Bound to the Bear (Denali Den Book 3) Read online

  Bound to the Bear

  Denali Den #3

  Rebecca Thomas

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Dear Reader

  About the Author

  Also by Rebecca Thomas

  Copyright © 2017 by Rebecca Lees

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Join Rebecca’s Newsletter for updates on new releases and giveaways.

  Other books in the Denali Den series include:

  Beauty and the Bear

  Wed to the Bear

  Created with Vellum

  Introduction

  A fake relationship with consequences…

  Werebear Stefan Vane has a job to do—protect his witness. He devises a plan to keep the stubborn she-bear at his family’s remote wilderness therapy camp. Her identity must stay secret. They agree to pretend they’re a couple. But her smart mouth and sexy curves are distracting. He’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she’s safe, only he never expects the lines between what's fake and what's real to become so blurred.

  Tess Trevino is the only witness in a botched robbery attempt. The perpetrator is arrested, but her life is threatened. When witness protection sends an extremely hot detective to protect her, she can’t say no. Her stomach does twirly-twisty things when he's near and since her bear has been in hibernation so long, she can't resist him.

  The arrogant, devilishly handsome bear says they will stay in a remote cabin...alone. Things could be a whole lot worse than being stuck with a smooth-talking stranger, but when her feelings become real...pretending gets complicated.

  1

  Stefan Vane gripped the doorknob and wanted to slam it shut, but he thought better of that less-than-reasonable idea. As a workaholic who loved his job, being forced to take a vacation annoyed the hell out of him.

  “You’re not going to budge on this, are you?” Stefan asked.

  “No, I’m not. You haven’t taken any vacation time in over two years. Now get out of here.”

  Stefan continued to stand in the open doorway of Adam’s office. He’d worked in the undercover werebear unit for over six years, with Adam as his superior for four of those ever since he graduated from college. They had become more than colleagues; they were friends. “I’m sure HR would let me donate my vacation time to someone else who needs it.”

  “I bet your family would like to see you once in a while,” Adam said simply.

  Adam was right. He hadn’t seen his brothers in a long time. “They could probably use some help at Denali Crossings.”

  “Well, there you go.” Adam stood up from behind his desk. “Why don’t you give them a hand during your vacation. Letting down your guard will be good for you. I can keep you from doing detective work here, but I can’t keep you from other kinds of public service.”

  Stefan resigned himself to his fate. His shoulders drooped. “I’m sure they could use a hand. At the very least, they probably have cabin repairs I could do. Or hell, I could always help my brother cook meals in the Dining Hall. Better yet, knowing them, they’ll put me on clean-up duty. Yeah, I’m sure they’d like that.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got lots of options.”

  “Yeah, I do, but remember, if it turns out you need me for any cases, you know I’m just a phone call away.”

  “Yes, I know. Now get out of here,” Adam said again.

  “I’m going, I’m going.” Stefan left the Anchorage Police Department and strode across the parking lot into Alaska’s summer sunshine. He climbed into his white gold F350 Platinum turbo diesel crew cab. At least the four-hour drive north to Denali Crossings would be comfortable in his new truck.

  He stopped at a gas station near Merrill field for road food. The basic essentials of Whoppers, ranch flavored Doritos, and a Red Bull should suffice.

  Stefan was almost to Wasilla when his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw Adam’s name. Maybe he changed his mind and had a case for him after all. He clicked the phone on. “Miss me already?”

  “Not exactly,” Adam said. “We’ve got a situation.”

  Stefan considered pulling to the side of the road or doing a U turn. “I’m listening.”

  “You know the primarily werebear community just north of Willow?”

  “It’s only the most famous werebear strip bar in the state—what’s the name of it? Bear something?”

  “Bared in Alaska.”

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Stefan replied.

  “Have you ever been there?” Adam asked.

  “I keep threatening to. I hear the she-bears are beyond hot. Is that where you’re trying to get me to go for my vacation? That’s thoughtful of you. While I appreciate it, I—”

  “No. I have a job for you.”

  Stefan hit his turn signal and took the next exit. “Are you serious? You mean I can turn right back around?”

  “No, the job’s up that way. Considering you’re headed to your family’s wilderness therapy camp anyway, I thought it would make the perfect cover.”

  “Cover for what?” He could hear the gruffness in his voice. Adrenaline pumped in his veins. He tensed, ready for whatever case Adam gave him.

  “I don’t have all the details yet, but the strip club was held at gunpoint by a werewolf. Apparently, a she-bear pulled out a bigger gun and the werewolf took offense. There was a standoff of sorts and the wolf took a shot at her. Luckily, he missed. But he’s currently incarcerated and will stand trial for attempted murder.”

  “Sounds like that she-bear was lucky.”

  “She got even more lucky.”

  “How’s that?”

  “There was another attempt on her life yesterday. A failed attempt.”

  “But I thought you said the guy is incarcerated?”

  “He is. Apparently, his pack or family is anxious to silence her. She’s the only witness. His word against hers and, of course, he’s denying all of it. If she’s not a witness and if the wolf has a good defense attorney, he has a chance of the case being dismissed. You know how those cases go. But right now, the kid isn’t talking.”

  “Kid?”

  “Yeah, the wolf is young. Twenty maybe.”

  Stefan didn’t work with wolves much, but he was surprised the kid’s pack didn’t keep a better watch over him. “You want me to keep this she-bear in protective custody until the trial and until they find who else shot at her?”

  “You read my mind, only it’s not that simple.”

  “What’s not simple about it?”

  “Let’s just say she’s not real accommodating. At least that’s what I gather from the state trooper who’s been assigned to her”

  “Not accommodating? Sounds to me like she protected her place of employment and coworkers.”

  “I think she did, except by doing so, she’s put a target on her back. I’ve searched our database and she’s as clean as a whistle. Not even a traffic ticket. She has a conceal and carry permit. An upstanding citizen, near as I can tell, except she’s stubborn. She insists she isn’t going into any kind of protective custody. Says she can defend herself.”

  “She sounds like a typical bear.” Every she-bear he’d ever known thought she could de
fend herself, but he begged to differ.

  “Yeah well, the state trooper who’s handling the case in Wasilla is human—he’s got no idea what he’s dealing with. I told their department that I thought you could help.”

  Stefan didn’t wish any of this on a she-bear, but he was glad to have a purpose, especially one where he was protecting someone who needed it. He could be that someone that Misha didn’t have eight years ago. “Sure, I can.”

  “This is what I need you to do. You and her need to come up with a cover story for everyone at Denali Crossings. You’ve got a three- to four-hour drive to figure it out. I don’t want anyone knowing her true identity, not even your family. This werewolf pack seems dangerous. Have her be your long-lost cousin from Montana, I don’t care, but make it believable.”

  “All my family is in Alaska. No one’s going to believe she’s a relative.” This forced vacation might not be so bad after all.

  “Then make her your girlfriend. She’s in danger. Next time they might not miss. Find a way to get her out of there without being seen, then at Denali Crossings, stick to whatever cover story the two of you decide on.”

  “What’s her home address? Or is she at work now?”

  “She’s at work,” Adam said with a thread of humor in his voice, “and since it’s Saturday afternoon, they have a special 1:00pm showing, so it should be crowded. That provides a decent opportunity for you and her to slip out without anyone noticing. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

  Stefan imagined everyone would be watching women strip, so they wouldn’t notice anyone leaving. “Sounds easy enough.”

  “In theory, yes. If you can get her to cooperate.”

  “If she’s been shot at twice and she’s still not agreeable, then yeah, she’s more stubborn than most.”

  “That’s why I thought of you. If there’s anyone who can handle a stubborn woman, it’s you, because I figure you’re more stubborn than her. You’ll find a way to get her out of there.”

  Stefan grunted at the back-handed compliment. “You know I love a challenge.”

  “Ask to speak to Harry. He’s a bouncer and part-owner of the joint. He’ll put you in touch with her.”

  “How long am I keeping her under my watchful eye? And what’s her name?”

  “Her name is Tess Trevino. She’ll need to be back here in Anchorage for trial in a week. Think you can handle it?”

  “Piece of cake.”

  2

  Tess couldn’t believe they’d assigned another cop to watch over her, as if one wasn’t enough. Tossing costumes in the laundry hamper, she spun around and made her way back to the Bared in Alaska dressing room. Janelle, Crystal, and Abby were in various stages of undress. Clothes littered the floor. Situation normal.

  Tess had made her position clear, nobody needed to keep an eye on her. She’d been taking care of herself her entire life. No measly little werewolf would change her stance on that.

  The human Wasilla trooper assigned to her insisted that she needed to come up with a fake name and go into protective custody. No way!

  “Are you leaving soon?” Tess’s friend Janelle whispered.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Tess handed Janelle her next outfit, ironically a cop costume, for her next dance.

  Janelle’s long blonde ringlets bounced when she walked. “Please, do what the police tell you to do.”

  “I’ve got a gun. I can take care of myself.” Tess lined up the other girls’ outfits. “You all won’t be able to keep track of all your clothes if I leave.”

  Janelle poked her head out from behind the curtain, not bothering to cover her breasts. “The idea is we take our clothes off, so if a few of us start with the wrong costume to begin with…well, I doubt any of our will patrons care.”

  “I suppose.” Tess never understood why they had a curtain. It’s not like any of the she-bears were modest. She colored coded the costumes in the closet. Cool colors on the left side, warm colors on the right.

  Janelle strutted out of the dressing room with her strip-off skin tight navy pants, 4-inch high heels and button up matching top, complete with badge. “Where’s the belt that goes with this?”

  Tess reached into a drawer and handed her a three-inch thick black leather belt. “Harry says not to throw the belts into the crowd. They’re expensive.”

  “You know, when this werewolf business is over, I really think you should try dancing. You’d be fabulous.” Janelle buckled the belt around her waist.

  “So you’ve said, and I’ve thought about it—I have. But I’ll leave dancing to the professionals.” Tess tidied up the make-up that had been scattered across the countertops.

  “You’d make a lot more money.” Janelle looked into a mirror and applied lipstick. “In fact, you’d be able to get new wheels instead of driving that beat-up jalopy you call a truck.”

  “It runs,” Tess insisted. “Besides, I like working in the background, and if I was stripping off my clothes, I wouldn’t have time to make all your fabulous costumes.”

  “She has a point.” Crystal stretched her left leg up against the wall, pointing her toe like the ballerina she used to be.

  Janelle puckered her lips, then wiped some lipstick off her front tooth. “Yeah, you’re right.” She whirled around, gazed into the full-length mirror, and inspected her costume from top to bottom. “How do I look?”

  “Perfect.” Tess winked at her. “Play up the part about arresting someone. Pull someone from the crowd and I guarantee extra tips.”

  Harry, their werebear boss and sometimes confidant, cracked open the door. “Janelle, you’ve got five minutes. Tess, there’s someone here to see you. Crystal, you’re on deck. Abby, you’re after her.”

  Janelle leaned a of couple inches away from Tess’s face and whispered, “Please go disappear for a while, like the police have asked you to do.”

  The amount of perfume Janelle wore nearly made Tess choke. “I already told you—I can take care of myself.”

  Janelle’s eyes pleaded with her. “You’re all I’ve got, Tess. I have no family. Neither do you. I can’t lose you. What do I have to do to make you go?”

  “Tess, you coming?” Harry interrupted. “The guy looks like the impatient sort.”

  Tess hugged Janelle, then followed Harry out a side door behind the stage and into a custodian’s closet.

  Tess sniffed. The acrid smell of cleaning supplies wafted in the air, but there was no doubt the guy was a werebear. The human state trooper wasn’t cutting it, so they’d sent in the big guns. She had to admit, the guy was big. Attractive—dark, almost black hair and clean cut. She wondered if he was a bodyguard or another state trooper. Or, if he was a city cop. He stuck out his hand. “Hello, Miss Trevino. I’m Detective Stefan Vane.”

  Oh my, a detective, even better. How did she get so lucky? He was enormous. She didn’t take his hand, because he might crush it. Plus, no bear had put paws on her in so long, she might spontaneously combust on contact.

  Tess deliberately crossed her arms, then lowered her voice. “Let’s cut to the chase. I have no interest in going anywhere. I’m staying right here. Your trooper friend already told me they want me to go hide. I don’t hide.”

  “Good luck.” Harry turned to leave. He’d always been fidgety around law enforcement. Probably because troopers often sniffed around investigating, making sure Bared in Alaska was a legitimate business and not a cover for something more nefarious. He walked with a permanent limp due to a motorcycle accident he’d suffered as a kid. All the women, including Tess felt protective of him.

  “Wait, Harry,” Detective Vane said. “Would you answer a question or two for me first? I’m still catching up on everything that’s taken place, but correct me if I’m wrong. Miss Trevino was here at Bared in Alaska when she was attacked, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Harry twitched, unable to stand still. “She was cashing out the till.”

  “Wait a minute,” Tess interjected. “I wasn�
��t attacked.”

  The detective gave her a scolding look and her stomach fluttered.

  He turned his attention back to Harry. “Were you here in the building when the attempted robbery took place?”

  “Yes, I was upstairs, in my office,” Harry answered.

  “How did the perpetrator get into the building?”

  “We thought all the doors were locked. But apparently, we missed one. We aren’t sure how he got in.”

  “And a gunshot was fired?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Tess interrupted. She preferred to be interrogated instead of Harry. “The kid shot into the ceiling to scare me. He wasn’t going to shoot at me.”

  “You’re sure about that?” Detective Vane asked.

  Tess cringed. She’d suddenly been transported back to elementary school when the teacher demanded answers, only she wasn’t sure how to respond. She glared at him, her heart racing. “Yes,” she bit down on the single word, barely containing her anger. “I’m sure.”

  “So essentially, the gunshot that was fired upward where it could have hit Harry who was upstairs,” the detective replied flatly.

  Harry eyed Tess with uncertainty, before turning back to the detective. “I wasn’t on that side of the building. My office is on the west end.”

  “But you could have been, correct?” The detective challenged.

  Harry narrowed his eyes at the detective and Tess saw his hands twitch. He wanted to strangle the guy every bit as much as she did.

  Detective Vane glanced from Harry to her. “We can do this my way or your way, Miss Trevino. You pick. You may not care about your co-workers getting shot, but as a concerned citizen, I do.”

  Tess fumed. She fisted her hands at her side and willed herself not to shift into her bear form and attack him. She’d scrape that arrogant smirk off his face with her claws.

  Harry started to speak, but Vane interrupted him. “Thank you for answering my questions. I’d like to speak with Miss Trevino privately now.”