Page 30 of Bearnapped at the Altar

“I like that you’re making assumptions.” Barrett gave me a smoldering look that said he was my bear, if I was ready to let him claim me. “Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”

In a brand new matching sweatsuit with the things Barrett had bought earlier that day shoved into bags, I climbed into the backseat of the SUV. Barrett’s body was big, warm, and tense next to me as we pulled away from the cabin into the darkness.

I’d spent enough time on the shifter adventure tours to know I was about to meet his bear. He thought he would have to fight. As much as I wanted to see Silverclaw go down, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

“It’s a little bittersweet to leave the cabin so soon,” I said, trying to break the tension.

“Oh, yeah?” Barrett’s words were almost pure growl. Definitely on the verge of a shift. “You weren’t so thrilled about it when we got there.”

“I figured you’d eventually let me out of prison, and I was looking forward to exploring Granger Falls. Getting some of those cupcakes.” I shrugged. “And that was before I got to know you.”

Bellamy let out an exasperated groan from the driver’s seat. “You two need to stay focused. There are a lot of guys in town. We weren’t as smooth as we thought getting you out of there. Chances are, one of them traced the flight records on the copter.”

“Have you checked on the pilot?” Barrett asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine.”

Goosebumps blossomed over my skin at the thought Gideon’s guys would hurt the pilot who’d brought us to safety. Or to the illusion of safety, it seemed. The cold hard fact was we wouldn’t have any until we defeated this guy.

“Is it just the two of you who work for this company?” My voice was brittle. Shifter math made it probable that a bear could take down more than one wolf, but I’d worked for Gideon long enough to know that the numbers would be padded in his favor.

“We have other guys.” Barrett’s voice was gruff. He might not want to play too much of his hand, but I needed the peace of mind. “Some are on other assignments. Some are working in the office. Every assignment is different. I do my best to match my team up so they can use their strongest assets.”

“The others are ready, if we need them,” Bellamy said. “We can’t explain all the logistics to you, because it could put you in danger. But you called professionals and we’re prepared to get the job done.”

Barrett’s body vibrated with pure bear energy next to me. Seemed like there was a bit of a rivalry between these two, and the last thing I wanted him to do was to put himself in danger to prove a point. Not that I knew him well enough to assume that’s what he’d do, but I’d put my life in his hands, so I needed some clarification.

“What do I do?” I asked. “I don’t want to hold the two of you back.”

The night was dark. We seemed to be truly in the middle of nowhere, on a windy mountain road that Bellamy was familiar enough with to drive like he was in a race. I could barely see Barrett, even though he was right beside me, and Bellamy’s profile only because it was illuminated by the dashboard lights.

“You won’t. You’ll be our secret weapon because you know exactly where they keep the plans. That kind of knowledge will be invalu?—”

Bellamy slammed on the brakes, stopping Barrett mid-sentence.

“What the fuck is that?” I asked.

There was nothing but glowing gold dots in the blackness.

“Wolves.” Bellamy’s grip tensed on the steering wheel.

Sweat dripped down my spine. The temperature inside the SUV had suddenly gone off the charts. I tried to count how many golden dots there were, but new ones kept appearing.

These wolves had us surrounded.

Chapter

Fourteen

Barrett

“What do you want to do, boss?” Bellamy asked. He was so close to shifting I had seconds to come up with my answer.

“Go,” I growled.

“Go where? Out there?”

“No. Drive.” Part of me was itching to fight, to take years of frustration out on these wolves. But my bear knew it was a bad idea. He might have been distracted lately with this gorgeous woman by his side, but he’d never lead me wrong when it came to something like this.

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