Bear Claw Bodyguard
Jessica Andersen
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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About the Author
JESSICA ANDERSEN has worked as a geneticist, scientific editor, animal trainer and landscapes but shes happiest when shes combining all of her many interests into writing romantic adventures that always have a twist of the unusual to them. Born and raised in the Boston area (Go, sox!), Jessica can usually be found somewhere in New England, hard at work on her next happily-ever-after. For more on Jessica and her books, please check out www.JessicaAndersen.com and www.JessicaAndersenIntrigues.com.
To the readers who have put Bear Claw State Park
on the map. Thank you!
Chapter One
Youre off the case, Jackperiod, end of discussion.
The decision being handed down by Tucker McDermottwho was the head of the Bear Claw P.D.s Homicide Division and, therefore, Jacks immediate superiorwasnt a shocker, but that didnt stop the veteran detective from wanting to launch himself from the visitors chair in Tuckers office and pace. Or maybe go over the desk to try and shake some sense into his boss. But that kind of behavior was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place, so Jack made himself take a breath and do a three-count before saying, You know you cant afford to bench me right
What part of end of discussion are you not getting?
Tuckers dont-mess-with-me tone probably should have been a clue, but it wasnt until Jack saw a muscle twitch at the corner of his friends jaw that he got it. Oh. He leaned back. Damn. This is coming from Mendoza, isnt it?
Even if the chief hadnt made the call, I probably would have pulled you off the case.
I Yeah. Frustration welled up, and it wasnt entirely aimed at Tucker. Itd been an accident, but the reality was that Jack had had his hands on the witness when he went down. And with Mayor Proudfoot slashing the citys budgets like he was clear-cutting for a financial strip mine, the P.D. couldnt afford the bad press.
And you did it in front of a rook, Tucker said, reaching for the antacids thatd taken up residence in his top drawer over the past month, ever since the birth of his daughter had coincided with the explosion of two major cases that had, thanks to budget cuts, landed in his lap.
Doran wont get the wrong message, Jack said of his rookie partner. Hes solid.
Maybe, but youre not. Ever since this case got hot, youve been on the warpath.
At six foot and one-ninety, with prematurely salted chestnut hair and light blue eyes, Jack didnt make any claim to native blood. But, yeah, he had some warpath going on these days. What Bear Claw cop didnt? Out in the Colorado wilderness they were playing hide-and-seek with members of a militia so slippery they were practically ghosts, while in the city they were losing the battle against a new fad drug that was ripping through the underground and leaving bodies behind.
Leaning in, Jack grated, You need me out there on the streets. Were way too far behind the curve on this Death Stare thing.
That was what the media was calling the new drug, thanks to the fixed, almost terrified looks on the victims faces. Why the hell that plus the number of bodies piling up hadnt been enough to scare people off, he would never understand. But to the hard-core users, the promise of an incredible high was apparently worth the risk.
Tucker shook his head. You screwed up, Jack. You know it, I know it, Mendoza knows it and even if the higher-ups werent involved, I cant ignore the fact that youre way too invested in this case, and its making you unreliable. His eyes softened a bit, showing the tired guy, new father and dedicated cop behind the thick Im the boss layer. Look, Im sorry, but if I let you back on the case now Mendoza will have my butt in a sling faster than you can say what the hell is this damn drug, and where is it coming from?
Unfortunately, there was no arguing that one. Jack shifted in his chair, still not letting himself pace off the restless frustration even though he was tempted. So put me on background stuff. Hell, Ill even ride a desk if thats what you want. But dont boot me all the way off the investigation. I need to He broke off. Look, I need to be in on this.
You shouldve thought of that before you put your hands on your wit. Accident or not, I cant let it go.
I Damn it. Jack slouched back in his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face, knowing that Tucker was right, he had only himselfalong with a grease spot and volatile city politicsto blame. This sucks.
No argument there. Tucker slid a single-page printout across his desk. Take this. Its your new assignment.
Jack eyeballed it, found airline info for an incoming flight landing at the local hub mid-morning and heaved a sigh. You want me to play taxi? Who for?
Actually, that wasnt the worst gig he couldve gotten handed. There had been numerous law enforcement comings and goings in the past few weeks, and Tucker had pressed senior cops into chauffeur duty a few times before to get some informal lines of communication open between the local and federal teams.
Youre meeting a Dr. Tori Bay and youre going to be doing more than playing taxi. Youll be escorting her out to the Forgotten and watching her back while shes there.
Jacks tension eased some. If he couldnt be on the drug investigation, this case was the next best thing. A few weeks earlier, the members of the Shadow Militiaalso a name that came courtesy of the mediahad attacked a ranger, torched large sections of the state forest, shot down a government helicopter, nearly killed two deputized cops and then vanished from the camo-netted campsite that had been hidden within the Forgotten, a barren region at the farthest edge of the state park.
It wasnt just the three dozen or so people who had been living at the campsite who had vanished, either; there hadnt been any sign of the equipment and heavy vehicles that had left tracks in the drought-parched dirt. With the feds unable to pick up anything on satellite imagery or closer-in scans, the investigation had fallen back on forensics and old-school tracking. And even those avenues had come up dry, as if the entire armed camp had simply disappeared into thin air.
Given the citys issues a couple of years ago with terrorist mastermind al-Jihad, the feds were taking the threat seriously, sending their best and coordinating things with the Bear Claw P.D. So Jack made a bring it on gesture. The militia case? Hell, yeah, sign me up.
But Tucker shook his head. This isnt about the militia. Its about the trees.
The Jack trailed off, remembering the weird tree fungus thatd also been found in that same part of the Forgotten, along with a remnant population of barred eagles, which had previously been thought extinct. Thanks to those discoveries, there had also been a steady stream of scientists coming and going from the barren, dangerous wasteland. His stomach sank. You cant possibly want me to babysit a tree hugger. Thats a rangers job, or maybe a rooks. The Bear Claw Canyon Park Service had been coordinating with the P.D. to keep the scientists safe, both from the militants who might or might not still be in the area and from the inherent dangers of the backcountry.
For the next couple of days its your job, Tucker retorted. Be grateful Im not suspending you.
Right, Jack said, trying to get the bitterness and oh, hell, no out of his voice. Punishment.
Granted, he deserved a smack-down for his behavior, but it seriously sucked that his reassignment was going to hurt the ongoing investigations. The department was already so shorthanded that the detectives were partnering up with uniforms; his being out in the Forgotten on babysitting duty sure as hell wasnt going to help.
Id prefer to call it a few days out in the woods to get your head put back on straight.
I can pull it together. You dont need to send me off to the Forgotten.
But Tucker shook his head even as he said, Yeah, I really do. It wasnt just Mendoza leaning on me; it was the mayors office, too. I need you off their radar screens for the next few days at an absolute minimum, until something else comes along to take their minds off your blowing one of the few leads weve had since the overdoses started.
Jack grimaced, huffing out a breath as he came to grips with the no-win he was up againstand the fact that it was purely his fault that he was up against it. Okay, fine. Ill do it. Like there had ever been any real question on the matter. He hesitated, seeing the strain in Tuckers face and knowing the other man had undoubtedly gone to bat against the higher-ups on his behalf. And thanks. I know it couldve been a whole lot worse.
Yeah, so behave yourself. Tucker leaned back in his chair. And keep your eyes open, okay? The abandoned campsite is smack in the middle of the worst of the tree fungus.
Jack narrowed his eyes at that little tidbit, which said there was more to this assignment than babysitting and navel gazing. You think theres a connection between the tree crud and the militia?
Maybe, maybe not and even so, whats the chicken and whats the egg? The environmental chemists didnt find any evidence of weird contamination, but there are stranger things on heaven and earth, and all that. Maybe this Dr. Bay will see something the others missed or maybe you will.
Jack took what felt like the first real breath hed drawn since he heard the brittle crack of his witnesss wrist. It wasnt the Death Stare case, but at least he was still on active duty, and with an unofficial sanction to work the militia case. More, if he stayed out of trouble long enough he was pretty sure Tucker would shift him back over to the Death Stare investigation, which was where he wantedneededto be.
The key there being stay out of trouble, he reminded himself as he rose and grabbed the airline info. Guess I should go get my tree doctor. Any idea what she looks like?