your uncle.”

“Yep.”

Which meant her uncle knew she had tased Gavin.

“I knew there was something I liked about him.”

“He liked what you were doing. He asked me, after the police and you left, why I’d tased you. He knew I wouldn’t have unless I felt I had to.”

“You told him you were running through the house naked and feared for your life?”

“Of course not. I didn’t fear for my life. If you’d come into the bedroom, I would have tased you, or if I hadn’t had time, I would have shifted into the wolf. As for the rest, only you and I know about that.”

He studied her hard again. “I still say you look like someone I’ve seen in Seattle.”

That’s what she was afraid of.