Bruce stepped aside and let her wrap an arm around Shaun.
“You weren’t supposed to do this.” Shaun held her hand as she helped him stagger to his feet.
“I thought you’d figured out by now I don’t always do what I’m supposed to.”
The bears tugged them down the airstrip to where a second helicopter sat waiting next to Shaun’s.
“I suppose I’ll just have to take your word for it about you two being mates. While you stink like each other, that deep metaphysical wolf shit doesn’t register on us bears.” Bruce handed a robe to Gem, and she took it, dressing herself quickly.
“Shaun needs clothes as well.” She crossed her arms and stared at their captor.
Bruce grinned, displaying broken teeth. “I’ll have to charge extra for that.”
Shaun spat out blood before growling, “You can take your clothes and shove them up your—”
“Give him some clothes, or let him get some from his supply. I don’t care which, but you will clothe him properly,” Gem demanded. Then she turned to Shaun and slapped him on the arm. “And you, watch your tongue. I don’t need to listen to that kind of talk.”
Vince snickered. Norm chortled.
Bruce raised a brow. “Henpecked already, I see. You wolves need to learn how to deal with your women better. Vince, grab our guest a shirt and pants.”
Shaun was hauled to the side of the chopper and offered a handful of crumpled garments. Both Vince and Norm watched closely as he pulled on the oversized clothes. Gem wrapped her robe a little tighter, stood a little straighter as she pointedly ignored the bear looming at her side. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing exactly how scared she was.
She was pressed into the back of the helicopter, a sloppily dressed Shaun at her side, his hands tied behind him. This time when they took off there was no protective headset offered, and the noise from the propellers pounded like a hammer on an anvil in her ears. She twisted toward Shaun, pressing one ear against his chest and covering her other with her right hand.
The left hand snuck around his back, and she clung to him, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry this happened.” He couldn’t hear her, but she needed to say it anyway. With the whining of the props overhead and Vince staring at them, it was the least likely of places for confessions, but she had to let the words out, in case she didn’t get another chance. “I love you. I mean, I know our wolves like each other. Mine is very put out with me for not marking you and letting her spend time with your wolf. But it’s more than that. I think you’re a very special man, Shaun Stevens, and I’m glad that we’re mates. And if I die in the north, that’s fine, because I’ll be beside you, and somehow that makes even dying okay.”
She hugged him tighter and his chest moved. She wished she knew if it was because he’d heard her confession, or if she’d squeezed one of his sore spots from the beating.
With his hands tied behind him, Shaun was helpless to cradle Gem the way he wanted. The roar from the props increased the pain throbbing through his head. A shift would help him heal faster, but damn if he’d even consider that with the threat of death hanging over him. Instead he ignored his aches and nuzzled his chin against the top of her head, the only thing he could do to let her know he was there. The tear streaks on her cheeks were enough to make his wolf feral, and he wanted to do all kinds of terrible things to Curly, Larry and Mo.
The bastards flew them north and east as far as he could tell. He watched over the pilot’s shoulder when he could, looking for information, hoping that wherever they did land, he could help her escape and he’d be able to steal the chopper or…
Yeah. He was hoping the crew would literally be as stupid as the Three Stooges and fall asleep or some such thing, and together he and Gem would stroll out of this without a worry.
Reality sucked.
When they landed outside one of the deserted DEW Line buildings, his whole perspective changed. This wasn’t simply an impulse nab, although the fact the baddies had a chopper had kinda given that away. Unless someone knew specifically where to look, Gem could have been trapped in there forever. This was a well-executed maneuver to get cash.
The words of the big bear shifter in Chicken came back to him. Money to buy votes in the upcoming bear whoop-de-do. He and Gem had fallen victim to a money grab.
The blessed relief of the cessation of the prop noise was exchanged for increased pain as Norm shoved him in the back hard enough Shaun fell out of the chopper, face first to the ground, unable to break his fall with his hands pinned behind him.
Gem tugged him upward, brushing a hand over him gently even as she aimed the evil eye at their kidnappers. “Leave him be. There’s no benefit in hurting him anymore.”
“Ahh, see that one was for my brother down in Chicken. Your mate should stay out of fights that don’t concern him.” Norm flashed a crooked smile before shoving them toward the building.
Shaun forced himself to stay vertical and take in everything he could. If they were going to get out of this, and he had every intention of damn well making it out with both of them alive and unhurt, he needed to figure out what the hell to do.
Gem’s warm hands slipped around him, helping more than he wanted to admit. Not just the physical strength, but the fact it was her, his mate. Great time to figure out that he was hopelessly in love and would do anything to make sure they stayed together.
Sections of the derelict building’s siding had worked their way loose, hanging in tattered ribbons of silver and grey, the steel building posts exposed to the harsh elements. The Defense Early Warning Line buildings not actively maintained by the US and Canadian governments had been abandoned after the Cold War ended. Some had been adapted to become weather stations, some stripped by nomadic natives and shifters scavenging for building materials. This mid-sized one was in better shape than most, as they discovered after being shoved inside, the door slamming closed behind them with an ominous metallic clink. A bolt slipped into place, a lock attached.
Shaun swore. “There goes the idea of jumping them in their sleep.”
A loud banging rang out—a fist pounding the door?
“You got enough supplies for a person to survive a week.” Bruce’s rasping laugh echoed weirdly from outside. “’Course, since there’s two of you, I suggest you go on a diet or pray for mice. Once we get our money, we’ll let your Daddy know where you are, sugar. And don’t bother trying to figure out who we are. We’ll be going bush for the next while and not even your wolves can track us. Not when we’re in bear and you have no idea of our starting point.”
The ear-splitting rattle resounded from the door again followed by a short silence, then the helicopter props sounded, fading slowly into the distance.
There was a ringing in Shaun’s ears after the volume overload of earlier. A tomb-like hush surrounded them.
Gem clutched his shirtsleeves, her eyes wide as she stared at him. “Are they really gone?”
“It looks that way. Here, untie me.”
She’d already moved to his side, and he twisted to allow her to reach his wrists. The lighting was shitty. There wasn’t that much light in the sky, not even up here where the sun never set. Add to that, most of the windows seemed to be sealed with storm shutters. Only minute cracks in the siding allowed in slivers of orangish light, painting them with freaky stripes.
“This sucks. Sorry, Gem, I fucked up royally back there. I hadn’t considered the idea that anyone would try to kidnap you.”