Bearly in Control (Shifters Undercover Book 1) Read online

  Detective Gibbons gave her a worried expression. Charli smiled. “I can communicate with animals better than ninety-nine percent of the world, that’s all.” From the detective’s new expression, that explanation didn’t help much.

  Director Milkan gave a chin pop toward the guy sitting next to Charli. “This is Agent Devin Sonder. He’s a panther shifter and left his detective position with the LAPD to join our new fellowship.” Devin did his usual single nod, then wove his fingers together, resting his hands on the table.

  Devin was a curious one to her. She hadn’t figured him out yet. Truthfully, their team of four was so new, they were still working on group dynamics and becoming productive coworkers. She itched to talk with Devin’s panther to get the inside scoop on the human, but that would be rude and a bit biased. It would be like asking his big sister what she thought of her bratty little brother.

  He was always calm and cool. Little seemed to bother him. But she imagined years with the LAPD had taught the agents to be the strong, silent type or risk being put in an insane asylum. He was also very handsome—the high school quarterback all the girls crushed on. Not her type, but she liked his dry sense of humor.

  Next to Devin sat the fourth member of their group. She glanced at Russel and almost spit out her mouthful of coffee. Hot liquid out the nose would not be good right now. He was practically drooling over the police detective. Devin nudged Russel with an elbow and Russel closed his mouth.

  Director Milkan continued introducing the team. “And this is Agent Russel Mayer. We call him Sinatra.”

  Detective Gibbons turned to Milkan. “Why Sinatra, does he sing?”

  Russel grinned. “Yeah, baby. I’ll sing for you anytime.”

  Gibbons slowly turned her head to face Russel. Holy shit. She was going to tear him a new asshole. Her shit-eating grin matched his. “Thank you, Agent Mayer. Wednesday night, Junior’s Bar, bring your best karaoke. I will drill you into the ground.”

  Woo-hoo. Russel had met his match. Go girlfriend! Charli had to become friends with this woman. Devin covered his smile with his hand. “Actually, Russel is a—” He looked at Russel. “What are you naturally?”

  “Eh, you know, whatever the occasion calls for,” Russel added as he sat straighter in his chair.

  The detective’s eyes grew wide. “I had no idea . . .” Gibbons said. “How does him being a multishifter relate to Frank Sinatra?”

  He gave a haughty smirk and leaned closer to her. “It’s my ol’ blue eyes, baby.”

  Gibbons rolled her eyes. “Got it. Sinatra was called Ol’ Blue Eyes.”

  “Mayer.” Director Milkan gave him a stern look.

  Russel sighed. “Actually, it’s from my former department. Several of us hung out after our shift and we were dubbed the Rat Pack. And each of us got a name. Mine was Sinatra.”

  Milkan shook his head. “Detective Gibbons, please continue with the case.”

  “Thank you, Director.” Gibbons opened a file folder and slid it toward the others. “About a month ago, the local bank was robbed. The perpetrator got away with several hundred thousand in cash and gold.”

  Charli nodded. “I remember that happening. Did they catch the guy?”

  “Unfortunately,” Gibbons began, “we haven’t.” Charli noted the detective’s use of “we.” She needed to remember she was now part of the “we.” Gibbons pulled out a second folder and copied her previous actions. “Two weeks ago, a high-end jewelry store was robbed.” Charli remembered that, too, but wasn’t commenting this time. “And we had the same scenario and unexplained happenings as at the bank.”

  Devin asked, “What scenario and unexplained happenings?”

  “That’s what brings me to you guys.” She glanced at Director Milkan. “The chief told me, privately, what your group . . . uh . . . that you people . . .” She seemed to have problems finding the words to describe them. Director Milkan smiled and patted her hand.

  “No worries, Detective. Our Fellowship of Packs United is our means of policing the paranormal society to keep the peace between humans and paras. Our goal is to protect as well as keep our presence unknown.”

  Gibbons stiffened. “But I know about you. So does the chief.”

  Milkan smiled anew. “We understand that to do our job effectively, we need help from the human side of the population. Not only have we assembled a team from various packs and species, we want to work hand in hand with humans, for our issues cross into each other’s worlds continually. We must work together, which means those who need to know about us are informed. Obviously, the chief trusts you with secrecy and believes you able to work with others.”

  Gibbons coughed into her hand and smiled. “I think it’s more like the chief slipped up and mentioned you guys, and I wouldn’t believe him. I owe him twenty bucks and a pizza now.” Charli and everyone else laughed at her confession. The tension squeezing the group at the table was gone.

  “Now”—Milkan continued—“back to the cases.”

  Detective Gibbons looked at the files in the center. “Right. We are completely unable to understand how these two operations were carried out. The MO was the same. The burglar came in during the night, stole the goods without setting off any alarms, and disappeared.”

  “That seems normal,” Devin said.

  “The part that has us stumped is there is no evidence of entry or exit, or DNA left on-site. The only way we can tell a robbery happened is the missing merchandise and video footage.”

  Charli leaned forward. “Wait, you have video evidence and still can’t find anything?”

  Gibbons frowned. “If we didn’t have the exact same burglar in both locations, we wouldn’t have known what to think about the video. The tape shows the thief is a naked woman.”

  Russel cleared his throat and took on a serious face. “Boss, if you’d like me to study the footage for clues, I’d happily take on that challenge for the team.”

  Everyone groaned, including the visiting detective. A smile burst onto Russel’s face. “What? You gotta admit that was a good one, though, right? I mean, she set it up perfectly.”

  “Mayer”—Director Milkan started—“you are the biggest walking sexual harassment case I’ve ever seen.”

  “Aww, Boss,” Russel laid a hand over his heart, “I didn’t know you cared that much.”

  “I don’t,” he barked. “Now can it before I throw you in the can.”

  Russel’s face lit up. “Tamara, here, can handcuff me if she wants.” He growled and swiped his hand like a paw.

  In a blink of an eye, Detective Gibbons stood behind Russel, one of her cuffs around his wrist and the other hooked around his chair’s arm. He pulled on the metal. “Uh, yeah, this isn’t what I meant, but it’s a start.” He winked at her, but she ignored him.

  “As I was saying,” Gibbons said, “we have the perp on tape but have no idea how she gets in or out or what happens to the stolen goods. The chief was hoping maybe you guys had some insight.”

  Director Milkan slid the files toward Devin. “Sonder, this is yours. Let me know what you find out.”

  Devin scooped up the files. “Yes, sir.”

  Director Milkan stood, signaling the meeting was over. “Detective, e-mail footage and whatever else you have to Devin. Be sure to get his info before you leave.” He offered his hand to the woman and she accepted it.

  “It’ll be great working with your team, Director.” She raised a brow. “Most of the team, anyway.” Everyone headed for the door except Russel, who made a commotion behind them.

  “Hey, wait! I’m still cuffed to the chair.” They all kept walking. “You can’t leave me like this, you scrubs.” Milkan closed his office door after he walked out.

  CHAPTER SIX

  After a good laugh on Russel’s behalf, Detective Tamara Gibbons got her cuffs back and left with a smile on her face, opposed to the grimace she’d had earlier. Now, Charli had her problem to deal with.

  “Director Milkan,” Charli called ou
t. The director held his hand up, as if saying ‘not now.’

  Milkan opened the door to his office and stepped in.

  “Wait, Director Milkan.” Standing in the doorway, he turned toward Charli. She waved Barry to come over.

  Suddenly, Charli felt herself jerked into the director’s office, the door slamming in front of her. Milkan pulled her to his face. Her head spun from the furious movements. Charli was ready to shit her pants. He growled at her. “What is that man doing here? How do you know him?”

  Charli’s mouth moved, but no words came out. This was too out of character for her boss. “He’s why I need to talk with you, sir.” He didn’t move. Now she was getting pissed. “You’re hurting my arm, Milkan.”

  He jerked his hand back and came out of the daze he seemed to be in. “Shit. I apologize, Avers.” His hand snaked to the back of her head and he pulled her in, smashing her nose to his sternum. He let out a sigh. “My sister was attacked in her office by a stranger. And ever since, I’ve been . . . overprotective of the females I work with.”

  “Not a problem, sir,” Charli mumbled against his tie. “I’d just like to breathe.” He stepped back, again apologizing. She rubbed her nose, scrunched it up a few times, then was back to normal. “Sorry to hear about your sister, sir.”

  He brushed it off and headed for his desk. “That was a while ago. I think I was more traumatized about it than she was.” Charli reached for the door to let Barry in. “Stop.” She stared at him, wondering what the hell. “I’d prefer not to have civilians in my office. Who knows what they might read on my desk or overhear. You can understand that?”

  She did. But still, she was a bit creeped out. Probably because they really didn’t know each other’s idiosyncrasies. And bosses always seem overstressed. “Yes, sir.”

  “Come on, Charli. No ‘sir’ for me. Treat me like one of the guys.” He smiled at her.

  “If that’s what you want, I’ll tape your drawers shut, put Vaseline on the handles, and pull one of the wheels off your chair.”

  He let out a burst of laughter, making her feel more comfortable. She quickly stuck her head out the door before Milkan stopped laughing and told Barry to wait again. Charli stood in front of his desk. “Si— Milkan”—they both smiled at her catching herself—“I’ve had an interesting morning and I need your advice on what to do.”

  He gestured to the table they’d sat around earlier. “Pull up a chair, Charli. Tell me what’s happened.”

  Once she was comfortably seated, she continued. “This morning, through strange circumstances, I found a shifter with no memory. He doesn’t even remember his name or that he’s a shifter.”

  “That’s the man outside?”

  “Yes, s— Yes.” Her mama raised her right, and it would take time before she could break the rules. “I don’t know what to do with him, but I think he needs to talk with other shifters to figure out what he truly is.”

  He seemed to relax a bit. She knew Barry posed no threat, and hopefully her boss did, too. “I see. I agree that he should stay here and talk to the men for a while.” He stood and grabbed his car keys off the desk. “You did right bringing him here, Charli. Now, I have an errand I need—” The receptionist buzzed his intercom. “Sir, the mayor is on line one for you. He doesn’t sound happy.”

  Her boss cursed under his breath. “Thank you, Sally.” He looked at Charli. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to take this call. We’ll continue later.” Charli turned for the door. “Oh, and Charli, keep me updated on his memory. Let me know right away when it comes back.” He pushed a button on his phone, not letting Charli reply. She hurried out.

  Barry paced in front of a couple empty desks. He gave her a concerned look. “What happened in there?”

  “Well”—she started—“several things, really. Mainly learning how to work with my new boss, getting to know his personalities and . . . tendencies.”

  “Anything about me?”

  “Sorry, Barry. The mayor called and we had to cut it short.” She looked at Sonder and Mayer. “Come with me.” She took his hand and led him to Sonder’s perfectly clean and organized desk. She could see him being a bit OCD about having everything in its place. Note to self: Don’t even borrow a pen from him. You’ll mess up his desk.

  “Guys, I’d like you to meet Barry.” She gestured to the man standing beside her. “Barry, this is Sonder and Sinatra. I mean, Mayer.” She flashed Russel an apologetic look.

  “Sinatra?” Barry said.

  “Long story,” Charli said. “I’ll tell you later. Right now, we need to decide what to do with you.”

  Sonder leaned against the partition separating the desks. “What do you mean by that?”

  Barry answered before she did. “Seems I have amnesia. Don’t remember anything. Not even that I’m a shifter.”

  “Seriously?” Mayer said, shock clear in his voice and his wide eyes. “You can forget you’re a shifter? Bet that came as a hell of a surprise.”

  “No kidding. Anyway, guys, we need help on what to do next. I’ve never dealt with something like this.”

  “I’ve seen it before,” Devin said. She imagined he’d seen everything, working in LA. “Best plan is to get your memory back before much else.”

  “How do we do that?” Charli asked.

  “Go back to the scene of the crime. Look around where you were found to get clues why you were there and what you were doing.”

  Charli pulled her phone from her back pocket. “Perfect idea. Thank you so much, Sonder.” She twirled around and headed for her desk. Once there, she noticed Barry staring at her, a curious look in his eyes.

  She raised her brows. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just wondered about something.”

  She nodded. “What?”

  “Your . . . specialty. Were you born with this ability?”

  Ah, the talking-to-animals conversation. She sat down across from him, meeting his gaze. “I think so. Mom told me stories about my antics when I was really young. She had laid me on a blanket on the wood floor in the living room. After babbling to our lap dog, it grabbed the blanket’s edge and dragged me around the floor while I giggled and gurgled.” She smiled, remembering her mother’s stories and how much fun it had been to hear them.

  Barry leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. “Your mom thought you told the dog to do that?”

  “It took her a while before she really believed I could talk to animals. I thought everyone could do it when I was little. I remember getting strange looks when talking to random animals at the beach and park. I told one guy that his dog was really sick and needed to go to the doctor. The dog looked fine.

  “Later on, he came to the playground to thank me for telling him. Turns out the dog had liver cancer in an early stage and they were able to operate to remove it all.”

  Barry gazed at her with pride. “Amazing. Is that why you’re part of this special fellowship?”

  She shrugged. “I’m guessing so. How they found out I could do that is beyond me. We just got started as a department. We really haven’t had a case yet. These robberies are the first things the police have brought to us.” She snorted. “Hell, I haven’t even had the right kind of training to allow me to be in the field with the others. I mean, I took some training, but the big stuff—I have to go to Virginia for it, and since the team is so new, we haven’t had a chance.

  “My ability is all they cared about, and while I love to help, I feel like things are moving way too slowly for me to learn how to handle these cases properly. They are still making plans for training at Quantico.” She pursed her lips. “I feel like if I’d had the right training, this whole thing could have been handled better. I would have known the right way to approach my job.”

  They were quiet for a moment. She remembered what she’d been about to do before and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

  Barry frowned. “Who are you calling?”

  “Our ol’ buddies, Fred and Jed.”

&
nbsp; CHAPTER SEVEN

  What in the hell were you doing out here?” In her SUV, Charli carefully followed the beat-up Chevy leading them along the narrow gravel road winding the steep hill. “I haven’t seen a house in miles.”

  Barry shrugged. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you soon.”

  She glanced at him, then back to the narrow rock road. What if, after he got his memory back, he left her? Would she ever see him again? See his beautiful smile or hear the timbre in his voice that sent shivers racing through her? A tinge of sadness touched her heart, bringing tears to the surface.

  Hang on a goddamned second. What the hell was wrong with her? She met this guy six hours ago, and she can’t live without him now? She had to be coming up on her time of the month because she wasn’t this much of a sucker for any man. She hardened herself, swallowed the tears. He would leave when the time came. A guy that gorgeous must have a wife and family somewhere. She peeked at his left hand on his knee. No ring. Well, duh, shifters can’t wear that kind of stuff for obvious reasons. She bonked her palm on her forehead.

  Barry laughed at her. “Do you have conversations with yourself in your head all the time? I have to say, it can be comical to someone watching.”

  She’d never thought of it that way. “I do. All the time, I guess. How strange. I bet it’s because of how I communicate with animals. They talk to me silently in my head.”

  He turned to her. “That is fascinating. I’ve never met anyone who could do that.” Charli looked at him with a do you know what you just said expression. He laughed deeply and honestly. “Not that I’d remember if I had met anyone, right?”

  The Chevy truck in front of her pulled to the side. Finally. They were seriously in BFE. Everyone piled out of the vehicles and looked around.

  Fred pointed toward the edge of the road where a cliff dropped off to the water below. “That, thar, is the tree—was the tree—we climbed.” A huge hole dug out of the side of the cliff’s face had dangling roots that looked torn at the ends. “Careful crossin’ the road. I almost got runned over this mornin’.”