1
His heart in his throat, Grayson Stone spied his sixteen-year-old sister walking quickly on a street in Kalispell, Montana, a half hour from their home in Whitefish, after running away again. She had been fine until their mom had died of pneumonia, but since then, Ivy had been acting out. Grayson was twelve years older than Ivy and glad he’d tracked her down before she potentially came to harm.
He’d had to hack into her computer to locate her, and what he discovered had shocked him.
She was planning to hook up with some guy she’d met online named Billy, or Big Bear. No telling how old or who the guy really was, though he’d said he was sixteen like her, and looked about that age with curly blond hair, brown eyes, and a nice smile; looks could be deceiving. He could be a forty-year-old pedophile, substituting a teen’s photo for his own.
Ivy was just too trusting.
Grayson wished his twin brother, Marcus, had gone after her this time. He and his brother ran a bounty-hunting service while their dad served as the bondsman. Marcus swore that Ivy would listen better to Grayson, so returning her home was left to him.
Grayson tried to reach Ivy as he drove his SUV in hot pursuit. She either saw him or recognized the sound of his vehicle’s engine and ducked down a narrow alley between buildings. As grizzly bear shifters, they could easily pick up familiar sounds. Annoyed with her since he only cared about her safety, he was forced to park and chase her on foot. He was so focused on going after her, concentrating on her slim figure, her long dark hair, her skinny jeans, boots, and T-shirt, a hoodie over that, that he didn’t see that he was being pursued!
He raced to reach Ivy and managed to grab her arm. She cried out with shock, swung around, and tore his well-worn but so comfortable T-shirt with her long nails and strong fingers. It was his favorite shirt too. Ivy could be a wildcat when she was angered, even though she was a grizzly bear shifter like him.
He tore off his shredded T-shirt, threw it on the ground, and ran after Ivy as she darted off.
A woman behind him shouted, “Stop! Leave her alone! Or else…!”
He turned to see who the pest was behind him. Before he could go after his sister, the woman behind him shot him in the chest with a taser. His bare chest. He went down, losing the feeling in his legs, and he wanted to strangle her! Again, he wished his brother were the one chasing their younger sister this time.
The woman was a pretty blonde with wide brown eyes, staring at his bare chest before she came to her senses, stepped over him, and ran after his sister. Hell!
He smelled that she was a grizzly bear shifter like him, but he was still furious with her for thwarting him when he was trying to protect his sister.
He finally managed to get to his feet, yanked out the probes in his skin, and threw them on the ground. Then he ran after his sister again. He just hoped the woman who had tased him didn’t have another one charged and ready to use on him.
When he reached the end of the buildings, he didn’t see any sign of his sister or the blonde. But he did smell their scents. He chased after them.
“Stop!” Kendra Winters shouted at the girl. She wanted her to know that she was on her side, though now Kendra wondered if the girl had stolen something from the man who had been chasing her. She thought the man was accosting the girl, maybe intending to kidnap her. Kendra watched too many true crime videos, though her own previous experience with her twin sister’s kidnapping and murder had a lot to do with her heightened concern.
Both the man and the girl were grizzly bear shifters, so she suspected they knew each other. But she’d never seen them in Kalispell before so she figured they were just passing through.
Kendra could also be impulsive. She wished she had her friend Amy’s psychic ability to read people’s minds and determine their intentions.
The girl charged into the bank, and Kendra followed her inside.
The bank manager, David Shader, used to smile at Kendra in a way that always seemed to say he wanted to get to know her better. But then he married Amy’s sister, Rebecca, and he was totally in love with her. Kendra liked him as a friend and was glad he had finally found someone who was right for him. He was more Rebecca’s age too.
Kendra glanced around the bank, but the teen girl had disappeared.
“I was following a teen girl, and she slipped into the First National Bank. Did you see her?” the shirtless man asked David as he barged into the bank.
David frowned. “The teen said some woman was following her and shot her brother with a taser. You can’t be on the premises without a shirt.”
Kendra’s mouth dropped open. Ohmigod, she had shot a perfectly innocent man? The teen’s brother? Kendra was in so much trouble. Not only with the law but with her bear sleuth. The chief didn’t tolerate infractions of the law from anyone in the sleuth, since they were shifters and could put the whole sleuth in harm’s way if one of them was incarcerated.
The shirtless man was totally built, and Kendra’s wanton gaze kept focusing on his beautifully sculpted chest; she hoped he wouldn’t press charges.
One of the pretty, white-haired Winston twins, who owned the Dress Boutique, neither of whom had been married, entered the bank and said, “Oh, my.” She cupped her mouth to see the shirtless man standing there. Then she smiled and winked at him. “Hire him, David. He would bring in lots more business.” Then she went to the teller and deposited some checks.
“You were behind my sister,” the shirtless man accused Kendra. Then he turned to David. “You must have seen my sister come in here. I smell her scent.”
“I’ll check the woman’s bathroom,” Kendra offered, wanting to make it up to the man. She hurried off.
“Okay, listen, I’ll look for her, but you can’t be in here without a shirt,” David reminded him. “What’s your name and cell number? I’ll call you if I find her.”
But the man was looking behind desks, not about to leave, when Kendra came out of the bathroom. He glanced at her. She shook her head. “Uhm, I’m Kendra Winters. Sorry about shooting you. I thought you were trying to abduct the girl.”
