Rollo hung up the phone with the last of his men. He had contacted Knox, Gauge, Damien, and even Cadet Heath to gather at the police station. They were all his bears and he trusted each and every one of them to bring down Ivanov and to keep Zoe safe.

He took the stairs quickly up to his bedroom and threw on some clothes before finding something small enough to fit Zoe. All he had was a black T-shirt, a pair of unused flip-flops that were too small for him, and a pair of tights that someone at the station had bought for a Halloween costume last year.

When he brought it to her, he hesitated with what he had to tell her.

“I need you to go to the Bright Institute and stay with your brother,” he said, handing her the makeshift outfit.

“I want to help you bring down Ivanov,” she said, determination ringing in her voice.

“I need you to stay out of the way.”

“How can you say that to me after everything we’ve been through?” she asked him angrily as she slipped on the frumpy clothes.

“I need you to stay safe. I know that you will be safe at your brother’s house near the Institute.”

“I need to be with you when you bring down Dima,” she said.

He placed his hand on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. He knew how badly she wanted this. She had to prove to herself that she was free of the man. And if there was any way that Rollo could give his little kitty a gun and let her loose on the man who’d hurt her, he would do it.

But she was not a warrior and wasn’t prepared to go out with his squad. Rollo and Zoe had barely escaped the cabin with their lives, and he wouldn’t risk hers again, no matter how much she wanted to do it herself.

“Don’t you think I can take care of him?” he asked.

“Rollo, you have to let me come with you.”

“I’m having Heath take you to your brother’s house, and you’re going to stay there.”

“Fine,” she said, looking away.

Being mated with her now, he could feel her agitation in his chest. He would have done anything to make it better and make it go away. He was so torn between wanting to please her and needing to protect her that he growled instead and turned away. He fisted his hips and took a deep breath.

“Heath is downstairs now,” he said.

“You disappoint me, Rollo,” she said, moving out the door. “I thought you understood me better than that.”

He turned back around, only to see the last flash of the tips of her black hair sweep out through the door. He groaned. Maybe she was right. He had no idea what Zoe would do if left to her own devices. Dammit. He should have just invited her along on the ride and kept her in a squad car. He hurried out the door of his bedroom and looked downstairs. He could see her already stepping into Heath’s car out the front window.

It was too late now. He would have to trust that she wouldn’t get herself into trouble again. Of course, it was Zoe, so it was anyone’s guess what she would do next. He cursed himself for underestimating his mate as he watched the car drive away under the golden glow of the early morning light.

He grabbed his keys, hurried out to his squad car, and jumped inside. He grabbed his cell phone and sent Heath a text, telling him to make sure her brother Corey kept an eye on Zoe for him. Hopefully he could keep track of his own sister for a few hours.

He could already feel Zoe’s mind working. He knew she was up to something. Dammit. Mates or not, they still weren’t working together. And their connection was allowing them to know every single nuance of their deception toward each other.

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, turned the key, and pulled out of the driveway. He sped across town and hurried into the police station where he found the entire Bear Patrol waiting for him in his office.

They were already wearing their SWAT uniforms, ready to roll. Rollo had pulled his out of the car and was slipping on his vest when he stepped into his office and closed the door.

“Heath will be joining us in a few moments. I hope no one objects to including the cadet on our team.”

“No objections here,” Knox said.

“None for me either,” Damien said.

“I haven’t met this Heath kid,” Gauge said, crossing his arms and cocking his chin.

“If the commander vouches for him, don’t you think that you should accept him too?” Knox asked Gauge.

“I agreed to accept the cadet,” Gauge said begrudgingly. “Where is he anyway?”

“He’s taking my mate to her brother’s house at the Bright Institute,” Rollo said. “And that brings me to why we’re here today. Dimitri Ivanov, the head of a wing of the Russian mafia, is currently on Fate Mountain. He’s been impossible to nail down until now. I have reason to believe he was involved in the theft of Caitlin Somerset’s jewels.”

“And what did Zoe Bright have to do with all this?” Gauge said.

Damien gave Rollo a knowing look and Rollo sighed. “Zoe Bright was conscripted into Ivanov’s service. She was an unwilling participant in his criminal activities. She stole Somerset’s jewels in an attempt to pay off a debt. Not paying the debt would have meant her life. She acted in self-defense. But I believe that Ivanov currently has the jewels. His men shot up my cabin, and Zoe and I had to run off in animal form.”

“What were you doing at the cabin with Zoe?” Gauge asked.

“I was getting her to confess. Did I also mention I marked her?”

“She confessed and you marked her?” Gauge asked with a grin. “I think congratulations are in order.”

“Yes, we marked each other. And I intend to do everything in my power to protect her. We have to find Ivanov before he leaves town. Zoe believes he will be leaving via helicopter at any moment.”

“I’ll do a probability search for helicopter landing points close to the roads,” Damien said, opening up his laptop. “I’m using a version of Corey Bright’s random probability software, to track potential locations.”

“Why don’t we just go down to the airport?” Gauge asked.

“The airport is one of those locations,” Damien agreed. “And the most logical exit point. But also the most obvious.”

Just then Heath opened the door, somewhat breathless and wide-eyed. “What I miss?”

“We’re trying to determine a helicopter’s exit point,” Rollo said.

“I just saw a helicopter flying toward the bluff up the highway,” he said.

“The bluff is the probability generator’s estimate of the second best location,” Damien said.

“Let’s roll,” Rollo said to his men.