The next second Nadia stood there again, a beacon of silvery-white. She wore an expression that spoke volumes.
Justin couldn't resist temptation. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Nadia rolled her eyes. "You just can't spit the words out, can you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"That's fine. You don't have to say anything." The lynx leaned her elbows on the table, speaking directly to Mandy. "I've got your back, sister. I know this one"-she jerked her thumb toward Justin-"will take good care of you. He's a good egg, but just to be sure, I'm calling in favours from all my people. No one gets in or out of Chicken without us knowing. You can relax until Cole gets back. You have my word."
It was the best of all possible promises. Nadia's connections throughout town meant she really did have eyes everywhere.
Justin held out a hand. "You're a good egg too."
Nadia shook his hand firmly. "Don't be modest. You know damn well this is why you brought her here in the first place."
There was no use lying. "Busted."
She stepped back, dipping her head to Mandy before pulling herself up to her full height of a scant five feet. She stuck out her tongue at Justin, then twirled on the spot and marched away, the giant bear who always shadowed her following behind after offering Justin a quick wink.
Chapter Nine
There was no good reason to leave town. Not with Cole out on the hunt and the entire town on alert, so Justin reluctantly hunkered down for the count with Mandy.
Or at least that's the story he told his boss when Tyler phoned a few days later.
" … so you see, we're in pretty much the most protected place right here, and we've got all the backup we need."
The bear on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before a soft chuckle carried over the line.
"You're lucky all of this makes sense," Tyler told him. "Because I know damn well you're not suffering, holed up in some godforsaken uncomfortable bug-out house. You're probably in the lap of luxury, aren't you?"
Justin let his gaze meander lazily over Mandy who sat in the recliner opposite him wearing nothing but a sheer nightgown as she glanced through a magazine. "It's pretty rustic," Justin insisted. "It took nearly three days to get lobsters flown in."
Tyler made off-key violin noises on the other end of the line before turning more serious. "You know I trust you, and you know I want the best for you. Take your time. I've got the goon squad on my back, so I'm nearly as safe as if you were with me."
It wasn't Tyler he was worried about. "And Caroline? Because if you need me, I could always bring Mandy along."
"Now I know you haven't been getting enough sleep. Number one, what kind of monster do you think I am? I took the patrol off Caroline a day after you assigned them. She's a one-man-guerrilla-force all on her own, and she was getting in their way."
Justin laughed. "What's number two?"
Head honcho of all the northern hemisphere bears offered him a cheeky chuckle. "It's awfully hard to woo a woman when you're acting as my bodyguard."
To which Justin didn't even answer, because his boss was right and Mandy was right there. He wasn't going to draw any attention to said wooing.
He got off the phone and deliberately crossed the room. It was the work of a moment to pick her up and resettle, this time with her in his lap.
She smiled patiently at him when he tugged the magazine from her fingers and dropped it to the floor. "Tyler and Caroline doing well, I take it?"
"They are. They're back in Yellowknife."
Her expression went guarded. "Oh."
"You're too easy to read," he warned her before caressing a finger down her cheek. "I don't need to go back to work yet. Not until we figure out what's going on with your mysterious strangers."
She nodded slowly. "Tyler is a good boss to be so understanding."
"He's a good friend, first and foremost." Justin dropped a kiss on her nose. "That's what good friends do-they understand what you need, sometimes before you know it yourself."
Mandy wiggled into a more comfortable position, one that brought her warmth into direct contact with the entire front of his torso. She draped her hands over his shoulders, stroking her fingers through his hair as she gazed into his face. "I'm glad you have a friend like that."
She spoke so softly he nearly missed it. The tone of sadness underbrushing her words.
Justin cupped her face in his hands. "You have a friend like that too, you know."
Her lips curved upward. "I have more friends now than before, yes. Caroline and Amy. And now Nadia-she's so sweet to me every time we get together." Mandy frowned. "Do you know why she's sad?"
"Is Nadia sad?" Justin thought back over the week they'd been hanging out in Chicken. "I never noticed."
"Hmmm, maybe I'm wrong." Mandy tugged her fingers through his hair again, still thoughtful.
"Have you heard from your family yet?"
She'd finally told him she'd been waiting to make contact until there was no possible way Todd could interfere in her life.
"Nothing yet, but Internet on the island is pretty caveman-era." Mandy shook her head. "I'm conflicted about what I want. It's been so long since I left that I'd barely know my little sisters, or Nana, or the bears of the island, anymore. My parents were gone years before. Maybe I should just leave it alone, and then I feel guilty for not-"
She slammed her lips close.
"No guilt," he reminded her. "You are an amazing woman, and whatever happens in the future, I know you're smart enough to make the right decisions."
He tweaked her nose, and she nipped playfully at his fingers. "You're pretty amazing yourself."
His mind turned to another issue. "By the way, you missed naming one of your friends."
She blinked hard before smiling. "So I did."
Justin accepted the kiss she gave him in apology. And the next. And the one after that-well, that one he enjoyed as he took to his feet and carried her blindly down the hall to the bedroom.
He settled them on the bed, cuddling for a while as she murmured happy words around more kisses. Clothes fell away until they were skin on skin. Their touches started soft and teasing before passion flared, and they came together in a bright burst of sensation that made his heart pump and his hopes rise.
This was exactly what he wanted for her. For them. But he wasn't going to push her to make any long-term decisions yet, even though he knew exactly what he wanted.
Her-forever.
A couple mornings later Mandy was standing at the sink beside him, drying the dishes as he finished hand-washing them after breakfast.
"I thought we could go tobogganing today," Mandy suggested. "And then the theater society is showing some golden oldies. You want to go?"
Justin hesitated. "Is it on your list?"
She shook her head.
He thought about it for moment "Aww, what the heck. Not everything has to come off the list."
It was about the longest vacation Justin had taken since high school when he and his friend had begun their climb to the top in the business world, not to mention the bear's political structure. Afternoon naps, late-night dinners, long conversations as they walked everywhere around Chicken.
It really was about the best thing he could imagine, and watching Mandy blossom before his eyes made it even better.
She didn't venture out without him-they were still being cautious, but when they went, she led and he followed, pausing whenever she wanted to chat with the people they had gotten to know in the community.
It was too perfect to last.
His phone rang, and Caden's growly voice greeted him the instant he said hello.
"Cole is back, and you're not going to believe this."
"Did he catch them?"
"One of them. Get down here. It'll be easier to explain once you see it."
Caden hung up the phone, leaving Justin wondering.
Mandy wrapped herself around him from the back and pressed a kiss to his biceps. "Who was that?"
"Cole is back."
She stiffened. "And?"
She had the right to know, and it wasn't protecting her to not share the information. "He caught one."
Mandy pulled herself in front of him, eyes going wide before her expression changed into one of sheer determination. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
What was he waiting for? He didn't want this to end.
Justin pulled himself together before he admitted that and forced her hand.
"What if it's a setup?" he asked instead, voicing his other concerns. "What if there are more of them out there? What if they're just trying to get you in the same room as one of them for some reason before they do … something?"
Her lips twitched. "There were a lot of ifs and somethings in that sentence, Justin. Remember our deal? I trust you to keep me safe. If I need to stay here because you're absolutely sure that's the only way, I'll do it. But if I'm safe at your side, we should go."