Travis felt like shit. He could barely stay awake, while he breathed in deeply to smell the she-cat’s scent. But she didn’t have a scent at all. So was Bridget wearing hunter’s spray?

Instead, the sweet aroma of the Christmas treats in the back seat wafted through the car. The lovely lady cougars of Yuma Town had worried he wouldn’t have any time to celebrate Christmas when he returned home, but if he ate all of the goodies they sent with him, he was going to have to do a hell of a lot of running as a cougar to work off all those extra calories.

He guessed she thought he had a wife because of all the baked goods in the back. “No mate.”

“Really?” She cast a quick glance his way, dark eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, the candies are from mostly mated she-cats in Yuma Town.”

“Oh. And the Christmas tree wreath on the front of your grill?”

He smiled a little. “The ladies in Yuma Town wanted to make sure I didn’t miss Christmas, so they made up the evergreen wreath. The guys all gave me and their mates a hard time, and told me that they would understand if I ditched it the minute I left Yuma Town.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Nope. When I drive back there, I’ll be proudly displaying it through New Year’s.”

She smiled.

Travis thought Bridget was a first class agent. She was a beautiful brunette with her hair curling past her shoulders, her blue-gray eyes electrifying. When he’d first seen her, the cell phone light softly illuminating her, her pretty eyes considering him, he thought she was one of them, and he’d hoped he could convince her to take pity on him before the men came back to try to finish him off. They’d run off to some storage facility for tools or something to take care of him. So that was one of the things he and Bridget had to check on. Storage facilities all over Cheyenne to see if they had anything in one to prove their involvement in illegal activities.

But it had been a real effort on his part to try and tell her he was one of the good guys when she might have been with the bad guys when he was so groggy and the men had taped his mouth shut. When she said she wanted to know everything he knew about the suspects, he didn’t know if she was playing him or what. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to learn if he knew what their business was or if she truly was investigating them. As concerned as she was that she got him out of there before they got caught, he realized she had to be some kind of police official, undercover, he suspected, because she wasn’t wearing a uniform. No way had he thought she’d be a special agent with the same agency he was with.

His director would have mentioned the case to him. Then again, Travis hadn’t had time to tell him he was returning home this week to pack up.

He’d never thought he’d come home for his last time here and pick up a mission either. But working with her totally appealed. Even if she was a rookie. Hell, she did a damn good job saving his ass.

He guided her the rest of the way home, though twice she had to shove at his shoulder to wake him up. He hated that he was so out of it when she was so with it. But at the same time, he was glad she was able to get him out of the tight bind he’d been in. He still couldn’t believe that spying some great boxes for packing his household goods could have led to his demise.

“Where’s your garage door opener. Forget it. I see it.” She poked the garage door opener and once the door opened, she quickly drove into the garage and shut the door.

“Were they following us?” He couldn’t believe he was so out of it he couldn’t even watch the mirrors to help out.

“No. Thankfully, they must have driven off the wrong way once we left the alley. You can’t use your car now until after we take them down.”

He hadn’t been certain she’d want him for a partner. He was glad she did, even though she had no choice. He wasn’t letting her do this on her own. Though they did have a problem. The men knew his scent, his car, and what he looked like in his human form. He could wear hunter’s spray to disguise his scent at least and rent a vehicle, but he’d have to disguise his appearance.

“Where’s your car and belongings?” he asked.

“My car is about three blocks from the shop. It’s sitting in a guest carport at an apartment complex. I’m staying at a hotel because the director said he didn’t have any safe houses in the area.”

“Mine is one. I mean, it’s mine. But I let other agents stay here anytime they need to. I have three guestrooms to choose from. It would be better if you stayed here so we could work out a plan.”

“Okay. I want to get my car now, but while there’s not much traffic on the road, I should wait until a little later. You need to sleep off whatever drug they gave you.” She went around to the passenger door, opened it, then used her knife to saw through his ropes.

“Agreed.” Travis really hated that Bridget had to help him out of the car. He pulled off the rest of the tape from his whiskers. It stung like crazy and he was certain it yanked out a few of his whiskers. He was still feeling so loopy, he would have fallen on his face if she hadn’t been there to halfway catch him. But she was a petite little thing and she didn’t have the muscle mass to really stop him if he hadn’t regained enough of his equilibrium to straighten himself out. They made it inside the house and he said, “Bedroom is down that hallway.”

“Okay, I’ll grab the rest of your stuff after I get you to bed.”

He smiled a little, wishing she’d just curl up with him. Then he said what he was thinking out loud, trying for lighthearted and humorous when he still hoped she’d take him seriously and say yes! “Join me to watch over me, if you’d like.”

She smiled at him, his arm draped over her shoulders. He really was trying not to lean on her, or stumble and fall. “Would you make the same offer to any of the other agents?” she asked.

He chuckled.

Somehow, he managed to collapse on the bed and the next thing he knew, she was removing his shoes, socks, and pants. A woman after his own heart if he’d been more with it. She slipped off his jacket, then his shirt, and considered him for a moment. He didn’t think she was sizing him up as far as how sexy he looked, but trying to figure out how to get him under the covers. “I normally sleep in the buff.”

His comment earned him a sexy smile.

She finally just grabbed hold of the comforter from the other side of the king size bed and pulled it over him. She slipped his Glock out from underneath her jacket and showed it to him. “I take it this is yours?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“You don’t have a police badge?”

“No, undercover. Chuck wouldn’t issue one to me.”

“Okay, good, so the guys don’t know that you’re a Special Agent.”

“No. But I’m sure they wondered why I was carrying a Glock.”

“True.”

“Can I have a kiss good night?” he managed to say.

She smiled. “I bet you don’t ask the other agents that either.”

He smiled, closed his eyes and imagined her kissing him, when he felt warm lips pressed against his and he smiled, but before he could reach for her, pull her close, and kiss her back, he passed out again.

Bridget had to admit she really felt bad for the guy. Maybe because she could see herself in his shoes—just coming across criminal activity in a perfectly innocent way and getting herself into a bind. She wasn’t sure how much help he would be though since the men could identify him. Still, if he was a veteran agent, she assumed he’d be able to aid her. He was cute too. She suspected when he wasn’t drugged, he could be a real threat to the bad guys. And dangerously sexy with regard to unsuspecting she-cats when he was on the prowl. She would never have expected him in his drugged state to offer for her to join him in bed, or to ask her for a kiss good night.

She headed outside to the garage and carried in his sweet treats and his bag and dropped off the treats on the kitchen counter, then carried his bag into his bedroom. She glanced around the master bedroom, saw a photo of what looked like Travis and his parents on a fishing trip at a river, and a copy of a book with the cover of a sexy Highlander in a kilt and a wolf, Heart of the Highland Wolf. She read the synopsis and smiled. A romance about Highland wolf shifters?

She returned to the kitchen and checked out the boxes of candy. The treats were homemade and each had a different she-cat’s scent on them, individually wrapped in cute little Christmas boxes from snowmen to Santa Claus, and had little Christmas gift cards attached. She began to read the cards: Merry Christmas, Travis! A sweet treat to remind you of home. Love, Dottie. Best of the Holiday Season, Travis! Some sweets to give you energy to pack up and return home to your new family. Love, Shannon. Merry Christmas, Travis! I didn’t want to be the only she-cat in town who didn’t send you well-wishes and a treat! Love from Doc Kate. Happy Holidays, Travis! We expect you home for New Year’s Eve, you hear? Love, Tracey.

Bridget wondered if one of them was his girlfriend since he’d said the women were mostly mated she-cats. He better not have a girlfriend and then want to sleep and kiss Bridget! She pulled out a piece of chocolate fudge. She sank her teeth into the chocolatey fudge delight, and groaned. This was an orgasm in the making.

She stared out the window, a security light partially illuminating the backyard, a forest of trees backed up on it. She desperately wanted to retrieve her car and grab her stuff from the hotel. But she knew it would be safer if she went when more people were up and about on the roads.

She finished the piece of fudge, then looked in each of the guest bedrooms and decided to stay in the one closest to the kitchen, all done up in blues and greens. Before she retired for the night, she watched out the front windows for a couple of hours, looking for any sign of anyone driving around the area, checking on Travis periodically to make sure he was all right. Tranquilizers like that could kill a cat. His heart rate continued to beat steadily in his sleep, so she felt he would be fine. She thought about his devilish smile, despite being drugged, when she had pulled off all his clothes but his briefs. He was one hunk of a male cat and she imagined what it would be like to be making love with such a hot-looking guy.

She sighed and continued to look out the windows.

Unable to stay awake and figuring the men had never learned where they had gone, she stripped out of her clothes in the bathroom, and took a quick shower, then returned to the guestroom wrapped in a couple of towels, one for her long hair, her clothes folded under her arm. She left her clothes on a chair in the guestroom, pulled off the towels, and climbed under the covers. She wanted to take down the bad guys in the worst way, but she had to sleep too so she’d be ready for them.

Later that morning before she was ready to get up, she woke to hear someone rummaging through the kitchen. Had to be Travis. She quickly dressed in her jeans and white tank shirt, left the bedroom, 9 mm in hand, and headed for the kitchen.

She peered around the corner of the entrance to the kitchen and saw Travis, showered, shaved, and dressed. He was wearing jeans, a white tank shirt, and boots, a Glock in hand. He looked like a wide-awake, hot-shot agent this morning. And no less dreamy than when she’d seen him mostly naked in his bed last night.

He set his gun on the counter and smiled, then moved in close to her.

She should have stepped back and regained her space, but darned if the guy didn’t draw her under his spell. Despite her cautious nature, she had the curiosity of a cat and waited to see what he intended to do.

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “You’re even more beautiful than I dreamed you were. Thanks for the save last night.”

She breathed in his washed male scent, the fragrance of limes and man and cat. But he was breathing her in every bit as much—the same fragrance of limes and all she-cat. His body was already reacting to hers, the heat escalating, the feel of his maleness rising to the occasion, pressing against her. Her body instantly responded, her nipples growing taut, her nether region aching for his touch.

She should have shoved him away when she didn’t know him at all, but after last night, she couldn’t see him as just another name on the roster of agents who worked for the agency. He was hot muscled flesh and fit so nicely against her body.

She tried to read his mind, but didn’t have any success today either. So it wasn’t because he had been drugged. She smiled a little at his compliment, wishing she knew exactly what he had been thinking. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. Imagine my surprise to learn you were with the same agency as me.”

“Believe me, I can be bad to the bone.”

She laughed, then she motioned to the fudge container. “I helped myself to one last night. Hope you don’t mind.”

“No, be my guest. I keep thinking how much I need to exercise off all those extra calories. Besides, you totally deserve it.” He released his breath on a heavy sigh. “About…last night.”

“You were drugged, half out of it. Don’t worry about what you said or did. I’ve already forgotten it.”

He cocked a black brow, his hands resting on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing them.

“About wanting to sleep with me. That was the drug talking. And the kiss. Same thing,” she said, when he seemed to be waiting for her to explain further.

He smiled. “Yeah, about that. I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea. I never ask agents to join me in bed or to kiss me.”

She laughed again. He was so funny. “I’m the only female the agency has working for them.”

“Well, there’s that. But I just want you to know I don’t pick up she-cats at Christmas Tree Shoppes in the middle of the night and take them home with me, normally.”

She patted him on the chest. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“What if I don’t want to keep it secret? What if I want to kiss you back for saving me? I would have been a gonner if you hadn’t.”

“I was just being an agent and rescuing you, even though I thought there was a good chance you were one of the bad guys.”

“So then thinking so ill of me, maybe you’d like to kiss me to make up for it?”

She laughed again, leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, her breasts pressing against his hard chest, her face tilted up to his, when he moved his hands to her face. He held her as if he knew she only meant for this to be brief and not in the least bit intimate. Just a sweet thank you.

But he wasn’t going for sweet.

His warm mouth pressed against hers, conquered and commanded. She wasn’t one to back away from a challenge, not when she was feeling the draw to him like he was feeling toward her. It was a raw animalistic pull, like wild animals had. A sixth sense that told them that he was the kind of hot cat she could easily mate and have babies with that would have great genes from both of them.

Her hands slid around his back telling him she was in this with him all the way, her lips parting, inviting him to explore her, to deepen the intimacy. His hot tongue swept over hers, sliding, and teasing, his lips again kissing hers.

Their pheromones were out of control, hers, his, both triggering the other’s in a hot mating dance, encouraging them to take this further. But their human halves, or at least hers, made her pull her mouth away from his, catch her breath, and wonder what the hell had just happened.

“I need to get going, get my car, and check out of my hotel,” she said.

He resettled his hands on her hips, then kissed her forehead. “Okay.” His voice was just as husky as hers.

She pulled away, feeling the urge to fan herself as hot as her blood was.

He leaned against the counter and folded his arms, his look intense. “I want to do this with you. I don’t like it that you’re out there on your own.”

“I’ll be super cautious.”

“All right.” He looked into a kitchen cabinet and closed the door. “Sorry. No fixings for breakfast or much of anything else. I planned to grocery shop today.”

“I’ll have to do it. You can’t go out.”

“Hell, we’re going to have to take these guys down ASAP. There’s no way I’m going to be stuck at the house, worried I might be seen.”

“Okay, I’ll do what I need to do. Then I’ll come back here, and we can have breakfast and discuss it.”

He pulled out his wallet and gave her a hundred dollars. “For the food.”

“You don’t have to—“

“After what you did for me last night? I owe you my life. Those guys meant business, and I aim to reciprocate. First thing tonight when it’s dark out.”

“What did you learn when you were at the shop? Anything?” she asked.

“Just that the two men were paying someone protection money.”

“A cougar, you think?”

“Might be, or not. I smelled them in the store, but no signs of any other cougars.” He took a deep breath of the air. “Not even you.”

“I didn’t want them catching my scent. I have to be able to move about them without them knowing I’m one of them. Listen, I’ve got to go. Anything you prefer to eat?”

“Just whatever you feel like. I’m easy.”

“Good to know,” she said, smiling. “You were really easy last night.”

He chuckled darkly. “Next time, we’ll be on more even footing. Let’s exchange numbers just in case you run into trouble.”

They did, and then she called for a cab and as soon as it pulled up, she was off, hoping that she wouldn’t run into any trouble at the apartment complex where she had left her car. Or the hotel where she had left her suitcase. She had the cab driver pass by the Christmas Tree Shoppe and spied five vehicles parked out front. She had the cabbie drive her past the alley and saw a black pickup truck. She jotted the license plate down in her phone.

When the cabbie pulled into the apartment complex, she paid him and after he left, she headed around to another section of apartments where her car was parked. All this undercover, secret agent stuff was new to her. She usually just questioned friends and family of suspected army personnel involved in criminal activities, nothing covert about it.

When she turned on the car’s engine, she got a call and took it on her Bluetooth link. “Yeah, Travis? Forget something you wanted me to pick up for breakfast?”

“Just checking to make sure you’re okay.”

“How sweet of you. I ran by the Christmas Tree Shoppe and caught the license plate number off a black Ford pickup if you want to check into it.”

“Good job. Will do.”

“At least five cars were parked out front. They have a sale on everything because it’s so close to Christmas. Did you want anything?”

“No,” he said emphatically.

“I’m going to stop in and see what they have.”

“I’d rather we did it together.”

“But they’d recognize you. I’m at my hotel. I’ll call back when I reach the grocery store and make sure I get what you want too. And then I’ll let you know when I’m at the shop. I’ll keep you on the line so you know I’m okay.”

She didn’t have to read minds to know he wasn’t happy with her going it alone, considering what had happened to him in the dead of night. But she would keep him posted, just in case. “I’ll be fine. I’m going in through the front lobby now.” She had planned on ending the call, but she sighed, deciding to let him know she was fine all the way back to her car. When she was in her room, she said, “No one’s been here other than a cleaning maid. I smelled her scent in the hallway so I know that’s just her. Well, and other scents, but they’re older. I’m going to take a shower, put on more hunter’s spray and change clothes.”

“Leave the phone on.”

She laughed. “Why? So you can hear me sudsing up?”

“So I can hear you yell out if anyone tries to grab you. But yeah, if you want to tell me all about the delectable parts you’re sudsing at the same time, that works for me.”

She chuckled. “All right. This is weird, but all right. But I’m not giving you a play by play.” She left her phone on the bathroom counter, locked the door, stripped, and showered. Then she dried off and sprayed hunter’s spray on both herself and her clothes before she dressed.

She packed her bag, grabbed her phone, and headed down to the lobby. “On my way to check out,” she told Travis.

“Thank you for humoring me,” Travis said. “I’ve just contacted the sheriff’s department in Yuma Town, all cougars, and they’re investigating the license plate now.”

“Wow, that’s fantastic.” She finished going over her bill and headed outside to her car, watching, making sure no one was following her. Then she used her GPS to locate grocery stores and drove to the nearest one.

“What are you driving?”

“Neon green Honda Fit.” Bridget smiled when he didn’t respond. “I know it’s not a great getaway car and it’s not inconspicuous, but when I bought it, I had no idea I’d be working for a secret cougar policing organization. So this is how I operate. Nobody would dream of me being a super special agent—cougar variety. Although, I will admit I didn’t want to use my car to rescue you. I was hoping the Durango out back was yours. I was afraid my car would have been way too recognizable and it doesn’t have a lot of power, so no get up and go.”

“You need something with a lot more power under the engine.”

“Maybe later.”

When she arrived at the grocery store, she picked up what he would like and what she wanted, and then made one last stop at the Christmas Tree Shoppe. “Okay, I’m at the shop. There are seven cars here now. I’ll keep talking to you while I’m in the shop, asking what you’d like for our tree.”

“If you have any trouble, you scream your head off and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

“I can do that. Okay, honey,” she said, changing her tone from impersonal to something much more personal. “I just walked into the Christmas store, and I know you didn’t want to come with me, but since it’s our first Christmas together, can you tell me what you would especially like on our first tree?”

Nine women were shopping in the store, two with pre-school age children, and a blonde woman in her early twenties was at the checkout counter ringing someone’s purchases up. Bridget didn’t see any sign of the two men who had left their scent in the store. So maybe the black pickup truck out back belonged to the clerk.

“Oh, honey, I found just the ornaments for you and me. I’ll just leave it as a mystery. Can’t wait to show them to you.” She picked out a boy and girl naughty elf wood carved ornaments and then a couple of angels. She took them to the checkout counter and smiled at the clerk. “How long will you have the sale on for?” Bridget pulled out cash and paid for her purchase.

“Through New Year’s.”

“Thanks! I’ll be sure to come back.” Then Bridget left with the sack in hand, telling Travis he was going to just love the ornaments she got for him.

“Let me guess. Angels for me and naughty elves for you.”

She closed her gaping mouth. Did he have psychic abilities? Is that why she couldn’t read his thoughts? Then how could he read hers? “How did you know?”

He laughed. “Because that’s what I overhead the men talking about. Those two items were their bestsellers. I figured that they just said so to make it sound as though they had gotten over their disagreement, but in truth, they were planning to ambush me.”

“Oh. Well, yes, and no. That’s what I got, but I thought you’d get more of a kick out of the naughty elves. Somehow I don’t see you as being the angel type. Uh-oh, I’ve got a tail. I’m not going straight to your house.”

“I’m coming to you.”

“No, wait. I think…I think it’s Chet Kensington. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, darn good agent. What’s he doing here? Are you sure it’s him?”

“Yeah, incoming call from him. I have one more stop to make. I’ll let you go so I can talk to him.” She hung up on Travis and said, “Chet, so the director sent you?”

“Hey, Bridget, yeah. Are you going to Travis’s place? Boss said he was moving.”

“He had room for me.”

“I wonder if he has room for me.”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him. I thought the boss was telling you that Travis would work with me on the mission.”

“He did call, but I was already on my way here with only an hour or so to spare. I figured I’d drop in, see if I was needed, and if not, head on out.”

She hated to say so, but she really did think he was needed, what with the rogue cougars already identifying Travis. She figured they could talk about it over breakfast. She had one more errand to make before she headed for Travis’s place though.

“He’s got a carport around back. That’s where we always park when we use his place as a safe house.”

“All right. So you know him pretty well?”

“Yeah. We’ve teamed up on a few missions. He’s really good at his job.”

“Okay, good.” She picked up boxes being discarded at a stationary store, then continued on her way to Travis’s house. The homes were spacious and were situated on at least five-acre treed lots. She drove down the side driveway of Travis’s place and parked around back where the carport was, hidden from the street. He had a forest of trees behind his place, and she thought how perfect it was for a cougar family. Had he sold it to one? Or just plain humans? It would be a waste if it just went to humans, she thought.

Chet pulled up beside her and got out. She was glad that he didn’t grab his suitcase and assume that it was all right with Travis that he stay here too. And he was nice enough to help haul in the groceries.

Travis headed outside to help also, and slapped Chet on the shoulder. “Good to see you again.” Then he moved around to her trunk to grab a bunch of groceries.

She was pleased to see him act friendly toward Chet and not all alpha posturing over his territory. To her, that meant he was a true alpha, not needing to claim his territory, or prove anything to another alpha. And Chet was totally an alpha. She had to let him know several times that she could handle things on her own during the last assignment they’d been on together. Sure he was being protective of her because she was new on the job, but she suspected it also had to do with her being a woman.

Chet’s thoughts were all over the place too. From glad to see Travis, to wishing he hadn’t been here so he could do this mission alone with Bridget. He was really nice, and he was really interested in her, but she never felt any spark between them. She wondered if she had been groping in his pockets for a pair of keys or stripping him out of his clothes, would she have felt anything between them? Maybe. But she didn’t think so.

“You got boxes too,” Travis said, sounding delighted.

She was glad she had made the extra stop now. “I can get you some other sizes, but I figured these would get you started. They’re from a stationary store that was getting ready to trash them. And lots less dangerous to take off their hands than the ones at the Christmas Tree Shoppe.”

“You can’t know how much that means to me.”

She could tell just from his cheerful expression.

“So,” Chet said to Travis as they hauled in all the groceries and started putting them away, “tell me to get lost if you can’t manage any more guests with packing or you really think you can handle this matter without me and I’ll be on my way.”

“Let’s discuss it over breakfast,” Bridget said.

Chet smiled. “That’ll work for me.”

Travis let out his breath. “They made me. It’s been killing me to know Bridget is out there on her own after the two men got the best of me and planned to eliminate me.”

She was surprised Travis had come out and spilled the beans about what had to have been an embarrassing situation for him. Yet, not once had he acted embarrassed about it. Just ready to take the criminals down.

Chet looked from Travis to Bridget and to Travis again, as if he couldn’t believe he wasn’t just joking. “I…take it you didn’t tell the boss. He didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“I haven’t talked to him. I’ve been on the phone all morning with Bridget, making sure she was okay.” Travis eyed the red and white snowflake bag and smiled. “Can I see the ornaments you got for us?”

She felt her face flush with heat. She hadn’t planned for Chet to be around to see them. “Sure.” She finished putting away the food that needed to go in the refrigerator, then began making breakfast. She was trying not to pay any attention to the men as Chet waited for Travis to unwrap the tissue paper around the Christmas ornaments.

Travis unwrapped one angel, then the other. Then he pulled out the next wrapped ornament and laughed. He unwrapped the second one and set them on the counter side by side. “These have to be mine.”

She smiled. “I thought you’d like them.”

They were primitives, round heads and oval bodies, stick legs and stick arms, round wooden noses, little red knit caps with tassels, but the female had round balls for breasts and the male had a woody between his legs.

Chet grinned. “I may have to get a couple of those myself.”

“That’s the shop we’re investigating.” Bridget started making pancakes.

“Where they grabbed you, Travis?” Chet asked. “Did you learn anything?”

“Just that they’re paying someone protection money. They’re using the store as a front,” Travis said.

“The clerk was human. No sign of the two men who smelled like cougars. But now that they grabbed you and you got away, they might start using hunter’s spray,” Bridget said.

“Unless they believed I was just a cougar in the wrong place at the wrong time and they knew that I couldn’t turn them into the police.”

“True. But you had a gun on you.”

“Agreed.” Travis made a pot of coffee. “I got word back on the truck’s license plate number. It belongs to an Evie Lancaster. The interesting thing is I checked into a man named Rambo Lancaster a year ago. He shakes down businesses to offer them ‘protection.’ No Mob ties that we can tell. Just a low-life crook who makes big money off the little criminal entrepreneurs.”

“Wait, Rambo? That’s who they were talking about. No last name. Why don’t you take him out?” Bridget asked.

“We have to concentrate on cougar shifter-related crimes. Shifters can’t go to jail. That’s why we have to deal with them instead of the police. I checked to see if Evie Lancaster is related to Rambo and she is. She’s his daughter. So it looks like she knows how much they’re raking in with their legitimate business, maybe how much they are getting in their drug sales, and how much they would owe for protection,” Travis said.

“But the Lancasters are all human?” Bridget asked.

“Yeah.”

“Does that mean someone on the police force is on the take?”

“Probably. But I checked. No cougars work at the police station, so whoever they are must be human.”

She let out her breath in an annoyed way.

“Hey, I know how you feel. They all deserve to be taken down. But the regular police force needs to deal with it.” Travis set the table, feeling like Bridget—that all of the bad guys needed to go down. But they really didn’t have the manpower or resources to make it happen. “So if you had to kill someone, could you?” He still wasn’t sure about having a woman in the agency. She might be a great investigator and a great shot with a gun, but if she had to take down a male cougar while in her cougar form, she’d be at a strong disadvantage.

“I could. If those men had returned to the shop before I was able to get you out of there, I would have had to resort to taking them out to protect both of us. No one would have stopped me.”

“You could have left me there. You thought I was one of them, only I’d gotten myself in hot water with them and they were going to take care of me permanently.”

“True. I did have it in mind that you’d be so grateful for my help, you’d tell me all about the operation.”

“Disappointed?”

“Relieved. I would have broken my cover and if I’d let you go, then what? So I was glad you were one of the good guys.”

“How are you going to change your appearance so they don’t know you if you try to work this investigation? Hey, I know. You could wear a Santa suit,” Chet said.

Travis was going to say he would, if Chet went as his cute little elf’s helper, but Bridget spoke first, and gave Chet a quelling look. “Yeah, you could, Travis. But only if you go shirtless and show off your hot abs. You could wear the boots, Santa’s pants, a hat, and be one of those sexy Santas for grown-up parties.”

Travis laughed.

But then they got down to business—how they were going to handle the rogue cougars.