“What the—?” Evan jerked to a stop, blinking madly to clear his vision. Why the hell were uniformed RCMP officers pouring into the room? He raised his hands skyward. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”
Men pushed past him to reach the mysterious boxes. “There they are, Captain, just like we were told.”
Water continued to spray everywhere, droplets sparkling in the flashlights as a crew rushed to open the cases. Two officers laid hands on Evan’s shoulders, pinning him in place. “I don’t even know where those came from,” he insisted, peering through his wet hair and the steady deluge running down his face.
“Take him to the station.” The captain held a Ziploc bag in front of Evan. “It’s illegal to transport sand and/or unlabeled meat products into the country, Mr. Stone. We’ll discuss details once you’re in a holding cell.”
This wasn’t happening. “You’re not serious. You’re arresting me?”
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
Moments later there were cuffs on his wrists. Firm hands gripped his upper arms as Evan was guided from the Moonshine Inn and stuffed into a police cruiser.
Confusion. Anger. Frustration. He wasn’t sure which emotion was the strongest, not to mention the sheer discomfort of being soaking wet. Evan stared out the window as they pulled away, glancing back toward his beloved hotel and ignoring the noise and questions being tossed his direction. He’d talk once he had more information.
Now? Something was hugely off, and he was damned if he didn’t figure out what, and soon.
A lone figure stood on the sidewalk, watching intently. A slim, feminine form with her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a coat with a hood, so her hair was covered, but for one second they made eye contact, and Evan jerked back at the intense anger reflected there.
What the hell?
Then she gave him the finger, and Evan’s brain fogged over.
After everything he’d had thrown at him that evening, some random stranger on the street was telling him to fuck off? Alrighty then. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with. He eased back onto the car seat and sighed.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Two
Amy Ryba stumbled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and foggy-brained from too little sleep. She grabbed a coffee from the preprogrammed machine, leaning against the counter for vertical support until the first sips of her high-test espresso cleared the cobwebs.
Plenty of time to check what was happening in the world before she headed across the Yukon River to begin her day. She settled onto her overstuffed couch, coffee mug balanced on a book, cereal bowl in her hand, then clicked on the news. National updates. Weather reports. She was spoon deep into a big bowl of Cocoa Puffs by the time they hit the good stuff.
“In Whitehorse-area news, local businessman Evan Stone spent the night at the RCMP station before being released on bail this morning while they investigate further charges.”
The blond behind the microphone wore a typical reporter expression of “this is serious, serious business”, his good looks saving him from crossing the line from mysteriously intense to comical. Amy waited until the bitter end of the news bite, the words of the report fading into the background as she fixated on watching Evan walk down the steps from the station more rumpled than usual. His clothes were creased as if they’d dried on him after a good solid soaking.
Damn him for looking so attractive in spite of a night behind bars. A layer of dark scruff covered his jaw, and between that, his dark hair and handsome eyes, he could have been strutting along some movie-debut red carpet instead of escaping incarceration.
After a year spent spying on the man, Amy knew him far too intimately. What she’d discovered lined up well with the information she’d pulled from hidden files. He was cocky. Arrogant. Above the rules.
She wouldn’t deny he was eye-catching, but evil lived in the hearts of good-looking men as well as ugly ones.
Amy piled her things into her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She jogged the trail behind her house that led inconspicuously into town. Taking precautions against a direct route to and from home was second nature—the instinct to hide her presence built into every move.
But once she’d reached the outskirts of the park she slowed. Found a bench at the edge of the trees and waited.
Calm. At peace. Her early-morning time spent in the quiet green space was another ritual that had unexpectedly entered her life during the past year, but one she had learned to enjoy. A brief moment of regrouping before heading into the demands of her day. She put aside the rushed thoughts triggered by the morning news. Lifted her face to the sunshine and closed her eyes to breathe deeply.
She didn’t make it to the park every morning, but as often as she could, Amy took the time to pause. Most days she was rewarded for her patience.
Ten minutes of silence had passed before she felt a gentle nudge against her knee. She opened her eyes, pleased to see the wolf who had risked coming forward to sit at her feet, his chin resting on her thigh. His body language and actions revealed his trust. Amy leaned forward, stroking a hand over the grizzled white fur on the old wolf’s head.
He stared up, eyes blinking against the harsh sunlight, the undiminished intelligence of the man hidden within the wolf sparkling back at her.
“Good morning. I hope you’ve been well.” Amy petted him, offering respect and comfort at the same time. “I haven’t seen you for nearly a month.”
A wolfish shrug was all she got in response. Matthias stayed there for another five minutes before brushing his warm nose against her palm. He turned and faded into the trees, gone back to wherever it was that retired, partly feral wolf shifters hid during the day.
Amy’s heart ached a little as she rose to her feet and headed to work. The moment of contact had been as much for her as for him. In the middle of everything else that had brought her to Whitehorse, she’d never expected to find a pack of wolves who needed her so badly.
She’d never expected to end up not only wanted, but indispensable.
Slipping through the doors of her computer shop, Bytes Unlimited, was like entering a safe zone. The front-room staff she employed snapped to attention as she moved briskly toward the service desk, past pristine laptop displays and wall racks full of the latest Bluetooth tech.
“Mail’s on your desk.” Tom waved a greeting from behind the counter. “I opened your computer and did the weekly update. The morning member reports from the pack are in. Everyone is fine, although you might want to check with the Lands for a follow-up on their son.”
“And we have one job you need to take a look at,” Caden added, turning from the other counter, his shocking red hair sticking every direction. He made a face. “I admit defeat. I can’t figure out what bugs are mucking up the system.”
Amy nodded. “Not a problem.” She paused, then shared a secretive smile with them. “Thanks for your help on the booby trap last night, guys.”
They’d been surprised by her request the previous day, but eager to help. Now Tom returned her smile, as did Caden, pleased with her praise. “Simple, really. Other than gathering the materials. Did it work the way you hoped?”
“Exactly like I hoped.”
Caden looked nervous for a moment. “Takhini isn’t going to be mad and come gunning for us, are they?”
Amy made soothing sounds as she shook her head. “No. No, of course not.”
“Because it was pretty close to their territory,” Caden muttered before backpedaling. “I mean, not that I’m saying you don’t know what you’re doing, because you do. I’m sure.”