Page 34 of Handcuffed to the Bear

But she stayed where she was, not approaching the cabin.She’s seen what we did to Derek,Jack thought.She knows we’re dangerous.

“That’s Mara,” Casey murmured. Jack glanced down at her. “She’s the oldest of the siblings except for Roger. Their other sister, Debi, is probably back in Seattle. She’s not really an outdoorsy person. She keeps the books.”

“Hi there, Mara,” Jack called. “Did you have a nice chat with your brother? I’ll be sure and send him a get-well card—if he’s still alive, that is.”

The humanform lioness bristled, growing a bit larger in the shoulders, but not quite shifting. Not yet. “Derek was always a fool.” Her eyes flashed gold in the dull gray afternoon, gleaming through the rain. “But he’s pride. And no one messes with our pride.”

“I’m going to tell you what I told Derek,” Jack shouted. “We didn’t start this fight. You did. But now that you’ve brought us here, we’re fighting to win, and we’re not planning to leave here in a body bag. You can end it at any time by just letting us go.”

“Oh, you won’t be leaving here at all,” Mara called back. “Your gnawed bones will lie forgotten in the soil.”

“Mara, I’m a federal agent. The only thing that’s going to happen if I disappear here is that the whole coast will be combed with a 24/7 manhunt. My bones won’t be forgotten, they’ll be used as evidence to bring your whole family down. Is that what you want?”

“Then we’ll just have to make sure there’s nothing left of you to find.” But she still hadn’t moved from where she stood, rising out of the wet grass like a mermaid breaching the water.

Stalling, Jack thought.She’s stalling ‘til the others pick up the trail.They’d be easy prey for two or three of the lions at once. If he couldn’t get Mara to back down, he had to push her into making a move.

“Like I told Derek, I’m willing to make deals. If any one of you is willing to flip on the others, we’ll let you plea out.”

“Okay,” Mara said. She smiled. “I’ll deal. Come over here and let’s talk about it.”

“Jack, don’t,” Casey whispered.

“I know.” To Mara, he called, “If you’re serious, I’m going to need you to secure yourself somehow. I can’t trust you otherwise.”

“Hmmm.” She made an elaborate show of patting down her naked body. “Awww, I think you have the only pair of handcuffs on this island. Want to come here and give them to me?”

“She’s playing with us,” Casey whispered. “Cats like to do that. Believe me, I should know.”

Jack nodded, and called, “Mara, do you know what I used to do before I was a fed?”

“No idea,” Mara called. “Should I care?”

“I was a mercenary. Now, I like to think I’m not a bad guy. I’ve got my own sense of honor. But as far as I’m concerned, I just gave you a fair chance. You’ve rejected it. At this point, I figure all bets are off.”

Mara laughed. “Oh wow, I’m so scared! What have you got in there, a submachinegun?”

“I know you’re scared. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be all the way over there.” Jack stood up so she could see him through the window. “You’ve already cleaned everything useful out of this cabin, haven’t you? And you know I can’t shift, because you guys made sure of that too. And yet, you’re huddling as far away from me as you can get.”

“I am nothuddling,” Mara snapped, throwing her shoulders back.

“Yeah? Well, you sure aren’t trying very hard. Want me to make it easy for you by coming out there?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Mara’s shoulders hunched and she rippled into her lioness form, as easily as breathing.

Raising her head, she gave a tremendous, coughing roar. It was echoed, an instant later, from farther down in the valley.

“Jack!” Casey whispered. She was pressed to the wall of the cabin, out of Mara’s sight. “She’s calling the others! All this time, she’s been stalling.”

“I know,” Jack murmured back. “I’ve been stalling, too.”

And he raised his hands a little to show Casey what he’d been doing. While he was talking to Mara, he’d been working the lock of the cuffs with one of the nails from the roof. Wiggling the bent tip of the nail around in the keyhole, he finally found the right angle.

The cuff gave a tiny click and sprang open.

Casey gasped.

Jack smiled at her, then called through the window, “Some big brave lionessyouare! You need the whole pride to deal with two helpless little humanform shifters? When they get here, they’re going to find you cowering, just waiting for backup to arrive.”

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