Catching Her Bear (10 page)

“Take it easy and rest a bit. There’s plenty of time to pack. I’ll stay with you for as long as you need me.”

She almost swooned at his wonderful attitude, but a wave of grief prevented it. “Thank you, again.” Elana sipped on her water, her mind spinning. “Why would someone kill them? Or did I ask you that already?”

“We suspect it was robbery.”

“Robbery? What were they after?”

“We’re not sure. We might have you look around to see what’s missing.”

Her gut cramped. She wasn’t sure she was even capable of stepping foot in the house again. It never held good memories, and with them gone, it might be worse. “They changed a lot of things after I moved out.”

“Perhaps a visit right away won’t be necessary.”

Being around Kalan was messing with her head. Breaking down in front of him had been ugly. “I need to pack.”

This time when she rose, she was able to make it to her bedroom. While she kept a suitcase in her closet, figuring out what to take overwhelmed her. She didn’t even know if Izzy’s parents were home, or how long she’d stay if they were. If she called them, she’d have to explain why she needed to come over for a few days.

Elana collapsed onto the bed and sobs wracked her body. She’d never felt so alone in her life.

“Need help?”

Elana jerked then sat up as she wiped at her cheeks. “I’m having a bit of difficulty figuring out what to pack.”

“Why not take two of everything, and then you can return in a day or two to pick up more?”

“Good idea. I guess if I need anything else, when I come to work tomorrow, I can pick up a few more things.”

Kalan sat next to her on the bed. “I’d rather you not go to work tomorrow.”

Her heart beat too fast. “Why?”

Clasping her shoulders, he leaned in close—too close—and her mind blanked for a bit.

“I want you safe. I’m not saying for sure that these people will come after you, but they were looking for something, and it’s possible they didn’t find it.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t have it, and even if they told me what they wanted, I wouldn’t know where to look. It’s been years since I lived there.” She moved out of his grasp, his presence unnerving her. “I’ll see if Anna can work all day tomorrow.”

“Good. Remember, two of everything. I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready to leave.”

For some reason, Kalan’s instructions helped, and within minutes, she was all packed. With case in hand, she stepped out of her bedroom.

Kalan jumped up from the sofa, rushed over, and lifted the suitcase from her fingers. “I’m sure if you forgot anything, Mrs. Berta or Missy can walk across the street and pick it up for you.”

“Are you always this nice?”

He smiled and a ray of sunshine lifted her spirits. “Only for a beautiful woman.”

Izzy was right. He was a playboy, but what a nice playboy he was.

Kalan helped her into his cruiser and then headed toward Wendaya Cove. He must have known where the Bertas lived because he pulled into their driveway without asking directions. Fortunately, the lights were on inside, implying they were home. Izzy’s wonderful parents were more like a mother and father to Elana than her own folks had ever been.

“Thank you for being the one to tell me what happened. Having a friend deliver the news helped ease the pain somewhat.” Having that friend also be her dream man was a bit unnerving, yet comforting at the same time.

“I wouldn’t have let anyone else do it.”

With Kalan by her side, Elana was convinced she’d make it through this.

He helped her out and when they rang the bell, Kathryn Berta answered right away.

“Elana? Kalan? Did something happen? Is Izzy okay?” Her gaze shot to the suitcase in Kalan’s hand.

“Izzy’s fine,” Elana said.

“Then come in, please.”

The large, two-story Berta house was like what a home should be—warm and welcoming. While their furniture had more of a country flair than her parents’ place, and the Berta home was full of knickknacks and photos of the family, instead of purchases from an overseas’ art gallery, it exuded safety—both for her person as well as for her heart.

For the next hour, Kalan explained as much as he could about her parents’ murders. Throughout it all, Len and Kathryn remained stoic, though Elana hadn’t expected them to grieve over her parents’ deaths. If it weren’t for Izzy, Missy, Len, and Kathryn, Elana might have ended up in an institution too.

As soon as Kalan left, Kathryn Berta called Izzy, Missy, and Teagan to let them know what had happened.

Mrs. Berta returned from her calls. “Missy is with something and can’t come over, and Izzy isn’t picking up.”

“That’s okay.” Elana wasn’t sure if she wanted to retell the story many more times.

Kalan had been gone no more than ten minutes when Teagan rushed in. Her blonde hair looked like she hadn’t combed it before rushing over, and her print shirt didn’t match her brown jeans.

“Oh, Elana, it’s my fault.” She slid down next to her on the sofa and picked up her hand. From the haunted look, and slightly yellowish tinge to her skin, Teagan had had another vision.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but nothing was your fault.”

She glanced to the side. “A few weeks ago, I had a vision that something would happen, but I didn’t say anything because it was so brief. It occurred right after that man tried to kidnap Izzy.”

The pressure in Elana’s temple nearly exploded. “What did you see?”

“As I said, it was brief—so brief in fact that I had to sit down and try to re-envision what I saw.” She looked across the room as if trying to bring back the image again. “You were surrounded by darkness. That was all at first. I tried to force my mind to bring up more of the vision, but it didn’t work.” She returned her focus back on Elana. “I realized it would occur sometime in the future, but it could happen weeks or maybe months from then.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Say that something bad could possibly occur? With no time frame, it would only cause you to be anxious. No, I didn’t want you to worry.”

It was true that if Teagan had said something bad would happen in the future, Elana would have been looking over her shoulder, doubting everything she did. Elana had no doubt that Teagan was looking out for her best interests. “I get it. I really do.”

Teagan clasped her hand. “I’m still worried about you. There’s no guarantee that the evil is gone. That’s partly why I’m here. I had another vision this evening, only this time it was bad—like the one I had when Izzy was being held captive.”

Sludge pooled in her veins. “Are you saying the killers might come after me now?”

“I can only tell you what I saw. You’ll have to judge for yourself.”

Part of Elana didn’t want to ask, but her life depended on her knowing. “What was it?”

“I’ll explain the best I can, but it made no sense to me. I saw what looked like you standing in a field in an unknown location. Instead of you being human, though, you were made of a hard, highly polished stone. Then what looked like a twister came roaring at you, but before it could hit you, something big and fast blocked the path. Then you returned to your human form.”

Now what was she supposed to make of that?

‡

K
alan wasn’t happy
about leaving Elana for a few days, but someone had to find out about Brian Stanley and whether he was capable of murder. The mental institution where Brian was treated was in Ohio, a six-hour drive from Silver Lake. While it was a long haul, it gave him time to think about a lot of things, especially Elana’s vulnerability. It weighed heavily on his mind, and the urge to protect her distracted him. If only his damned body would stop reacting when he was around her, he could come up with a plan on how to find the killer and keep her safe.

Women had always been a delightful diversion—nothing more—but ever since he’d run into Elana, his world had been turned upside down. At first, he thought it was the stress from taking over for his dad, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Mate, mine.

Kalan’s bear was making him anxious and it was pissing him off. The damn animal kept pushing and clawing at him whenever he was close to Elana or even thought about her. Kalan just wasn’t ready for a mate, which was why he kept forcing his bear to back down, shoving the whole mate thing out of his head the best he could.

As nice and wonderful as Elana was, he’d been led to believe he was destined to be with a bear shifter. Perhaps, he should just show his true self to her and watch her run away screaming. That would end their alluring relationship fast.

Before he could even consider stopping what had never really started, he needed to solve her parents’ murders, and that meant he had to find out everything he could about this dysfunctional family.

With only an hour’s drive left to the mental hospital in Ohio, he called his dad on his hands-free Blue Tooth set to check on Brian’s whereabouts.

“Brian’s been staking out Blooms of Hope, but don’t worry, I’ve got my eye on him.”

Good thing there weren’t many cars on the road, or he might have crashed into one. His nails extended and his protective nature shot to high alert. “Elana isn’t at the store is she?”

“I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Dad, I asked you a question.” His father could be annoyingly tight-lipped at times.

“Elana came in about an hour ago and hasn’t left.”

“Damn woman. I told her to stay with Izzy’s parents.”

“Both of whom are across the street from her store. I’m thinking it might be safer for her to be here than alone at the house.”

He had a point. “Let me know if Brian tries anything—or leaves town.”

“Got it under control, son.”

If he didn’t trust his father completely, he’d have been tempted to turn around and ask his questions of Brian’s therapist by phone. Kalan had discussed the pros and cons of driving up to visit the facility where Brian had been treated versus calling the doctor with his boss, but they both felt a face-to-face discussion would provide him with the best information. There might even be others he could speak with.

His appointment with Brian’s therapist wasn’t for another two hours, but he’d intentionally left some time to drive around for a bit so he could get a better sense about the institution.

In need of some caffeine first, he pulled into a coffee shop parking lot. Easing out, he stretched, ready to get this interview over.

Once he purchased his coffee and a small snack, he sat at an outside table and called Elana, needing to make sure she was okay. The air in the Ohio Valley was muggy, causing sweat to pool on the back of his neck, but he didn’t need people overhearing his conversation.

If he warned her that Brian was skulking around, it might prompt her to approach him, and that was the last thing either of them needed.

“Kalan, are you okay?” she asked answering on the first ring.

Elana’s worried reaction made him smile. “I was calling to check up on you. I can take care of myself.”

“So can I.”

No one was within earshot so he could speak freely. “Really? I was unaware that you had magical talents.” Like her best friend.

“Didn’t I mention that I’m a martial arts expert and have a shelf full of sharp shooting trophies?”

She was cute. He couldn’t have been more pleased that she was able to joke at a time like this. Perhaps, it was her way of coping. “No, I didn’t. I guess I don’t have to worry about you then.”

“You don’t have to go that far. I like hearing from you.”

While he was pleased with her comment, it made him uncomfortable at the same time, because she was slowly worming her way into his heart, and he wasn’t prepared for the consequences. “So, is it strange being back at the Bertas’ house?”

Kalan was curious how far she’d go to keep her current location a secret.

“I’m sorry, Kalan. I couldn’t stand being there by myself. I was going stir crazy. I had to come into work. I’m comforted being around my flowers.”

The sudden rush of anxiety had him clutching the coffee cup so hard some spilled over. “I wish you hadn’t.”

“Anna is here with me, and Len has come over about ten times, as have Kathryn, Missy, and Teagan.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m about to interview Brian’s therapist to see if I can get some answers. I’ll be back in town tomorrow, and I’ll stop in to see you.”

“Really?”

She acted as if he didn’t care about her and that bothered him. He might not be interested in something permanent, but he did enjoy being with her.
Stop lying
. He wanted her—and so did the bear inside him. “Yes, really, now stay out of trouble.”

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. You be careful driving home after work.”

He disconnected the call. Just speaking with Elana made his pushy bear return. Keeping that animal in check was getting harder. And that wasn’t the only thing that was getting harder.
Fucking hell, I am so screwed.

*