Bear To The Bone (Bear Claw Security 1) by Terry Bolryder Read Free Book Online

as hostile as Pete often was. But sometimes the man was a mystery.
    “We’ll give her a good deal on the bar,” Pete said. “Make her see that.” He folded his arms. “It can’t go well for her if she resists.”
    Cage sighed. “I need a month. Give me that or I’m not taking the assignment.”
    It was a bluff. He definitely couldn’t allow anyone else to take it. But he needed time so he could finish what he needed to do to the Aces before he was supposed to hand over Carrie’s bar.
    Because he was here to protect her from the Aces. Not take from her for them.
    But they couldn’t think that. Not yet.
    “Fine,” Pete grunted, finally giving in. “But not a day more.”
    “Fine,” Cage said.
    “Oh, and Cage?”
    Cage turned back to the man, anger blazing inside him. He could take him apart with one hand, let the bear in him out to tear the place apart. But he had more important things to do, and one man was nothing in the scheme of this awful club. He had to bide his time. Be patient.
    “Now that I think about it, that girl who owns the bar, Carrie… you knew her as a kid, didn’t you?”
    A muscle in Cage’s jaw ticked. “Yeah. Sort of.”
    “Well, if we get any hint that you aren’t with us, I’ll make sure someone breaks her fingers. We clear?”
    Ice went through Cage’s veins, but he nodded, already imagining the things he would do to this man for daring to threaten Carrie. He gave Pete a polite smile. “Crystal. Now if you could excuse me, I may as well head over and get started on this.” He held up the file Pete had handed him.
    Pete shrugged. “Or you can go tonight, with the guys. I think they’re planning to visit the bar together. Let her know what she can expect if she doesn’t give up the place. We need her to see it’s better for everyone if she just lets go. It’s not good to get in the Aces’s way.”
    Cage gave him a grin that didn’t hide the feral beast inside him and saw Pete whiten visibly. Cage knew the men of the Aces sensed something off about him, had even when he was a kid. But none of them knew what that was, and when they did, it would be only be because he was ending every last one of them.
    He cracked his knuckles and left the room, heart pounding in his chest. He’d protect Carrie, whatever it took.
    He walked out around the side of the compound and leaned against a wall where he knew no one would hear him. It was cold outside, isolated, and most of the Aces were on a ride.
    He unlocked his phone and dialed a number, and the voice on the other end picked up quickly.
    “Cage?” Bronson asked. “How’s it going?”
    Bronson and Limes were the two men he’d formed Bear Claw Security with after they’d served their time in the Special Forces. They’d all decided that keeping people safe was something they wanted to do in the private sector, and since they were all bear shifters from a special army shifter unit, they had unique skills to do it.
    They’d been pretty successful before he’d left to do this job, and he knew they were eager to have him back. They couldn’t understand why he’d taken this gig in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t know how Willow had figured out he had a business and sent him a letter to hire him.
    But she had, and here he was. And now he was on a deadline.
    “I’m doing okay,” he said. “Hit some complications.”
    “Limes says we’re going to need the log in to the main computer.”
    “That’ll be tough, but I can get it,” he said. “I may need back up.”
    “Sure, anytime,” Bronson said. “Even if it means coming to Podunk Nowheresville.”
    “Hey, I grew up here,” Cage said.
    “I always knew you were a hick. Say, what’s the real reason you took this job. It’s a girl, isn’t it? Come on—”
    “I have a month. An unexpected deadline came up. If I’m not making serious progress in about two weeks, I might need you or Limes out here.”
    Bronson coughed. “Of course, man. You know we’ll back you